Yesterday The Wine Ladies were part of media and blogger teams from across Toronto, driven by our thirst for victory and our desire to do good. We competed in an adventurous, city-wide scavenger hunt. We were armed with an all new Chevrolet Spark and an iPad. Ours was the hot green colour called Jalapeño. Each team was given tasks to complete unique tasks around the city, using our unique Ipad as a clue giver. The winning team will receive $2,000 for the registered charity of their choice. Our Charity of choice for this event is The Angel Project. We will know if we win on Monday! Keeping our fingers crossed on that one.
https://thewineladies.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/sparkcityredandgreen.jpg7341184Susanne Seelig-Mensehttps://thewineladies.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/WineLadiesLogoTransparent.pngSusanne Seelig-Mense2012-08-18 21:53:212012-08-18 21:53:21Spark City Media Challenge, our chance at $2000 for our charity.
Niagara-on-the Lake turned out to be the perfect venue for my second date, from the food and wine, to the picturesque old town, to the sounds of the music festival, a little shopping and a small dose of history. How could he not be impressed with wine country?
And so he was. It was my turn to come up with a plan for Saturday afternoon which was to be our second date. Being quite the foodie and wine lover that I learned he was, spending the day in Niagara was a natural. Three wineries, I thought will be ideal, each with a unique focus, a stroll around the old town, quaint but with sophistication, a little window shopping, and a few stops along the way taking in the sounds of the music festival. This would be perfect. He enjoys a good band or quartet, this I know, as he plays a couple of instruments himself… hmmm we could do a duet, I could sing and tickle the ivories, but I digress.
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Queen Street
We’ll top off the evening with a stupendous tasting menu over at Peller Estates. http://www.peller.com Celebrity Chef Jason Parsons rocks the kitchen, is a friend and a great guy with a big personality, I’ll have to introduce him.
Celebrity Chef Jason Parsons of Peller Estates
It’s all come together nicely, the plan is set, just hoping it will be a delightful sunny afternoon!
Saturday afternoon, the sun is shining and we are off, cruising down the highway, the top down and the tunes playing. Niagara-on-the-Lake is 1.5 hours from Toronto, easy drive with easy conversation and anticipation for the day before us.
Our first stop, Konzelmann Winery http://www.konzelmann.ca/ where we are greeted by the General Manger, Jensin Ozkur who personally gives us a tour, so passionate about the winery, the wines and the vineyards. Konzelmann Estate Winery was founded in 1984, although the family has been in the wine business for over 100 years with its origin in Germany, in the town of Uhlbach (not far from Stuttgart) founded in 1893. “This is the only winery in NOTL” Jensin explains “with vineyards on the lake”. The view is spectacular with the vineyards overlooking Lake Ontario, 16 hectares in all, made up of vitis vinifera grapes including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay Gewurztraminer as well as Zweigelt.
https://thewineladies.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/konzelmannsusanne.jpg7681024Susanne Seelig-Mensehttps://thewineladies.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/WineLadiesLogoTransparent.pngSusanne Seelig-Mense2012-08-16 09:27:212019-01-07 16:58:07Niagara-on-the-Lake, perfect for a second date!
Although this grape calls Galicia in Northwest Spain its home, many consider Argentina its home away from home, residing there quite heartedly and producing what many feel is one of Argentina’s white grapes with the most potential.
Our pick the Amalaya Torrontes Riesling 2011, from Salta, Argentina selling in Ontario for $10.95.
Big on taste, rich and creamy with a finish that long lingers! Not exclusively Torrontes, 15% Riesling is in the blend giving it that “zip and zing”, the backbone or acidity that makes it refreshing and even more suitable to enjoy with food. Aromatic, with notes of peach and ripe melon, even banana, we enjoyed this wine on our deck last weekend with grilled seafood including squid and scallops drenched in citrus and tropical marinade.
We enjoyed the Chateau St.Jean Sonoma County Pinot Noir 2009 with our mixed grilled and mushroom risotto. It’s lush flavours of cherry and plum with the hint of leather and notes of toasty oak and long lingering finish was a great match for our Chef’s Table a la Georgia’s backyard.
Grapes are sourced from the Russian River Valley and the Carneros district, two cooler wine growing areas ideal for Pinot Noir. At Chateau St. Jean the grapes, thin skinned and finicky, as Pinot Noir is known to be, are treated with kid gloves, handcrafted gently, cold soaked before fermentation for optimal colour and flavour, while during fermentation the skins are pushed back down manually into the fermenting juice.
On a Pinot Noir kick these days, Chateau St. Jean Sonoma County Pinot Noir 2009 is a homerun!
Margo Van Staaveren Winemaker and General Manager of Chateau St. Jean.
Margo Van Staaveren, is the winemaker at Chateau St. Jean, and the harvest of 2011 marked her 32nd harvest. She started out as a lab technician, then moved on to assistant winemaker, working with her husband as the head winemaker. After moving through the ranks, in 2003 Margo became the head winemaker. “Each vintage is a challenge, each wine is a challenge, I thoroughly love it!” This 2009 Pinot Noir is widely available in Canada including BC, AB, QC, NS and in Ontario for $29.95
Chateau St. Jean
Chateau St. Jean, one of the beautiful wineries in this glorious wine growing region.
