St. James Gate Chocolate Cake

The ever popular annual event World Wine and Food Expo in Atlantic Canada at the Moncton Coliseum Complex allowed me the opportunity to taste dozens of wines from all over the world. Popular wineries from Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Spain, France, Canada, United States, among others had representatives eager to speak to the happy guests in New Brunswick for their 23rd edition of Atlantic Canada’s largest wine event. Each year, more and more wines are added to the tasting tour. The one of a kind grand tasting event provides visitors the opportunity to purchase wines not normally available on the East Coast of Canada. New and up-and-coming wines are working their way into the market and with growing popularity, into liquor stores. The wine expo is the best opportunity to try endless varieties of red, white, rosé, Rosado, and sparkling wines. My taste buds were dancing for joy with unlimited selections of the world’s best Champaign to taste. If you don’t know what kind of wine you like, attending Moncton’s World Wine and Food Expo is the perfect place to sample boundless selections of wines while deciding on your favourites.

Being from Atlantic Canada, I was happy to see so many wine and food booths representing the East Coast. Some of the popular Maritimer restaurants at the event included: St. James Gate, Mavericks, Tide and Boar Gastro Pup, and the new Mediterranean restaurant Sirocco. Yummy food samples included delectable chocolate cake, hand-made chocolate truffles, smoked salmon, wild boar poutine, and endless amounts of baguette to soak up the ever flowing amounts of fine wines. Local wines such as Jost from Nova Scotia and Happy Knight from New Brunswick were popular with tasters. Both Jost and Happy Knight are among my favourites and both are under $20 a bottle. From $150 to $10 a bottle the options are endless at the World Wine and Food Expo for wine drinkers with any budget.

Some of my event favourites:

Jost Tiday Bay, 2012, Nova Scotia, Canada, $19.99- A white crisp, fruity and floral wine that is not too dry. Enjoy this wine with any chicken dish.

Sokol Blosser Evolution White, 2013, Oregon, USA, $17.99- A lush white wine with a blend of 9 grapes, fresh aromas of tropical fruit, and perfectly paired with spicy foods.
-Gold & White Wine of the Year Excellence Award

Long Flat Pink Moscato, 2010, South Eastern Australia, $14.00 – A sweet fruity wine in the mix between a white and rosé; its strawberry and green apple flavour is refreshing with a zesty spritz. Pink Moscao is perfect on a hot day with fresh made salads topped with fruit.

Jaume Serra Cristalino Rosado, 2011, Spain, $10.00- A clean Rosado full of raspberry, cherry, and strawberry flavours. With an elegant taste and a price of just $15.99, pop this bubbly in exchange for expensive Champaign.
-2011 Top 25 Award, Whistler, BC
-2010 Wine of the Year Award, Whistler, BC

With The Pairing Collection representatives from France

Salmon & Trout, Bordeaux, 2012, France, $15.99- A white wine from The Pairing Collection with an intense aroma of tropical fruits, white flower, vanilla and lime. This sauvignon Blanc/Semillon is best served with seafood dishes because of its well-balanced lively finish.

Not only was there wine, but there were cars the colour of wine

I found a giant wine glass

My new go to wine:

Happy Knight Black Currant, 2011, New Brunswick, Canada, $12.99- The flavour of fresh Maritime grown organic berries is perfectly paired with spicy Indian food.
-5 Canadian Awards
-Top 10 Atlantic Wines of the year by Canadian Wine Access, 2012

Ready with our Expo wine glass souvenir and wine log book

Wine specialists are getting more and more creative with educating the public about what wine to drink with what foods. The Pairing Collection from France is the perfect example of a company making it easy for consumers to choose a wine to drink with certain dishes. Rather than providing each wine a one of a kind unique name, they have named their wines based on the food(s) they should be paired with: Salmon & Trout, Chops & Burgers, Cheese & Crackers, Chicken & Turkey, and Lobster & Shrimp. How much more simple, yet creative can it get? I love the idea; it’s genius. To be able to go into a store and see the picture of the food I should be eating with that wine makes it easy to know what kind of wine to buy. An uncomplicated, yet modern way to promote the wine.

With so many choices, I was hard pressed selecting my favourites. During the tasting event, I soon realized my wine preferences are: white (pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc), sparking, rosé, fruit, Rosado, and moscato. I enjoy a good glass of red wine every now and then, but there is nothing better than the lighter selections. With rosy cheeks and smiles, my friends and I happily walked around the expo admiring the displays and talking to the knowledgeable wine experts. I never quite realized the infinite types of wines and grape varieties. The new craze is now wine fusions, wines with a blend of numerous types of grapes. I quite enjoyed the Sokol Blosser Evolution white wine which has a blend of nine grapes. Some fusion wines are a mix of twenty grape variations. No matter what your taste preferences are, you’ll find it at the World Wine and Food Expo.

The expo’s motto is: “to excite, educate and entertain you through wine. Our commitment to your pleasure is a promise…from one wine lover to another.” The week long festivities offering tastings, dinners, seminars, and guest speakers will keep any wine lover entertained.

Mavericks Chocolate Truffles

*Media coverage for the World Wine Food Expo