Full Bodied: Vancouver Food, Wine and Cleavage

Banée 2011

2011-03-09T11:45:00.000-08:00

Dates have just been announced for the 2011 Banée dinner in Osoyoos. This year's dinner will be held April 16, 2011 at Spirit Ridge Resort.

Tickets for the evening are $200. The event includes a wine reception, a family style feast and live auction. Call Denice at Oliver Twist, 250.485.0227, to purchase your tickets.

Banée marks the end of pruning and the beginning of a new growing season. The dinner is a winemaker's event that gives you the opportunity to dine and celebrate as part of the South Okanagan wine family, as everyone in the industry gears up for the hard season of work ahead.

Wine for dinner with a vampire

2010-10-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

Just in time for Halloween, leading wine blogger Dr. Debs of Good Wine Under $20 (aka author and university professor Deborah Harkness) tells us how to choose wine for dinner with a vampire.

The video was made by Viking Books in support of her upcoming fantasy novel
A Discovery of Witches. Now, you know that publishers don't spend this kind of money promoting a book unless they are very very VERY excited about it.

Here's a description from the author's official site:

When historian Diana Bishop opens a bewitched alchemical manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library it represents an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordinary life. Though descended from a long line of witches, she is determined to remain untouched by her family’s legacy. She banishes the manuscript to the stacks, but Diana finds it impossible to hold the world of magic at bay any longer.

For witches are not the only otherworldly creatures living alongside humans. There are also creative, destructive daemons and long-lived vampires who become interested in the witch’s discovery. They believe that the manuscript contains important clues about the past and the future, and want to know how Diana Bishop has been able to get her hands on the elusive volume.

Chief among the creatures who gather around Diana is vampire Matthew Clairmont, a geneticist with a passion for Darwin. Together, Diana and Matthew embark on a journey to understand the manuscript’s secrets. But the relationship that develops between the ages-old vampire and the spellbound witch threatens to unravel the fragile peace that has long existed between creatures and humans—and will certainly transform Diana’s world as well.

Sounds delicious. I can't wait to read it, Dr. Debs!

In praise of wine dinners

2010-10-20T13:51:00.000-07:00

Fall is a terrific time for winery dinners. There are at least five coming up in late October and early November. I've posted a list in Vancouver Wine Events, but here it is again:

Thursday, October 28 - Northwest Flavours: Mission Hill at Fleuri Restaurant ($120), 604-642-2900

Friday, October 29 - Gildas d’Ollone (Château Pichon Longueville Baron) at Le Gavroche ($250), 604 685 3924

Thursday, November 4 - Desert Hills Winery at La Terrazza ($98), (604) 899-4449

Tuesday, November 9 - Tinhorn Creek at Le Gavroche ($95), (604) 685-3924

Wednesday, November 10 - Sandra Oldfield Women in Wine at C ($95), (604) 681-1164. Word to the wise: this event will sell out in a flash.

Winery dinners are always a terrific wine-and-dine deal. Usually they run about $75 to $150, and guests can always count on getting great bang for their buck. Why?

Restaurants and wineries both see a wine dinner as an opportunity to capture the attention of new customers who are both passionate connoisseurs and responsive foodies. It's an opportunity for them to strut their stuff before a select group of discerning public. But the restaurant and winery are also showing off for each other. "This is what I can do!" they say. "Look at how well I can do it!"

But when they do it together, that's when the real magic happens.

At a wine dinner, Chef will always -- always -- pull out the stops to create fantastic starters, mains, amuse bouches, and desserts specifically crafted to complement the gorgeous wines. The ingredients will usually be locally sourced and often surprising. Winemakers will always bring their best bottles, and you can usually count on getting a taste of something rare and special. Every bottle will have a story behind it.

The only down side to a wine dinner is that you really must count on taking a cab home, because you won't want to ration your sips.

Tinhorn Creek Gewürztraminer 2009

2010-06-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favourite wines, from one of my all-time favourite wineries -- the pale, very dry (for Gewürztraminer, that is), lean and delicate Gewürztraminer from Tinhorn Creek. Winemaker Sandra Oldfield says that she strives for a Gewürztraminer that is not overblown, not over perfumed, nothing reminiscent of an old lady's lingerie drawer. This wine is certainly nothing near overblown. It's elegant, lean, understated, and totally addictive.

Delicate and mineral on the nose with notes of lychee and mountain stream. On the palate, lychee and grapefruit. Though technically only off dry, compared to many Gewürztraminers this is dry indeed. Sandra says that she would like to try fermenting it down to bone dry some year, and because she very carefully makes sure her fruit doesn't get overripe, she may be able to accomplish that without creating a high alcohol level that would get in the way of the flavours.

