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Sweet Retreat

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Re-imagine your yard as an outdoor oasis. Perfect for parties, or an intimate evening for two.A weekend trip to Buffalo, New York changed the way I view my humble backyard. Last summer I toured 30 private gardens, part of the National Garden Festival, the largest free garden walk in the United States. The festival, held annually from late June to late July, beautifies the revitalized urban centre. No two are alike. Hidden in the corner of one yard, pink and purple perennial borders framed a textured stone patio, with room for two oversized teak loungers. Flowing water features, found art, concrete sculptures, meandering pea gravel paths and a wooden pergola contributed to the whimsical feel. A second garden featured three outdoor areas: a romantic koi pond encircled by native grasses filled the front section of the yard, while a formal dining area and a covered, torch-lit tiki bar were ready-made for outdoor entertaining.
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A Liquid Career

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“It’s a sad fact that Canadian whisky doesn’t get its due. I am committed to changing that, using a ‘kill-rumours-with-facts’ approach, and believe me, there are plenty of myths and misunderstandings about Canadian whisky out there.”
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Grape X

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It’s not always the wine that excites me, it’s the journey it takes to get in my glass — from vine, to bud, to flower, to grape, to harvest, to crusher, to fermentation, to barrel, to bottle and finally to my mouth.We take the journey lightly, letting Mother Nature, viticulturists and winemakers do all the work before we show any interest in the life of a grape. After all, it’s not one grape we’re interested in; it’s a whole bunch of them.I have always wanted to patiently watch a single bud as it grows into a grape, through the various stages it takes before it’s gone in a gulp. I know, I know, how geeky is that, right? Well, it’s really geeky, and I admit it. And frankly, I didn’t have time to sit and watch a grape grow.
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Pomme

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Oh, the signs were there all along: The extravagant apple cider-themed dinners at his tony restaurant on the waterfront in Burlington, Ontario. The British heritage and the fact that he was raised on the myriad ciders offered in the pubs of London. And his name on Twitter, of course: @ciderseeker.It would appear that it was Chris Haworth’s destiny, but it was shocking nonetheless when he came home from a hard night of cooking and told his wife Amy and two young children that he was quitting his job as executive chef of Spencer’s at the Waterfront to chase his dream of making apple cider in a province that is just beginning to show interest in fermented apples.“She said, ‘What? Are you crazy?’” Haworth recalls with a chuckle. “But she’s a totally, 100 per cent supporter of the project.”
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Own It: A Sane Person's Guide To Insanity

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Rows of vines rule your yard, easing out family and friends. Your mini-fermenter sprang a leak and oozed booze on the new Nissan. Pickled beets and canned corn occupy your wine cellar. You want a piece of the wine business, but don't know how to branch out. Seasoned vineyard owners in BC, Ontario and Quebec offer six tips to get you started.Caution: Only those with copious amounts of extra cash, an insanely rich relative, or the itch to convert sugar into value-added vino need read further.
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Artisan

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He is a tall, strapping man, all of 27 years old, and looks more like the star quarterback than a man who tinkers with high-octane booze all day long. But that’s the path master distiller Geoff Dillon, with degrees in biochemistry and economics, has taken in the heart of Niagara wine country.Dillon is on the frontline of a taste revolution that is being fuelled by discarded grapes, locally grown wormwood, lavender, all kinds of mint and juniper as well as future crops of rye, grains, hops and the seasonal fruit of Niagara. It is borne of passion, fine craftsmanship and artisanal flare. And it is manifested in fine craft whiskies, gins, vodkas and myriad craft beers that have quickly become part of the Niagara mosaic.It is being driven by young, passionate entrepreneurs who see the potential among the vineyards, the booming wine industry, and the influx of gourmet food trucks and chefs who have moved into the region to add a little sizzle; a giant jolt of yumminess that you can enjoy once you’re done with that glass of fine Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. Or maybe, just maybe, instead of wine.

