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To view the entire TV show episode, “Women, Wine And The Foods We Love” and to subscribe to the podcast for previous episodes. Click here. http://www.thatchannel.com/thewineladies Women, wine and food was our topic recently on The Wine Ladies TV. We wanted to explore this fascinating subject. How does a woman’s taste and approach to wine and food differ from that of a man? What do women look for in a wine? And what about our food? Do guys and gals approach food in a different way? Distinct differences were explored this week as we welcomed to the show the makers of the highly successful Girls Night Out wines http://www.girlsnightoutwines..com from Lake Erie North Shore, Ontario. In studio to shed some light on what women really, really want Doug Beatty Vice President Marketing Colio Estate Wines http://www.coliowinery.com the man behind the brand as well as Tina Dehondt Multi-Store Manager Colio Estate Winery. What would a Girls Night Out be without fabulous food ? Not too worry, Angela Polla a graduate of Liaison College http://www.liaisoncollege.com/ also known as the “Soup Queen” helped us discover the secrets to feed a woman’s passion. “Men are from Mars are Women are from Venus” was on the best seller list for 6 years in a row. The book published in May 1992 offers many suggestions for improving men-women relationships in couples by understanding the communication style and emotional needs of the opposite gender. For example, the theories it offers is that women complain about problems because they want their problems to be acknowledged, while men complain about problems because they are asking for solutions. It’s not just about the way women approach relationships and love but permeates into the wine and food that we love as well. Women are the majority of wine consumers and account for 60 percent of “high-end” wine buyers. This means they match two of the three following criteria: purchase wine costing more than $15 occasionally to frequently, have more than 12 bottles on hand in their home and would buy a wine costing over $15 for a casual meal at home. Research shows that while women as a group make less than one-half of all household income, but they influence more than 80 percent of dollars spent. Women make more decisions than men do about cars, tires, financial services and personal computers and WINE! Women want to please everyone at the table, therefore multiple wine flights and “by the glass” wine programs helps that happen. According to Doug Beatty, women enjoy talking about wine in the context of food and love, are very sociable, love great labels that are fun and upbeat but are very discriminating. Women will buy the wine once but the value has to be there too. If it is, they are loyal. Men are more driven by third-party endorsements, ratings from wine journalists and critics. Girls Night Out Wines are produced by Colio Estate Wines in the VQA region of Lake Erie North Shore. Located at the 42nd parallel, the latitude is similar to Bordeaux and Northern California. The area is considered Canadas south coast and Lake Erie North Shore has the longest and warmest growing season in Canada. Girls Night Out wines have enjoyed tremendous success and in fact have the number one selling Chardonnay in Ontario. Reasonably priced at just $12.95 per bottle, all VQA and in a convenient screw cap and available in six styles. Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Grigo, Merlot, Rose(Merlot and Chardonnay) and Cabernet and Shiraz. Girls Night Out wines available at the LCBO or at one of 14 Colio Estate Wine retail locations. http://www.coliowinery.com/our-retail-boutiques/ What would a girls night out be without fabulous finger food and of course chocolate? Angela Polla, a graduate of Liaison College and personal chef known as the Soup Queen ( 519-824-6010 to book Angela) provided us with some delicate, bite sized, easy to eat and delicious food for our Girls Night Out wine party. Several years ago Angela gave up a very busy and stressful corporate career to follow her passion, knowing that there are many people out there in need of a personal chef. She took the Personal Chef Diploma at Liaison College http://www.liaisoncollege.com/prog_personalchef.php and in less than a year had the culinary skills, business management skills, how to market yourself properly, including how to use the internet effectively, and how to avoid the pit-falls other business owners make. Recipes from Angela for the perfect Girls Night Out party. Shrimp and Zucchini Burgers Combine 1.5 c raw shrimp, shelled, deveined, well drained, and finely chopped 1/2 small zucchini, grated 1 clove garlic, mashed grated zest and juice of one lemon 2 tbsp parsley 2 eggs oatmeal to bind if necessary salt and pepper Mix well, refrigerate 1 hour. Form into small patties, fry till golden. Drain well. Serve on Crostini with caper cream (sour cream, mashed capers salt & pepper) or cocktail cream (sour cream and cocktail sauce) Garnish with dill sprigs. Chicken Meat Balls with Apricot Mustard Sauce Mix 1lb ground turkey or chicken 1/2 each grated carrot, zucchini, and onion Salt &Pepper 1 tbsp dried sage Form into small balls, pan fry or oven bake till done. Combine 1 c apricot jam 2- 4 tbsp Dijon mustard Gently mix sauce, pour over meat balls, warm in slow cooker or microwave. Serve with picks or over rice or couscous. Baked Bean and Chick Pea Squares with Pistachios and Roasted Red Pepper Coulis Process – 1 can black beans, rinsed and well drained 1 garlic clove 1 tomato sage, thyme, salt and pepper, dash of hot pepper 3 tbsp cream 1 egg 1 tbsp olive oil Puree, transfer to oiled 8”square, smooth top. Process – Repeat as above, substituting 1 can of chick peas, for black beans.Pour over black bean layer, smooth top. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios Bake 25 minutes, cool then cut into squares. Serve as is or with chutney, salsa or roasted red pepper coulis. Roasted Red Pepper Coulis Drain 1 jar roasted red peppers, puree with 2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp olive oil, pinch of cayenne pepper, and a pinch of salt. Banana Chocolate Fondue In a blender or food processor combine 1 ripe banana 1/4 c almond butter 1/4 c vanilla almond milk 2 tbsp agave nectar 3 tbsp high quality cocoa powder 1/2 vanilla bean ( open pod and scrape out seeds, add to blender) Blend well—add optional seasonings as desired- 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp orange extract, 1/2 tsp large grain salt, and or 1 tsp grand marnier Blend again, and chill. Serve with strawberries, kiwis, mango and /or pineapple cubes as a dip or, pour onto plate, cover with poached pear, garnish with whipped cream.