Sumac Ridge Sparkling Gewürztraminer (NV)

2010-06-19T17:54:00.000-07:00

Here's another wine I was excited to try, but never expected to find. Sumac Ridge announced their Sparkling Gewürztraminer way back in March, saying that it was only available in their wine shop. When I was at Baneé, the South Okanagan Secret Wine Festival in April I wanted to head north on the way out of the valley in order to pass through Summerland and hit the Sumac Ridge winery tasting room, but it didn't work out -- I had to leave the Okanagan without my Sparkling Gew.

Sumac Ridge winemaker Mark Wendenburg has a true passion for methode classique sparkling wine making. In February I was lucky enough to spend an hour or two with him in February, and he explained the whole process to me. I took detailed notes, and though I can't explain the process off the top of my head, I am pretty sure I could write a graduate level thesis on the subject by referring to what Mark told me.

Smells like Gewürztraminer, tastes like Champagne

I happened into Yaletown's Taylorwood Wines on Thursday, and they had just received a few bottles of the Sparkling Gew. I jumped on it!

So how did it go down? Well, after a quick Google search, it seems that Sparkling Gewürztraminer is not quite as unknown to the world as one would initially expect. It's one of the varietals that comprise Crémant d'Alsace, which I think most people would agree is just delicious.

On the nose, this smells like Gewürztraminer: apple blossom, pear, lychee, and honey. Beautiful and aromatic.

On the palate, this is definitely a sparkling wine: Off dry, but definitely not sweet, with pineapple, lychee, and lots of grapefruit followed by a hint of biscuity yeast. Big, generous mousse. I perceived none of the typical Gewürztraminer spicyness, no ginger, no clove. It tastes true and pure, not concocted. I loved it but my honey didn't -- vive le différence.

Once again, thank you Mark Wendenburg, Jason James, and the Sumac Ridge team for pushing the envelope! I'll buy this whenever you have it!

Quinta Ferreira Mistura Branca 2008

2010-05-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

Big applause for the utterly delicious Mistura Branca from the South Okanagan's Quinta Ferreira. This is a German blend of Muscat (65%) and Gewürztraminer (35%), and it's utterly delicious.

It's very floral on the nose, with rose and honeysuckle -- a very honeyed scent but not oversweet, with some mineral. On the palate: off dry and very nicely balanced, with good energy and quite an assertive length. This is not ephemeral at all. There's fennel, rose, stone, and tangerine. It's quite simple, but it stood up well when I was munching dried Moroccan olives. There was a wonderful contrast between the salty, strongly-flavoured savoury olives and floral wine.

Quinta Ferreira's welcoming tasting room

Quinta Ferreira is a family-run winery, producing wonderful wines just on the edge of Oliver in the norther edges of the South Okanagan. Here is a shot of their tasting room, showing their east-facing patio:

If you were sitting on that patio, this would be your view to the left, looking north-east:

Cheers, Quinta Ferreira family! This is a beautiful wine!

Vive le Muscat!

I'm a sucker for Muscat when and wherever it pops up, and there aren't very many offerings in the Okanagan. Hillside Estates has a Muscat Ottonel, and La Frenz has a Rutherglen-style fortified Muscat. Joie Farms has a Muscat as well, and the 2009 is already sold out. I believe there must be a healthy amount of muscat in Wild Goose's Autumn Gold blend.

I believe that might be the full rundown of muscats in the Okanagan, but I will always hope for more!

Banée!

2010-04-20T20:50:00.000-07:00

Written in the sand of Osoyoos Lake, but written forever on my heart (oh, I am sappy, but it's true).

The Banée weekend was an insane whirlwind. I felt so privileged to be invited to spend the weekend with the wonderful, passionate, eccentric, individualistic folks who make up the South Okanagan Wineries Association. They treated our gang of media guests like gold, and we so pleased to be there.

Vines at Fairview Cellars.

It's impossible to overstate this: These people have passion for what they do. Full-on, hot blooded, Mediterranean-style, operatic, run-with-the-bulls passion.

Run-with-the-bulls is an appropriate metaphor, actually, because the business of making wine isn't for the faint hearted. It's dangerous. Fortunes are lost and hearts are broken. It takes faith, perseverance, and a hell of a lot of luck. Most of the time winemakers must feel like all the forces are arrayed against them -- rain, wind, hail, frost, wildlife, government regulations -- yet they keep making their wine with dedication, humour, and love.

Words of wisdom at Road 13 Vineyards.

And what makes it all worth it to them comes down to one simple thing: You enjoying their wine. You pour one glass, take one sip, and love what they've worked so hard to make.

Maria Ferreira of Quinta Ferreira pours a glass.

The land is beautiful, heartbreakingly glorious. But making wine starts with farming, and farming brings no guarantees. Even on a beautiful, perfect grape growing day, the next change in wind can bring a weather change that will turn your crop's potential to ashes.

