A Culinary Jewel in Algonquin Park

Canoe camping and fine dining don't generally go hand in hand. In fact, it's pretty much impossible to consume any fresh food after paddling and portaging in Algonquin Park for a few days in the summer.
For many years now, my husband and I have enjoyed the spectacular scenery and blissful peace of the park for about a week, sometimes longer, in July or August. Algonquin Park covers an area of about 7700 square kilometres and is located between the Ottawa River and Georgian Bay, on the southern edge of the great Canadian Shield. Hundreds of millions of years, an ice age and the subsequent melt have resulted in a vast area of interconnected lakes, which is unique in the world. Thanks to a clever Master Plan for Algonquin, approximately 12% of the Park is a designated wilderness zone, aimed at ecological preservation.
There are no roads, only rough paths - portages, which paddlers must traverse with their gear in order to cross from lake to lake. The scenery is spectacular and canoeists and kayakers come from all over the world for the privilege and the beauty of the experience. Camping access is limited and controlled, ensuring peace and tranquility for both paddlers and wildlife.
Any fresh food taken into the park has generally been consumed or turned strange by day three, so culinary delights feature a whole lot of dehydrated stuff. It does the trick in terms of nourishment of the body, but not a lot for the soul. And even if you fish and catch something tasty, it's pretty much impossible to chill a nice Chablis - the one that you previously decanted into a Nalgene bottle, since glass is not allowed in the park. Still, even foodies will agree that the many splendours of the park more than make up for a week without fresh veggies and sauces from scratch. Having said that, it is possible to start hallucinating lettuce leaves after about eight days, and there's no question that a hot shower, and a meal at the first restaurant you encounter on the way home are both very welcome.
So, this year we decided to spend a couple of days at Arowhon Pines at the end of our week in the park. This is one of three lodges in the park. It's a summer resort, located on Joe Lake and renowned for its beautiful location and exquisite cuisine. The idea of fabulous food, lovingly prepared by chef David Cooke and his amazing team, after days of packet mixes, was very appealing.
As it turned out, we cancelled the canoe camping and took a last minute cruise in the Bahamas instead. Ottawa residents will recall the endless July rain and, after months of preparing to move house, the prospect of a week of thunderstorms in Algonquin Park had little appeal, so we wimped out. But we did make sure that we were back from the cruise in time to drive to Arowhon and enjoy the weekend. Despite the fact that it came after five days of fairly decent food on 24 hour availability, the cuisine at Arowhon was out of this world!
Virtually everything is prepared from scratch with the best possible ingredients, many of them local or grown in Arowhon gardens. Stocks, sauces, breads, yogurts, jams, chutneys, some of the teas - all homemade. The range and quality of the food, terrific service, relaxed atmosphere and sheer beauty of the location makes Arowhon a fabulous experience. If you've read this far, take a couple of minutes to check out the Arowhon Pines website and salivate over a few menus. As a sommelier, passionate about food and wine matches, I love the fact that Arowhon is a BYOB place (with no corkage fee). I had a look at their menu before we went and ended up taking more than a few bottles with us to make sure that we had wines to match all the delicious sounding choices. It was great fun!

Another big plus was the unfettered use of all the canoes, kayaks and other essentials of a rustic resort in Algonquin Park -no fees or signing up or handing over of credit cards as a deposit. Apart from the inevitability of the final bill, the whole experience felt like staying with laid back friends who just quietly look after your every need, but leave you alone to relax and enjoy.
Arowhon Pines is now closed for the season, but it's not too early to reserve for next year. They fill up fast.
I know we'll be going back and, hopefully next time, it will be after a week of dried foods and water, filter-pumped from the lake!

Italian Food and Scotch - Yum!

A picture is worth a thousand words, but since I forgot to take my camera to the DiVino tasting, the words must suffice! A terrific crowd of Scotch lovers gathered at DiVino's to savour a range of award winning Single Malts, paired with some delicious cuisine, created by DiVino's executive chef Maria Amalia Garza and her team. Everything seemed to match perfectly at this event. I tend to think that whisky and food can be a bit of a hit or miss. I'm of the opinion that food needs to be quite big in flavour to work with 40% and higher alcohol levels, a cornucopia of flavours, and whatever malty or peaty characteristics are at play. There are some flavour/weight marriages that just seem to work, regardless of the circumstances of consumption - for example, Lagavulin 16 and Roquefort never seem to disappoint. Given that Roquefort is also amazing with Sauternes, Loupiac or a great Icewine, this is one versatile cheese!

