By Audrey Coates, for Savour Stratford, another certified “Good Food Fighter”
Educate your taste buds!
Knowledge is the key to deepening the enjoyment of all your favourite food & drink.
Feed your inner foodie the sustenance it most craves: knowledge! An educated tongue appreciates good food all the more, and we know where you should begin that education. A fantastic line-up of tasting workshops, held Saturday, September 24 at the Savour Stratford Festival, will allow budding food-lovers and veterans alike to deepen their understanding of a range of marvellous gourmet topics.
Beerology Back to Class
Join Mirella Amato for Beerology 101 and Beerology Advanced Stylistically Speaking; after these two workshops you will undoubtedly know more about the subtleties of beer than you imagined possible.
Beerology 101: Learn the basics of beer through a guided tasting of seven contrasting Ontario-brewed craft beers. Find out about the four beer ingredients and how do these ingredients affect flavour. Start zeroing in on flavour vocabulary and identify which flavours and styles you enjoy best!
Beerology Advanced: Learn about common beer styles and brewing traditions through a guided tasting of seven contrasting Ontario-brewed craft beer. Hear about the development of the beer styles in different regions throughout history and learn what distinguishes these styles from one another. All this information comes in handy when navigating a beer menu!
Mirella is a Certified CiceroneTM (beer sommelier) and an active beer judge. She can be heard every second week on the CBC Radio One program Here and Now.
Beerology 101: Saturday 12:00 pm; Sunday 12:00 pm in the West Tent $TBD
Beerology Advanced: Stylistically Speaking: Saturday, 3:30 PM in the East Tent $TBD
One is a lonely number
Experience cheese paired impeccably with its soul mate of a wine at the wine & cheese tasting workshop. Delight in rich Château des Charmes wines paired with the cheese of Monforte Dairy; your experience will be of a complex and satisfying match, deepening your enjoyment of these two simple pleasures beyond the taste of one alone.
Monforte’s owner/lead cheesemaker, RuthKlahsen , is a veteran chef whose cuisine is well-known to patrons of Stratford’s stellar restaurants Rundles and The Old Prune.
Chris Giuliani is the head sommelier at Chateau des Charmes winery.
Saturday, 11:00 am in the East Tent. $TBD
Ontario vs. The World – A Wine Smackdown
Join Sommelier Jamie Drummond in a dynamic tutored wine tasting where he puts a selection of his favourite Ontario’s bottlings up against a tag-team of contenders from all around the world. After each “bout” Jamie will guide the group through a slow-motion blow-by-blow tasting, comparing and contrasting the performances of the local and global glasses… and with all of the wines being served “blind” there are bound to be a few surprises at this Savour Stratford Wine Smackdown.
Jamie was the former Sommelier for Jamie Kennedy kitchens and now works in the role of Senior Editor of Non-Profit Good Food Revolution.
Saturday, 2pm in the West Tent $TBD
The Craft of Charcuterie
Interested in becoming your local chef garde manger ? The Craft of Charcuterie with Connie Desousa and Fred de Martines of Perth Pork Products producers of heritage breed pork as well as wild boar is your first step! Charcuterie is the branch of cuisine dedicated to prepared meat, such as bacon, ham, sausage, and the more unusual terrines, galantines, pâtés, and confit.
Top Chef Finalist Connie Desousa is Co-Executive Chef and Co-Owner of CHARCUT Roast House in Calgary.
The de Martines Family Farm started their first wild boar herd with certified stock in 1992, and also breed Tamworth, Berkshire and Ironage pigs. Fred and Ingrid de Martines made their television debut on the show Pitchin’ In with Lynn Crawford.
Saturday, 2:00 pm in the East Tent $TBD
A Whiskey and Whisky Tasting
Join us for a great tasting with with whisky expert Davin de Kergommeaux, to sip and savour three different types of Canadian whisky and two types of single malt scotches. Participants receive a special Glencairn Glass Official Whisky Glass that they get to use at the tasting!
Saturday, 12:30 pm in the East Tent $TBD
A Coffee and Dessert Tasting
Join Barista Anne, Chef Jordan & Roaster Maria as we take you on a journey of coffee & dessert. From farm to roasting to brewing, discover how bean varietals, roast profiles & various forms of brewing bring to life the dynamic flavours of the coffee bean. Enjoy both cold & hot extracted espresso and experience first hand how pairing desserts with coffee enriches the flavours of both beans & sweets.
Saturday, 10:00 am in the West Tent. $TBD
Widen your perspective of food and learn something completely new, or expand on your knowledge of an old favourite. Look forward to many more experts’ tasting sessions and be sure to keep checking www.savourstratford.com for updates on more tasting workshops!