The northern boundary of the South Okanagan, as viewed from Quinta Ferreira.

The one thing the wine folk can count on is their soil, so it's no surprise that they get all romantic about their dirt. They know it intimately. Road 13's Mick Luckhurst told us that it changes in composition every ten meters. To me it looks the same, but to them, the every rock is individual.

South Okanagan soil at Road 13.

And in a place like the Okanagan, which has only been growing grapes for a few generations, the right techniques for the climate are still being discovered. Bill Eggert from Fairview Cellars told us a story that illustrates this. When he first planted his vinifera vines, he ruined his back training them low to the ground. He did this because it had been the right technique to use with the native North American labrusca varietals -- the low training was a technique for controlling acidity, which is a problem with labrusca. Now he has a problem with low acidity in his grapes (though it doesn't seem to keep him from making stunning Cabernet Sauvignon), so now he's beginning to train new cordons upward.

Fairview Cellars vines, showing new cordons being trained upward.

I got to taste at least 80 different wines on the weekend. It was a heck of a lot of spitting, so I really got to practice my pucker. Here are some of my favourites from the weekend. This is not a comprehensive list, because sometimes the wines were just going by so fast that I didn't get the chance to take notes.

I don't want to be mealy-mouthed about this: Yes, some wineries are more accomplished and produce better wines than others. I have my own personal favourites. But the fact is, each one of these wineries has their own following, and each produces unique and highly individual wines.

Oliver Twist Estate Winery 2009 Viognier and 2008 Chardonnay (barely oaked)

Quinta Ferreira 2007 Obra-Prima and 2008 Mistura Branca (I also really enjoy their Viognier)

Jackson Triggs 2009 Grand Reserve Sauvignon Blanc (nice restrained 12.5% alcohol), 2009 Rosé, 2007 Grand Reserve Shiraz

Fairview Cellars Crooked Post Pinot Noir, 2008 Iconoclast Cabernet Sauvignon (tank sample), and 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Premium Series

Tinhorn Creek 2009 Pinot Gris, 2009 2 Bench Rosé, 2006 Syrah, and 2009 Gewürztraminer (which I tasted at the winery, and it's fab)

Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery 2009 Auxerrois

Hester Creek 2007 Pinot Blanc, 2006 Cabernet Franc, and 2008 Trebbiano (old vines!)

Inniskillin Discovery Series 2009 Marsanne Rousanne, 2009 Tempranillo, and 2008 Malbec (stunning violet scents)

Cassini Cellars 2007 Pinot Noir and 2008 Reserve Chardonnay (time to get your website up, folks!)

Road 13 Vineyards 2009 Home Vineyard Chenin Blanc (one of my all time faves), 2009 Stemwinder (reviewed here), 2008 Rockpile

Rustico Farm and Cellars Last Chance (Zinfandel, Merlot, Chancellor -- props to them for putting a labrusca in the blend!)

Golden Beaver Winery 2009 Heart of Gold

Nk'Mip Cellars 2008 Qwam Qwmt Chardonnay (muscular!)

Burrowing Owl Estate Winery 2007 Cabernet Franc (very powerful and extracted)

Desert Hills Estate Winery 2009 Gamay Noir

Silver Sage Winery The Flame (Gewürztraminer and jalapeño peppers!)

Stoneboat Vineyards 2008 Pinotage (stunning fresh berry finish)

Culinaria in Osoyoos (Banee weekend)

2010-04-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

The first event of the Banée weekend in Osoyoos was Culinaria, a food and wine gala held in the ballroom of the Watermark Beach Resort on the west side of Osoyoos Lake.

The room was packed, and the entire event was very high energy, very dynamic. Food and wine grazing stations surrounded the room, offering food and wine from South Okanagan wineries, restaurants, and gourmet food producers like Sezmu Meats and Osoyoos Gelato.

Mick Luckhurst from Road 13 Vineyards in the foreground left, and behind him is Bruce Fuller from Rustico Farm and Cellars chats with Culinaria guests.

One of the most popular stations was a cooking class held by Cameron Smith and Dana Ewart of Joy Road Catering, who demonstrated techniques for gourmet fare using fresh local ingredients.

Stratford Chef's School-trained chef and baker Dana Ewart.

Dana Ewart and Cameron Smith cook up a storm.

But for me the highlight of the evening was the Iron Chef competition, because I got to be an Iron Chef Judge! Lucky me -- one of the judges had to drop out and I got tapped as the replacement. I didn't do anything to deserve such exalted status, but I sure was happy to do it!

Judge's eye view of the competition, with Chef Jesse hard at work.

Master of Ceremonies Terry David Mulligan grills Chef Roger for his secrets.