Each of the whiskies and the tasting plates stood proudly alone, but were enhanced by each other - the ultimate goal. Some of the highlights of the evening included the roasted butternut squash risotto, washed down with a 12 year old Glendronach - a brilliant weight match and complementing sweetness in both the food and the whisky. A 15 year old Linkwood from Gordon and MacPhail was divine with possibly the best osso buco I've tasted. The brioche bread pudding with caramel sauce was fantastic with a 16 year old Longmorn. I tend to describe this whisky as a bit brooding. Come to one of my whisky tastings and I'll undoutedly prattle on about that. The various flavours in the Longmorn - malty sweetness, cereal, nutty hints, vanilla to name a few - worked really well with the sweet, caramel, bread elements in the pudding.

Jim Murray named the cask strength Ardbeg Uigeadail as his Best Whisky of the Year 2009 - not bad out of 3000+ whiskies! This outrageous and utterly fabulous whisky from Islay is not for the faint of heart. It needs no food partner, but was proclaimed outstanding with an amazing creamy, rich Gorgonzola cheese with some quince jelly.

With few apologies for the preceding shameless use of superlatives, these whisky tastings at DiVinos just keep getting better. Hope to see you at the next one!

Scotch Tasting at DiVino Wine Studio October 27 2009

Join us at DiVino's for another unique and exciting Scotch Tasting. We’ll start the evening with a Scotch Malt Whisky cocktail to whet your appetite, and set the stage for some award winning whiskies and private collection gems. Paired with DiVino's superb, whisky-friendly culinary creations, these Scotches will delight the most discerning aficionados. Great food, terrific Scotches, good company, a few stories and a little education - what better way to spend a fall evening! Reserve now for this popular event.

Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2009
7pm to 9pm
225 Preston Street
$85 + tax + 15% gratuities

For information and reservations call 613-221-9760
or email: bookings@divinowinestudio.com

Fabulous Food and Wine Pairings

Everyone who loves good food and good wine feels a special kind of joy when a great wine and food pairing presents itself. Those who enjoy those magic moments like to say that the occasion manifests itself when both the wine and the food is enhanced by each other - kind of like a great partnership between two people, where each brings out the best in the other.
Enough of the romantic metaphors! Over the last couple of months I've had the great privilege of judging a couple of Algonquin College wine and food course final projects - a very tough job, but someone has to do it! I recall this course fondly from my own venture through the Sommelier Program. It's enormous fun, filled with sensible theory and yummy practice. I would highly recommend it for anyone who loves an occasional or regular glass of wine with a meal. After several weeks of tasting and testing and understanding, students are required to produce an ultimate pairing of their own choice, complete with a justification paper. Students typically work in groups of two or three, and take this project very seriously. Usually there are several gatherings beforehand where each group designs, prepares and cooks, while testing a dizzying array of possible wine matches to find the one they deem to be the best. The accompanying paper describes the process and explains why, in the team's opinion, the chosen pairing works best.
On judgement evening, the two judges are presented with a gorgeous array of beautifully prepared samplings of each team's dish and selected beverage, and then given an insanely short amount of time to sample all the pairings, judge them all individually, provide comments and award medal standings up to the ultimate gold. I say insanely short, because the desire is to linger over each pairing, savouring the lovingly prepared array of dishes, and leisurely contemplating the accompanying wine or other beverage. But the evening involves a bit of a foodfest for the students afterwards, where they can sample each others delicacies and wines, so time is of the essence for the judges, conscious of a classful of hungry students, anxiously waiting down the hall for the party to begin!
Gold awards are given out for those perfect, made in heaven pairings, where the food enhances the wine, the wine enhances the food. Although we'd like to linger with these and polish off a complete plateful and a couple of glasses, the silver and bronzes need a bit more time. Those are the matches that are very decent, but not quite out of this world, and even the most seasoned judging palates and noses need to work harder at describing the aspects of acidity, tannins, weight, texture, fruit or whatever that didn't quite work to absolute perfection.
There's a huge amount of subjectivity in this, of course - that's why there's more than one judge. The effort, thought and creativity that goes into the projects is absolutely enormous. Everyone deserves gold for that!
Personally, I love the process of consciously considering what I eat and drink - the origins, growing and cultivation methods, preparation, balancing the aromas, flavours and textures, the visual appeal, and enjoying how it all works together. There are so many requirements these days to grab a quick bite on the run, so it's just marvellous to slow down and consciously consider and enjoy what we put into our stomachs. That's a habit that all students in this program can reacquaint themselves with, while enjoying their newly acquired matching skills. This is a terrific class - whether you're a student or a judge!
The photos throughout are just a few samples of the recent fare on project night. Mmmmmmm!