  • OCP_oct12_view3copy

    Own It: A Sane Person’s Guide To Insanity

    Rows of vines rule your yard, easing out family and friends. Your mini-fermenter sprang a leak and oozed booze on the new Nissan. Pickled beets and canned corn occupy your wine cellar. You want a piece of the wine business, but don’t know how to branch out. Seasoned vineyard owners in BC, Ontario and Quebec [READ MORE]

  • Summer Patio

    Sweet Retreat

    Re-imagine your yard as an outdoor oasis. Perfect for parties, or an intimate evening for two. A weekend trip to Buffalo, New York changed the way I view my humble backyard. Last summer I toured 30 private gardens, part of the National Garden Festival, the largest free garden walk in the United States. The festival, [READ MORE]

  • bud burst

    Grape X

    It’s not always the wine that excites me, it’s the journey it takes to get in my glass — from vine, to bud, to flower, to grape, to harvest, to crusher, to fermentation, to barrel, to bottle and finally to my mouth. We take the journey lightly, letting Mother Nature, viticulturists and winemakers do all [READ MORE]

  • lemon-flowers

    Citrus Squeeze

    Great news – there’s a new addition to our family! I wasn’t sure if we really should go for it. But, it was a blustery Saturday morning when I laid eyes on it, and the promise of heat and sunshine took over my thoughts. Our new addition is a dwarf lemon tree loaded with blooms [READ MORE]

On Quench TV

From The Pages Of Tidings Magazine

  • All About Oaked Chardonnay

    There are two kinds of wine lovers in the world. Which camp do you call home? First, there are those who are fed up after a lifetime of drinking cheap Chardonnay at office parties and baby showers. Their cri de coeur is “No more! No more oaked Chardonnay. Give me fresh fruit character — or [READ MORE]

  • Wine Sensory Garden Now Open at Reif Estate Winery

    Reif Estate Winery’s Wine Sensory Garden allows you to contemplate the colours, aromas and flavours that are characteristically used to describe wines. The project was initiated in the fall of 2006 when Reif Estate Winery approached The School of Horticulture at Niagara Parks to design a garden that would interpret the different grape varieties typically [READ MORE]

  • A Magnificent Wine Cellar

    In over thirty years of chasing the grape around the world I have seen more than my fair share of magnificent wine cellars — underground caves in which I would happily be locked for the night, as long as I had a corkscrew. But I was not prepared for the cellar I came across in [READ MORE]

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Top Drinks

  • Bourbon Milk Punch #3

    In a shaker half-filled with ice cubes, combine the bourbon, creme de cacao, and milk. Shake well. Pour into a highball glass and garnish with the nutmeg.

  • Gin Highball

    Pour gin into a highball glass over ice cubes. Fill with carbonated water. Add the twist of lemon peel, stir, and serve.

Get Hungry

  • Easy Summer Eats

    I am not a big fan of frozen chicken fingers, so I make my own, which isn’t as complicated as it sounds. Lately, I’ve found that combining panko (Japanese) bread crumbs with store-bought bread crumbs results in a crust that is crunchy but not too crunchy. This is a fast mid-week dish that is heavenly [READ MORE]

  • Garden Minestrone

    A bowlful of vegetable soup is comfort food and a taste of summer’s bounty all at the same time. Minestrone is a personal art form. Use this recipe as a base and add whatever beans or vegetables you enjoy. Try cannellini or Great Northern beans, fennel, cabbage, green beans, rutabaga, celeriac, or butternut squash. For [READ MORE]

  • Sultry Summer Eats

    Nancy Johnson is the Food Editor at Tidings Magazine, and rightly so. The recipes that she creates are beautiful to look at – colourful and mouthwatering – and scrumptious to eat. The wonderfully warm weather I’ve been enjoying here in Ontario makes me crave bright and tasty summer dishes. If the weather where you are [READ MORE]

  • Five Things To See Before You Dine

    The Before You Die books make me nervous. There are a number of them in the series, such as 1001 Movies To See Before You Die, 1001 Places To Go Before You Die and so forth. The whole notion makes me jittery because there’s the erroneous implication that I am, indeed, going to die. Moi? [READ MORE]

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