In particular, we hoped to discover wines from at home and around the globe and to compliment an array of foods, budgets, and occasions.

A few of our favourite wines were…

Chateau Des Charmes VQA Chardonnay

We think this would be a perfect match with the indulgent creamy mushroom sauce on Chef Magyar’s stuffed roasted chicken with tiny oven roasted potatoes, steamed carrots, and sugar snap peas.

stuffed chicken w/creamy mushroom sauce

Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay

This wine from California would pair beautifully with Chef’s ricotta gnocchi tossed with fresh sage, lemon and butter finished with aged reggiano parmesan.

Arboleda Carmenere 2007

A bold red wine from Chile, this would be a natural fit with pan roasted rack of venison with juniper crust.  Accompanied by sweet potato mousseline, rapini, roasted torpedo shallots, and lardoons in a cracked pepper sauce, this is lovely food & wine combination for the holidays.

D’arenberg D’arry’s Original

This Shiraz-Grenache blend from Australia would be yummy paired with our roasted leg of lamb with creamy scalloped potatoes & oyster mushroom jus.

Good news – each of these lovely bottles is available at the LCBO.  Happy sipping!

a Chilean vinyard

Chile is well known for the Carmenère grape, but our favourite wines were overwhelmingly Pinot Noir & Viogner.  We were particularly impressed by the very tasty and very affordable Pinot Noir & Viogner offered by Cono Sur.  Some of our fellow tasters gushed about these bargain bottles, confiding that they purchased them by the case.  At around $10 a bottle, they are perfect for casual, at-home sipping. 

Cono Sur also offers a more swish collection with higher – although very reasonable – price tags.  Our favourite was the Vision Pinot Noir 2008, which will be released in the spring of 2010.  Appealing to most red-wine drinkers and a great match for many foods, this wine would be perfect for a wedding reception.

Now, what to eat with your delish Chilean wines?  We suggest…

grilled squid on watercress leaves with capers & olives

roasted garlic, olive oil, lemon, and flat-leaf parsley dressing

barbecued dry aged black angus steak

quinoa salad and roasted summer peppers

airy crepes with home-made caramel filling