Wine: Folonari, Valpolicella Classico Ripasso (Veneto, Italy)

Folonari, Valpolicella Classico Ripasso (Veneto, Italy)

When one orders a great steak, one wants a lovely red wine to compliment it. Or at least, I do. By no means am I a lush, but I do like to enjoy a glass with a nice meal. The Folonari Valpolicella Classico Ripasso is just one such wine.

This is a lighter-bodied red. (Compares with pinot noir in this regard.) I had never had a ripasso before but I do like to experiment! I was very happy with my choice. This was very smooth and light without losing it's complexity. I do tend to go for fuller-bodied wines with steak and I do think the ideal pairing for this would be pasta in a tomato sauce or the like. Still, I very much enjoyed this new taste.

My hubby had a sip and said it reminded him of the Nonsuch. I looked at him, confused. Fishy??? No, he meant something in it's flavour brought to mind maritime wood. Old sailing ships... Isn't that a lovely image?

Eating Out: Chop

Chop Steakhouse is one of our favourite restaurants in the city. My husband and I get out here a few times a year to enjoy great food and a nice atmosphere. It's not super cheap but it's a fraction of the cost of going out to 529! It is my understanding that this franchise is not as good in other cities. We've heard how bad the Calgary location is from a few different people. Sorry Calgary Chop! Winnipeg rocks the beef. Probably Alberta beef.

Music: My Favourite Discoveries of 2011

This is not a "Best Music of 2011" list, but rather a list of artists that I just happened to have discovered in the past year. Some of it is new, some a few years old that I previously missed. Most of them I learned about on Q with Jian Ghomeshi, whom I love.

Imaginary Cities

• Song that caught my attention: "Hummingbird" (2011)
  
• Latest album: "Temporary Resident" (2011)
• These guys are from Winnipeg and this is their first album. They formed in late 2009 and this has been a stellar year for the group! They were long listed for the Polaris Prize and were voted number one on CBC Manitoba. I love pretty much every song on this album and it feels so good to belt it out in the car with Marti when I'm driving alone!

Wine: Catena Zapata, Malbec (Argentina)

Catena Zapata, Malbec 2008 (Mendoza, Argentina)

This is the red wine that we had at Sydney's for my husband's company Christmas party.

It was very nice. I've been developing my palate for the last couple of years but still need to learn the proper terms to describe things. Malbec is one of my favourites. It's rich and deep yet very smooth. It is a very dark wine that goes well with steak and other red meats. I had it with salmon and it worked perfectly fine.

Update: The winery found my tweet! Now I wished I would have written more about these guys... 
@CatenaMalbec
@MalbecBen
www.catenawines.com 
 

Eating Out: Sydney's At The Forks

My husband's office Christmas dinner was at Sydney's again this year. This was a lavish affair! We got a menu where we could pick from 3 or 4 options for each of a starter, appetizer, (sorbet palate cleanser) main and dessert. We were offered cocktails when we first ait down, then champagne once everyone had arrived, wine with the meal and then tea, coffee or port with dessert. This is the night my husband often discovers new Scotches that he likes.

Recipe: Best Waffles in Whole Wheat

I got an awesome recipe for waffles from my step-dad a few years back. It's been a tradition to have waffles for Christmas brunch. We didn't get to do that this year so I made some for New Year's Day instead.

Whole Wheat Waffles!

Photos: New Year's Fireworks

Happy New Year!