The secret ingredient was veal flank steak and veal sweetbread. Delicious! The competition pitted Chef Jesse against Chef Roger. Though Chef Jesse won, I can testify that the race was very close.

The aftermath of the Iron Chef competition.

The two standout flavours of the competition were the stinging nettles in Chef Jesse's appetizer, and the flash fried sweetbreads in Chef Roger's main. My only regret is that I'd already had an amazing meal that evening at Spirit Ridge Resort, and thus wasn't able to clean my plates. I will hope -- only hope -- that someday I get another opportunity to be an Iron Chef judge. Maybe if I'm very, very good.

In Osoyoos at Banee!

2010-04-16T15:14:00.000-07:00

The view coming down the pass that links the Similkameen Valley to the Okanagan Valley.

I am in Osoyoos this weekend for Culinaria and Banee, a double-slam weekend of wine events which celebrate the wineries of the South Okanagan. I've never been to these events before, so I don't know exactly what to expect. Culinaria sounds like a high energy, roving wine and food event, and Banee itself is a winemaker's party -- a wine event for people who live and breathe the wines of the South Okanagan.

My honey and I drove down this morning with Mark Shipway -- left Vancouver at 8:30 AM and hit Osoyoos nearly exactly four hours later. The traffic was light to non-existent, the weather was beautiful, and we must have seen no fewer than 25 deer grazing along the side of the road along the way. Fantastic!

A portion (only a portion!) of the view from our unbelievably palatial suite at the Watermark Beach Resort in Osoyoos.

The three of us had a delicious (And inexpensive! Arctic char for $14!) lunch at the Watermark wine bar, now I've retired to our suite to chill out for a bit and enjoy the luxury. Good god, this suite is bigger than our Vancouver condo. In about an hour we're all heading out to the media reception and then to Culinaria.

Here's a list I've made of media at Banee -- your source for Banee tweets.

WillaKenzie Estate Kiana Pinot Noir 2006

2010-04-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had the last half bottle of WillaKenzie Estates Kiana Pinot Noir 2006. This is a bottle I picked up in Oregon last November. I opened the bottle a few days ago, and it kept beautifully in the fridge with just the cork wedged in (I couldn't find a cap for the vacuum pump).

My goodness, WillaKenzie is serious about Pinot Noir. They produce no less than ten different blends or bottlings of Pinot Noir from various parts of the estate, plus a Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris (regular and late harvest), Pinot Meunier, and a Gamay Noir. And that doesn't include the four different single clone wines they produce that are only available to cellar club members. This is a serious, serious Pinot Noir specialization.

WillaKenzie Estates Kiana Pinot Noir 2006

Very consistent presentation, even two days after opening. Milk chocolate, cherry, and a bit of orange zest on the nose. On the palate: lifted very dry cherry and very earthy. A lovely wine which -- like most of the wines we love best -- defies categorization. Is it masculine or feminine, muscular or supple, aggressive or submissive? In the end: screw classification. This wine is its own person.

I was introduced to Oregon's WillaKenzie Estate by my good friend Rebecca. My first foray was their Pierre Léon Pinot Noir 2006, which had enveloping cherry and tobacco scents with hints of herb and liquorice. On the palate: A gorgeous silky texture, with lots of cherry, meaty and barnyard notes -- tons of energy but silky!

I still have one bottle of the Pierre Léon 2006. I'm keeping it for a special occasion. And thanks to Rebecca, who is in the WillaKenzie cellar club, I just acquired three bottles of the Triple Black Slopes 2007. We tried a barrel sample in November and it was amazing. Can't wait to try it again.

Road 13 Stemwinder 2009

2010-03-28T18:14:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, Road 13 Vineyards announced something quite shocking: They are retiring a bunch of their single varietal wines in favour of two new blends: Stemwinder and Rockpile. On the chopping block are the Riesling, Chardonnay, Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Icon Wines has written about the move here, and an official bunch of answers from the winery are available on the winery site.

The two new blends will be released on April 1. Stemwinder, the white blend, will be $22, and Rockpile, the red, will be $25.

We'll be hearing more about this move in the next few weeks. Road 13 has been very PR proactive, sending out samples and information to wine media around the province. Not only do Road 13 make fantastic wine, but they really must be the most PR-savvy winery in the province. They produce videos on their winemakeing process, update their website regularly, Tweet enthusiastically, and send out detailed vintage reports immediately on request. If a great product combined with sincere, detailed communication can't produce a successful winery, well, nothing will.

Pam Luckhurst, owner of Road 13, asks us to think about this change as a new era not only for Road 13, but also for BC wines. And winemaker Michael Bartier calls this a sacrifice for the greater good. Hmmm. But that doesn't quite answer the question of why they are they killing off no less than six of their varietal wines.

The view from Road 13's tasting room.

