Wine-Walks and Liquorice Chocolates

So sorry, this is late. We had a pretty amazing, albeit busy, weekend (another story for another blog post though). 

The week itself was pretty low key. We had the kids for Valentine's Day and made pink pancakes, so that was fun. Shane got me flowers, and I got him chocolates... almost. Shane isn't a big chocolate guy, so I had to get a bit creative. I opened the box that I got, careful not to rip the sticker on the back so I could put it back together, dumped all the chocolate out, and replaced them with Liquorice All-Sorts (yuck). He quite liked it. And I thought it was pretty funny. 


We took the pup for a walk on Thursday, and Shane had seen some wine for the walk, in cans! So that was fun. It wasn't too bad either, once you got past the issue of drinking something not-fizzy out of a can, which is a bit odd. It was a simple pinot grigio. Not too much going on, but then again, it was in a can... 

February 16, 2017

This week, the LCBO didn't have anything new that grabbed us, so we went to the sale rack. They still had some of the Henry of Pelham's Cuvée Catharine Brut (non-rosé - you'll remember we had the rosé recently) for $9 off, so we chose that. We've had it before (on New Year's Eve 2015), but with its regular price around the $30 mark, it's one that we consider a splurge. 

On popping the top (and it had quite the pop behind it), it had a bit of a dry, yeasty smell. In the glass, it had a very, very pale straw colour, with lots of bubbles. I found when I stuck my nose deep into the glass, and took a big breath, I got a strange scent coming through. It took me a while to figure it out, but I swear I got hints of mint and chocolate. Shane just said "no" to that... Nice, right? 

It had a nice taste, and thankfully no mint chocolates. Shane said he got "wine", and that it was a bit sour-tart. I found the aftertaste to be a bit crab-appley. It had lots of sharp bubbles. Into glass #2, I started to find it was getting a bit sweeter, with more of an acid bite. It also made us quite burpy... 

When we were mostly finished the bottle, we took a peruse back to the previous notes for this one. We had marked the after-taste as the aftertaste you get from orange juice, when all the orange is gone and it's just acid left. And we completely agreed with that statement again this time. 

Overall, yeah, it was good. Predictable and easy to drink. 

~S&S

• Brand: Henry of Pelham
• Type of Grape: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
• Sweetness: 7g/L
• Price: regularly $29.95, on sale for $21.95
• Tasting Notes: Yeasty and dry bubbly, with nice acid level and sharp bubbles. Would pair nicely with a creamy chicken soup. 

A Happy Birth Day Champagne Thursday

Well, that was quite the Superbowl now wasn't it? We actually watched the whole thing (well, Shane may have napped through part of it...), we don't normally last that long. But it's a good thing we did, things certainly turned around for New England in that last quarter. Wow. 

Other than that (and actually including that), our week has been pretty quiet. We have been watching some TV upstairs in the Cuddle and Blanket Nest, and Tyson has been thoroughly enjoying that. Think about it, people paying attention to him, blankets so he doesn't have to self-regulate his temperature, and naps, oh glorious naps. It's Puppy Paradise. 

February 9, 2017

Introducing  the stunningly handsome
Harvey Raymond, y'all can swoon now.

This Thursday was a pretty special one: my sister had her baby! Our beautiful brand new nephew, Harvey Raymond, was born at 5:36pm at 6.2lb. 

Unfortunately, our Champagne Guy didn't hear about the celebration, so he wasn't around to help steer us in the right direction. We ended up with a South African bottle from Krone: their 2015 Krone Rosé Cuvée Brut. 

On the pop, Shane was "ooooh, it's gonna be a sweet one..." (we had checked before buying, it wasn't supposed to be a sweet one, we're pretty careful about that). I thought it smelled like Swedish berries candies, so right on line with the "sweet" that Shane got. I also thought it smelled a bit like apple cider, like a Strongbow or something. Shane didn't agree. 

The first thing I noticed when I had my first sip was the bubbles, lots and lots of sharp bubbles. Shane didn't like it at first, but started to come around after a couple sips. I didn't mind it right off the bat, but the taste didn't quite match the smell. It wasn't as sweet as it smelled, which was a bit off-putting because you think you know what you're going to get, so it's a bit shocking. But it's good that it wasn't as sweet as it smelled. 

