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!

 

 

1st Annual OOI Bubblishus Bubbleoff!!!

We've thought about it for ages - and finally, on 30 November, we had our first ever Bubblishus Bubbleoff as an early start to the holiday season!  OOI veterans were joined by Iris, Stephen and Pippa for an evening of bubbles and giggles... nothing like sparkling wine to make you smile!

The set up?  A blind tasting of 7 bottles of sparkling wines from all over the world.  We added bubble description to our usual analysis of these fine wines. In order of appearance:

1. BELCANTO DI BELLUSSI EXTRA DRY PROSECCO DI VALDOBBIADENE SUPERIORE (Belussi Spumante, Veneto, Italy) VINTAGES 53215  Price: $ 17.95 

- peachy and lovely - a nice aperitif to go with potato chips and almonds.

2. SEGURA VIUDAS BRUT RESERVA CAVA SPARKLING (Heredad Segura Viudas, Torrelavit, Spain) LCBO 216960   Price: $ 14.55 

- we love the cavas!  Bracing, bright - a great value for a big wow on the palate.  Served some cheeses, cured meats and olives with this one.

3. PIERRE SPARR BRUT RÉSERVE CRÉMANT D'ALSACE (Maison Pierre Sparr & Successeurs, Alsace, France) VINTAGES 173401  Price: $ 16.95 

- this bottle really popped on us, and may have been off -we were expecting good things from the Alsation cremant...

4. TRIUS BRUT VQA (Hillebrand Estates Winery Ltd., Ontario, Canada) LCBO 215913  Price: $ 24.95 

- Our lone Canadian entry - definitely a nice wine if you want to keep it within 100-miles.

- at the $22 price point, it didn't compete with our wine #5.

5. DOMAINE CHANDON BRUT (Domaine Chandon, California, USA) LCBO 218032  Price: $ 22.95

- One of our favourites - fabulous value.  Served with some seared foie gras - how decadent!

6. MOËT & CHANDON BRUT GRAND VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE 2002 (Moet & Chandon, Champagne, France) VINTAGES 69773  Price: $ 81.95 

- Definitely a stand out - served with a seafood plate - a shucked oyster, lobster, some shrimp, and a seared scallop

7. Bottega moscato Petalo Il Vino dell'Amore mousseux (Veneto, Italy) SAQ code:  00884270  Price: $14.15

- A lovely sweeter sparkling wine to go with fresh berries.

  

OOI member in recovery....

Thanks for all of your support!