I've heard a lot of talk lately about blends being the wave of the future, but there are many arguments for and against this concept. For example:

Con: After years of building recognition for varietal names and getting consumers used to the idea of buying wine by varietal, blends can be confusing. The consumer won't know what they're getting.

Pro: There is so much quality difference among varietal wines that people don't really know what they're getting anyway. People may like a Merlot (for example) from one winery, but be disappointed by another from a different winery. Both wines may be good, but tastes and expectations differ.

My theory (only a theory, with no actual evidence) is that Road 13 is making a savvy business move. They want to play in the pool with the big boys. To do that they need volume, and with their existing vines they can only get that volume with two blends. With six varietals there is not enough volume. But with two blends from those varietals? Maybe.

I could go on, but I'll let you fill in your own theories, pros, and cons. Suffice it to say that Road 13's move is controversial. I'm quite devoted to their Cabernet Sauvignon, and I'm sad to see it go. However, I'm glad that their Old Vines Chenin Blanc hasn't been sacrificed.

But what about the wine anyway??

Road 13 Stemwinder 2009

Tonight my honey and I tasted the Stemwinder -- it was delicious. The blend is 60% Chardonnay, 32% Sauvignon Blanc, and 8% Chardonnay Musqué.

On the nose: Apple, clover, and honey. Not sweet, but fresh and gentle like a breeze.

On the palate: Big, complex, intense, and dense! Round and full, minty caramel, green plum, and Macintosh apple with hints of citrus -- especially grapefruit. The finish is long and intense -- with a hint of ginger flavour but no ginger spice. Minerality -- fresh mountain stream. Dry, and really well balanced. Not tart at all even though it's only been in the bottle for about 6 weeks. What kind of stunner will this be after another 6 months or year?

It's all here, it's gorgeous, and it stands up to intensely flavoured food. We tried it with smoked and fresh cheeses, dried olives, and even a light chicken molé. Fantastic.

Okay Road 13, you've come up with the goods. This is one delicious blend.

Virtual Okanagan wine tour, Part 1, Westbank

2010-03-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

Suburban Westbank, looking south from Mission Hill toward Peachland on the west side, and Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park on the east.

I love maps. I've been a Google Maps addict for many years, and for the past 18 months I've been utterly, irretrievably addicted to Google Street View.

On Friday I was thrilled to discover that Google Street View now covers nearly all the roads in the UK -- including back country lanes, remote sheep grazing countryside, and obscure little pieces of heaven.

Now, I am never, ever going to visit the Inn at Whitewell, Lancashire. But it doesn't matter, because I've already been there in Googlevision. Been there, and been up and down the local roads too! And just like these people, I can enjoy the view down Monsal Dale from Monsal Head.

360 degree panoramic, scrolling view of nearly everywhere, including the middle of nowhere. I can practially smell the air.

Then it occurred to me to find out how many BC wineries can be visited virtually via Street View. Let's see, shall we?

Virtual Okanagan wine tour, Part 1, Westbank

We'll start in suburban Westbank, across the lake from the city of Kelowna -- just because this is area is home to some of my favourite wineries, and because it's a suburban area, it's most likely to have street view coverage.

View Larger Map

This is where we're headed, west across Okanagan Lake from downtown Kelowna along the new bridge (a recent, long awaited replacement for the old, overloaded three-lane floating bridge). Because this is a wide angle view, the hills look much flatter than they are in reality. Mount Boucherie is straight ahead -- it's the decayed remains of an old volcano on the shores of the lake. All of the wineries we're visiting are in its vicinity, on Boucherie Road. The volcanic soils give their character to the grapes grown here, though most of the Westbank wineries also have extensive vineyards in the South Okanagan and Similkameen.

Stop 1: Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery

This is perhaps my all time favourite winery (here's a few of my posts about them). Their Syrah taught me to appreciate BC reds. Mt. Boucherie grows most of their grapes in the Similkameen, but their winery and cosy cabin tasting room is here, in Westbank.

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Stop 2: Little Straw Winery

A small family-run winery that does quite amazing work. I did a short post on them after a visit in 2007. I haven't investigated them since, and that's a wrong that must be righted.

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Stop 3: Quail's Gate

Ah! The first Street View gap! The Quail's Gate portion of Boucherie Road isn't covered. What a shame. It's a big, lovely winery with a super gourmet restaurant and a billion dollar lake views. The wine's super too! Their Chenin Blanc is an all time favourite of mine.

Well, here's a view from above, looking down at Quail's Gate between the houses. It gives you an idea of that killer lake view.

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Stop 4: Mission Hill Winery

Unfortunately on Street View, spectacular Mission Hill is the Queen Victoria of Westbank wineries. You just can't get close to her. But fortunately, I have a few posts on the loveliness of Her Majesty and her delicious wine. Here's a view of the gate:

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And here's a view of the clock tower, looking at it from the surburban lanes to the west, with the hill between us and the lake.

