posted on Dec 16th, 2011 in News Holiday parties- keep it simple and delish.

When planning a party or gathering for the holidays, wine and cheese make for the perfect, easy to assemble spread. It’s two stop shopping! Okay maybe three if there is no bread at the cheese shop of your choice, but most good cheese shops carry great loaves. During such a busy time of year the last thing any of us need is to be running around from shop to shop looking for speciality food items and then slaving over the creation of “hors d’oeuvres”.
A wicked cheese plate and some wine to match will always dazzle a crowd of friends. Especially if you have access to good cheese, and living in Toronto, thankfully we do.

When it comes to matching wine and cheese, there are a few pointers that can help along the way. Firstly, it is a myth that red wine matches best with cheese. White wine is actually far more versatile and will lend itself to well to several types of cheese, whereas red will cause more clashes.

Secondly, sweet wines are excellent with cheese, so its nice to have one or two of those on hand as well. A good Ontario example is Cave Springs’ delicious Indian Summer Riesling, which is rich and butterscotchy without being heavy. Northern Italy offers a great selection of sweet wines such as Recioto (which drinks similarity to a Port) and the lightly sparkling, wonderfully peachy Moscato d’ Asti which is always an excellent choice. These and many other other tasty options are all reasonably easy to find at a well stocked LCBO.

Thirdly, if you are going to go with red which lets face it, you have to because that’s what most people feel like drinking in colder weather, choose something fruity and on the lighter side such as Sangiovese from the Maremma, or an Ontario Pinot Noir (the 2009′s are awesome).

In terms of your actual cheese plate, go for variety and some nice, large chunks- there’s nothing wrong with leftovers in the cheese department. A couple of cutting boards and some cheese knives will do in terms of presentation and if you’d like to offer fruit or nuts as well, its always better to plate them off to the side instead of snuggled up to the cheese. And remember to have lots of bread and crackers at hand.

When it comes to cheese, here are some stellar options:

Thunder Oak Gouda- Cow’s Milk, Ontario
There is a cult following for this world class gouda. Able to compete with the best of it’s Dutch counterparts, this cheese is made up north in Thunder Bay by a Dutch family that emigrated to Canada, bringing their awesome cheese making skills with them. A crystalline texture that is sweet and spicy with flavours of caramel and nuts.

Chevre Noir- Goats Milk, Quebec
Ebony and Ivory do indeed go together in perfect harmony. With a name meaning “Black Goat” in reference to the ebony rind, Chevre Noir is an alabaster goats milk cheddar that ages gracefully. With a firm texture and rich nutty, herbal flavour, this cheese has been on the scene for over 20 years and is still going strong.

Parmigiano Reggiano- Cow’s Milk, Emilia Romagna, Italy
Simply put, one of the best cheeses in the world, period. If you’ve ever had the immense pleasure of digging into one of these huge wheels and eating the freshly foraged chunks, you surely understand the concept of being “drunk on cheese”. Its crumbly texture and tangy depth are addictive, it’s like little pieces of gold tumbling into your mouth. Enjoying it with a great glass of wine you will agree, is pleasure overload. And with it’s name emblazoned all over the rind, there is no room for imitators.

Benedictine Blue- Cow’s Milk, Quebec
Made in the only cheese factory managed by old school Monk’s in all of North America, this cheese has holy beginnings. Soft and velvety with big blue grooves. Expressive but not loud with a balanced and clean earthiness.

Grey Owl- Goat’s milk, Quebec
This cheese is a real looker with its dark ash rind and contrasting creamy white interior. The name of this cheese honours the legend of Archie Belany, one of Canada’s first conservationists who was also known as Grey Owl. The vegetable ash rind is edible and helps to keep this beautiful cheese moist and maintain its fresh lemony flavour. Eating this cheese is not only a gastronomic pleasure… it’s a shout out to Canadian environmentalism as well.

La Sauvagine- Cow’s milk, Quebec
Awarded a gold medal in 2006 at the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix for best cheese in Canada, La Sauvagine set off a spark in the Canadian cheese movement and thus encouraged local cheese makers to up their game. Crazy creamy and smooth with aromatics of spice and mushrooms with a savoury, yogurty finish. A welcome addition to any cheese board.

All of the above cheese options are available at my all time favourite cheese shop, The Cheese Boutique- www.cheeseboutique.ca . If you have never been, OMG go immediately- it is foodie heaven. Not only is their cheese selection the best in the city- ask for a tour of their aging rooms- they have many other culinary delights at hand like olives, meats, pastas, pastry and chocolate, you name it. Just browsing the shop is an extreme pleasure.

