WYKwinos Report No. 17

Date/Time: 25th June 2011, 11:30 a.m.

Place: Angels Gate Winery, Niagara

1st Bottle  Archangel Sauvignon Blanc     
Varietal: Sparkling Winery/Producer: Angels Gate
Type: White Year: 2008
Cost: $19.95 Region: Niagara, Ontario Canada
Food to pair:  Goat Cheese stuffed tomatoe LCBO #:
Remarks: With lots of bubbles for your enjoyment and zesty citrus notes with crisp acidity. Fruit forward and elegant, this well balanced sec doesn’t need an occasion to be enjoyed.To the nose:  Ripe apples and grapefruit with an undertone of lemon-lime.
2nd Bottle  Gewurztraminer    
Varietal:  Gewurztraminer Winery/Producer: Angels Gate  
Type: White Year: 2007  
Cost: $13.95 Region: Niagara, Ontario Canada  
Food to pair: light poultry and seafood dishes. LCBO #:  58594  
Remarks: This fresh and clean gewürztraminer offers fragrances of rose petal, lychee, and mango. Its Off dry palate displays balanced acidity with flavours of tropical fruit, grapefruit, and lime. A refreshing finish follows with pleasant warmth.  
3th Bottle SUSSRESERVE RIESLING    
Varietal: Riesling Winery/Producer: Angels Gate  
Type: White Year: 2008  
Cost: $13.95 Region: Niagara, Ontario Canada  
Food to pair: Try as an aperitif, with light seafood dishes, mildly spiced cuisine or pan fried trout. LCBO #: 620104  
Remarks: Clear, bright pale straw colour; aromas of pear, lime, mineral with peach pit notes; off dry, medium bodied, fresh and crisp, with ripe peach, lime and pear flavours; good length.  
4th Bottle  Pinot Noir    
Varietal: Pinot Noir Winery/Producer: Angels Gate  
Type: Red wine  Year: 2007  
Cost: $19.15 Region: Niagara, Ontario Canada  
Food to pair:  Pork Tenderloin, Roasted Lamb, Pheasant, and Tuna LCBO #:  
Remarks: The 2007 vintage has been hailed the best vintage that Ontario has seen in 10 years. This Pinot Noir exhibits rich berries on the nose with warm hints of vanilla and smoke undertones. The palate is just bursting with sweet cherry with a smooth velvety finish. Enjoy this Pinot on a Friday night to ring in a care free, relaxing weekend.  

Click here to see the dishes that go with the wines and other pictures taken during the tour of Angels Gate Winery.

孟嘗會招募義工

孟嘗長期護理中心現正招募大量義工, 主要協助餵食, 活動,及文書工作.有興趣人士,請聯絡孟嘗會義工服務部, 電話: 416-291-3898內線3130 簡小姐.
為增進閣下對孟嘗會各項設施及服務之了解, 請蒞臨孟嘗義工中心參觀
地址: 2020 McNicoll Avenue
開放時間:星期一至星期六,早上十時到下午四時

Driving, Italian style

The first thing to consider when renting a car in Italy is to get one just big enough for your needs.  We learned it the hard way when we were faced with the daunting task of driving an eight-seater (for seven people) in the country roads in Provence last year.  The small Fiat we had this time was just fine for the two of us.  It was easier to manoeuvre in the narrow and winding roads in the Lake Como district in the north of Italy and finding a snug parking spot was not an impossible dream anymore.

On the whole, Italian drivers were no worse than their counterparts in North America.  Surely, they used their horns much more liberally and many would whiz past us in full speed when we were picking our way gingerly along the single lane mountain roads, but that happened here too.  The biggest adjustment we had to deal with was their road signs.  Even in a tourist destination like Lake Como, the Italians still did not want to divulge too much information.  Signs were posted on the points of entry and departure to tell us where we were then but that was about it.  Without a map at all times, we would have no idea as to where we were heading next.  You would think they had to do better in the highways.  Think again.  We drove about 120 kms to Verona one day from Como.  That particular highway ended in Venice.  If we didn’t know that was the right way according to the map, we would be really worried because they gave no indication that Verona was on the same route.  Only the name of Venice and the distance to it was occasionally posted. We had to gauge for ourselves the approximate mileage to any other city along way.  They did put out little signs on the left when we were close to Verona and fortunately we did not miss them.

