For Father’s Day this year the gift of Tom Gore wines.

Parents put endless time and dedication into raising their children, nurturing them and supporting them throughout their development so they can thrive on their own. Tom Gore, a second-generation California grape farmer who stomped grapes alongside his father shortly after learning to walk, implements a similar philosophy with his winemaking: meticulously overseeing every stage of the grape farming process to ensure quality wines are produced time and time again.

For Father’s Day this year, the gift of Tom Gore is a fabulous representation of parents’ hard work and dedication to their children as well as being a great tasting wine.

Tom Gore Farmer’s Blend – for every occasion

To celebrate all parental relationships, consider gifting the deliciously smooth Tom Gore Farmer’s Blend. Made from Petite Syrah, Malbec and Merlot and featuring flavours of dark berry and plum, this wine represents a commitment to quality that loved ones will appreciate.

Farmer’s Blend is fruit forward, bright and round. Notes of dark fruits are followed by a long silky finish.

Deep purple with aromas of black pepper and spice, blackcurrant, morello cherry and raspberry. A full mouth feel with round, velvety tannins and hints of spice and pepper. Dark fruits and black cherry with a prolonged silky finish.

Tom Gore consistently brings quality to the table, and this is no exception. A seamless blend of Petite Syrah, Malbec and Merlot that is bursting with notes of dark berry and ripe plum with fresh black pepper. The palate is velvety and smooth with a long, layered finish. Perfect with roasted or grilled beef. LCBO

Examples of great pairings: Grilled Steak, Roast Beef, Rack of Lamb, Lamb Shank, Osso Bucco, Sharp Cheddar

ON $19.95 | BC $21.99 | AB SRP $20.00

Miso-Glazed Delicata with Roasted Peanuts

Ingredients

Delicata squash

1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sake
2 tablespoons miso
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon honey

roasted peanuts

Method

Slice and core the squash. If you are making this early in the season the rind will be soft and there is no need to peel it.

Combine the rice wine vinegar and sake in the smallest saucepan you have and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 20 seconds, taking care not to boil off much of the liquid, then turn the heat to low and stir in the miso and the sugar. Whisk over medium-low heat without letting the mixture boil, until the sugar and honey has dissolved. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sesame oil.

Pour the sauce over the squash. Grill on the BBQ until the squash is done and has nice grill markings. Continue to pour any leftover sauce on to the squash as it cooks on the BBQ.

Top with roasted peanuts and serve warm or at room temperature.

This makes a nice tasty starter or side dish and it looks as good as it tastes.

Tom Gore Cabernet Sauvignon – Father’s Day

Father figures have an appreciation of the classics- cars, movies, watches, you name it. Tom Gore produces a California Cabernet Sauvignon that will fit right into dad’s collection. Dark ruby in colour, this Sonoma wine features aromas of red berries and notes of tobacco. Best paired with dad’s classic grilled steak.

80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petite Syrah , 5% Merlot, 5% other reds

Our Cabernet Sauvignon is dark ruby red in colour with aromas of blackberry, black currant, and black cherry with toasted notes of oak and brown spice. This wine is full of dark, concentrated fruit flavours complemented by a rich mouthfeel, balanced acidity, full tannins, and a long finish.

Vintage

The 2020 growing season began with an unusually warm winter, followed by a warm, dry spring. The drought arrived early, permanently affecting yields. The extremely dry growing season and hot weather in August accelerated ripening, resulting in an early start to harvest, one to two weeks ahead of normal in most areas. Despite the heat spikes the fruits retained their acidity. Phenological maturity was excellent, leading to fully flavoured wines at lower Brix.

These elements have helped deliver intensely concentrated grapes (small berries with concentrated flavours), to produce deeply impressive wines capable of long-term cellaring.

California Cabernet is amazingly popular – and rightly so! This one is loaded with fig preserve, nuts, toast, herbs and honey. It’s an amazingly value-priced Cali Cab ideal for barbecued ribs or rare steak. LCBO

ON $19.95 | BC $21.99 | AB SRP $20.00

Sweet & Spicy Grilled Vegetables

Ingredients (use any or all of these vegetables to your liking)

Zucchini
Corn on the cob
mushrooms
bell peppers
grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced
asparagus
eggplant
sweet onions
new crop, nugget potatoes (cooked and cut in half)
burrata or fresh mozzarella (optional)
olive oil
herbes de provence (or rosemary, or oregano fresh or dried)

basting sauce

2/3 cup of white wine vinegar
2 – 4 tablespoons of honey
a few dashes of fish sauce or tamari
red pepper flakes (optional)

Cook on the stove to absorb the honey. If you like it sweeter than savoury just add more honey.

Optional:

tofu squares
sausage (Italian, Bratwurst, chorizo, your choice)
pork ribs

tin-foil grill pan(s) and a tin-foil roasting pan for serving

Chop the vegetables into large bite-sized pieces, destem and slice mushrooms in half (if very large quarter the mushrooms).

For the corn, par-boil, drain and run under cold water to cool. Once cool enough to touch, slice the cob into thirds or quarters.

Tomatoes, if using, can be left whole or sliced in half.

Toss each vegetable in olive oil, place on a serrated baking sheet, salt and pepper to taste. For the zucchini add the herbs de provence.

Drizzle with the cooking sauce, repeat as it cooks.

BBQ on high just long enough to create grill marks (cooking the vegetables to about half done) then remove and place in the serving dish. (the vegetables will continue to cook in the serving pan) It works best to grill each vegetable separately and cook to half done. A BBQ usually is large enough for two trays side by side.

If using, grill the pork first to be sure it cooks through, and then the sausage while grilling the vegetables one at a time. Making sure the meat is fully cooked before combining with the vegetables.

Toss all the vegetables and meat together in a large tin-foil dish and return to the grill. Drizzle with any leftover basting sauce. The vegetables will finish cooking while you quickly grill the asparagus.

Note: asparagus should be done last to avoid overcooking, toss the asparagus on top of the grilled vegetables and serve. If adding the cheese do so just at the end then add the asparagus. You want the cheese to soften, but not melt.

Which Tom Gore wine did MyVanCity recommend for Mother’s Day? – read the feature here

Information and bottle shots provided by Jill Lindsay, Media Profile. Farm to Table pairing images, feature image and wine notes (in italics) courtesy of Tom Gore Vineyards website. Food images: MyVanCity. I received complimentary wine to facilitate this feature.