december already?

yikes.  december already?  why does it seem like time is going a lot faster than i want it to?  anyway, christmas is fast approaching and i have yet to do any christmas shopping.  things have been so hectic that it seems as if there is little time for anything.

work has been crazy busy - i've been picking up the slack on system analyst work on our project as well doing regular duties.  in the month of december, i'll be taking one day off aside from the regular christmas and boxing day holidays.  which means i won't be in toronto for a long stay this year again.  it really sucks because i haven't seen my friends in a few years now.  i have missed the birth of their kids and seeing the news on facebook or on their blogs is just not the same.  i know they understand that it's not easy for me to always take time off to visit though.  since i am on my own, i have to look after myself first .. the bills don't get paid when i don't work.  i'll have to carve out some time around February or March to see them.

oh and remember the chairs that i ordered in the summer?  they've finally arrived!  haha .. i know .. i almost forgot about them too.  they are being delivered this weekend and i'm so excited to see new furniture in the house.  because of the new furniture, i chose not to put up my christmas tree this year.  i haven't had a lot of luck with plant life in general so i decided to keep the tree in storage.

i'll post a pic of my fancy chairs in their spot later on.

this year, we are spending christmas in niagara falls, new york.  i decided to organize a family trip there .. partially to get everyone some down time and away from chores .. but also to engage in some retail therapy.  my sisters and i usually bond over shopping because we end up styling one another.  my sisters are great with that and i feel good in the end as well because i know i will wear the pieces that i buy.

anyway, i should get back to work and studying.  yes, i'm still studying wine .. i've got a great group of study partners and we bring out the best in each other .. which is why i've chosen to continue studying.  it's social and challenging at the same time.

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advanced somm - completed.

sommelier program?  check.

to say that it's been a crazy two months is an understatement.  the final weeks of the advanced sommelier course brought out the hermit in me.  i had to shut out everyone in order to complete the course.  out of all the courses in the program, this was the one course i had the most difficulty handling.  i have no idea why because last winter, i took two courses and it wasn't this bad.  i think i just put a lot of pressure on myself because my average was on the line.  i worked hard over the last two years to maintain my high standing and there was no way i was going to screw that up.  i love the subject but i'm still asian .. grades matter.  :)

anyway, it's finally over.

my tasting exam was last wednesday and it was not easy.  we had to blind taste six wines - 1 sparkling, 2 whites, and 3 reds.  we also had to provide tasting notes and sommelier descriptions for each wine.  although i'm sure i passed, i don't think it was my best work.  plus, there was a cabernet sauvignon that tasted like it was cooked.  it was not a great example of a cab sauv. 

the service exam was even worse.  i'm not a 'service' kind of person.  it's just not natural for me.  the night before the exam, i couldn't sleep.  i tried hard to remember the names of the wines on my wine list and during the mock service, i couldn't remember any of the wines.  i just blanked out.  when it came to opening the bottle, i used Green Lane Winery's riesling.  my bottle opening technique was spot on -  the foil was cut clean, my cork screw didn't pierce the cork all the way through, i removed the cork without making a sound (which is very difficult to do), i followed the procedure all the way through .. even the small stuff.  i answered the theoretical questions properly, i gave good reasoning for my wine suggestions .. except if you asked me what specific wine on the list would be great for a dish?  i couldn't remember anything .. :(  luckily, i wasn't asked too many questions on specific labels.
when it was over, i was still pretty tense but also exhausted. the week leading up to the exams was draining.  graduation is in February next year.  i'm pretty excited to graduate - hopefully with honours.  :)

is this the end of my wine education?  well .. we'll see. :)

although i've completed my sommelier certification, i do not refer to myself as a 'sommelier'.  a sommelier is a job title that one holds in the service industry.  that is not what i do.  i am still the person in the software industry and working a regular tech job.  but i'm a student of wine .. will always be.

oh .. just to touch on the Ottawa Food and Wine show this year.  the tasting alley event was not impressive this year.  in previous years, i got to taste some very nice wines like Cakebread Cellars cabernet sauvignon ($100 a btl).  this year, it was just average.  the best wine i sampled was the 2010 Chateau Pipeau which is a Vintages Essential at $37 a bottle.  the crowd was very 'meat market' like which is a huge turn off.  two guys tried to pick me up and i just rolled my eyes and walked away.  i attend wine shows because i want to try interesting wines but this event is quickly becoming a singles' pick up joint.  gross.

p.s.  big thank you to Vicky for her advice on getting through the wine list project.  it really helped.  :)

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Month end .. Finally

Been working like crazy these days .. Juggling school work, wine events, home stuff, business stuff, and work.