This is our Cuddle and Blanket Nest aka Puppy Paradise

I still thought it tasted like cider, and after a glass, Shane started to agree. Shane even said "it's a lovely sparkling cider". Would we get it again? No. Is that because it was bad? No. It just didn't jump out at us as being a sparkling wine. 

Also, we took issue with them calling it a "rosé"... The only thing rosé about this one was the label. Although maybe it's a rosé because they use Pinot Noir grapes, not necessarily because of the colour? Either way, it's not pink. 

Til next time, 

S&S

• Brand: Krone
• Type of Grape: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
• Sweetness: 13g/L
• Price: $18.95
• Tasting Notes: Lovely tasting cider, would pair well with a fresh crusty loaf of bread. 

New Vintage... Old Show.

As we ramp up for Superbowl weekend, we are simultaneously closing out a full week. My mom hosted (I helped) a baby shower for my sister; we did a book theme and it was a huge hit. The premise was that people would bring books instead of cards (which are read once and then thrown away) and write their little note in the book for the baby. I found one of our childhood favourites: Shel Silverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends. 

This is only some of the food that was out,
my layout ap can only include 9 pictures.

We also had all sorts of book themed food: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Give a Mouse a Cookie, Junk Food, etc. etc. etc. Leave it to my mom to go overboard with the food. But it was a great shower (in my humble opinion), with lots of laughs (our aunt brought a diaper changing kit which included gloves, tongs, protective face masks and eyewear), lots of great company, food, and some amazingly generous gifts. My sister left knowing exactly how much love was pouring out of all of us for both her, and the lil' bub she's carrying. This beautiful little family in the making. 

This week Shane and I also joined the gym. And we've gone once too. We are going again tonight. Trying to get in shape for our trip to Florida this March. We booked those tickets too. Like I said, it's been a full week.



February 2, 2017

This week when we were browsing the LCBO, we saw a familiar label: Jackson-Triggs' Entourage (this link is for the 2013 vintage), but this time it was in a BOX! (We all know what I think about bubbly in boxes: get your fancy pants on!) We looked back to the previous blog post to see what the difference was, and it was vintage. The last time we had the Entourage, it was the 2011 year, and this was the 2012. We didn't bother actually reading our previous review, and it's probably a good thing we didn't, it seems that although we quite liked it last time, we thought that for the extra money, it needed a medium special occasion... Last night was certainly not a medium special occasion... 

We're quite taken with watching Netflix on the big screen,
right now we're finishing up Prison Break, which is less
startling than seeing the giant zombies that we were
getting with The Walking Dead... 

On popping the top, Shane got a yeasty-berry scent, but not the normal "Carnation Instant Breakfast" that usually accompanies those two flavours for him. My first sip was quite dry, and very bubbly. Shane said the bubbles were crackly ones: like "a bowl of Rice Crispies in front of the Christmas fire". Very specific bubbles. I also got a touch of stale vitamins, but luckily that scent didn't last. 

We decided that it was mainly a pineapple flavour, which explained the tart and sweet feeling. Near the middle of glass #2, Shane said that he was getting notes of almond and maybe vanilla on the nose, but only occasionally. After a few more sips, I was able to come around to the slightly vanilla claim, but I still didn't get almonds. It lead to a smooth, creamy mouth feel. 

That being said, every now and then we got a few very tart sips. It was an interesting bottle, certainly not boring, certainly not predictable. It was strange how almost every sip was different from the last. In a nice way. There was a lot of variety in this bottle. We think that the 2012 is WAY better than the 2011 vintage. We really liked it, and not just medium-special-occasion amounts. More in the we-want-to-drink-this-all-the-time amounts. 

Hope you all enjoy the Superbowl! 
~S&S

• Brand: Jackson-Triggs
• Grape: Not noted
• Sweetness: 11g/L
• Price: $24.95
• Tasting Notes: Very complex bubbly, with notes of pineapple and vanilla. Would pair well with pancakes for brunch.

Vacation and back

Wow, I knew that the vacation post would be late, but I hadn't intended for last week's to be late also. Sorry about that. 

We had a great time out west, although, we could've done with another week or two to do and see all the things and people we wanted to. We skied for 5 days, 3 days at Sunshine Village and 2 at Lake Louise. Visibility was kind of crap the first couple days, but cleared up nicely by the end of the week. We saw some elk, but that was about the only wildlife that we noticed. We did a day tourist-ing around Banff and Canmore in matching family t-shirts, and wrapped it up with a beautiful hot stone dinner at the Grizzly House, thanks to my sister. 

