Review: Thirsty for more at Soif

Everything at Soif is corked.

No, no, not the WINE. The wine and the food (OMG) are fantastic. I'm talking about the walls. The floors. Some of the tables, parts of the bar, pieces of artwork. All made of cork. A startling revelation as you walk in the door; this is, indeed, a one-of-a-kind place.

La Girolle: Une grande folie de goût!

Two years is a long time between visits. Yet somehow when my BFF and I get together, it's as though time kindly waited for us to take a break in our crazy-busy lives. And then we pick up right where we left off.

Part of this most recent mini-vacation to Québec was spent at La Girolle, a small-ish, crowded French bistro on Chemin Ste-Foy (pronounced FWAH, if you please.) The noise is deafening, the proximity to other patrons' elbows a little too close for comfort ... but the food more than makes up for it.

Taste of the Commonwealth

Q: What two things do Uganda, Malta and England have in common?
A: They're Commonwealth countries. And they make wine. (No, really!)

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Commonwealth Secretariat, the 85th anniversary of the first Commonwealth Games, and international Commonwealth Day (which is today), the Ottawa branch of the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) held its inaugural Taste of the Commonwealth event on Sunday, March 8, at City Hall's Jean Pigott Place.

Oh Canada!

The nation turned 147 years old today, but us Canadian wine fans have been partying it up for a few days now.

June 28 was the second annual Canadian Wine Day, the anniversary of Bill C-311, which brought an end to Prohibition-era restrictions on the inter-provincial movement of wine. Notwithstanding some provinces still balking at the idea (without actually having a legal leg to stand on) we celebrated with plenty of samples from coast to coast.

Canadian Wine Three-Sixty-Five

The first Canadian Wine Day was on June 28, 2013—the one-year anniversary of Bill C-311 coming into force. The feds had finally made it legal for wine to move across provincial borders, from coast to coast to coast. (If the provinces would just follow suit, that would be great.)

Family Circus in Montréal

Remember them? Billy, Dolly, Jeffy and PJ? My mum had a Family Circus treasury all about them on vacation. The cover had been torn off and the dog-eared pages were slowly disintegrating from many readings, mostly of my doing. I was too young to get some of the more grown-up humour, but there were a few visual puns that had me giggling because they were oh-so-true. Like this one:

Glebe and Gatineau Goodies

This last week has been super-busy, and it doesn't look like it's going to slow down any until mid-February. Not that  I'm complaining. "Oh no, I have to have another night out where I have to drink wine and eat amazing food and hang with really cool people. Such hardship." (Yes, I can hear a whole orchestra of teeny-tiny violins playing a dirge for me.)

Weathering winter with wine and food

So Ottawa's getting an entire season's worth of snow dumped on it as we speak. At some point I really should go out and shovel, but being all cozied up inside with a cup of tea and Lost on Blu-Ray is much more enjoyable.

Continuing on from my previous post, there's even MORE to enjoy about winter (and get your mind off of how cold it is outside).

Wine Wednesday: Holiday Imbibery

Recovering from the holidays is always such a drag. Bleary-eyed, we woke up Tuesday morning to the obnoxious noise of the alarm clock, heralding the first day back at work. The kids desperately clung to the last vestiges of Christmas, mewing plaintively for one more story, one more ride on the rocking horse, one more look at the tree. The blast of sub-zero windchill didn't help matters, either. What happened to a mild winter?

So to cheer myself up, I'm dedicating the first Wine Wednesday of 2012 to a review of the last two weeks' most memorable quaffs.

La bouffe, le vin et l'amieté

November brings with it grey skies, tons of rain and droopy trees looking naked and bleak. Add to that the end of Daylight Savings, and I'm ready to dig a hole and hibernate.

Or go shopping. For wine.

Wine Wednesday: Five MORE worth the drive

I have to say, I was a little disappointed to read Joanne Chiarello's Five Worth the Drive for Wine Tasting in a recent issue of the Ottawa Citizen. While her choices sound marvy -- the puddle of drool on my chin can attest to that -- "wine tasting" for me brings to mind guided or independent quaffing at a winery (or its satellite facilities).

Wine Wednesday: Crafted in Quebec

One of my birthday gifts from Hubby this year: a Vandal Cliche from Vignoble Rivière du Chêne, a winery on the Chemin du Terroir in the Laurentides, north of Montréal. This is exactly the kind of wine that puts Quebec on the list of contenders in Canada: well crafted, good value, undiscovered local treasure. Definitely picking up some more next time I'm at the SAQ. (Or maybe I'll cash in on their current sale - a case of William blanc for $120. Pretty good deal.)

William 2010 Vin Blanc - Linen and floral notes on the nose, followed by a zesty citrus flavour and vigorous acidity. A bit oily on the finish, but not offensive, with a lingering sweetness that lasts beyond the final sip.

Winterlude tastes pretty good

No, I'm not referring to Beavertails, bacon-on-a-bun or taffy sticks (although you can't fully experience the Rideau Canal without stopping to have at least one of them as you skate by.) I'm talking fine wines, artisanal cheeses and hospitality as warm as a fireplace. A Taste of Winterlude at Clos Baillie.

Quaff this: Reif Estate 2010 'The Fool' Gamay Nouveau

We've got one stocking hung by the chimney with care, but don't you worry. We'll have the halls bedecked by the end of the week. And I've got the wine to go with it.