:: The Zen Gourmand ::

January 23, 2010 marks the beginning of a new year of monthly wine tastings for the Zen Gourmand’s Wine Club. The season promises to be exciting with a lineup of themes to appeal to every palate, budget and interest.

The coming season also brings a few changes to this informal wine club.

• Regular monthly tastings, allowing you to plan and schedule well ahead of time.
• Membership. It saves you money, brings privileges and you help support a local charity.
• More variety. Not just wine tastings any more but also fortifieds and spirits once in a while as well as evenings of food pairings.
• Special seminars letting you gain indepth knowledge into the world of wine.

Schedule:

• Saturday, January 23: Cozy Winter Wine Tasting REGISTER HERE
• Saturday, February 20: TBD
• Saturday, March 20: TBD

Membership:

• $98/annum, a $200 value
• $5 of every membership goes towards the support of Durham Region’s St. Vincent’s Kitchen. Oshawa.
• Tastings and events at cost
• Includes a $25 Gift Certificate at Julie Moore Spa, Whitby.
• Includes a monthly Club News Letter
• Includes a monthly personalized food and wine paring consultation.
• Additional special privileges as they become available.

Non Members:

• $15 + Cost of tasting/event

Location:

• South Whitby. Specific venue depends on the event and the number of people attending. Announced two weeks prior to event

CLICK FOR CLUB MEMBERSHIP REGISTRATION FORM

CLICK TO REGISTER FOR ANY OTHER EVENT

The Auxiliary to RVAP Health Centre is having a wine tasting fundraiser Sunday, October 25, 2009 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Ajax Seniors Friendship Club. 46 Exeter Road, Ajax, Ontario.

Join me as I lead this fun afternoon of tasting a selection of 6 delicious wines including a Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Cabarnet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz.

There will be refreshments of Coffee, Tea, Cheese, Crackers, Breads and Fruits.

The event also includes draws for Gift Baskets and Door Prize.

General Admission is $20.00

Proceeds go to support new Woman’s Imaging Center, part of the redevelopment of the RVHC Ajax site.

Tickets must be purchased in advance.

CLICK HERE for complete information and Ticket Contacts.

On June 20th, 21st and 22nd as well as June 27th, 28th and 29th Julie Moore of Julie Moore Spa and renowned Zen Massage Therapist will be at HighFields Country Inn and Spa, In Zephyr just outside of Uxbridge, Ontario. This beautiful 175 acre private country landscape is yours to enjoy and is ripe with activities including; Golf, Tennis, Hiking, Outdoor pool, Spa suites and so much more. There are also Spa therapies and a restaurant all on the same property.

On these special dates Julie Moore will be at HighFields Country Inn and Spa teaching classes. She will be teaching Qi Gong, Zen meditation and Meridian stretching. Qi gong is a form of Tai chi, a martial art, and focuses on breathing and muscle relaxation and the centring of your energy (or Qi). It is meant to balance the yin and yang of your Qi to allow you to feel refreshed and most importantly relaxed. Zen meditation is primarily a breathing exercise to allow you get in touch with your inner thoughts and become one with yourself. Meridian stretching focuses on the lines of energy situated in your body.

For the full story please visit http://www.juliemoorespa.com/ 

The June issue of SNAP Whitby is now out and the premiere wine tasting event of The Zen Gourmand’s Wine Club is prominently featured on page 5!

SNAP is a free publication covering local events, life and entertainment.
You can pick it up at various locations around Whitby such as retailers, banks, newsstands, GO train, Library etc.

To help us promote the wine club, go pick up a bunch of them and distribute them to your friends. Then send them to the ZenGourmand.com website to sign up for the club!

:)

Enjoy an evening of Spanish food paired with the Wines of Spain and guided by Bruno Cantieni in the capacity of acting Sommelier and Zen Gourmand! This event takes place at the fabulous La Vie Restaurant located in the rolling hills just north of Uxbridge at the Highfields Country Inn and Spa. Chefs Christine and Jeremy will prepare an exquisite 5 course extravaganza starting with Tapas and Cava for Hors d’hoeuvres followed by four courses of Spanish delicacies and a 5th course consisting of a selection of fine cheeses to complete the dinner.

For full details and reservations call La Vie at 905.473.6621 or visit their website at http://www.restaurantlavie.com/ to book your reservation online!

There are only a few seats left for this event, so please act quickly to secure your reservation.

Reception from 6 – 7 PM
Dinner starting at 7 PM

See you there!

