Hotel Max in Seattle, WA has the “wow” factor!

Posted on July 14, 2010 by Lorie O'Sullivan
When I travel to new cities I’m always looking for a unique experience something above and beyond what I would normally expect.  The Hotel Max answered that need in a big way.  First, I arrived at the hotel at 10 am and the front desk was able to take my bags for me so that I could go out and explore downtown Seattle while they got my room ready for my return.  After an amazing day of exploring Seattle and traveling out to Woodinville to taste wine, I was finally able to retreat back to my room.
The room was absolutely amazing!  First of all the bed….I truly had a hard time getting up in the morning and it wasn’t from a wine hangover! Truly one of the bests sleeps I have had in a long time.  At Hotel Max, take advantage of the pillow menu–it has every pillow imaginable on it, reading pillows, thin and flat pillows, feather pillows, you name it!   Loved the red, white and stainless contrasts in the bathroom.  Views of the city were great.   Definitely an adult playground right in your room…the mini bar goes beyond chocolate and nuts with the Hotel Max intimacy kit and a lovely half bottle of Kenwood Cabernet Sauvignon with proper wine glasses!  This hotel is great for couples or couples with kids that sleep soundly.

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Top 5 Reasons to Drink Wines from Washington State

Posted on April 29, 2010 by Lorie O'Sullivan

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5 Reasons to travel Washington Wine Country

Posted on April 29, 2010 by Lorie O'Sullivan

Here are my top 5 reasons to travel to Washington Wine Country:

1.  Amazing scenery!  Start in Seattle and drive east into the Cascade Mountains and on the other side you will enter the Columbia Valley which is home to some of the most famous wineries in Washington State such as Columbia Crest, Dusted Valley Vintners, Spring Valley Vineyards and Pepperbridge Winery.

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A new west end pub with great food, beer and yes, wine!

Posted on September 15, 2009 by Lorie O'Sullivan

Everyone wants a pub to call their own and now you can at MyPlace Pub in the Bloor West Village.    And according to owner/chef Brad Long they’ve only been open a week and they already have regulars!  And I can see why with the great selection of beer, wine and upscale pub food.   Were not talking greasy, overbattered fish and chips either.

I had the Black Cod fish-and-chips that literally melted in your mouth.  Of course, I washed it down with a Blanche de Chambly, a Quebec white ale with great acidity and citrus notes.  Other great beers of note including Mill Street, Muskoka, Steam Whistle and Big Rock, but also stouts and dark ales.

But let’s get to the wine list.  It’s very Ontario-focused, including red and white wines from Tawse, Flat Rock, Stratus, Henry of Pelham and Malivore to name a few.   For dessert, they even have a Prince Edward County Ice Cider, which would go great with their Norfolk Empire Apple Pan Dowdy.

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It’s all touch and go at CLO wine bar

Posted on August 20, 2009 by Lorie O'Sullivan

It really is ‘touch and go’ at CLO Wine Bar.  When I was in NYC this week, I stopped by the bar, located in the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle.   When you walk in, you are greeted by a friendly host who explains how to locate a wine on their unique menu system.  You hold your hand over the table and a menu screen appears and you use gestures to navigate through over 100 wines available.  The display gives you all the information you need about each wine such as producer, region, grape, vintage, price, tasting notes and bottle location in the bar.  Once you pick your wine, you walk over to the machine, insert your card and voila!  Every wine (except sparking) is hooked up to an Enomatic machine and gives you an exact 4 ounce pour of the wine of your choice…just make sure your glass is underneath the spout.  Then you can go back to your seat and enjoy your wine.   There is a small menu available to enjoy a cheese plate or charcuterie with your wine.

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The Stockyards Pulled Pork Sandwich and Oregon Pinot Noir

Posted on July 6, 2009 by Lorie O'Sullivan

Since having recently come back from the Willamette Valley in Oregon, I have had hankering for Oregon Pinot Noir.  But what would I pair with it?   I’ve been craving a really good pulled pork sandwich and decided to try The Stockyards Smokehouse and Larder near my house.  I was also in luck, as the LCBO recently released some great Oregon Pinot Noir to our market here in Ontario.  Much to my delight, I was able to pick up the 2006 Maysara Jamsheed Pinot Noir, with its beautiful cherry and earthy flavours.  What an amazing match in terms of flavours of both the food and wine and the finish was outstanding. Their pulled pork sandwich was one of the best I have had in a long time, the BBQ sauce just having the right amount of sweetness and acidity.  I also liked the coleslaw topping, too. I hear the ribs at The Stockyards are amazing but, alas, only available Sundays, Tuesday and Friday…stay tuned!