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We'll end our day's tour at Bliss Bakery in Peachland, just another 10 minutes south along the lake. Peachland isn't covered by Street View, but we can see the setting from the highway. Here's the turnoff to the bakery, with Okanagan Lake in the background.

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And here are a few photos of the wonderful lakeside bakery coffee shop:

Inniskillin Okanagan Dark Horse Estate Vineyard Pinot Blanc 2007

2010-03-17T19:10:00.000-07:00

Inniskillin Okanagan Dark Horse Estate Vineyard Pinot Blanc 2007 is a single vineyard offering from the Golden Mile in the South Okanagan. The South Okanagan is one of my favourite places in the world, and you can see why:

The Golden Mile, South Okanagan

This is a case where (to my taste) a bossy alcohol level gets in the way of a very pretty wine. There is so much good here -- a delicate nose with peach, blossom, and mineral notes, followed by a very complex bouquet of flavours that includes rose petal, lemon, sweet anise, lavender, and hints at a whole lot more. But the alcohol is like the guy sitting in front of you in the theatre, who's just a little to tall to keep from obstructing your view, and keeps shifting in his seat so you can't quite see around him.

My honey and I had it with roasted peppers stuffed with goat cheese, quinoa, green chile, tomato, black bean, and corn -- it paired perfectly. We just couldn't quite get past the heat of the alcohol.

I know zippo about wine making, of course, and it's possible that they simply couldn't bring out all those terrific flavours without the high alcohol content. So perhaps we just have to take the good with the bossy!

Momofuku - A cookbook by David Chang

2010-03-09T15:24:00.000-08:00

One of the most delicious, most satisfying meals I've ever had in my life was at Manhattan's Momofuku Ssam Bar. The five Momofuku restaurants, as you may know, are the babies of hot young chef David Chang. They are worshiped in New York, and nearly every article about Chang and his food spends at least 50 words expressing amazement that the hype surrounding him is completely justified.

If you want to slaver, just have a look through these Serious Eats posts. On the other hand, unless you want to go into debt with an unbudgeted-for trip to NY, don't look at those posts. Personally, I could easily justify a cross-continental trip just to eat Chang's food again.

Chang himself is a down-to-earth, extremely hard working, belly-up-to-the-bar chef who is not at all afraid to come clean about fortuitous kitchen mistakes. In October he released his first cookbook, which is also a detailed kitchen memoir. Here's a review from the Wall Street Journal, and another from Eat Me Daily.

By all accounts the cookbook is not for amateurs. But I think I'll buy a copy anyway, just so I can revisit that amazing meal. It'll be cheaper than a flight to New York.

Countdown 45 days to the Winefest!

2010-03-03T19:39:00.000-08:00

Photo of the Cafayate wine region in Argentina, courtesy of Wines of Argentina.

It's just a month and a half to the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. Now that we've got that Olympic thing out of the way, we can start getting excited about the main attraction!

Some of the events, dinners, seminars and guided tastings are already sold out, so if you don't have your tickets yet, get them now before it's too late.

This year the Wine Fest's regional focus is Argentina and New Zealand, which will give us a chance to explore further these fantastic new wine regions. Now, wine lovers aren't shy, so most of us are already familiar with the vast potential in these countries. We already love Marlborough Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, and Argentine Malbec. But with 250 lovingly made, highly regarded wines coming from 36 Argentinian and 40 New Zealand wineries, we are bound to discover new wines to fall in love with.

I already have! Here's a photo of my beloved:

Man O' War Ironclad 2008 and I met at last night at the Wine Fest media preview at Vancouver's Shore Club. Now, the lighting at the preview was very dim, or I swear -- I swear -- I would have snuggled this bottle up to my chest and forced some poor soul to take a pic.

Oh what a gorgeous wine! It's a big muscular Bordeaux blend from Man O' War Vineyards, on the eastern coast of Waiheke Island, New Zealand. I'm not the only one who loves it: Steven Spurrier of Decanter Magazine just named it Best New World Red Wine, and Here's a writeup from Wine of the Week,

Tasting notes? Are you kidding? Would you take tasting notes on a first kiss?

Ah, but it was beautiful. Rich, complex, very fruity and concentrated, but with a backbone of tarry depth. Or so it seemed, in that dark and crowded room as I elbowed people aside to pour myself just another ounce. No spitting!

Your spring rosé: Olivares Jumilla Rosé 2009

2010-02-25T17:29:00.000-08:00

This is one of the most delicious rosés I've ever tasted. Gosh, it's gorgeous. A blend of 70% Monastrell and 30% Syrah from old, ungrafted high altitude vines in the Jumilla region of south eastern Spain.