Or, if you’re altogether too busy to make it happen, you can always grab your pals and head into visit us. We have 35 wines open by the glass for you to enjoy and our cheese cave features all of the cheeses listed above. And, you don’t have to wash any glasses afterward!

Happy Holidays!

Lesa LaPointe
Sommelier

posted on Dec 8th, 2011 in News Caviar and champagne- all in a days work.

Our kitchen has had a string of serious hits lately. As a Sommelier, I taste food the way I taste wine, which is to say that I’m subconsciously looking for faults in the overall balance of a dish. It’s certainly not that I want to find faults, but rather that my palate is trained to look for a lack of, or excessive amount of any one element like acidity, fat or seasoning. My taste buds have been boot-camped over the years to notice when something is out of whack. No, this doesn’t make me a nightmare to dine with (I swear!) as I usually keep my criticisms to myself, but being a part of our team gives me allowance to speak up when I think something isn’t working and I have to say that lately, I can find fault with none of the new dishes that are coming out of the kitchen for me to taste.

Tasting new dishes and coming up with wine pairings isn’t all fun and games I promise you, especially when being 7 months pregnant (as I am) can make you kind of squeamish. But hey, it’s part of my job so if duty calls to taste a dried fish product and some vino right after breakfast, I step up…however reluctantly.

And so, reluctantly step up I did when I was called on to taste a new pasta that was topped with a large helping of Bottarga di Mougine, a cured fish roe from grey Mullet. It’s not that this product is isn’t delicious, it’s that anything really fishy would have me turn in the other direction right now, and being a dried fish product, Bottarga really does have that intensely fishy aroma. Having lived for several years in a coastal region of Spain has also made me a bit of a shellfish snob, especially when it comes to things like shrimp, clams and mussels. Once you’ve enjoyed them absolutely fresh, its hard to accept what we in the North consider fresh to mean. So I wasn’t overly hopeful when I learned that the new dish I was tasting would feature spot prawns as well.

I will stop myself here and say that I was completely and entirely smitten by the dish that I tasted. It was outstanding. I have eaten it twice since just to make sure it wasn’t a one-off, and I have been dazzled each time and I plan to continue my research in this area as well. It’s part of my job:)

The dish is composed of perfectly al dente spaghetti that has been dried out slightly before cooking, which improves its texture and prevents each strand from getting gluey and stuck to the others. The spaghetti is tossed with wilted rapini leaves, lemon juice and just enough dried chillies to give the dish a faint hint of spice. But the fish products really are the stars of the show here. The spot prawns are sustainably fished for a period of only 6-8 weeks every year off the coast of BC and individually quick frozen in sea water to maintain their integrity. Now that’s what Im talkin’ about. I LOVE ingredients that have been well looked after. The result is a plump and sweet prawn and the best tasting bottom- dweller that I have had this far from the ocean.

The Bottarga di Mougine, or “poor man’s caviar”, is as it turns out much nicer and more delicate than it’s cousin Bottarga di Tonno, which is made from tuna and far less subtle. The Mougine is still a fishy product to be sure, but it jives so well with the otherwise mildly flavoured elements of this dish that it strikes a delicious balance. What amazes me most is that I’m not a fan of so many of the individual elements that this dish is made of, but the finished product totally rocked my world. It just goes to show- being adventurous while dining pays. I would hate to miss out on a dish this outstanding!

The house made spaghetti with spot prawns, rapini and Bottarga di Mougine is on our menu now and paired with the Italian equivalent of champagne- Franciacorta, and what a delectable match it is. A more rustic, down to earth and Italian version of champagne and caviar…with spaghetti!

Enjoy!

Lesa LaPointe
Sommelier

posted on Dec 8th, 2011 in News Holidays reds- Introducing Lagrein

Unless one is familiar with the process of buying wine, it’s easy to imagine that we Sommeliers we purchase from a never ending supply that is always available to us. That idea makes sense looking from the outside in. One look at the LCBO shelves would indicate abundance- they’re practically bursting with product, a seemingly endless supply of wine to be had. But, if we want to bring in unique product for our lists, we must jump through a multitude of hoops to make it happen. One of which includes waiting for months on end for wine to arrive. I may find a wine I love in August and order it, but I will wait until November or later for it to arrive at my door. Needless to say this involves a lot of future planning (and patience) but when the moment arrives and the wine you’ve been waiting on shows up- ah… a moment of glory.

Back in the steamy months of summer I asked one of my favourite wine agents (more on agents to come in a future post so stay tuned!) to order me up a shipment of one of my fave cool weather reds, a real obscure vino that is perfect for the holiday season. One that inspires gamey, lamby dishes and stews. Just last week and in time for the festivities, the wine arrived.

