Born in 1959 in Rioja, Spain, the Campo Viejo winery is bringing a ‘Campo Hour’ to Toronto every Wednesday from 6 to 7 pm as a response to the recent loss of an hour of daylight.
Losing one hour of daylight has a negative effect on our mental health and well-being, and thanks to the Time Amendment Act bill passing its final reading within the legislature, daylight savings are closer than ever to become a reality. Therefore, regaining an hour can elevate our moods and help us get through this dark, pandemic winter. This is why Campo Viejo together with Chef Matt Basile have designed ‘Campo Hour’, a weekly event to reclaim an hour of light and fun every week to “live life uncorked”.
The Campo Hour experience entails weekly entertaining virtual events to be live-streamed via Stackt’s Instagram (@stacktmarket) on Wednesdays at 6 pm EST. Moreover, Chef Basile has curated Campo Hour kits to be delivered to your home, available at www.stacktmarket.com for $42.50 CAD. The kits contain a bottle of Campo Viejo Reserva, a charcuterie platter (crafted by Basile), and customizable tote bags.
Chef Basile offers you some tips to bring vibrancy into your home each week and make the best out of the Campo Hour experience:
Tip 1: Music
Create an atmosphere. Music can hugely impact the energy level and tone for your setting so always be mindful of the volume and style. Make sure it’s not too loud that you can’t hear people talk, and not too soft that it’s barely audible. A great playlist for starters is “Funk outta here” on Spotify.
Tip 2: Aromatics
Bring that holiday scent into your home using vanilla extract. Put 2 tbsp of vanilla extract in an oven-safe dish, then place it in the oven at 300 F for one hour. It’s a simple yet elegant touch that fills the room with cozy aromatics.
Tip 3: Stemware
The presentation of your wine makes all the difference. A high-quality wine, like Campo Viejo Reserva, only deserves to be sipped from a high-quality vessel. Try to select a glass with a large and wide bowl. This will allow your nose to recognize more aromas and help aerate the wine as you sip to release more flavour.
Tip 4: Style
When styling a charcuterie board, be dynamic! Spread out your items so it doesn’t look cluttered. Using mini mason jars for sauces, jams or pickled items keeps the board clean and gives you some contrasting height. Make sure you mix up your board with meat and cheese, some nuts and fruit, crostini and crackers and a variety of non-meat items like olives and pickled vegetables to ensure you are appealing to everyone’s taste pallet.
Tip 5: Tune In
Tune in to Chef’s weekly programming on @stacktmarket to kick off your Campo Hour each Wednesday at 6 pm EST from December 2nd, 2020 – December 30th, 2020.