A Long Lunch
Originally Published on August 16, 2010
Lately there are not enough hours in the day! Maybe it’s because every morning starts with a quick check of a dozen different wines to make sure that they are good to serve. This is truly the breakfast of champions, forget the Wheaties. Anyone who knows me is aware that I have never been a lightweight — until it comes to alcohol consumption. For some reason, I have almost no tolerance for alcohol or drugs, but that is not a bad thing. Not only am I a cheap date, but I become quite entertaining very easily.
Stefanie bought me a cup of coffee from Tim Hortons the other day, forgetting that I do decaf. I spent the next 12 hours chattering nonstop, oversharing life’s little secrets and even sang a couple of country songs I had written when I was a kid (Another Dead Shoe on the Highway). In my defense, it was an extra large. Hmmm… I noticed that Stef didn’t bring me coffee yesterday. Wonder why?
As usual, I digress, but the point I was making is that alcohol makes me adorable. Of course, only a select few actually see it that way, and they are usually people who have been drinking themselves. I’ve found that the more other people drink, the better looking I get. Ahhh, the point… drinking wine is better when accompanied by food. Not everyone would agree with me, but they would be wrong. Food makes most things in life better. Remember George in Seinfeld eating sandwiches in bed? Maybe that’s not the image I was going for, but the concept is the same. Great food, wine and sex all go hand in hand. Since sex isn’t really appropriate at work, I tend to stick to the wine and food.
When I taste one of Palatine’s wines, I automatically think of what I’d like to with it, so I started bringing in bits and pieces from the kitchen to see how they pair with different wines. It turns out that the Cab Sauv ‘06 that seemed so dry on its own was the perfect pairing for Montreal Smoked Meat on a pita with mustard. Michel was the perfect guinea pig for my pairings, always willing to take another drink of wine and able to remain standing long after I would have tipped over. John Neufeld, the owner of the winery, had mentioned wanting to serve something to the distributors of his wines when they came by for a tasting. He asked if I had ny suggestions for a light lunch, not realising that he was creating a monster. This is the two-hour luncheon panned out:
Tasting Menu
Welcome Aperitif Juliette 2007
Cabernet Sauvignon Ice 2006 — Spring Roll with Plum Sauce
Riesling Traminer 2007 — Greek Salad
Fumé Blanc 2007 — Salmon Wellington
Cabernet/Merlot 2007 — Pita Chips with Masala Hummus
Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 — Smoked Meat on Pita Canapés
Merlot 2007 — Beef Wellington
Lakeshore Red 2008 — Sliders with Rosemary BBQ Sauce
Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 — Grilled Sausage
Late Harvest Transition Wine
Gewürztraminer Icewine — Blue Cheese
Vidal 2006 Icewine — Custard-Filled Fruit Tarts
Everyone left the tasting holding their stomachs and groaning, but happy. Every day I learn something new about wine — mostly that I like it more every day!
Besos,
Danielle