We got home, and got the dog, and then he slept for a couple days straight (after his bum almost wiggled right off because he was so excited to see us *swoon*). Gotta love a sleepy, snuggly puppy. 

As far as Champagne Thursdays go, we did bring some Origin out with us, and Shane and I enjoyed a quick Champagne Thursday toast on the hill, out of paper coffee cups (yuppers, we're classy). We didn't bother to review it as when we did it at Tremblant there wasn't much going on with it. But it's still fun. We then did ACTUAL Champagne Thursday back at the condo. 

January 19, 2017

T'was the vacation of the
matching tees. Welcome, Mom
and Dad, to having an official shirt!

We chose this one because of the label (bright pink polka dots), looked fun and felt vacation-y. It was a Pinot Noir Brut from Secco Italian Bubbles. (note: I was a bit stuffy, so I didn't get much...) (also interesting to note: Although the brand is "Italian Bubbles", this is actually crafted in Washington, USA)

Shane didn't get much on popping the top. In the glass, Dad said he got a strawberry flavour, but not much on the nose. Mom said that it was reminiscent of bubbly wine (thanks for your help maaa). 

Shane said that it didn't have much of a nose, but he got some strawberry-esque flavours. I got a mixed berry aroma, and thought that it was a bit tart and sour. 

It was a lovely colour, with some really nice, fine bubbles. 

January 26, 2017

Back home again, and we're all able to get our Tyson fix. This week, after chatting with our Champagne Guy, we ended up with this one: Chateau d'Eternes' Saumur Brut. It was out in the general population at the LCBO (as opposed to the Vintages Section), and the price was right. 

(Another Note: We were both full on sick. So this review should be taken with a grain of salt, or a shot of whisky)

On popping the top, Shane said that it gave off a "sweet white wine aroma", similar to an off-dry Riesling. The first few sips, however, were anything but that. I thought it was tart, almost sour. Shane said that he wasn't getting anything (actually used the term "nada") just cold, fizzy, tart wine (we had left it in the freezer too long... oops). 

I got a bit of an apple flavour a few sips in, but Shane didn't. It was very fizzy, and depending on the sip, the bubbles were soft and creamy or sharp and bite-y. Very unpredictable. 

We ended thinking that it was fine, but probably wouldn't get it again. Nothing was wrong with it, but there wasn't anything going for it either. It was very middle of the road. 

Chat in a couple days! 
~S&S

January 19, 2017: 

• Brand: Secco Italian Bubbles
• Type of Grape: Pinot Noir
• Sweetness: Couldn't find it
• Price: Can't quite remember, but around $18-20
• Tasting Notes: Nice enough bubbly, not much going on, strawberry flavours. Would pair nicely with a spinach salad with a light raspberry vinaigrette. 

January 26, 2017: 

• Brand: Chateau d'Eternes
• Type of Grape: Chardonnay and Chenin
• Sweetness: 6g/L
• Price: $11.75
• Tasting Notes: Mild, easy drinking, dry bubbly. Nicely tart, not very complex. Would pair well with salty chips. 

For those who need just an extra dose of Tyson...
Seriously, those ears though...  

Last Bubbly Pre-West

It's almost here! Vacation time is almost here!!! Needless to say, we're a little excited. On Sunday, after the kids go to their mother's house, we head to Ottawa to fly to Alberta for a week. So next week's post will be late.

This week we were busy starting to get ready for the trip, tidying the house, and hosting a Warren Miller Movie Event! My folks came over, Shane set up the projector upstairs, and we watched the 2015 movie (we all missed it last year) on the big "screen". It was fun, but we forgot to get prizes (there are always prizes at the Warren Miller movie), so oops, maybe next year. 

We also got to hang out with Drew and Sarah, and I got to bounce the baby for a while. It is surprisingly relaxing, and my legs did a little better than the last time when they demonstrated how not ready for skiing they were. This time they seemed to hold up fine. Phew. 