On Thursday, May 22nd, the Zen Gourmand made his first televison appearance on “Daytime Durham”. This show is produced by Rogers TV and hosted by Kasia Bodurka and Jim Bamboulis.

The invitation to make an appearance came as a result of contacting Rogers TV regarding the Zen Gourmand’s Wine Club and the club’s premiere wine tasting event held May 10th.

On the show I talked about the Zen Gourmand and the various services provided, the upcomiing product launch and, of course, about the wine club. While chating with the hosts, I prepared one of the Zen Gourmand signature desserts, the “Vanilla Sunshine”. Clients of the Julie Moore Spa for whch it was originally developed should be well familiar with it.

	If you missed the show on May 22nd, do not despair! You can check it out by clicking here.
The Zen Gourmand on Daytime Durham with Kasia Bodurka and Jim Bamboulis

On May 10th, the Zen Gourmand’s Wine Club held it’s premiere winetasting event.

We had a terrific turnout and all the people who attended had a terrific evening of winetasting, learning and networking. All the wines tasted (see the club link for details) were fabulous although there was a clear favorite among the reds (Farnese, 2005 Edizione Cinque Autoctoni) while the group was split on the whites (Pinot Grigio vs. Sauv. Blanc). Below are some preliminary photos of the event.

Thanks again to our sponsors, The Profile Wine Group for supplying the wines, Julie Moore Spa for the rentals of glass ware etc. and a big resounding ‘Thank You” to Angelina and Ken for letting us host the event in their fabulous home.

The premiere Wine Tasting Event of the Zen Gourmand’s Wine Club is rapidly approaching and I’m releasing this update along with the additional details and wine selections today.

The event will take place on Saturday, May 10th, 2008, starting at 7 PM and will be held at a private residence in Courtice (RSVP for details).

This premiere event will be free of charge!
We will be tasting 6 wines in total, 2 whites and 4 reds.
These wines will be supplied by our good friends at the Profile Wine Group and both Ruben Elmer (Key Account Manager, Sommelier) and Allan Leal (Private Client Sales) will be present to talk about these marvelous wines.
These wines have been selected to expose you to a broad range of tastes, styles and terroirs. They have also been chosen with warmer weather, backyard BBQ’s, pools and patio entertaining in mind. You will be thrilled!
You will also be offered an opportunity to order the wines we are tasting for you private enjoyment.

Whites:
Cantina Produttori Cormons, 2006 Pinot Grigio Isonzo, Friuli Isonzo Doc, Italy
“Clean and accessible, aromas include, lemon, apple and floral notes which come in at good itensity. A mix of citrus and mineral flavours with slightly oily and chalky texture.”

Rowi, 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, Wairau River. Marlborough, New Zealand
“Lifted aromas of passionfruit and gooseberry abound in this vibrant, lively wine, which balances the freshness of melon and lime with rich, ripe tropical fruit on the palate and a lingering finish.”

Reds:
Casa Vinicola G. Cesari, 2005 Ripasso Valpolicella, Classico, Bosan, Italy
“The predominant cherry bouquet overlaps with pleasant hints of cocoa, tobacco and vanilla. It has an intense purple red colour with strong, soft and velvety body.”

Farnese, 2005 Edizione Cinque Autoctoni, Estate Blend, Italy
“Strong garnet red colour, intense and persistent with aroma of cherries, prunes, ripe black currant, tobacco and a toasted final note. Full-bodied, soft, rich in tannin, very persistent, long at the end with spicy notes of vanilla and chocolate.”

Coriole Vineyards, 2005 Shiraz, McLaren Vale, Australia
“Subtle aromas of dark fruits and spice. The cooler vintage of 2005 is reflected on the palate, with tight acid and fine grained savoury tannins that combine with dark berries and subtle notes of earthy, peppery characters.”

Chateau Teyssier, 2004 St. Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, Frnace
“Bright ruby-red. Black cherry, violet, licorice, menthol and smoke on the nose. Sweet and primary, with blackberry, licorice and mint flavors.”

Please note:
You do not need to be a registerd member of the Wine Club in order to attend, however

This Event is RSVP

so please confirm your attendance ASAP via email to bruno@zengourmand.com or to zengourmand@juliemoorespa.com or pick up the phone and call (leave a message if necessary).

 For general information on the wine club, check the Wine Club link http://www.zengourmand.com/wine-club/
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me or call.