I was introduced to this wine about 5 years ago while tasting through some delicious Northern Italian reds. It was one of those stop-you-short-in-your-tracks type of wines, it really stood out among the crowd of others. It was a Lagrein, from Alto Adige.

Alto Adige, also known as Sudtirol, is a part of Northern Italy that boarders Austria and as such the region shares elements from Italian and Austrian culture. Wine labels are written in Italian and German and the cuisine of the two regions intermingle to produce an interesting and unique mix of two otherwise very different styles. It is an almost entirely mountainous region that does extremely well with aromatic Germanic grapes like Gewurztraminer and Muller-Thurgau, but the reds from this region can be very special indeed, as is the case with well made Lagrein.

Red wine production in this region has mostly focused on tart, lighter-bodied wines that were exported up north to Germany and as such, were unknown to the point of obscurity in North America. Even if they had been available for purchase around these parts, they wouldn’t have been very popular as we North Americans have not yet warmed to this style of light, tart reds. Lately the region has seen some overseas success with wines made from international varietals like Cab Sauv and Pinot Noir- the latter of which does extremely well in the cool Northern climate of the area. But of more interest to me are the native varietals- I like to see what grapes born and bred in the area are capable of. Thankfully, Alto Adige has Lagrein among it’s native players.

Lagrein is a deeply coloured red grape that is naturally high in acidity and tannin. This means it has the potential, should those qualities be handled with care, to be turned into a very good wine. When well-made, Lagrein is full bodied without being heavy. Rich plum and cherry aromas exist alongside notes of earth, leather and mushrooms. I particularly favour the oaked versions which take on a nice spicy richness without being overwhelming. These are perfect wines for gamey meats like lamb and the un-oaked versions work beautifully with speck and bresaola, two local and delicious speciality meats of the region.

Currently at Enoteca Sociale we are pouring
Lagrein “Perl” 2009 DOC, Cantina Bolzano, Alto Adige.

It is one of our high-end by the glass offerings, but I absolutely had to open it as it pairs so perfectly with our lamb ragu pappardelle. This version has seen some oak and manages to be full and fresh at the same time, with a lovely, lush depth and spiciness that reminds me of the holidays.

Now that is has arrived it wont last long and lord knows it’ll be a while before the next boat brings us another shipment so if you love strange and wonderful wines come and and treat yourself to a glass of Lagrein soon.

Enjoy!

Lesa LaPointe
Sommelier

posted on Dec 3rd, 2011 in News ‘Tis the season for treasures

Few things remind me of the holidays the way that chestnuts do. One of the most fond memories I have of living in Spain is that of the chestnut vendors in November. As soon as the temperature drops below 10 degrees, chestnut vendors are perched on every city corner selling newspaper cones of freshly roasted chestnuts. The sweet aroma of those fire kissed treats fills the cool air. For 2 euro per cone they’re a great street snack and their presence acts as the first sign that the holidays are just around the corner.

I don’t often see chestnuts on this side of the world and I’m not entirely sure why (although I suspect it has to do with what a pain they are to peel) but when they make an appearance in a dish I always leap at the chance to enjoy whatever their incarnation. Their pale meaty interior is so subtly sweet and earthy, they really are a rare treat.

Speaking of rare treats, this season also brings forth another, much more expensive and sought after culinary gift- the truffle. Indeed it is truffle season and great chefs everywhere take advantage of this time by throwing food-cost caution to the wind and snapping some up. Brillat-Savarin called them “diamonds in the kitchen”. Both man and beast go nuts for these treasures and eating them once will reveal why.

I have the good fortune of travelling through our prep kitchen en route to our wine cellar most every day and lately I encountered a most inimitable aroma on more than one occasion. It seems our chef has been sourcing truffles. Before I round the corner to see him hunched over a gleaming prep table investigating some hidden-from-view treasure, I am pleasantly accosted by an aroma so intense, so thick that it could not be mistaken for anything but its legendary self- the truffle.

Naturally I sneak up behind Chef and whatever truffle dealer is visiting to steal a peek at these precious nuggets. They are always handled by chefs with such a reverence, like they are pricey jewels. And indeed they are.

I have been blessed (sometimes cursed) with a bionic sense of smell so when it comes to truffles, boy do I get a nose full. I have never encountered an aroma so intoxicating pungent. The only other smell I might compare it’s effect to, is that of a jasmine garden at night in full bloom. It really is a perfume so perfect that only nature could have created it, and man could never replicate it. What a treat it is to have exposure to this rare and delicious item. Just being in the same room with truffles make me feel lucky.