From our London experience, we learned to return our car prior to going into Milan and used their subway.  We bought day passes which would allow us to make unlimited trips within the city boundary.  For a two day pass, we only paid 5.50 euros.  It was a good deal.  The subway system was fast and efficient and not difficult to figure out at all.  We found that driving in the country but taking public transportation in the city yielded the most flexibility.

To watch Lake Como video click here

To watch Verona & Milan video click here

Driving around in England

We recently came back from a trip to England and Italy where we rented a small car and did a self-directed free style tour.

Driving in the English countryside is a breeze as long as one overcomes the psychological hurdle of having to drive on the left in an automobile with manual shift gear.  The roads were good.   North American style road signs were clear and well positioned; even roundabouts were easy to manage as long as we treated them as ‘yield’ signs and not just to charge ahead.  The beauty of the roundabouts is that we could go round and round once we are in them until we are sure of where we are going.  Parking in the small towns and villages was never a problem too.  By and large, the English drivers were courteous and would not use their horns arbitrarily and that made driving a pleasure.

Driving in London is a very different story though.  We definitely do not recommend it.   Around the clock traffic congestion and one way streets could drive a visitor not familiar with the city literally round the bend.  Parking was not only hard to find but expensive.  There were other traps and pitfalls too.  We were very unpleasantly surprised when we received a letter from the car rental company after our return when they advised that they had paid a hefty fine on our behalf to the City.  Our sin?  We had “the use of a vehicle on a road in the charging area to which a charging scheme applies without payment of the appropriate charge”.  Heaven forbid!  We were totally unaware that there was a charging area and our unfamiliar eyes did not notice any signs at the time.   We should have returned the car before going into London and not the day after and thus would have avoided this penalty and the risk of putting our marriage into jeopardy.

London is well serviced by its public transportation system.  We strongly advise getting an “Oyster card” from any underground station.  It is similar to the “Octopus Card” in Hong Kong in that it is a smart card and the small deposit which we paid to get it could be redeemed at the end.  It surpasses the Octopus card because the system would only charge a daily maximum of 5.6 Pounds.  On top of that, the lowest fare is applied.  To give an example, our trip to Heathrow from our hotel would cost 3.4 Pounds if we were to get a single ticket.  The charge to the Oyster card was only 1.3 Pounds.  Using their underground system is hassle free and one could get from point A to point B without regard of the horrific road condition above.  We now know better next time.

The tour of Kent that we did in England turned out to be very nice even though the weather was a bit on the chilly side. Canterbury was a pleasant surprise and so were some small towns which we visited during the tour. We made a video of the tour and to watch the video, click here.

No. 5 Winos meeting 後記

今次酒會配菜很好, 如洋蔥扣大鴨及脆皮海皇石榴果配亞Joe選的紅酒, 都非常美妙.

        

在此值得一提, 因有會員’酒意猶未盡’, 在樂逍遙叫多枝Chateauneuf-du-Pape  有意外收穫,雖然超出預算, 今朝有酒今朝醉, 個個笑住歸家.

WYKwinos Report No. 4

Date/Time: March 19, 2010, 7 p.m.(roughly 3 hours)