Deep, rich strawberry and fresh cherry on the nose, with bare hints of sage and dry herbs. On the palate, very consistent with the nose -- dry, with both fresh and deep dried cherries and strawberries followed by a long savoury finish. There's minerality here too, hinting of mountain streams (this is always a quality that I fall in love with). Though it's very fresh, it doesn't have the fleeting quality of many fresh tasting wines. Complex and absolutely gorgeous.

If I had my wish, this is what I'd be drinking all spring. Glorious!

Edited to add: This superb wine will be at BC Liquor Stores by mid-April, and will be priced at $13.99. Bargain!!

Urban Polar Bear!

2010-02-23T13:27:00.000-08:00

On my commute this morning I ran into a polar bear:

The team was soliciting support for Save Winter, a climate change initiative. It was not, as I had originally thought when I first saw it, a mascot for BC's White Bear Wines.

It was quite an effective costume. It was made of mesh and was transparent if you looked closely enough. But the lightness of the costume lent a liquid quality to its movement which made it seem very bear-like. Every time I see a bear in the wild, I'm struck by the fluidity of its gait. Plus, because the people inside could see out the shoulders and sides, the head and neck could be bearishly low.

Caprese Pizza and Hester Creek Trebbiano 2008

2010-02-11T18:53:00.000-08:00

Here's a stellar BC pairing: Caprese pizza from East Van wood-fired pizza institution Lombardo's and Hester Creek Trebbiano.

The Trebbiano is not a solo sipping wine. It's strong-armed and styled for food. Very energetic and macho with lots of lemon zest and mango on the nose, and single note citrus on the plate. Yes, boring by itself, but a terrific complement to pizza, pasta, anything rich with olive oil and cheese.

Ah, just look at that pizza:

Sumac Ridge Tribute -- what to drink during the opening ceremonies

2010-02-10T19:37:00.000-08:00

This evening I had a couple of glasses of Sumac Ridge Tribute with winemaker Mark Wendenburg, and he shared with me his passion for the wine. This methode classique sparkler was harvested in 2007 and made especially to be released in conjunction with... something that's about to happen in Vancouver in a few days. Maybe you've heard of it? The Winter Olympics?

Okay, I'm being an idiot. I live in Vancouver, and we've been hearing of nothing BUT the Olympics since... well, it seems like forever now! I remember walking to work about ten years ago -- when I heard sudden honking from all the cars around, I thought, "Oh, my, I guess we won the Olympic bid."

Mark Wendenburg, Jason James, and their team at Sumac Ridge have been preparing for the release of this wine for a long time. And however people might feel about corporate involvement in the Olympics -- and yes, those Coke and MacDonalds ads drive me crazy too -- what it comes down to is this: Passionate people doing their best work, and trying their darndest to make something special to be part of this special event.

Tribute is a lovely, dry yet fruity Chardonnay-based sparkling wine with fine, persistent mousse and fine, compelling texture. Over an hour's conversation, Mark shared with me his long winemaking process. Because I am a nerd, I am more than interesting in the minutia. But to spare you, I'll just say that like all methode classique wines, it involves a hugely complex process from harvest, first fermentation, bottling, aging in bottle, hand riddling, disgorging, and dosage to capping, labeling and packaging. Each bottle is handled at least 42 times from start to finish.

$1.25 from the sale of each bottle goes to the Canadian Olympic team and the 2010 Olympic and the Paralympic Winter Games, which makes it the perfect beverage to toast the opening ceremonies!

Chenin Blanc, the true true love

2010-01-27T19:01:00.000-08:00

When I go to a wine store, the first thing I look for is Chenin Blanc. Then Muscat, then Viognier. Chenin is my absolute favourite though -- my desert island grape.

More and more Okanagan wineries are making Chenin lately. One of my favourites is Quail's Gate, which I reviewed here ages ago (and I'm not the only person to revere this wine -- it's rumored to have been served to President Obama in recent months). It never fails to be amazing. Another favorite is the Road 13 Old Vines Chenin Blanc, reviewed here.

Here are some other brilliant Chenin Blancs I've fallen in love with recently:

Inniskillin Okanagan Discovery Series Chenin Blanc 2007

From the innovative Inniskillin Okanagan Discovery Series, which offers stellar examples of single varietal wines rarely seen in this part of the world.

Nose: Fresh honey, bright floral and tarragon -- lifted and sweet but with musky undertones.

On the palate: Mellow, velvety, tangerine and orange blossom but with low acid. Amazing balance and a rich, viscous texture.

So very lovely. This is what I crave, and which Chenin Blanc often delivers: A energetic interplay of contrasts, bright yet mellow, dry yet sweet, musky yet lifted.

