Posts Tagged ‘Winery’

Barefoot Wine Little Sips Cupcakes

Posted on: February 1st, 2014 by Carla Johnson No Comments

For the past three years I have been involved in “Best Bites: Taste of the Region” fundraiser here in Cambridge, Ontario. As the beverage contact on the organizing committee for the event I contact and invite the wineries, breweries & distilleries to the event. As you can imagine, I have the best job! This is the 6th in a series of “Thank You” posts featuring the beverage participants who have been such an important part of helping make Best Bites such a resounding success each year.

Barefoot Wine and Bubbly

Little Sips

Best Bites Barefoot Wine Moscato bottle

Cupcakes:

190g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

200g granulated sugar

113g butter

2 large eggs

50ml Barefoot Moscato

50ml milk

Icing:

250g tub of mascarpone cheese, softened

2 tbsp Barefoot Moscato

1 500g pack of icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Shaved chocolate for garnish

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In large bowl with electric mixer on medium-high, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, Barefoot Moscato and milk until just combined.

2. Add dry ingredients; mix until smooth and fluffy. Divide batter evenly into 24 mini cupcake tins. Bake 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan: remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Icing

1. In small bowl with electric mixer on high, beat mascarpone cheese and Barefoot Moscato wine just until smooth.

2. Gradually beat in icing sugar and vanilla until blended. Ice each cupcake with a small amount of icing and garnish with chocolate curls with a sprinkle of icing sugar.

All photos credit of Barefoot Wine and Bubbly.

@Carla_Johnson

Treasury Wine Estate’s Gabbiano Risotto

Posted on: November 28th, 2013 by Carla Johnson No Comments

For the past three years I have been involved in “Best Bites: Taste of the Region” fundraiser here in Cambridge, Ontario. As the beverage contact on the organizing committee for the event I contact and invite the wineries, breweries & distilleries to the event. As you can imagine, I have the best job! This recipe is the 2nd in a series of posts I am featuring as a “Thank You” to the beverage participants who have been such an important part of helping make Best Bites such a resounding success each year.

Vernon Warren is the local agent for Treasury Wine Estate. He is a passionate advocate for the beautiful products that Treasury represents. He shares this great recipe from Il Cavaliere, Castello di Gabbiano winery’s restaurant located in a beautiful 16th century farmhouse in Florence, Italy.

Risotto with lemon rinds, shrimp and seeds of pomegranate

200 gr Shrimp

2 cups Canaroli rice

200 ml Gabbiano Pinot Grigio

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup butter

2 Lemons

1/4 cup Onion

1 Pomegranate

1 ltr Vegetable broth

100 ml Extra virgin olive oil

Warm the oil in a pan and add the chopped onions. Now add the cleaned and pealed shrimps. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the rice, cooking it for approximately 3 minutes more.

Add the white wine and let it vaporize then add the lemon rinds and hot vegetable stock. While baking the rice keep stirring continuously.

Now remove the pan from the flame and let it rest for 2 minutes.

Add the butter, the parmesan, the lemon juice, half of the pomegranate seeds and stir quickly. Serve on plates garnished with the rest of the pomegranate seeds.

Castello di Gabbiano quote

All winery & food photo credits: Castello di Gabbiano & Treasury Wine Estate

@Carla_Johnson

“Reif Estate Winery” Braised Beef Bolognese

Posted on: November 27th, 2013 by Carla Johnson No Comments

For the past three years I have been involved in “Best Bites: Taste of the Region” fundraiser here in Cambridge, Ontario. As the beverage contact on the organizing committee for the event I contact and invite the wineries, breweries & distilleries to the event. As you can imagine, I have the best job! This recipe is the first in a series of posts I am featuring as a “Thank You” to the beverage participants who have been such an important part of helping make Best Bites such a resounding success each year.