Recognize these famous wineries?

1. Vineland Estates Winery, Ontario
2. Chateau Margaux, Bordeaux
3. Chateau de la Riviere, Bordeaux
4. Domaine Weinbach, Alsace
5. Yalumba, South Australia

The Gondoliers

Savoy Society of Ottawa
presented Gilbert & Sullivan's The Gondoliers at Centrepointe Theatre in March and April 2009.

Live professional orchestra, lush costumes, fabulous voices, hilarious topical lyrics.......... What a great show! Be sure to see Savoy's next productions of The Zoo in November 2009 and Yeomen of the Guard in April 2010.












Photos courtesy of Spencer Studio/Ottawa

Magnificent Malts and Beautiful Blends!

On February 19th, while President Obama was still savouring the last of his Obamatail, another great Scotch tasting evening was underway at DiVino Wine Studio on Preston Street. An enthusiastic group enjoyed six premium Scotches, paired with some of Chef Arleigh's fabulous appetizers, cheeses and desserts. This was a great evening, where we explored some of the differences and similarities between premium blends and single malts, and the many factors that contribute to their characteristics. If you missed this event, hope to see you at the next one.
The pairings worked wonderfully, some with the Scotch neat and others with just a little dilution to soften out the flavours and enhance the combinations. On the menu was veal scaloppini al limone, paired with Cutty Sark 15 year old blend; smoked salmon with creme fraiche, paired with Scapa 14 year old single malt, garlic roast beef on a crostini with horseradish cream paired with Ballantine's 17 year old blend, poached halibut with a black olive emulsion paired with Springbank 10 year old single malt, chocolate pomegranate torte paired with Glenlivet Archive 21 year old single malt, and blue cheese with fresh chutney and crostini paired with Laphroaig Quarter Cask single malt. These were matches fit for a king.
See you next time!

What's in my cellar - and why

Generally speaking, there are three groups of wine purchasers. Without any kind of scientific study on the matter, I'm fairly certain that most folks fall into the first group, with a growing number in the second group. I don't know anyone who wouldn't rather be in the third group!

The first group keep a few bottles on hand at home, usually in a wine rack in the kitchen or dining room. They drink a few and when they're down to a couple, they go out and buy some more and the process continues. If they're visiting friends for dinner, they tend to pop into the local liquor store to buy a bottle, and don't usually take one from the wine rack at home. They have a few kinds of wine they really like, and buy them regularly - could be a varietal like Chardonnay or a particular Cabernet Sauvignon from a particular grower, or any Shiraz (let's say) from Australia, because they like Australian Shiraz. Comfort price ranges for this group varies somewhat, depending on individual financial circumstances, but typically will be in the $7 to $20 range. Occasionally they visit a friend or a restaurant and taste something they like and add it to their repertoire. They are comfortable asking LCBO consultants for advice and will sometimes pick up the LCBO staff pick of the week. No bottle of wine lives in the wine rack for more than a couple of months.

The middle group is passionate about wine and all things oenological, and its members would love to be part of group three. They have 50 to 200 wines in some kind of cellar - either a cooler storage area or a couple of large wine fridges or perhaps a modest cellar room, and they search out great value wines both for drinking within six months and for laying down for a few years. They try to stay current with good vintages in different regions, and seek out wines with good aging potential. They have a decent range of wines in store, from light crisp whites to luscious Viogniers, new world Pinot Noirs to big Syrahs, a few sweet wines and some sort of bubbly. They can usually find something in the collection to pair with whatever's on the dinner table and will generally select something from their stock to give to a dinner host. The average cost of a bottle of wine is about $20.

