This Recipe was created for this year’s Limited Edition Italian Brunello. One would think that it would have been paired with a traditional Italian dish and it would certainly be a perfect match. But this recipe is really just great example of the versatility of this wine. The meaty, grilled Portabella’s could also just as easily be replaced with a grilled burger or steak. 

So if you are lucky enough to have one of the Sold Out Italian Brunello kits you have a wine that will work with many meals!

Mmmmmmushroom Burgers!

6 Portabella Mushrooms

3 Red Peppers (halved)

1 tsp Finely Minced Garlic

1 tsp Basil

¼ cup Olive Oil

¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar

¼ cup Winexpert Selection Limited Edition Italian Brunello

Combine garlic, basil, oil, vinegar and Italian Brunello in a long flat bottomed food container and mix thoroughly. De-stem the Portabella mushrooms. Add the Portabella mushrooms and red peppers to the mixture, cover with a tight fitting lid and shake.

Place in fridge for about 30 minutes to marinade.

Grill the mushrooms and red peppers on the BBQ for about 10-15 minutes. When ready to serve, place a red pepper over the mushroom, top with your favourite toppings and favourite cheese and serve on a bun.

Not lucky enough to have the Limited Edition Italian Brunello? You can substitute with an Italian Sangiovese or Chianti.

Bon Apetit,

Wine Sense

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Filed under: Recipes by Craig

Last week when the Carboy Cleaners arrived- I had to try one. I had two carboys to clean and the Carboy Cleaner not only did a great job but it was fun to use. Think of a ‘car-wash’ inside your carboy.

No more having to scrub with a Carboy Brush while trying to get into the shoulders of the carboy. No more trying to carefuly ‘aim’ the tip of the brush to get that tough spot on the bottom of the carboy. 

It took only 1 litre of water and 1 tbsp of Sparklebrite to clean the carboy (not counting the rinse water). This significantly cuts down on the cost of cleaning by using less Sparklebrite and as a result less water.

The best part was that I finished with the cleaning and put the carboy away in 10 minutes (yes- I did play longer than necessary).

Make life easier- get a Carboy Cleaner!

In the past, my problem with cleaning carboys was filling them up to soak and forgetting to come back and finish. Now everything is cleaned up and put away before I leave the room… my wife likes this.

Click here to view a brief video and see why the Carboy Cleaner (exclusive to Wine Sense)  is the fastest, easiest and best way to clean your carboys!

Cheers,

Jim- Manager (Southdale)

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Filed under: Equipment, New Products by Craig

My wife and I recently returned from our annual vacation, this year in Portugal and Spain. We both really enjoyed trying out wines there that are not as readily available in Canada. I came back enthused to make a Spanish wine. Wine Sense sells two Spanish wine kits – the World Vineyard Spanish Tempranillo and the Selection Spanish Rioja. As my red wine supply was running low, I decided I needed a quick fix so I started a four-week Spanish Tempranillo kit to add to my depleted stock.

World Vineyard allows you to make wines from around the world!

In our travels, we sampled and thoroughly enjoyed several styles of Tempranillo and learned that although Spain has several winemaking areas, the most important was the Rioja region in northern Spain. There, in one of three subregions, most wines were made from the Tempranillo grape by itself or blended with Garnachia (Grenache), Graciano and/or Mazuelo grapes. It has also been combined with a Cabernet Sauvignon grape as was the case with our Selection Limited Edition kit three years ago. By blending these grapes the wines became more complex and required further aging. But for the most part, Tempranillo by itself produces a very enjoyably dry red wine that can be consumed young, and exhibit gentle, berry flavors with an herbaceous, earthy character. Before they are sold, they are stored in oak casks for a year, then, are aged another year in the bottle. It exhibits a medium body, and like most red wines, they improve with age. I enjoyed Rioja with red meats – steaks, beef roasts, etc.- whereas the average Spaniard would also enjoy his tapas (mid afternoon snack) with a glass of Tempranillo in a sunny outdoor café just before siesta time. Like the Portuguese, I found the Spanish can walk into a grocery store and purchase it from a vast array of reasonably priced bottles of wine, and not have to pay an exorbitant price for an overly taxed wine, in a government liquor mart. It’s oh so much more civilized.

My Spanish Tempranillo should be ready to drink in late spring served with a sizzling BBQ’d meal cooked on a warm sunny afternoon. I can hardly wait!

Cheers,

Brian- Wine Sense (Portage Avenue)

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Filed under: General, Wine by Craig

We have some exciting days at Wine Sense this month- not only are we celebrating our 19th Birthday, we are also introducing a brand new product- Twisted Mist!

It’s been a while since our industry has introduced something that created a new category for our customers. The last time was about 10 years ago when Island Mist and Niagara Mist were introduced. As many of you know Mist kits are varietal grape wines blended with fruit flavours that are perfect for the patio- lighter in alcohol with touch of sweetness and balanced with crisp acidity. Served on ice they are great with lighter foods or perfect on their own in the warm weather. Styles include, Peach Chardonnay, Green Apple Riesling, Strawberry White Merlot, Blueberry Pinot Noir and many more refreshing styles.

Tiki says "Try Twisted Mist!"

Twisted Mist puts a new ‘twist’ on the traditional Mist kit. Like Island Mist, Twisted Mist are wine based kits. The difference is Twisted Mist produces 30 bottles of 12%, ready to drink cocktail. Just add ice and enjoy!

The two styles offered are:

Twisted Mist Mojito-

Named after mojadito, Spanish for “a little wet”, the Mojito was a favorite drink of author Ernest Hemingway. Traditionally made of five ingredients (rum, sugar, lime, sparkling water and mint) the mojito’s combination of sweetness, refreshing citrus and mint flavors complement the rich intensity of the rum.

Twisted Mist Mojito combines all of these flavours in a ready-to-drink cocktail: crisp lime, aromatic mint and wonderfully balanced, it’s perfect for the patio and sultry summer nights.

Twisted Mist Strawberry Margarita-

Strawberry Margarita is one of the most common tequila-based cocktail in North America, a traditional Margarita is tequila mixed with triple sec and lime or lemon juice, served with salt on the glass rim,  shaken with ice, on the rocks, blended with ice (frozen margarita) or without ice (straight up). Adding strawberries makes for a perfect summery drink: fruity, with the fresh berry flavour balanced deliciously between tart lime, sweet orange and juicy strawberry.

Twisted Mist Strawberry Margarita makes a great summer sipper for poolside, sundeck or backyard grilling, ready-to-drink well-chilled, over ice or blended for the perfect frozen ‘slushie’ right in your own home!

The Wine Sense staff are very excited about Twisted Mist. It expands our product offering which allows us to serve you better which allows you to have a broader selection of beverage alternatives to serve your friends and family.

Twisted Mist is produced by Winexpert the makers Selection, Vinters Reserve, World Vineyard and Island Mist so you know you can trust the quality.

It’s going to be a long hot summer so take advantage of our introductory pricing on Twisted Mist. They will be on sale until May 1st!

Oh yeah, Twisted Mist is only available for a limited time- so don’t delay!

Cheers,

Craig- Wine Sense

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Filed under: General by Craig