Reif Estate Winery is a family business in the Niagara Region here in Ontario. It was founded in 1977 by Ewald Reif and is now owned by his nephew Klaus Reif. Winemaking runs deeply in the Reif family. It goes back approximately 500 years to the Rhine Valley of Germany where their ancestors began growing grapes. Klaus brought winemaker Robert DiDomenico on board in 1990.

Roberto’s winemaking philosophy of ‘letting nature make wine’ married perfectly with Klaus’s belief that “…today we are growing wine in the vineyard.” – from Reif’s website (Reif rhymes with “life”)

Reif Estate Winery

Braised Beef Bolognese

Ingredients for Beef

1 tbsp olive oil
3 medium beef shanks
2 cloves garlic
1 onion, diced
1½ cups red wine
2 medium carrots, peeled
4 cups chicken stock
400g can San Marzano whole tomatoes
1 fresh bay leaf
1 sprig fresh oregano
salt and pepper

Ingredients for Bolognese

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
200g (½ can) San Marzano tomatoes (hand crushed)
½ cup Reif red wine
Fresh oregano and/or basil

METHOD

Pre-heat oven at 225 ° F. Heat oil in a large eathernware pot. Season the beef shanks with salt and pepper. Cook shanks over a high heat until browned all over. Add garlic, onion and wine. Bring to boil, simmer uncovered for 5 minutes or until reduced by half. Add carrots, stock, tomatoes, bay leaf and oregano. Bring to a simmer and place in the oven and cook covered for 1.5 hours or until the meat is very tender and falls from the bone. Cool slightly.

For Bolognese heat oil in a large frying pan, add onion and sauté until translucent. Add the 1/2 can of tomatoes and the red wine and reduce by half. For assembly ladle in some of the braising liquid and meat from the shanks into the sauce. Bring to a simmer for a 2 minutes or until thickened slightly. Cook your favourite pasta and drizzle with olive oil and toss with oregano and basil. Spoon the Bolognese over the pasta and serve with grated parmesan.

Recipe Courtesy of Chef Robin Howe Wine Country Catering

This bolognese pairs very nicely with Reif’s Cabernet Merlot.

Tasting Notes: A medium-bodied wine loaded with black cherry and raspberry flavours. Leather and earthy spice notes create a perfect balance in this well structure wine. A clean, fruit forward finish rounds out this exceptional medium-bodied red.

Food Pairing: Grilled meats and vegetables, or Italian style pastas. Veal shanks, firm-fleshed fish in rich tomato sauce and hearty lasagnas.

VQA . Niagara Peninsula . VQA
Available on-line www.reifwinery.com or

on-site at
15608 Niagara Parkway, Niagara-on-the-Lake

Note: All Reif Estate Winery & food photos credit of Reif Estate Winery

@Carla_Johnson

King’s Court Estate Winery – Wine Tasting

Posted on: July 14th, 2013 by Carla Johnson No Comments

“It is well to remember there are five reasons for drinking: the arrival of a friend, one’s present or future thirst, the excellence of the wine, or any other reason.”

~ Latin Proverb

Carla Johnson author Cooking With Sin

Last year at our Best Bites, Taste of the Region fundraiser, I struck up a nice friendship with Roland Zimmermann of King’s Court Estate Winery. When I learned about his unique family history of wine-making, it was the focus of my article for the Winter Issue of Infinity Magazine. Plus he not only makes *sin,* he and his wife cook with it too. See their “King’s Court” Mussels in Wine Broth.

In December Roland invited my husband and me into his tasting room in the basement of his home where we enjoyed sipping his wines and we left with several cases of King’s Court wine for corporate and personal gifts. Christmas shopping doesn’t get funner or easier than that!

Knowing I have been doing wine reviews, Roland recently sent me an Extra Special Delivery of two bottles of his beautiful, award-winning wines to taste & review. Excitedly I opened each bottle with my husband, and over two different evenings, we sat and savoured the beautiful flavours.