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The Bachlorette, Wine Cellars and Sabering

Posted on June 17, 2009 by Lorie O'Sullivan

One of my weaknesses is the often silly Bachelor/Bachelorette reality show. Don’t ask me why, but every season I’m hooked. Perhaps, I’m fascinated by people looking for love on national TV or perhaps the show is much easier to watch with a glass of wine in hand, which is perhaps the best way to view this show.

If you watched this Monday’s episode, you couldn’t miss the scene in the wine cellar at the Bearfoot Bistro restaurant.  I spent more time figuring out what wines were in the cellar than watching what Jillian (the Bachelorette) and Michael (one of the remaining men) were saying to each other.  As best as ABC tried to cover up what was in the cellar, I spotted verticals of Dominus, Tignanello, Domaine Serene from Oregon and Opus One. I saw lots of great Magnums from some of the same producers, too. And to boot, there was sofa in the wine cellar…hmm…wonder what goes on in here after-hours…  I’m sure there’s a lot of what happens in the wine room stays in the wine room nonsense going on.  This restaurant does have an amazing wine list.

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It’s Father’s Day: Which Wine Should I Buy For My Dad?

Posted on June 15, 2009 by Lorie O'Sullivan

The annual dilemma if you have the Dad or Father-In-Law that has everything (like most of do).   Beside from taking your Dad to the movies to see The Hangover for great Father and Son bonding, here are some wine suggestions that will have your Dad or Father-In-Law running back to the store for more!

For the Strong, Silent Dad:  I think a great Malbec would be perfect.  The 2007 Domino Del Plata Susana Balbo Signature Malbec ($27.95) is no exception.  Think baking spices and mocha here with a long, generous finish.

For the Dad who drinks white wine:  2007 Stags Leap Chardonnay is a great choice.   It’s a classic Burgundian style Chardonnay but from Napa Valley with pear and green apple notes, great acidity with a fantastic finish.  Yes, I know it’s $29.95 but hey, your Dad is worth it! 

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What wine would you pair with Hamburger Helper?

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Lorie O'Sullivan

I cannot remember the last time I had or ever made Hamburger Helper. Since moving, I am in an area that gets all kinds of free samples from cereal to tuna. So you can imagine my surprise when a box of Lasagna Hamburger Helper arrived at my doorstep.

Considering the economic times I thought I would get in the spirit and whip up this dish. Of course, I did use organic extra lean ground beef from Beretta Farms which cost me triple the price of normal lean ground beef purchased from a discount grocery store. I followed the recipe and made the creamy version by adding a bit of milk to mixture.

While it was cooking and tasting the flavours in the dish, I was trying to think of wine to pair with it. For white, I was thinking Chardonnay with some barrel aging to as it would have a more creamier texture than an unoaked Chardonnay. It would also have to have good acidity, too. So I was thinking a Sonoma or even Ontario Chardonnay would work here. For a red, a Valpolicella or Chianti would work as both have nice red fruit flavours and great acidity. I decided on a 2007  Barbera D’Alba ‘Torriglione’ from Renato Ratti which is currently available for $19.95 in Vintages. This wine hails from the Piedmont region in Italy but most people know this area for Barolo. What is so great about the Barbera grape variety is that it is very approachable when young and pairs well with many foods because of its high acidity.

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A Pairing Dilemma

Posted on March 19, 2009 by Lorie O'Sullivan

With the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors out of town this week, I totally indulged at the Body Blitz Spa late this afternoon with a total head to toe scrub.   When I got home shortly after 7 p.m.,  I decided to pull out one of my Bertolli dinners from the freezer.  I decided on the Steak, Rigatoni and Portabello Mushroom dish.   The pairing according to the Villa Bertolli website suggests a Pinot Grigio of which I had none.  So,  I looked through my wine cellar looking for an alternative match.  It had to have good acidity but not overly sweet or full bodied.  So I decided on the 2004 Chardonnay Semillon from Hester Creek located in the Okanagan Valley.   At  only 12.9% alcohol, I knew that it would be light bodied enough to not over power the dish.   All I can say is “wow” what a fantastic wine.  It is drinking very well now and has a lot of tropical fruit notes without being too fruity.  The acidity was still there and I thought the match with the food went very well.   Because it had some age, the colour was deep gold and very bright.  I found the Semillon really shone through as I got a bit of oilyness on the finish.   This one would have been tough for me in a blind tasting for sure!

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