Glad that it's month end but next month will be just as crazy.  

I'm not complaining .. I know that it was my choice to live here and handle things by myself.  If I didn't do it, I'd never learn how to be truly independent.  But the important thing is, I am learning and if it was easy, it wouldn't be fun. :)

So if I don't call or don't answer email or text on time, there are more pressing issues that need to be dealt with first. 

Oh and there will be a post on the Food & Wine show soon .. As well as a blurb on my final weeks of Advanced Sommelier.  Yes, I can see the finish line.

Still striving for excellence and not perfection. 

Take care,

Pudgy

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Taste Ontario 2013

i attended Taste Ontario for the first time this year.  i was lucky enough to have won a few tickets to the event so i invited mandy and susan to come along with me.  the event was coordinated by wine country of ontario and the lcbo.  it  was advertised as a taste and buy event and showcased many ontario wineries.  of all wineries present, i was mainly interested in two producers - Bachelder wines and Charles Baker wines.

Bachelder wines is owned by Thomas Bachelder, who was the former winemaker at Le Clos Jordanne in Niagara.  Thomas Bachelder also owns vineyards in Oregon and France and his wines are often highly rated.  The wines are also a bit on the pricey side (ie. around the $40 mark).  I really wanted to try his chardonnay and to see what all the hype was about.

Charles Baker wines was another Niagara producer that have caught my attention in recent days.  The wines are sold through stratus winery and are popping up on a lot of restaurant wine lists.  They were offering two versions of their riesling at the show .. and i love rieslings. :)

So what did i taste?

first up .. some bubbly from Henry of Pelham.  they had the cuvee catherine brut.  it was a great way to start off.  tiny bubbles releasing aromatic notes of toast, citrus, and minerality.  it was dry and a great palate refresher.

my favorite vineyard, Vineland Estates was there with their Expressions in D collection.  I have the entire set of rieslings so it wasn't something I was interested in trying.  besides, when i was at the winery this summer, I got to try all four rieslings and they were fantastic.  my friends tried it and was impressed with the medium sweet rieslings.

susan was on the hunt for some fabulous pinot noir, so i steered her towards one of the best producers in Prince Edward county - norman hardie.  Norm was behind the table pouring and he remembered me from the harvest event the week before.  susan was impressed with the county pinot noir but it was the first one so it set the bar high.

we also tried the pinot noir from Le Clos Jordanne.  they had the village reserve and the claystone reserve pinot noirs.  behind the table pouring was winemaker Sebastien Jacquey, with whom i've had the pleasure of meeting during the summer.  his pinot noir was very nice.  the claystone was the better of the two.  the difference is the lot in which the grapes were picked from.  susan also liked their pinot but norm's still had the edge.

while at the tawse booth, i sampled their cabernet/merlot blend.  it was one of the best red blends i've had - bursting with fruit.  well done, tawse.

at the cave spring table, they had their chardonnay musque.  i didn't visit the winery but i heard that they had one of the better chardonnay musques in the niagara region.  and indeed, it's one of the better ones.  it was definitely more aromatic than the one by chateau des charmes that i tried a few months back.  it was a fan favourite and it's not an easy one to find at the LCBO.  i highly recommend you try this if you're looking for something different.

unfortunately thomas bachelder wasn't at the bachelder wines table but Mrs. thomas bachelder was there.  She was so lovely!  i tried the wismer vineyard chardonnay and it was buttery goodness.  is it worth $40?  well, i'm not a big fan of chardonnay to begin with so if i had $40, i would probably spend it on something else.  but if you're a chardonnay fan .. go for it.