The third group comprises serious wine drinkers with pots of money. They know wines, have tasted a lot, collect wines for laying down as well as for more immediate drinking, have enviable cellars and a wide range of varietals and blends from all the major wine growing regions of the world, as well as rare and obscure bottles. They love to share their wines with like-minded wine lovers and interested neophytes. They are generous and knowledgeable and, contrary to popular belief, few of them are wine snobs.

I'm pretty much in the middle group with aspirations to join the third group when we win the lottery. Fortuitously, I live in a house with a cold storage room. Whether as a result of a botched insulation job or an actual plan by a previous owner or the builder, we don't know, but it serves very well as a place to store wines - as well as our tools, too much sports equipment, a cupboard full of miles of cables too complicated to sift through, and various other random things which have no place in a real wine cellar. Wines intended for any kind of longer term storage prefer being left alone in a cool, dark place, with the right humidity level and no vibrations or odours.

I like to seek out wines of great value rather than big price. There is a bit of a correlation though and, often, more expensive wines are better wines with more elegance and structure. That said, there are thousands of wines in an affordable price bracket and it's enormous fun to find them. If I visit wine regions, I like to taste what's local and good and bring some back. This has much greater scope if one is visiting Niagara as opposed to somewhere in Europe, since it's easier to load up the trunk rather than a suitcase, and the taxes and duties are a little more predictable.

I also pay attention to the bi-weekly Vintages releases at the LCBO, do some homework and pick up things that sound interesting, either for drinking soon or for keeping for a few years. I love Bordeaux wines and buy futures through Vintages. Not the high end stuff (group two, remember!) but wines that some of my favourite knowledge sources, like Jancis Robinson, believe to be good value. The big advantage to buying Bordeaux wines in a good year, while they're still in the barrel is that you buy them at a fraction of the price you'll pay 5 to 10 years down the road when they're at their drinking prime. Lots of friends wonder at this ability to buy wines and not drink them, but the trick is easy enough. Just keep enough around for current drinking and there's no need to touch the stuff you're laying down. Just label the shelves or a spreadsheet with a not before date and leave it alone. Really just the opposite of using up the yogurt in the fridge by the not after date! This is a much cheaper process in the long run and you'll drink yummier wines.

If I find a wine of outstanding value at a tasting, I'll sometimes buy a case from the agent, if it's not available from the LCBO. If you try something in a restaurant that you love, you'll see the agent's name on the bottle and can buy it direct by the case.

I like to keep a range of wines in the "cellar" so that there's always something to work with whatever food ends up on the table. Great food and wine pairing is one of life's joys and it's annoying to serve up a rich winter lamb casserole if the only thing down there is Sauvignon Blanc (an extreme example). So, what does a range of wines mean? For me, it's a broad selection of varietals from different regions and countries, different types (sparkling, white, rose, red, sweet, fortified) and, different weights of wines from light to rich to complement a variety of foods.

So here, a partial list of what's lurking in the multi purpose "cellar"

• A variety of sparkling wines from France and Spain. Spanish Cava is a great buy and the several Cremant sparkling wines of France also offer terrific value. Sadly, no Champagne at the moment.
• Some Chasselas from Switzerland - hard to find in the LCBO, but perfect for Cheese Fondue
• Sancerre from the Loire and Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and Niagara. Same varietal but completely different styles.
• Pinot Gris from Niagara and Alsace. I LOVE Alsace Pinot Gris, Riesling and Gewurztraminer.
• Riesling from Alsace and Niagara, in various degrees of dry and off-dry. There's some great Grand Cru Riesling from a trip over there last year and some spectacular small lot Riesling from Niagara's Thirty Bench - my favourite in Ontario. Riesling is a very versatile food wine.
• Chenin Blanc from the Loire, also in various levels of dry to quite off-dry and also some from Mexico, which is tasty and very good value.
• A range of Chardonnays, more on the steely, unoaked or low oaked side - Chablis, Argentinian Chard from higher altitudes, Italian Chard from Alto Adige, Chilean, some Californian, few Australian.
• Some Viognier, Gewurztraminer, Southern Rhone blends of Viognier, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Clairette and a few others.
• Various dessert wines from France, Austria, Germany, Ontario, California (fabulous Black Muscat). Walnut Brown and other sweet sherries. Late Bottled Vintage and Tawny Ports.
• Lots of Niagara reds at the moment, including Pinot Noir, Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc, Meritage Blends - even some Vineland Reserve Syrah 2006, which I'm keeping.
• Quite a few Spanish reds from all over. Generally speaking - fantastic value wines.
• The aforementioned Bordeaux wines - some for keeping, some for drinking now. We tried a 2005 Tour St Bonnet Medoc wine the other evening with a medium rare piece of filet and it was superb. The wine is young but the uncoagulated proteins in the rare meat work in harmony with the tannins in the wine. It'll be even more tasty and versatile a few years down the road, when it will sell for probably $28 to $32, if available. I paid $17 through the Futures route.
• Generally lots of French red from all the different regions of France. A year living there allowed lots of opportunity to sample the many delights.
• Not enough Italian or Californian wine at the moment. Must rectify that.
• A good collection of BC reds from some recent trips out west. Generally excellent.
• Very few Australian reds. I'm not a big fan of jammy taste and find I have to get into pricier wines to find what I like. Having said that, I visited the country a couple of years back and almost everything was terrific.

