My favourite organic red wines

Gilles Louvet O Pinot Noir Organic Pays d'Oc

Roche Bastide Cotes Du Rhone AOC Organic (My personal favourite!)

Fuzion Organic Malbec Cabernet

I'm going to let you in on a little secret: organic red wine will not cause bad hangovers (within reason of course....).*

Last year I went to Cellar Door, my favourite Italian restaurant in the area and we ordered a bottle of Roche Bastide, an organic red wine. Over the course of the night, we had about two bottles or so at the table and then went home. I remember thinking that I shouldn't have had as much wine as I did and I was kind of dreading waking up in the morning. But when the morning came, I didn't feel horrible. I had a slight headache, but I rolled out of bed and got on with my day like any other day.

Some time after that night, Mark brought home some Beau's to try on a Friday night. We had a few more than we should have and again, I found myself dreading the morning wake-up. But once again, when I woke up I felt fine.

Then I started to realize that the reason I wasn't getting hangovers was because we were drinking organic wines and beer. According to Wines of Canada, organic wine is wine that has been produced with organically grown grapes and although the wines may contain sulphites, they're naturally occurring as no sulphites are added. Also the organic (unofficial in some cases) label comes with using proper cleaning solutions used to clean the tanks and equipment.

As many know, I'm a huge proponent of buying organic and I had never made the change to drink solely organic wines and beer but I'll make the move to drink more of these in the future. The lack of hangover is worth it!

*This of course is a personal experiment so I can't speak for the hangover level experienced by the mass population.
**I know this post makes it seem like I drink a lot but I assure you these instances are spread out over time! 

Fancy Farm Girl’s Wine 101 for Valentine’s Day

Earlier this week I got an email from Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery in Jordan, Ontario, makers of Fancy Farm Girl Wines, which had some tips for enhancing your wine drinking experience. Since I like drinking wine, I thought I'd share. Here are Sue-Ann's tips:

Pour before your drink. Sue-Ann isn't talking about resisting the urge to drink out of the bottle (although that is a good tip!), but to decant your wines, especially the big, bold reds. Pouring your wines into a decanter allows them to breathe and brings new complexities to the flavour profile.

Swirl, sniff, sip and savour. Similar to decanting, giving your glass a swirl brings oxygen into the wine and opens up the flavor, while a sniff of the aroma will give you a better overall taste experience. Then take a sip and savour the wine as it washes over your tongue.

Get the perfect serving temperature. The common knowledge is to put your whites in the fridge and serve your reds at room temperature, but it’s not that simple. A light white wine (think Pinot Grigio or a semi-dry Riesling like Fancy Farm Girl’s Frivolous White), rose or bubbly is best served between 40°F and 50°F. Serve full-bodied whites like Chardonnay and lighter reds between 50°F and 60°F and bold reds between 60°F and 65°F — slightly cooler than room temperature.

Pair it up. Valentine’s Day is all about the right match. You have found your match and you can do the same with your wine, meal and dessert. If you're serving chicken, seafood, or light cheeses as an appetizer, go with an approachable, easy drinking white like a Riesling or Pinot Grigio. If your dinner is a little more flamboyant, match it with an equally-flamboyant red wine, which incidentally, will also pair well with that box of chocolates…

Visit a winery. Winery staff can walk you through the wines you're sampling and help you to better understand what you're tasting. There's also an undeniable romanticism amid the vineyards and wine tasting rooms (especially if they're located in a restored 1896 farm house). An escape to Niagara’s wine country is an unforgettable way to try new wines.

Be extravagant. Hey, it’s Valentine’s Day. Go over the top for that special someone in your life. After all, a bottle of wine pairs quite nicely with a tennis bracelet or diamond earrings.

Fancy Farm Girl Wines are currently at LCBO until May 7 if you want to try them!

This post is not sponsored, I just liked the tips and wanted to share!