The week was pretty low key. We've been making vacation lists (to do, to buy and to pack), and trying to cross as many things off it as we can. Confession time: I love the feeling of crossing something off the list so much that sometimes I add things I've already done, just to be able to make myself look like I've been productive. Or I add silly things like "shower" or "eat lunch" so I can cross them off... *hangs head in shame*

January 12, 2017

This week when we went to the LCBO, we saw a bottle that was on sale, big sale. Usually a sale at the LCBO is a couple bucks off, but this one was $9 off!! That's almost unheard of!!

So we ended up with Henry of Pelham's Cuvée Catharine Brut Rosé. We have had their original Cuvée Catharine, which was awesome. 

On popping top, Shane got "Strawberry Carnation Instant Breakfast". This isn't new for him, he's gotten that before, so no need for alarm, usually it just means it's berry scented. I thought it smelled quite dry, with a raspberry or strawberry aroma. 

The first few sips were quite dry, and very berry forward. The dryness kind of mellowed out, staying dry, but losing the harshness. The bubbles in this one were great, plentiful and small, giving it a sharp mouth-feel. The colour was quite lovely also. 

We thoroughly enjoyed this bottle, and would definitely get it again. It was balanced and predictable, very fruity and dry. It was really nice. So glad it was on sale. 

Til next time!!

~S&S

• Brand: Henry of Pelham
• Type of Grape: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
• Sweetness: 12g/L
• Price: $29.95 (on sale for $20.95)
• Tasting Notes: Bursting with berry flavours, nicely dry. Would pair well with fresh biscuits and jam.

2017 is now

Well, it's here. A new year, chock-full of Thursdays just waiting for bubbles to be attached to them. This year is bound to be an exciting one, full of adventures. We have some exciting ones in the wings, some definite and some tentative. 

We also get to be a part of some pretty big adventures vicariously through friends and family... there are babies and weddings and travel in their futures.

2017 is going to be EPIC. I'm so excited to see what it will bring. 

January 5, 2017 (yup, wrote 2016 first...)

For this, the first for 2017, Champagne Thursday, we skipped the store, and enjoyed a bottle that we had received as a gift for Christmas. A special bottle of the Jackson Triggs Reserve from 2015. This was extra special as it was a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity, their Cuve Close for a Cause. I couldn't find this particular bottle on the Jackson Triggs website, but found another version of that vintage, just not the fundraiser one. We have had some Jackson Triggs in the past, their Entourage. 

When he popped this bottle, Shane got a strong scent of Swedish Berries. In the glass, I got "wine", followed by peach scents where Shane was adamant it was cream soda. A little different, but still a bit sweet and fruity. The first sip was a bit of a shock. Despite the lovely smell, it had a harsh first sip, full of booze and liquor (luckily not liquorice though). 

It mellowed out pretty quickly though, and started to give way to a sweet but tart flavour. Maybe apples? Shane still smelled the cream soda, but it didn't have that flavour. We thought it kind of reminded us of the sparkling wine we made for our wedding (which reminds us, it's about 2 years old now, we should probably drink that...). It had nice sharp bubbles and was a lovely pale straw colour.

Overall, we quite liked it, although we did find it a touch booze-forward in flavour. We would have it again if the opportunity arose. 

Til next week, 

~S&S

• Brand: Jackson Triggs
• Type of Grape: Not noted
• Sweetness: Not noted, but we guess it to be somewhere around the 18g/L mark
• Price: Not sure, but the other Cuve Close is listed at $14.95, this one might have been a bit more as it was a fundraiser?
• Tasting Notes: Peach and cream soda nose coupled with a light tart apple and strong boozey flavour. Would pair nicely with warm biscuits full of butter.

The Week of Christmas and New Years

Some highlights of 2016

Well, Christmas has come and gone, as has the last Champagne Thursday of 2016. We had a beautiful Christmas, and followed the traditions that we've had for the past few years. We got the kids for a visit on Christmas Eve when we went out to Shane's Dad's place and caught up with family and friends. After we returned the kids to their mom's, Shane and I turned the fire on the TV (and in the fire place), and enjoyed a bottle of wine, sometimes red, this year sparkling, and listened to a few Stuart McLean Christmas stories, starting with our favourite: Dave Cooks the Turkey. Christmas morning, I slept in (what a gift!) and we opened each others gifts while the turkey was in the smoker. Then we went out to the farm for the afternoon/evening with my parents. Boxing day the kids came over and opened their gifts (spoiler alert, paint ball guns!). 

