Hello!  If you are looking for Nita's posts, you can find her at tip my tumbler.  And as always, you can find Holly at Wine Out Loud. 

Check back here for future podcasts by Holly and Nita!

Episode 10: Crémant and Puff Pastry

The joys of French bubbly with puff pastry and how NOT to open a bottle of sparkling wine.

Here is the link to the recipe for the yummy savoury palmiers:

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/ham-gruyere-honey-mustard-palmiers.aspx?nterms=50176,50026

Episode 9: Chardonnay

In which we discuss the many styles of Chardonnay, a little Ontario grape-growing history, and the scariness of homemade croquettes.

Episode 8: Going Local

This month we try and keep it local with a 100 mile challenge. A trip to Domaine Perrault (approximately 30 km from home) made it a cinch to find good, local wine but as it turns out this was a little easier than fixing a purely local meal.




Be sure to check out Domaine Perrault's website where you'll find a list of their products and directions to the vineyard.

http://www.domaineperrault.ca/

Links to some of the websites Nita mentions in the podcast.

justfood.ca has info on producers and vendors of local food, including restaurants that source local ingredients.
ottawavalleyfood.org promotes the local food movement around Ottawa.
ottawafarmersmarket.ca is the website for the markets at Landsdowne, Bayshore and Orleans.
mainfarmersmarket.com is the website for the market on Main Street.
ontariofarmfresh.com lists farms in the area that you can visit.

Episode 7: Irsai Olivér

Ever heard of Irsai Olivér? Neither had we; it's a grape... from Hungary. Feeling adventurous this month, we wanted to try something off the beaten track, so Nita grabbed this bottle of white and we gave it a taste. Then we chowed down on some Eastern European inspired foodstuffs. Indigenous grapes from less heard of wine destinations can be fun. Really.

Meat Salad Recipe (from my Mom):

1 lb or so of Fleischwurst (you will probably have to go to a specialty store for this one, I got it at Adam's Sausages here in Ottawa), sliced into strips
some chopped onion, as much or little as you like
1 or 2 pickles, chopped (I bought German gherkins at Adam's and used those)
1 tablespoon dill
2 teaspoons of white vinegar
1 or 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
salt to taste

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together!

Episode 6: A Little Rosé in May

With the weather finally turning into something that resembles spring, we thought a trip to pink wine country was in order. This month we tried a rosé showdown featuring a bottle from France and a bottle from Ontario. Listen along to see which one comes out on top.




A few links for you to check out:
Billy's Best Bottles
Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery

Episode 5: Poderi dal Nespoli

This month Nita and I try something from my cellar: a four year old bottle of Sangiovese, or 'blood of Jove' as they used to call it in the olden days. We talk a little about cellaring wines (if you can stand the waiting) and we plate up a few traditional Italian foodstuffs to pair with the wine.



Some Wine Cellaring Tips
1. Constant conditions are important: a still environment; darkness; humidity of between 60 - 65 percent, and a temperature of approximately 10 - 15 degrees celsius.
2. Try to store a variety of expensive and not-so-expensive wines for different occasions.
3. Buy two bottles of a varietal to put away in case one is corked, or in case you like it so much you wish you had another.
4. Store bottles with corks on their side, so the corks don't dry out and then allow air to infiltrate the bottle.
5. Create a labelling method so you can track what's there and when to drink it.

Here's the recipe for that amazing mushroom/blue cheese topped crostini that Nita made. We unfortunately didn't photograph it at the time, but it was very pretty.