Then there's the Scotch.......................

Two Fine Scotches, One Fine Whisky

The Canadian Association of Radiologists wrapped up their 71st Annual Scientific Meeting, in Ottawa earlier this year, with a tasting of three fine whiskies, presented by Carol. After braving several days of intense meetings, the large group was greatly invigorated by the sampling. The multi-day conference was organized by First Avenue Events and was a great success. Here, a little background and a few notes on the whiskies tasted.

Glen Breton Rare Canadian Single Malt Whisky
This whisky, matured 8 years in Bourbon casks, is produced in small quantities at Glenora Distillery in the Cape Breton Highlands of Nova Scotia, by traditional methods. The soft water of Maclellan’s Brook combines with lightly peated malted barley from Scotland to produce a clean, light malt, which many liken to Dalwhinnie. The copper still and other equipment comes from the Bowmore distillery in the island of Islay. Only Single Malt Whisky produced in Scotland can be called Scotch, hence the name whisky.
Tasting Notes: A lovely golden amber colour, with heather-floral and butterscotch aromas. Light to medium bodied, with a creamy, nutty taste and a nice, refreshing finish. Nicely balanced, it makes a good pre-dinner drink. Serve it with a little cool spring water to bring out additional fruit flavours.

The Macallan Fine Oak 15 Years Old
One of Scotland’s most respected distilleries, The Macallan, in the heart of Speyside, has been distilling whisky legally since 1824. Today it offers a range of single malts, aged in Sherry Oak or triple cask matured Fine Oak. Following its launch, The Macallan Fine Oak 15 years old was awarded Best Whisky of 2004 by renowned whisky expert F. Paul Pacult. In a different league, a bottle of The Macallan Fine and Rare 1926 sold for £36,000 in 2005. Made from barley grown on The Macallan Estate and using soft, pure local water at several stages of production, The Macallan ranks amongst the five best-selling malt whiskies in the world.
Tasting Notes: A rich, straw colour and a lovely, full nose with hints of citrus, roses and vanilla. No smokiness, due to use of unpeated, malted barley. Luscious on the palate, with hints of fruitcake and chocolate orange, the 15 Year Old has a long, lingering finish. Delectable and beautifully balanced.

Highland Park 18 Years Old
Established in 1798 and licensed in 1826, Highland Park, on the island of Orkney – a World Heritage Site, is the world’s most northerly distillery. Using Orcadian peat and, unusually, hard local water, the Highland Park range of Single Malts is favoured by Whisky lovers the world over. Judicious use of peated malted barley and Bourbon and Sherry oak casks gives a toffee sweetness and mouth-watering, smoky finish. Highland Park 18 Years Old is a multiple Gold Medal and First Place winner, including the ultimate accolade of Best Spirit in the World in 2005, by aforementioned F Paul Pacult.
Tasting Notes: Burnished gold in colour, with a rich and mature bouquet, redolent of toffee, dried fruits, marzipan and smoke. The palate is rich and full, sweet and dry. Take time to measure the flavour developments in the mouth. The finish is long, smoky and satisfying.