Join The Wine Ladies on a mission to experience first-hand the excitement and rush of zip lining and rappelling, followed by a luxurious lunch and beautiful wine tasting at Burning Kiln Winery. We’ll be leading a tour here sharing this unique adventure and culinary treat. On the road to the “South Coast” an upcoming wine region, soon to be Ontario’s newest designated viticulture area, we are headed for an exhilarating day of adventure for not only our palates, but our body and soul too!
Burning Kiln Winery
If you’ve never tried it, here’s the perfect opportunity to join an intimate group of 14 for a fun filled, food and wine excursion! We have done it and loved it so much we wanted to share it with our fellow wine lovers and friends.
Check it out here.
Burning Kiln Winery
Purchase your exclusive ticket on line here http://guestli.st/116742 or call 905-338-6797 for your all inclusive exclusive VIP ticket.
We’ll start at Long Point Eco-Adventures www.lpfun.ca , where we will be 2 groups of 8 (Georgia’s team and Susanne’s team) led for 2 hours by 2 handsome, fully trained young zip line guides. Of course, games, fun and prizes always a part of the wine adventure experience with The Wine Ladies. So stay tuned!
Long Point Eco-Adventures
The Wine Ladies invite you, for what promises to be a fun filled culinary and sport adventure, something a little different for couples, groups of friends or singletons too.
Date: Sunday, Sept 9th,2012
Time: 11:00 am-5:00 pm
Day itinerary:
11:00 am – Arrival at Long Point Eco-Adventures – registration, outfitting and zip lining school.
11:30 am – 1:30 pm – Zip lining and rappelling
1:30 pm-3:00 pm – Lunch at Burning Kiln Winery
3:30 pm -5:00 pm Vineyard and winery tour, meet the winemaker, exclusive wine tasting and shopping.
Limit: 14 persons
Price is $129.00/person. Includes zip lining and rappelling, complementary wine tasting and exclusive tour of the vineyards and winery and a spectacular lunch hosted by the winemaker.. Just bring yourself, all gear is provided. Please wear comfortable/running shoes.
If you are searching for the perfect culinary and sporting adventure please join us for Zip n Sip with The Wine Ladies.
DIRECTIONS
Please allow 2.5 hours drive from Toronto. If you are interested in car pooling with someone please contact us at 905-338-6797. We will meet at Long Point Eco-Adventures for 11:00am on Sept 9th.
Long Point Eco-Adventures
1730 Front Road,
Turkey Point, Ontario N0E Canada
Adventures in wine with The Wine Ladies
https://thewineladies.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/zipliningcollage1.jpg537720Susanne Seelig-Mensehttps://thewineladies.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/WineLadiesLogoTransparent.pngSusanne Seelig-Mense2012-08-07 16:15:172018-04-18 16:51:35Zip n Sip Wine Adventure with The Wine Ladies Sept 9th
Grapes are sourced from the Russian River Valley and the Carneros district, two cooler wine growing areas ideal for Pinot Noir. At Chateau St. Jean the grapes, thin skinned and finicky, as Pinot Noir is known to be, are treated with kid gloves, handcrafted gently, cold soaked before fermentation, for optimal colour and flavour, and during fermentation the skins are pushed back down manually into the fermenting juice.
We enjoyed the Chateau St. Jean 2009 Sonoma County Pinot Noir with our mixed grilled and mushroom risotto. It’s lush flavours of cherry and plum with the hint of leather and notes of toasty oak and long lingering finish was a great match for our Chef’s Table a la Georgia’s Backyard.
Margo Van Staaveren, is the winemaker at Chateau St. Jean, and the harvest of 2011 marked her 32nd harvest.
Chateau St. Jean
@TheWineLadies @alyons_wine
https://thewineladies.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/screen shot 2012-08-07 at 9.39.11 am.png238273Susanne Seelig-Mensehttps://thewineladies.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/WineLadiesLogoTransparent.pngSusanne Seelig-Mense2012-08-07 12:55:462012-08-07 12:55:46On a Pinot Noir kick these days, Sonoma County Chateau St. Jean 2009 is a homerun!
The evening was a stupendous success with a few hundred ladies dressed in pjs and fine lingerie, from animal prints, to sexy bustiers, boxers and pignoirs, strutting their stuff walking the catwalk all for a great cause.
The fundraiser, held at the White Oaks Resort and Conference Centre www.whiteoaksresort.com in support of the Daval Hospice www.davalhospice.ca had all the ingredients, the perfect recipe for the perfect party, with great food, wine and entertainment including a number of Niagara Falls finest firefighters; nothing like a man in uniform, ready to offer a helping hand.
https://thewineladies.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/ohsofabpajamapartycollage1.jpg697973Susanne Seelig-Mensehttps://thewineladies.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/WineLadiesLogoTransparent.pngSusanne Seelig-Mense2012-08-06 19:25:182012-08-06 19:25:18Oh so Fab Pajama Party was…oh so fab! Raises $15,000 for the Daval Hospice
Aruba has become an incredibly desirable destination with so much to offer and to celebrate including an annual Wine, Food and Art Festival, held at The Westin Resort and Casino, Aruba www.thewestin.com/Aruba right up our alley!
