"fathers day" news and stories

Gretchen Roberts writes the wine blog Vinobite, has passed the introductory course at the Court of Master Sommeliers and is studying for her sommelier certification this fall.

According to industry research, the majority (58 percent) of grill owners use them year-round (I'm one of them, and have been known to dust a foot or so of snow off the barbie in the middle of January), but summer is really when grilling gets smokin' hot. With Father's Day and the whole "let's grill a big juicy steak for dad and buy him a tie" cliché less than a week away, let's talk a bit more about barbecue-friendly wines. (And be sure to check out our expert grilling tips here).

Wine and grill pairing basics and four recommended vinos after the jump.

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• Maintain your veggie garden, and more from the Neighborhood Garden Project
• Zhi tea? Yes, please
• Applebee's: Eatin' green in the neighborhood
• Show dad you love him with liquor that leaves no eco-footprint
• The end of an abundant era?
  
• Freaky but factual: Chinese animal parks selling tiger bone wine as tonic

• Cheap wine picks for Dad, if you don't have the extra cash for $225 Dom Perignon.
• The perks of dining at Dustin Gallagher's Grace on College Street -- just on the cusp of Toronto's Little Italy.
• Epic foodie effort: There's a new cookbook bibliography called Culinary Landmarks: A Bibliography of Canadian Cookbooks hitting shelves -- one that chronicles all the texts of the past and retro recipes ranging from lemon pudding to, believe it or not, frozen beef tea.