And then we relaxed. Watched some of The Walking Dead, and ate and drank - maybe a bit too much... 

New Years Eve we had the kids, which was great. We had some fireworks, a boatload of Chinese food, a bit of bubbly, and quality time. We actually made it to midnight this year. I know, crazy. So that about wraps it up. Better get on with it, as there are 3 bottles in this post. I want to wrap up 2016 all in one post. 

So, let's get started. 

December 24, 2016

Tyson is ready in his Christmas pyjamas 

We didn't have to go hunting for this bottle, it was given to us by work colleagues. We enjoyed [yellow tail] Pink Bubbles by the fire on Christmas Eve. 

This one had a really big pop, and started to fizz. Shane was able to cover it with his mouth while getting it to the sink to clean up, and ended up a little burpy. He claims he almost choked. A bit dramatic. 

Now, something to keep in mind is we were expecting this one to be quite sweet. The first couple sips had a big berry flavour, and a dry winey flavour. Shane admits that it was considerably drier than he thought. 

It was a touch one dimensional, but quite nice and predictable. It did gain a bit of a sweet momentum after a glass or so. We thought it would be great for someone trying to get into bubbly. 

It's a nice bottle: sweet, nice bubbles and one-dimensional (which isn't a bad thing, it also translates to a predictable, consistent bubbly).

I swear I deliberately put them on my feet that way,
thinking it would look more natural because I
usually sit with my legs crossed... turns out
it just looks like I put them on the wrong feet... 

December 29, 2016

The last official Champagne Thursday of 2016. We are very lucky to have such thoughtful (step) kids in our lives. They got us the most magnificent Thursday socks. 

For the last Champagne Thursday of 2016 we chose a bottle from South Africa, Avondale Armilla. This one didn't have much of a pop under the cork, and Shane said he got a bit of a bready or yeasty scent from the bottle. 

In the first sip, I got a sour apple flavour, which was very different from Shane's "toast" flavour. He got a bit of a sour taste a few sips later. It also had caramel notes, like Werther's Orignals, but not a right out of the package, almost like they had been put in the oven and toasted a bit... 

It had nice, crisp bubbles, and was a nice, light straw colour. Overall, it was just okay. We didn't have much to say about it, it tasted like wine with hints of toast and caramel. Hopefully 2017's Champagne Thursdays start better than 2016 ends (at least champagne-wise.)

December 31, 2016

Tyson got dressed up for NYE. The rest of us
were in PJs... 

This is an unofficial review as it wasn't a Champagne Thursday. We picked up a bottle of La Jara's Prosecco for NYE this year. Now, I'm not sure if it was the couple beers we had prior to this, but man, we had a heck of a time figuring out this bottle's brand. We were thinking maybe (A)ARA, (A JARA, and everything in between. We had to look it up. So it's officially LA JARA. On further research, they have quite the line up of organic sparkling wines, although we've only ever seen this bottle in the LCBO. 

This one had a medium sized pop under the cork. In the first couple sips, I got a strong green apple flavour. We also though it had a dry scent, with nice sharp bubbles. It was a bit winey, and quite tart. Nick thought it tasted like some of the flavoured sparkling waters we have around the house... Not sure if that's good or bad... 

Overall, it was nicely dry, albeit a bit one-dimensional, predictable and boring. We both thought it reminded us of a bubbly pinot grigio.  Shane gave it a 4.5/10 and then downgraded to a 4/10. It had a great label though.

Happy New Year everyone, best of luck in 2017!

~S&S

December 24, 2016

• Brand: [yellow tail]
• Type of Grape: Not noted
• Sweetness: 25g/L
• Price: $13.95
• Tasting Notes: Simple, moderately sweet bubble, berry forward flavours. Would pair nicely with a grapefruit salad. 

December 29, 2016

• Brand: Avondale
• Type of Grape: Chardonnay
• Sweetness: 11g/L
• Price: $29.95
• Tasting Notes: Winey flavour with hints of toast and caramel. A touch of apple at first. Would match nicely with bruschetta on a crostini.

December 31, 2016

• Brand: La Jara
• Type of Grape: Glera
• Sweetness: 8g/L
• Price: $16.95
• Tasting Notes: Green apple forward, dry bubbly, reminiscent of a pinot grigio. Would be nice on its own, super cold, on a sunny, hot afternoon.