thomas bachelder may have been MIA but charles baker was not.  he was actually pouring the wines!  i introduced myself and sampled the ivan vineyard riesling.  classic niagara riesling and oh so good.  clean, crisp, minerality, citrus .. loved the wine.  then i compared it to the picone vineyard riesling.  the picone vineyard riesling had some petrol notes on top of the usual riesling characteristics.  it's a gorgeous riesling and available for purchase at the Stratus winery or through Vintages online.

other less impressive wines that i got to try included Good Karma, a chardonnay by Flat Rock cellars, a 2008 fume blanc by peninsula ridge (this was awful, imo), jackson triggs entourage grand reserve method classique brut (this was pretty good), and pillitteri's vidal icewine (my sample had a piece of wax in it. eww).

wow .. one of the best wine events i've attended so far.  i loved the selection of wines offered but unfortunately, the organizers fell short on the "buy" part of this taste and buy event.  there were no order forms whatsoever and susan wanted to buy!  that's a fail, LCBO.

anyway, next up is the Tasting Alley event at the ottawa food and wine show.  i'm attending the Saturday night event and it's sold out!  i usually get dressed up for events like this so my black chiffon mini dress will have to come out of the closet.  ;)  

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lacking motivation?

i'm behind in my blogging again. :(

still haven't posted my update on the Taste Ontario event that i attended a few weeks back.  but don't worry, it's in the queue.

this is one of my less upbeat posts and i'm calling on my fellow readers to give me a boost.

as you know, it's my last course in the sommelier program.  this course is mainly about the role of the wine director or sommelier in the restaurant business.  for our final project, we have to create a wine list for a local restaurant and provide justification for our choices.  choosing the wine is fun but pricing the wine is the part that i'm not crazy about.

i think it depresses me to know how much a customer has to pay for wine at a restaurant.  and when i price the wine for the wine list, i think to myself .. i would never pay this much for this wine.  if i wouldn't pay for it, i wouldn't expect others to as well.  not only that but there's a part of me that feels that i'm gouging the customer.  and i am struggling with that.

for me, if i want to make wine more available to customers .. i don't think i would charge restaurant patrons 2.5 times what it would cost if you simply bought it at the LCBO.  for example, cave spring CSV riesling .. it costs around $23 at the LCBO.  great riesling for $23.  but on a wine list at a restaurant, you're looking at $50 for the same bottle.  $50!!  who would pay $50 for a bottle of riesling that costs $23 at the LCBO?  not me.

maybe that's why i rarely eat out.  and if i do, i never order wine.  i've perused the LCBO enough to know how much things cost without even having to look it up.

so i feel torn .. i understand that a restaurant has to make money to stay in business.  i understand that wine sales is a big part of a restaurant's bottom line.  but how do you balance that without feeling like you're gouging the customer?  the paper is due in a few weeks and i haven't been able to think of ways to promote wine that i feel good about, that benefits the restaurant, as well as the customer.  when i believe in what i'm doing, that's when i churn out my best work.  and so far, i haven't had that feeling .. and it concerns me.

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harvest 2013 @ Norman Hardie Winery & Vineyard

it's that time of the year again .. harvest time!  this year, i went to norman hardie winery to participate in their public harvest event.  i met norm last summer and he was kind and generous enough to do a 1-on-1 tasting with me of his county pinot noir and chardonnay.  so my loyalty to norm is quite obvious.  i do believe he makes some of the best pinot noir and chardonnay (if not the best) in Prince Edward County.

anyway, i got up at 5 am on a saturday morning to make the three hour drive to wellington county.  i don't get up at 5 am for anybody or any job.  but a volunteer grape picker?!  hell yeah.  :)  i picked chardonnay for 4 hours and not once did the "city" girl side of me come out.  i was in full "farm" girl mode.  normally, i get all squeally when it comes to bugs but while i was picking, none of that entered into my mind.  yeah, the occasional lady bug landed on me.  i was surrounded by the sound of crickets.  there were bees, wasps, and dragon flies swirling.  spiders, bugs .. you name it, it was there. but it didn't bother me.  when you do what you love, nothing matters.