So, you can imagine my blissful reaction when I discovered that our newest pasta dish was a marriage of these two deluxe ingredients- a chestnut ravioli topped with shaved black truffles. The pasta filling is a velvety mix of chestnut puree, apple, fresh thyme and ricotta cheese. Simply tossed in brown butter, the dish gets blessed by a gorgeous rainfall of delicate black truffle shavings. The combination is absolutely exquisite. I have been unable to dissuade myself from ordering it several times per week. But if I had to eat something else I guess I could be talked into our handmade pappardelle tossed in butter and topped abundantly with fresh white truffles, shaved table side by one of our chefs. I mean, if I had to…

Well it is the holidays and you know what that means- a green light for pure indulgence. This year allow yourself to do as the Europeans do and spoil yourself with some gastronomic pleasures that will leave your taste buds forever imprinted for the better.

It is the holidays after all… Enjoy!

Lesa LaPointe
Sommelier

“Whosoever says truffle, utters a grand word, which awakens erotic and gastronomic ideas….”
Jean Antheleme Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste

posted on Dec 2nd, 2011 in News Up and coming Calabria

Within Italy’s deep south is the mostly forgotten wine region of Calabria. Bordering Sicily and surrounded on almost all sides by the sea, Calabria is one of Italy’s most rugged regions and one of the most geographically diverse. Dusty seaside towns are within an hours reach of densely forested mountain villages, but neither attracts many tourists. Despite the challenging terrain, farmers have been able to carve out somewhat of an economy based on agricultural crops like citrus fruits and olives…and then there are vineyards.

Many ingredients are required to make wine. The right climate and soils, the grape stalks themselves, people to tend the vineyards- wine could not be made without all of these essential elements. But once these basics are in place, winemakers still cannot make wine without one all important factor- money. Wine making is ex-pen-sive. A winery, with all its necessary equipment like stainless steel fermenters and oak barrels is a pricey place to outfit and typically requires some serious investment. So despite having the raw ingredients, ultimately wine and particularly good wine, cannot get made without money.

Calabria has a good climate for wine making- not with out it’s challenges, but that is true for many regions. Being surrounded by the sea on all sides protects the vines from excessive heat and there isn’t much rain, which can be damaging for grapes. Calabria also has good soils, in that they are poor which is what grape vines favour. There are interesting indigenous vines and certainly there are people that need work, so the basic ingredients for wine production exists, but the money is largely missing. This is the main reason that Calabria has not experienced the vinous renaissance that neighbouring Sicily and Puglia have. Calabria needs investment to get the party started, to enter the international market and get the ball rolling.

There is of course Ciro, Calabria’s most well known DOC but the wines have never made much of an impact outside of the region. Based on the native gaglioppo grape, these wines are not what one would expect from such a hot and dry place. They’re light in colour and high in acidity- a challenging style in this day and age which seems to prefer thick, dense reds. Add to that a lack of modern wine making techniques, and what you end up with is a wine that leans a little to far to the rustic side of things for most wine drinkers, especially those with new world palates.

But wine lovers beware- Albeit slowly, this region is up and coming as we speak.

I always jump at the chance to taste wines from Calabria because I love getting to check in on the progress of the wine industry there. Recently I tasted a lovely little red made from a native varietal called Marsigliana Nera. Marsigliana was traditionally used as a blending grape in Ciro. True to the style of the region, it is a light and tart with a lively acidity. Notes of ripe red berries are in the forefront with a faint background of charred earth and there is a little streak of florality there, almost a hint of violet that really charmed me.

One sip of this wine explains why this style of red makes so much sense for Calabria. When hanging out in the scorching deep south of Italy, the last thing one feels like is a giant inky 14.5 percenter. This style of red, light and bright, served slightly chilled would be much more palatable given the climate and the cuisine, which is features many spicy, fatty sausages like ‘ndugghia and peperoncini.

As they move forward I would love to see Calabria’s focus be on improving this regional style, as opposed to trying to make wine to suit the international market, which has proved to be a costly mistake for many wine regions in the past. However, it’s going to take some investment and a good amount of time to catch up. Not to mention some brave and adventurous wine drinkers to give these far flung regions a shot.

So next time your standing in the aisle of your local LCBO and you see a single, dusty bottle of Calabrian red cowering shyly next to a Chianti, give it a chance! You may be pleasantly surprised by what you find.

At Enoteca Sociale we are currently pouring
Marsigliana Nera “Speziale” 2010 IGT, Santa Venere, Calabria

Enjoy!

Lesa LaPointe
Sommelier