Chenin Blanc

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Passover - which begins at sundown Monday - doesn't necessarily mean a sweet Mogen David & Manischewitz, made from concord grapes. Now you can serve a fine chardonnay, chenin blanc, merlot, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon or other viniferous grape at your seder.

My authority on Passover, kosher wines, and all things Jewish is Rabbi Samuel Cohon of Temple Emanu-El (which, by the way, celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2010). I sat with Rabbi Cohon, and Jeff Fuld, proprietor of Elle Restaurant, to talk about Passover and to taste and discuss kosher wines.

Wine holds a special, almost sacred place in Judaism, as it does in many faiths. It serves at least two roles, a festive one and a ceremonial one. "Passover," according to Rabbi Cohon, "is the premier festival of freedom." At seder, four cups of wine are traditionally served, each representing one of the four promises of freedom God made to the Hebrew people in their flight from Egypt: Liberation from slavery, freedom from oppression, redemption from destruction at the Red Sea, and taking the Hebrew people unto him.

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It's you versus the numbers (but a lot more fun that Mrs. Holtz's math class). This classic Sudoku lets you easily make notes, get hints, and track your progress. You can even print your games or save them to play online later.

In this game you spin for letters, then try and use those letters to solve a series of word puzzles based around a theme. Sounds like what game show, you say? I don't know what you're talking about.

Use the letter tiles to create words, earn points and clear the board! Get extra points by finding and unscrambling Jumble Bonus Words.

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The event's purpose? It was to support local food producers, taste unique wines and learn how to pair it all together. Besides that, the take-away message was clear. While culinary experiences are universal, the way we now connect, communicate and share information has changed (even if it's about whimsical things like a Vintage 3-year Gouda or a 2006 Gruner Veltliner). You can Twitpic, Foodspot and Foursquare any foodie experience, sometimes even turning your passion for food or wine into a new gig, kind of like @lt_chronicles did. A self-proclaimed vinebibber , he was contacted because he is a prominent wine blogger on Twitter. John Clerides, the owner of Marquis Wine Cellars, contacted most of the participants for this event by searching Twitter, Facebook and food and wine blogs (he is ahead of his time).

Besides that, who would've thought just a few years ago that self-publishing could give you keys to the castle? Not only that, but @MarquisWineCell also found some of the participating food vendors in the same way. They contacted caterer @BeauCharles , cheese experts @bentoncheese , and organic game meats supplier @hillsFoods through Twitter as well.

But I digress..let me get back to the stars of the evening, the food and wines. I thought it'd be cool to give you my Coles' notes version for the event. It could become handy for your next tet-a-tet with the ladies (or that last minute meet-and-greet with your future in-laws).

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So I was intrigued to hear about a food and wine matching course that's part of the sommelier program at Algonquin College. The instructor, Liam Doody, has his students taste food with a variety of wines (tasted blind) and use audience response technology to vote for the wines they think goes best and worst with the dish.

The advantage is that each student's vote is anonymous; no one is tempted to vote with the majority or embarrassed at being in a minority.

Take one result, as students judged which of four very different wines -- dry riesling, sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon, and pinotage -- went best and worst with a four-cheese quiche. In the vote for the best match, the respective wines were selected by 39 per cent, 23 per cent, 26 per cent, and 13 per cent of the students. In the vote for the worst pairing, the votes were three per cent, 23 per cent, 26 per cent, 48 per cent.

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