On Friday night, I cracked open a bottle of Corte Giara Ripasso Valpolicella 2006. The term ripasso indicates that the wine was put through a second fermentation on the skins of the dried fruit. I served up roast beef, mashed potatoes (with loads of butter) and garlic bok choy. I don’t cook meat and potatoes very often; so, Friday night’s meal hit the spot.

The wine was dark purply-red with aromas of blackberries, smoke and vanilla. It featured mouth-watering flavours of chocolate and dark cherries. Well-rounded with great depth, this wine was a treat. Look for it at your local wine store.

Last night, we had dinner at David’s in Port Dover. The view was fabulous — picture windows overlooking pretty gardens and Long Point in the distance stretching far out into Lake Erie. After all the warm beautiful days we’ve had over the last few months, I couldn’t get over how cold yesterday was. Ok, the temperature was probably about 6°C, but compared to the 25°C of only a few days ago, the wind felt frigid!

In any case, I had a decent quail salad followed by a yummy roasted venison with beets and sweet peppers. But, here’s the best part. We finished the meal with a plate of four cheeses from Quebec:

• Alegretto is an unpasteurized sheep’s milk cheese similar in taste to Spanish Manchego. In 2004, it was voted as Quebec’s Best Sheep’s Milk Cheese. This cheese is made using milk from a single flock.
• La Sauvagine is made from pasteurized cow’s milk. It’s wonderfully soft, creamy and tangy. It reminded me a lot of the Italian Friulano cheese. It’s been voted Grand Champion at the 2006 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix. La Sauvagine was slightly salty and mushroomy.
• Le Ciel de Charlevoix is a very yummy, crumbly and spicy blue cheese.
• Le Petit Sorcier was my absolute favourite. A semi-soft cheese accented with a layer of vegetable ash through the middle. It was delectably fruity.

Find a quality seller of cheese and ask for samples!