by the time i was done, we headed back to the winery for a fantastic lunch.  i wasn't able to stay since it was getting late.  when i said good bye to norm, he said he remembered me .. it took him a while but then he connected the name to the face, the light bulb went on.  :)

harvest is only one of many wine related events that i will partake in over the next few weeks.  i have a taste ontario event in october - i'm excited to try the riesling by charles baker and the chardonnay by bachelder wines.  bachelder wines are usually quite pricey and i'm never certain whether the wine is worth the price tag.

in november, it's the annual ottawa food and wine festival.  my ticket for the tasting alley has been purchased and i'm excited to go.  i missed the show last year because i chose to attend toronto event instead.  i was pretty disappointed in the toronto show so i'm glad to attend the ottawa show this year.

time to get some rest.  until next time ..

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we are not invincible

i recently took an mma class at a local martial arts gym.  i've been wanting to take a self-defence class in a while so i figure this would be an excellent opportunity to do that and change up my regular work out routine.  i know i have a pretty active lifestyle as we speak - badminton, tennis, running, strength training, and now brazilian ju jitsu and muay thai boxing?

on tuesday, i had my first class on brazilian ju jitsu. i wasn't just the only newbie in class but i was also the only female.  the instructor partnered up with me and spent the class trying to help me get up to speed with the rest of the class on the basic moves.  i learned how to get out of certain holds, and also to get someone off me if they were sitting on top of me.  much of the sport has to do with using your opponent's body weight and momentum to your advantage.  it isn't really about your own strength so even a small individual like me, can do this.  the instructor gave good pointers on how to defend yourself when you're on the ground.  Kick and push your opponent's head away and then get up and run.  run?!  don't you stay and pummel your attacker a few more times?  he said no, not the goal.  violence is never the answer.

by the end of the class, it felt like i didn't do much but the day after, my back was sore.  i did not fall hard on the mat, i did not twist anything.  but the fact that you have to use your own body weight as well as your opponents body weight to flip your opponent over, you end up using every muscle in your back.  i may have flipped my opponent over, but it also took my own body weight to balance myself.

on thursday, i was invited to take part in the muay thai advanced class.  i've boxed before so punching is not new to me.  the instructor gave me pointers on how muay thai boxing works.  the stance, the punches, the kicks, using the knees, etc.  i got the punching down .. but without doing a test on how hard the bag was, i did a full kick and it felt like i kicked a cement post.  my foot was instantly bruised.  i'm not going to sugar coat it .. it hurt.

the others in the class - all male .. were instructed to do their warm up and then spar.  i worked the punching bag.  i kept my guard up .. and i hit while the rest of the class did warm up.  at one point, one of the guys stopped to watch me punch.  he said my punching technique was very good and to mix it up, i should throw in some foot work and move around the bag.  so i worked on that.  i tried to move on to kicks but after a few tries i noticed that i developed a bruise on my shin and it was beginning to swell.  ugh .. 

i decided to work on knees - ie. knee your opponent in the groin kind of thing.  i learned my lesson from the kicks so i didn't go all out on the knees.

after an hour of hitting, kneeing, kicking .. i called it a day.  it was good.  until i got home.  massive bruise on my knee turned purplish blue, the bruise on my shin was throbbing, my foot had small bruises, and my knuckle had a bruise on it too.  i spent the rest of the night, icing the spots with a bag of frozen peas.

the lesson with this?  doesn't matter how in shape we are.  we aren't invincible.  age does catch up with you and you simply don't heal the way you did when you were 25.  i'm in pretty good shape but in reality, the body doesn't heal that fast due to the existing wear and tear - even if we don't feel it.

my parents would think i was insane for doing what i did.  but at some point, you gotta know what your limit is.  i think i found mine. i'll be spending the weekend nursing my wounds.

badminton starts on monday.  :)

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