Just a quick reminder of our holiday hours at Wine Central.  December 23 we’re open 9-5:30, on the 24th we’re open 9-Noon, and then we’re closed until Saturday, January 2 when we re-open at 9am.  We wish you a holiday season filled with love, and a New Year that will be your best year yet!  We also wish you wineglasses full of great wine!

We had our staff Christmas party on Saturday evening at my house.  Chef Tim Floritto of The Hungry Chef cooked up a meal we’ll remember for a long time!  We started with mixed baby greens with goat cheese, pumpkin seeds and thin slices of red onion, dressed with a raspberry vinaigrette. We enjoyed a glass of Millenium Sparkling wine with this. 

Then – my favourite – a smoked Italian Tomato soup.  Tim grew the heirloom tomatoes in his garden, and smoked them before freezing.  The soup had a bit of Gorgonzola cream in it, and was so delicious – a true taste from heaven, and the smoke flavour was fabulous.  We paired the soup with last year’s Limited Edition Italian Dolcetto.  It was a great pairing, since the wine is fairly light but has the acidity to marry well with the tomato.   

The next course was Spring Salmon wrapped in proscuito…cooked to perfection and served with a saffron risotto with some Fontina cheese in it.  My husband Jim had two helpings of the risotto!  The red wine drinkers among us enjoyed the Sonoma Valley Pinot Noir with this, and the white wine drinkers had a Limited Edition Alsation Riesling.   

And dinner went on…the next course was a knockout hit with everyone!  We had chicken breasts done with a mushroom sauce that was light but full of flavour at the same time.  The sighs of pleasure were audible!!  We enjoyed perfect asparagus with the chicken.  The red wine drinkers were adamant about sticking with red wines,  so we opened last year’s Limited Edition New Zealand Merlot and South African Cabernet Sauvignon.  The white wine drinkers enjoyed an Australian Riesling and a New Zealand Gewurztraminer. 

There was much merriment around the table as we regaled each other with stories of winemaking, our favourite customers, and some tall tales.  We finished our meal with a beautiful tiramasu, and paired it with the Chocolate Raspberry Port and Okanagan Peach Ice Wine. 

We then had a really fun gift exchange.  Everyone had 5 cards and as I pulled cards from a second deck, they were able to grab a gift from the pile.  Only one rule – when a person was down to one gift and no cards, you couldn’t take the gift.  You couldn’t unwrap the gift until everyone had one – and one only.  Lots of fun, and the gifts were imaginative and provided lots of laughs.

I’d like to thank Checkmate Cabs for getting everyone home safely.  We had a wonderful evening, and it was lovely knowing everyone was looked after.  Needless to say, I slept well after all that food and wine!  I’d also like to thank Chef Tim Floritto – check out his website at www.thehungrychef.net if you’re thinking of having a dinner party or would enjoy some cooking classes in the comfort of your own home.  He’s wonderful!

I really want to say thank you to all our wonderful customers!  We have people dropping in at the shop just to say hello and get a hug.  It’s wonderful, warm, and so rewarding!  We’re sharing our chocolates, and helping customers choose the right wines for their Christmas festivities, and making recommendations for their next batches.  Thank you for being part of Wine Central, and helping us create so many happy memories.  Cheers!

A quick reminder to place your reservations for the 20th Anniversary Limited Edition Wines by 4:00 p.m. today.  These are incomparable wines worthy of cellaring and enjoying in the years to come.

So says Robert Louis Stevenson, and I agree with his wise words.  I was searching out the hidden treasure in my wine cellar last night, preparing for the Christmas season.  We’re having a staff party next weekend, and I want to make sure we have the right wines for each course at dinner.  I think we’ll start off with some bubbly – a choice of a sparkling Spanish Rose (from Tempranillo grapes) or the sparkling Millenium, from our Selection Speciale.  I know we’re going to have a fabulous dessert, and we’ll enjoy the Chocolate Raspberry Port, or a taste of Cabernet Franc Icewine, or perhaps the Okanagan Peach Ice Wine we made last year.  I don’t want to give away any secrets about the menu… Chef Tim Floritto from The Hungry Chef (www.thehungrychef.net) has come up with a five course menu, and not only will it be a wonderful surprise for Wine Central staff and their spouses, after the party I’ll share the menu and the wine pairings with you.  In the meantime, I’ll be the ‘cellar rat’ searching out the perfect pairings!