While each new day provides new opportunities to be romantic, what we do on this day does not go unnoticed. Here are DINE’s picks for chocolate, wining, and dining. Mention DINE when booking. (Be sure to also fill out our romantic contests: Music to DINE by; Dinner For Two; and a Private Cooking Class for Two with Chef Paganelli.) Happy Valentines Day…

Gung Hay Fat Choy! It’s the Year of the Dragon (23 January 2012 – 9 February 2013); the Water Dragon to be specific. Water can be fluid and weak, but it can also be a source of power that can drown the fire of a dragon. This is sure to be a year of intensity, unpredictability and excitement.

Renowned Argentine sommelier, Marcelo Rebole, shares his passion and knowledge with a novice enthusiast about how to begin tasting and appreciating a glass of wine. The following is the second excerpt of his tutorial.

Sniffing the wine:
The viewing part is finished. It is the less important part of the tasting. The most important part of the tasting is the nose sense. Only using your nose, you can detect 75-80% of the flaws in the wine. You need to sniff the wine by sticking your nose into the glass. It should sound like a New York bar in the 80’s. If you do it like this

How do we warm up in the winter? 10% of all Canadians visit the allure of the Florida coast. For those of us that remain, there is plenty of excitement being cooked-up to keep us above the chill. Here are DINE’s recommendations:

There is one more weekend left in the Niagara Icewine Festival. Pick up a Discovery Tour Pass, and sample distinct icewine pairings, cocktails and cooking from across Niagara Wine Country on January 28 – 29. (Check out DINE’s latest Sound Bite from the recent Icewine Cocktail Competition: http://www.dinemagazine.ca/2012/01/sound-bite-icewine-festival/)

February brings the Days of Wine and Chocolate. Each weekend we can explore and indulge in wine and chocolate pairings while touring the snowy wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Soaring above the city from the 31st floor of the new Trump® International Hotel and Tower Toronto, Inna Levitan has assembled a team of top chefs from top restaurants around the world with “a menu featuring only the finest ingredients…and an incredible space with the best view of the city.” We are also excited for the dining loft and “skypatio” where we can dine high up in the city lights. Of course, we will pay special attention to the humidity and temperature controlled “Chocolate Lab”.