Uncorked! Old World wine tasting at the Museum of Civilization

Back in 2003, the Museum of Civilization held historic wine tastings right inside the actual exhibits - actors donned period costumes and declared that the latest shipment of Spanish wines had arrived in New France, would we like a taste?...  The museum has started up a slightly different approach to history and wine tasting.  We went to the 20 September "Uncorked! Wines of the Old Continent" tasting which started with a glass of cava as the 21 guests assembled.  We had two museum staff, one a historian, one a archeologist, that walked us through the closed museum, stopping at 6 stations to talk about Canadian history (especially around the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain), linking old world wines (sometimes rather tenuously!) to the exhibits, and delicious foods paired with them.   The food was provided by the museum restaurant - Bistro Boreal.  The chef obviously put a lot of thought into the ingredients and dishes selected. 

 

For $55, a wonderful evening of interesting facts, lovely wines (with generous pours), and delish food! 

A taste of Catalonia: Priorat

Donald and I are heading off to Barcelona for our honeymoon, and will be visiting some of the wine regions of Catalonia, including Penedes and Priorat.  Priorats are a blend of grape - Garnacha, Carinena, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, etc  - full-bodied, well made, fruit forward wines that tend to be on the expensive side. 

Currently, a value priced Priorat is available - Camins del Priorat 2011, priced at $22.95, at LCBO.  The maker, Alvaro Palacios, is famous for making wines that usually cost around $800.

Lots of rave reviews, and a great opportunity to get a feeling for this wonderful wine.

 

Sweet!

March 2nd, another lovely evening at Tamerlane with our hosts, Tanya and Erik, although due to the lack of copious amounts of wine, it was considered an unofficial OOI event!  Just a great opportunity to catch up after a long, cold winter.

"A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey left inside."

Winnie the Pooh (A. A. Milne)

What comes to mind when you think of honey?  For me, it's childhood memories of peanut butter and honey sandwiches, hot lemon honey tea (brought to me in bed by my mom when I was sick!), Winnie the Pooh with the honey pot stuck on his head...  Sweet but in a good way, comforting, organic (bee regurge!)... This was an opportunity to try a number of honey types that Tanya had collected over the last few months, and was kind enough to share with us! 

The evening started with a honey sparkler cocktail with a fig garnish. 

We then moved into the tasting of 8 different honeys.  Honey has been called "the soul of flowers".  What was amazing was the different colours, textures, and flavours. 

As usual, Tanya and Erik had an unbelievable array of cheeses and charcuterie to sample, with or without honey, washed down with some lovely rich beers.  And some tasty small plates (brussel sprouts wrapped in artisinal bacon, marinated chicken) with some wine.

The evening ended with a taste of Quebec mead - a honey wine.  Rich and thick, like a dessert wine.  Perfect with thick Greek yogurt (none of this 0% fat stuff!) and fruit drizzled with - you guessed it - honey! 

Pooh had a little too much....

 

What comes to mind when you think of honey? Please add your thoughts, additions or corrections in the comments section below!

Hey, honey.... it's been awhile!

 



OOI is getting back on track in 2013 with a sweet tasting hosted by Tanya and Erik at Tamerlane!

Menu:
1-Honey sparkler cocktail
2-Honey tasting (at least 7 or 8)

3-Honey, cheese and charcuterie pairing with a few beer samples (e.g. Maibock, Scotch ale and Belgian Abbey Tripel...not your regular Labatt Blue beer!)
4-A few small plates and wine
5-Dessert and Quebec Mead

 

Looking forward to seeing you all @ 7pm on Saturday, March 2nd!