Our home away from home is the Westin Resort and Casino, well known for their culinary program, with Pago Pago http://www.westinaruba.com/ArubaRestaurantsPagoPago one of their restaurants being awarded the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.
Here we meet Executive Chef Matt Boland, responsible for all the restaurants and eateries at the Westin Resort and Casino. We quickly are taken with the enthusiasm Matt has for his craft, his mandate here and the island of Aruba captured here in our interview.
Georgia chats with Chef Bolland in The Westin Resort and Casino Art Gallery.
Pago Pago, where we will dine this week is the recipient of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, which we will soon appreciate, and be dazzled with; a steady stream of creative and delectable recipes paired with a selection of wines from Napa Valley, France and Chile will grace our table.
Susanne enjoys the signature Coconut Jumbo Shrimp dish, while Georgia savours the surf and turf, accompanied by a Portobello mushroom and chocolate sauce lightly drizzled on succulent filet mignon. Two of the wines we particularly enjoyed was a Simi Sauvignon Blanc, from Sonoma County, truly delish, with fresh and seductive aromas of lemon and lime zest with mineral notes and a lengthy finish, as well as the Silverado Cabernet Sauvignon, layered, complex, rich with ripe fruit, amazing with the filet and sauce. Magnifique!
And incredible selection of deserts that topped off the evening just right! Wow what a night.
https://thewineladies.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/arubapagopagorestaurant.jpg643855Susanne Seelig-Mensehttps://thewineladies.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/WineLadiesLogoTransparent.pngSusanne Seelig-Mense2012-08-06 15:56:102020-04-26 09:07:42Award winning wining and dining at Pago Pago, Westin Resort and Casino, Aruba
Taking the ride down to NOTL for a morning meeting ended up being the perfect excuse to stay on, enjoy a light lunch, take in a couple of wineries and explore our "FIX" for chocolate!
First post-meeting stop was for a bite to eat. We decide on The Old Winery Restaurant, which we know immediately was a good choice based on the fresh thin crust pizzas we see exiting the wood burning oven and the waft of enticing smells that surround us.
Just as we are seated outside on the patio , our server promptly arrives with a smile, wine list and menu.
Shawna, is awesome! Our choice for pizza is the Vidal, tomato sauce, blackfigs, pancetta and fiore di latte and honey Dijon drizzle. What’s fiore? It’s a wonderfully flavorful and software type of mozzarella also made from cow's milk, super delish!
https://thewineladies.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/screen shot 2012-08-03 at 2.17.26 pm.png366388Susanne Seelig-Mensehttps://thewineladies.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/WineLadiesLogoTransparent.pngSusanne Seelig-Mense2012-08-03 19:41:282012-08-03 19:41:28Niagara-on-the Lake … glorious afternoon for a little wine, a “Vidal pizza” and a Vidal truffle!
Aruba, a little slice of paradise! Long stretches of white sandy beaches call for strolling in style in sunny Aruba, an island paradise! The beach is where’s it’s at on this glorious island.
We just spent an incredible week here where most of everything can be enjoyed on the beach… just where we wanted to be, whether swimming in the Caribbean Sea, enjoying water sports, strolling the glorious beach or sun bathing under the palapas. You can even dine on the beach with white linen tablecloths and lightly lit lanterns.
As you can see, there was little required in the way of wardrobe for our week away, save an incredible array of bathing suits, that took us elegantly and comfortably through the day and into the evenings. All of The Wine Ladies wardrobes provided by Beachy Keen Swimwear & Accessories of Oakville.www.beachykeenswimwear.com
Many of our friends and fans on facebook and twitter have commented on our swimsuits and cover ups, so we thought we’d take a moment to share and to thank Val, the proprietor of Beachy Keen for her keen eye on finding just the right suit, no matter your shape or your size!
Aruba beckons… although small in size, just 30 km long and 8 km wide, this stunning Caribbean island is big on beauty, with long stretches of white sandy beaches, sensuous sparkling turquoise waters and gentle trade winds that caress and cool the skin while enjoying the rays of the tropical sun. We are returning to this incredible island, after many, many years, as our father’s identical twin started the very first hotel here, called the Manchebo Beach Hotel. Aruba has become an incredibly desirable destination with so much to offer and to celebrate including an annual Wine, Food and Art Festival, held at The Westin Resort and Casino, Arubawww.thewestin.com/Aruba right up our alley!
Watch The Wine Ladies TV and our adventures in Aruba here.
Georgia pensive in polka dots!
Georgia’s swimsuit by Jantzen and available at Beachy Keen in Oakville.
Susanne in turquoise rocks in swimwear by Be Creative
Susanne’s swimsuit by Be Creative and available at Beachy Keen in Oakville.