Place: Fantaxia Restaurant樂逍遙

1nd Bottle Cotes Du Rhone Blanc      
Varietal: Grenache Blanc Winery/Producer: Les Grandes Serres
Type: White wine Year: 2008
Cost: $13.95 Region: Southern Rhone, France
Food to pair: 避風塘大蝦皇 LCBO #: 103697
Remarks: A blend of traditional Rhône white grape varieties, principally Grenache Blanc and Viognier, this wine features aromas of spring flowers, Bosc pear, light honey and a touch of mineral. Dry and fruity with a nice crisp undertone that brings the fruit into balance. A fine sipper or aperitif wine. You can also enjoy it with mildly spiced Asian seafood dishes.
2st Bottle DOMDECHANT WERNER        
Varietal: Riesling Winery/Producer: Domdechant Werner’Sches Weingut  
Type: White Wine Year: 2007  
Cost: $19.95 Region: Rhine Rhinegau, Germany  
Food to pair: 豉椒味溫蜆 LCBO #: 722413  
Remarks: The Hochheimer Hölle Kabinett is refined and elegant with yellow plum fruit and some chewiness to its relaxed, caressing body.  
3rd Bottle DOMAINE LA GARRIGUE VACQUEYRAS       
Varietal: Grenache Winery/Producer: Domaine La Garrigue  
Type: Red Wine Year: 2007  
Cost: $22.95 Region: Rhone, France  
Food to pair: 黑椒蔥爆牛肉 LCBO #: 156380  
Remarks: The Bernard family, who also owns the endearing hilltop restaurant called Les Florets that overlooks Gigondas, has turned out a classic Provence -styled effort, their 2007 Vacqueyras. A blend of 80% Grenache and the rest Syrah, Mourvedre, and Cinsault, it reveals notes of smoked herbs, roasted meats, red and black fruits, medium to full body, a supple mouthfeel, silky tannins, and beautiful ripeness, purity, and length. This is a hedonistic, complex wine to drink over the next 5-6 years.  
4th Bottle ORTAS GIGONDAS 2007        
Varietal: Grenache/Syrah Winery/Producer: Cave de Rasteau  
Type: Red Wine Year: 2007  
Cost: $23.95 Region: Rhone, France  
Food to pair:美極紅酒羊架 LCBO #: 155440  
Remarks: This award-winning wine is another exquisite example of the 2007 vintage. It features aromas of spring flowers, blackberry, pepper and mocha. Dry, structured and well-balanced with excellent integration between the fruits, acids and tannins. Medium bodied with a long finish. Enjoy this wine tonight with lamb chops or cellar it 3-5+ years.  

Cruise

Cruise

Cruise travel is getting to be very popular. There are many cruise ships to choose from and their prices are dropping. Among the big and well known cruise lines are The Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Cunard, Italian Costa and NCL. Royal Caribbean owns Celebrity which also operates Azamara. Carnival took over Princess and Holland America a few years ago and they may now be the biggest cruise line in the world. There are also smaller but more luxurious liners such as the Crystals and the Radisson.

I personally like The Royal Caribbean cruise line because they have better ships of different sizes to choose from; also, I had bad experiences when I tried Princess, Holland America and NCL. But most importantly, I prefer to stick with the same loyalty program.

Last month, taking the advantage of a slow January month we invited our sisters to join us on a Caribbean cruise. This time we took the Adventure of the Seas. The ship belongs to the Voyager class of the Royal Caribbean family. Nine years ago, like her sister ships Explorer and Navigator of the Seas, was one the largest cruise ships at the time. Since then the title had been taken over by the QM2 (Cunard), then Freedom of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) and now the Oasis of the Seas (Royal Caribbean).

I always make a video after a trip for the memory just in case I have memory lapses or Alzheimer down the road of my life. There is no exception this time. To watch the video, click here.

Package Tour

Package Tour

Spain & Portugal

My wife and I love travels. We always prefer self guided tours. The fun of planning the tours and the freedom we have on doing what and how we want are all important to us. Thus we were surprised that for the first time in 20 years we actually allowed ourselves to be ‘tricked’ into joining a package tour, going to Spain and Portugal.

We regretted the decision and almost wanted to cancel the trip. We didn’t and the trip turned out to be just fine. For one thing, the trip was hassle free. For another, we got to meet more people (if this doesn’t bother you) and it was relatively cheaper than doing it ourselves.

 I made a video on the trip and it has two parts. To watch them, simply

Click here for the first part.

Click here for the second part.