Girls Night Out Wines and food from Liaison College make the perfect party. The Wine Ladies TV!
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.
Caption: In the barrel cellar with Caroline Granger Introductions are made, conversations flow effortlessly and before too long the Great Hall is roaring with chatter and laughter. “Our chariot awaits”, of modern times, a gleaming white stretch limo, first stop The Grange Winery… Welcoming us to the tasting room, Caroline Granger, she does not disappoint… a gracious host, passionate, soft spoken and with a fine penchant for story telling we quickly realize. While sipping on winemaker Jeff Innes’ inaugural sparkling wine, (PEC’s first VQA bubbly) a 50% blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay each, simply delicious, we learn about the property and the origins of this Loyalist patented Trumpour farm, over 200 years old, which is honoured with the Trumpour’s Mill wine label today. The winery produces two lines, the original Trumpour’s Mill as well as the more recent premium wines Grange of Prince Edward. 
Caption: The Grange French Oak barrels After a brief and enlightening visit to the cellars,we are once again escorted to the tasting room and enjoy two 2007 Pinot Noirs; the first Trumpour’s Mill VQA http://www.grangeofprinceedward.com/TrumpoursMillPinotNoir2007.html with a wonderful fresh cherry nose, soft tannins and bright acidity and the second from the premium Grange line, Grange Diana Block Pinot Noir VQA. http://www.grangeofprinceedward.com/GrangeDianaBlockPinotNoir2007.html Caroline went on to explain how for this Pinot Noir the grapes are hand sorted and the wine is gravity fed to French oak barrels. She recounts the story, she dove into the bin to rescue a bunch of grapes that didn’t quite make the grade. Five of her best Mexican friends who routinely work here every year, had a good chuckle, as did she but warned the next time they would be the one diving in and getting all “juicy”! This Pinot Noir won over our hearts, with the black and red ripe, cherry fruit, a roundness on the palate, soft and sweet tannins with a lingering finish. We bid farewell, thank Caroline for her generosity and re-embark; next stop Closson Chase. Familiar to us on numerous counts, we’ve had Sonja Smits, co-owner of Closson Chase on our radio show (great lady and fine actress), this winery has garnered loads of praise, including being lauded by Jancis Robinson, as per above; she’s a big wheel in the world of wine. Closson Chase, a relatively new winery in a very new and exciting wine region has over 30 acres of limestone-rich soil under vines of the classic Burgundian varieties Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Winemaker Deborah Paskus is one of Canada’s most celebrated winemakers and is committed to small yields and French inspired vinification. At the tasting room, Deborah is not around, we were over an hour past due our appointment, however we are greeted by Lynn Carmichael at the tasting bar. Ready to pour, to chat and very importantly ready to furnish us, the boisterous dozen, with a second freshly baked loaf of bread, still warm from the oven. Lynn pours us two Chardonnays, both ’07, one from the PEC property and the other from Beamsville in Niagara. We remark and vote on the wonderful and ample virtues of both, with the Niagara wine gaining most points. Both delish, with the Beamsville Chardonnay, being from vines thirty years of age as opposed to six (in PEC), The Beamsville Chardonnay is more layered, more luscious, buttery, with slightly less acidity than the PEC. 
Caption: It’s all about Chardonnay at Closson Chase that day. Rosehall Run Vineyards Inc. http://www.rosehallrun.com is next, and our final destination. It’s still pouring outside, the limo drops us off as close as possible. We make our way to the winery, our stilettos digging holes in the dirt, (vanity prevails once again) entering through a side door… no establishing shot here, where Dan Sullivan, winemaker and vineyard manager (had a real artistic winemaker flair about him… we liked him right away) greeted us with his big brown expressive eyes, with a gleam and a passion that lit up the whole room! Heck… we didn’t even need a flash for our camera with all of that! 
Caption: Looks like we will be here awhile filling The Wine Ladies signature glass Rosehall Run located in the heart of Hillier wine district, was established in 2001 by Lynn and Dan Sullivan. With over 30,000 vines planted comprised mainly of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Chardonnay Musque and Ehrenfelser, (a variety widely planted in B.C ) Rosehall produces a good variety of wines with an excellent reputation for consistent high quality. Dan was awarded the 2006 Prince Edward County Artevino award for winemaking excellence and has also been the recipient of numerous international awards. 
Caption: 2006 Prince Edward County Artevino Award Dan led us on a comprehensive tour throughout the winery, including barrel tastings of his Cab Franc, numerous Pinot Noir, his Sullyzwicker, a Syrah from Steve Singer’s neighboring vineyard Fieldstone and more. It was tough keeping up with Dan as he flitted to one set of barrels to another in his excitement to share. We finally landed upstairs to finish with Dan sending us off with a host of wines to enjoy at home and in the limo. One of our absolute favorites was the 2007 Pinot Noir Rosehall Vineyard VQA PEC . Someone commented that it was a “pretty” wine, silky, seductive, and smooth with ripe strawberries and cherries on the nose, ending with a lingering finish. 
Caption: Enjoying the fruits of the stainless steel tanks labour Meanwhile back at the Timberhouse Resort, the chef is preparing for our return, where upon we are spoiled with a fabulous Thai sauté shrimp appetizer to start and a perfectly grilled melt in your mouth filet mignon, bacon-wrapped and adorned with an herb butter for the main course. A further assortment of wines are displayed on a table where we can pick and choose. Red Tail Vineyards http://www.redtailvineyard.com , an off grid, 100% solar powered winery in PEC has sent us their 2007 Pinot Noir and their Pinot Gris, wonderful… thank you Pauline and Gilbert Provost, Huff Estates www.huffestates.com has their 2008 Riesling Off-Dry there for the taking and enjoyment as well as an array of wines from the trio of wineries we visited that day. And what a day, and night! We are all totally satiated, relaxed and feeling mighty fine, enjoying these fabulous wines of Prince Edward County one sip at a time!
Caption: Canada’s Food and Beverage Ambassador Gurth Pretty. 
Caption: Mission Hill Estate Winery 
If you missed last week’s show not a problem. With the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in full swing we thought that it would be a perfect time to celebrate the birth of the Olympics, the origin and the history of the games, the culture, the cuisine and the wines of the Olympics’ birth country… Greece. Joining us in studio today Wednesday Feb 17th LIVE, first of all, to explore the origin and the history of the games, to bring the beautiful country of Greece alive for us we are honoured to welcome the Consul General of Greece, Dimitrius Azemopoulos http://www.grconsulate.com/isto/ We’ll also discover and sample some traditional Greek recipes here today, one of our absolute favorite types of cuisine, Tony Pethakas, owner of Mezes Restaurant http://www.mezes.com is here with us. And finally, to enhance the conversation and the wonderful food, from the Kolonaki Group, http://www.kolonakigroup.com/kolonaki/kgi/products.html purveyors of fine wines and spirits from Greece, Giovanni Priorello, joins us too. For a complete podcast of this show and all episodes of The Wine Ladies TV check out http://www.thatchannel.com/TheWineLadies