Horse betting & wine drinking: Hot to Trot wine tasting at Turf Lounge

Mid-October we checked out a wine launch at Turf Lounge, one of the much more upscale off-track betting places one can visit. We really enjoyed ourselves - Mark and I were each given $2 bet cards and I took both of them and placed bets with no knowledge of how to even read the screen (let alone having any prior understanding of how to bet on horses). Would you believe we won?! I bet both for horse #3 on Indiana Downs because that was the horse on the screen when I happened to look up - lo and behold, that horse placed first!

But the real reason we were there was to taste two wines available now at the LCBO from a US winery in Washington State called 14 Hands Vineyards. The Hot to Trot – Red Blend we sipped is mainly a Merlot, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon blend, but also has hints of Mourvedre and other red varieties. It has notes of berries, cherries and currants; the tannins were soft, but I didn't really catch the baking spice and mocha on the finish as per the description. Regardless, the warmer red/dark fruits were definitely present, and I found it to be fairly easy drinking. I'm more of a white drinker though, so I was looking forward to trying the Hot to Trot – White Blend. It is predominantly a Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Semillon blend with flavours of pear, melon and lemon zest. I got a whole lot of pear and a bit of melon, and found it to be crisp and not too too sweet. I wouldn't mind having another bottle on hand at home, as I think I could see it pairing well with many different types of foods, from fish to creamy pastas.

Yours in food, and sometimes wine!
-Stacey