Please understand I am not a sommelier. I have no formal training in wine tasting, but I like to think I have a decent nose and palate. Plus, I like to think experience counts. Don’t you agree? 😉 Yes, Roland knew that when he sent them to me. For his trust I am most appreciative.

King’s Court Estate Winery, Sauvignon Blanc, 2012

This Sauvignon Blanc had much more personality than many others I have tried. Many are mass produced to appeal to the palates of a broad market. Roland is an artist though, and his wines are uniquely, finely tuned to bring out all the tones and textures in each varietal.

The colour of this wine truly reflects its taste. It is a clear, bright yellow with just a touch of green in it and I would describe its flavour as light and crisp with a hint of green herbs.

It was a very beautiful and interesting wine with a full, smooth mouth feel. Nicely bouncing on the herbaceous and acidic tones of my palate, it had a dry crispness that came with a sour twist of a bit of rhubarb that was grounded with a gentle green tea and a bit of fresh grass. It finished with a very soft, yet almost salty, taste on my lips. I kept licking and licking them.

While I tasted this Sauvignon Blanc on a clean palate, it should pair well with something creamy, like a pasta with alfredo sauce or something a little sweet like pork tenderloin with caramalized onions.

King’s Court Estate Winery, Wild Blueberry Wine, 2010

Roland’s Wild Blueberry Wine absolutely piqued my curiosity. Years ago, my brother-in-law hand picked elderberries from our family property and made his own wine with them. It was a pain-staking effort that resulted in something wonderful and unforgettable. Knowing Roland’s passion for detail, I knew his Wild Blueberry Wine had been precisely tuned and nurtured. I was excited to try it.

The first thing that drew me in was the colour. It was a deep, virtually opaque, plum purple and the rim was a deep, ruby red. The nose was light, but with its gorgeous, intense colour, I knew the bouquet was just teasing me. The mouth feel was smooth and gentle.

The taste had a surprisingly deep complexity to it that comes only with using wild berries. Wild blueberries are smaller and punchier than their domesticated relatives, making the skin-to-flesh ratio higher. This richer flavour gives the vintner a juice with an interesting intensity.

Carla Johnson author Cooking With Sin port dessert wine

I even used the Wine Aroma Wheel in my book for this review.

This wine beautifully balanced sweetness and dryness, neither one dominating. The lovely sweet blend of black currants, prunes, raisins, dark cherries and a hint of fig integrated nicely with the a low, earthy tones that came through from the skins.

While it didn’t linger, the finish was delicate and sweet.

There is a prevailing gentleness to this wine. It is truly delightful. I would serve it the same way I would serve a port. It is perfect as a dessert alone and it makes a wonderful port alternative, for those who find the tannins in grape port too harsh.

These are Roland’s own notes – which are significantly less wordy than mine. 😉

“Deep royal purple colour fading to light burgundy rim. The intense blueberry on the nose follows through to the palate. Sweet cherries and ripe blueberries notes with a touch of sweetness blend together for a strong intense finish. Enjoy with pork, beef, or fried foods. Will keep until 2015.”

I tasted it at room temperature, but Roland says he has tried it both chilled and room temperature with equally enjoyable results. He and his family have enjoyed pairing it with cheese cake.

Awards

Both of these wines won awards at the 2013 All Canadian Wine Championships. The Wild Blueberry Wine took a Gold and the Sauvignon Blanc took a Silver. Click here for more information about the wines’ awards.

I posted reviews, based on this post, for these two wines here:

Wild Blueberry Wine 2010 & Sauvignon Blanc 2012

Enjoy!

Extra Special Delivery

Posted on: June 23rd, 2013 by Carla Johnson No Comments

Look what arrived this week! Roland Zimmerman, the owner and winemaker of King’s Court Estate Winery sent me two of his exquisite wines for tasting and you can hear all about them right here.

Thank you Roland!

Posts Tagged ‘Winery’

Barefoot Wine Little Sips Cupcakes

Barefoot Wine and Bubbly