During the recent Toronto Wine and Cheese Show I had the pleasure of meeting Anna Olson, famous pastry chef, author and host of the Food Network’s “Fresh with Anna Olson” along with old acquaintance Michael Fagan from the LCBO aka the “The Matchmaker” in “Food & Drink” magazine’s column of the same name. The specific occasion was the “Wine and Chocolate” seminar held Friday night of the Toronto Wine and Cheese Show.The seminar Anna and Michael presented explored the fundamentals of pairing wines with chocolate which is always a bit of a challenge as chocolate can have and comes in many forms. Pairing a wine with a simple bar of unsweetened dark chocolate is not going to require the same criteria as pairing a wine with a rich, creamy and sweet chocolate brownie.

The lineup of wines consisted of a NCT (Niagara College Teaching Winery) 2005 Late Harvest Cabernet Franc, a McGuigan Black Label Shiraz and a W&J Graham 2003 LBV Port while the chocolate delicacies consisted of one of Anna’s famous brownies, a chocolate chip cookie and a white chocolate crusted artisanal brie. While Anna demonstrated some of her chocolate based recipes we also learned a lot about various characteristics of chocolate as well as some neat chocolate recipe tricks from her. Michael guided the group through the various possible combinations of the wines and chocolate treats presented and the attending crowd ended up leaving with an elevated understanding of what works and what doesn’t.Here is a quick Zen Gourmand summary of Wine and Chocolate pairing considerations:

• - The wine should be as sweet as or sweeter than the chocolate (fundamentally applies to pairing any dessert with a wine)
• - Heavier wines with heavier chocolate based desserts
• - Dark or Bittersweet Chocolate requires a wine that echoes roasted and bitter (tannic) flavors and possibly offer a hint of chocolate on the nose and palate (Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel make good candidates)
• - For Milk Chocolate look towards a lighter bodied wine such as Pinot Noirs, light bodied Merlots, Rieslings and Muscats.
• - For White Chocolate, steer towards Sherries, Moscato d’Asti, even an Orange Muscat in order to pick up the mellow and buttery flavors and possible fruit tones.
• - Rich and creamy Chocolate Desserts and Treats call for sweeter wines such as a Port, Late Harvest Vidal or Cabernet Franc, Ice Wine, perhaps even a Tokay Azu.

Don’t forget to check out some of Anna’s books. You will find some truly amazing and easy to do recipes.

Anna and Michael Olson Cook at HomeJoin premier chefs Anna and Michael Olson as they entertain at home Anna and Michael Olson Cook at Home invites readers into the home kitchen of Ontario’s premier chefs …

SugarOn her Food Network show Sugar, pastry chef Anna Olson shows viewers how to create simple, original desserts that they can create at home…

Another Cup Of SugarSatisfy that sweet tooth — some more! You can never have too much of a good thing. Anna Olson brings you more of her favorite dessert recipes in Another Cup of Sugar…

Budoshu is Japanese for “wine” or more specifically “grape liqueur”.
Enso is the Japanese word for “circle” but in the context of Zen, symbolizing enlightenment.

All that said, I’m inviting you to become a member of the “Enlightened Wine Circle”, an informal wine tasting/buying club of the most unique kind and by far the best wine club in all of Durham region.
Be part of a group of like-minded individuals who will get together once a month to taste a fine selection of wines in an environment of shared interest, professional guidance, advice and tutoring.
Get exposed to fine wines from around the world that are not available from the LCBO’s general list or even from VINTAGES!Experience wines in vertical and horizontal flight formats.
Taste wines you might never try on your own for any number of reasons.
Some of the themes I am working on are:

• Organic and Biodynamically grown wines
• New Generation Wines of Switzerland
• Superb Rieslings of Germany
• The top vintages of Tuscany
• Châteaux shootout
• Super Premium Cabs from around the Globe
• Rare Viogniers
• Wine Gems of Eastern Europe
• and many more….

To join our group, please register ASAP.
There is no membership fee providing you join before September 30, 2008.
Membership after that will be a nominal $50 per annum.
Each tasting event will be by RSVP or event registration only.
Our premier event will be free of charge!
Subsequent events may be subject to an event fee that will be determined by the cost of the wines selected plus any incidental or auxiliary costs (facilities and stemware rentals etc.), prorated by the number of participants.
Any such fees are expected to range from $25 – $60.

At each event you will be able to order any of the wines tasted in case quantities (cases are typically 12 bottles, sometimes 6).
Splitting cases among members allowed.
Members may bring bottles from their own collections for tastings, however they will not be compensated for the wine :)

To sign up or for more information please contact me via email at wine@zengourmand.com or simply fill in the REGISTRATION FORM FOUND HERE.