L'Ecole No. 41 Walla Voila Chenin Blanc 2008

From L'Ecole No. 41 in the Walla Walla Valley in Washington State, another stellar example of Chenin Blanc, again with the energy and contrasts that Chenin seems to offer in abundance. So wonderful. I could easily drink this wine exclusively for the rest of my life.

Nose: Nutmeg and lemon, crisp, floral, and perfumed. Not at all overwhelming, but very nuanced.

On the palate: Lemon pastry! Soft texture, but at the same time cool and crisp. Concentrated, with a long finish and just so very quaffable. We just had it with roasted turkey thigh and it was lovely.

Paprika Chicken recipe

2009-12-27T11:17:00.000-08:00

I've been promising to post my Paprika Chicken recipe for months, and it's finally time to make good on that promise.

8 or 9 chicken thighs, skin removed
1 large onion, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups chicken broth (or 2 cups water and 1 chicken bouillon cube)
1 cup yogurt
4 heaping tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tbsp flour
salt and pepper

In large, high sided frying pan, sauté onions in 1 tbsp olive oil. When done, remove from pan. Salt and pepper the chicken. Turn burner up to medium high, and brown chicken (don't cook it through, though).

Turn the burner head down to med-low, add paprika, stir to coat chicken. Add broth. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Then uncover and cook for another 15 minutes. The liquid should be much reduced.

Mix flour into the yogurt. Remove chicken from the pan, add yogurt to pan, stir until heated and thick, scraping up the tasty bits from the bottom of the pan. Add chicken back in, and serve with roasted potatoes.

Love for Road 13 Vineyards

2009-11-22T15:17:00.001-08:00

Road 13 special mystery guest cleavage!

The Winery

Okay, I'll admit it. When we drove up from the highway toward Road 13 Vineyards, I saw their building and yelled, "Someone must pay for this!" The building is... incongruous to say the least. The original owners of the winery -- an older German couple -- had a dream to have a winery in a castle, and they made that dream a reality... in the Okanagan.

The Okanagan's only castle.

I'm a bit of an architecture snob, and at first glance I hated the building with a fiery passion. But quickly, I have to admit, I began to adore it. What won me over? First, it was their cheery, welcoming tasting room staff:

Ah, who doesn't love a welcoming tasting room?

Then there was the stunning view east across the Golden Mile:

View from Road 13 Winery.

And then there was their wonderful wines, of course! But finally I heard the story about the previous owners making their castle dream a reality, and I really respect that kind of heartfelt enthusiasm. Cheers to them! It's the wines and the spirit that matters, after all. One shouldn't judge a winery by its architecture. Burrowing Owl, for example, is just as incongruous with its New Mexico adobe. Why not have a castle?

Why not go full-on, full-bore, and make your dream come true?

The wines

Road 13 has some of the older vines in the Golden Mile, and they make wonderful wines with them. I was bowled over by the plush texture of the Road 13 Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, with an intense nose of blackberry, dill, and field herbs, and a dark berry, tangerine-herbal-mint palate. It has an energetic byplay between raspy tannins and plush expansiveness. Stunning!

The Cabernet Sauvignon is also impressive because a half bottle lasted no less than 10 days under the vacuum pump. I don't know what this indicates -- some wines will last longer under vacuum than others, and some don't last at all. Cheap wines, however, don't seem to keep under vacuum at all, so I perhaps keeping under vacuum shows a certain purity. I suppose not keeping under vacuum might indicate chaptalization. I'm only guessing here.

Back to the wine! I've also tasted the Road 13 Old Vines Chenin Blanc 2008 recently. Gorgeous! Chenin Blanc is my desert-island varietal, and this certainly didn't disappoint. On the nose: Fresh mountain stream, apricot and blossoms, on the palate: Mineral, more blossoms, and tons of fruit (though I was enjoying it too much to note what kind of fruit). Sometimes skimpy tasting notes just show that the wine was too delicious to record.

You must take it on faith, therefore, that the Road 13 Viognier Marsanne Rousanne is splendid, because somehow I didn't make any notes on it at all. Cardinal sin for a wine blogger!

I wasn't lucky enough this fall to visit to the winery in time to score a bottle of their Sparkling Chenin Blanc, with its irreverent bottle cap closure. It was only available at the winery, and in very limited quantities. Next year, though, it's on my must get list.

The movies

Road 13 has recently released a series of videos about their wines and winemaking process, available here and also on You Tube.

Road 13, I salute you!

Win tickets to Globe in Your Glass!

2009-10-20T12:17:00.001-07:00

The fabulous Globe in Your Glass gala is coming to Vancouver's tony Pan Pacific Hotel on Wednesday, October 28th at 7:00 PM, and I have three pairs of tickets up for grabs.

Taste wines from BC, Australia and California paired with munchies from Chef Roger Planiden, and mingle with visiting winemakers from around the world!

The first three people to email me at vancouverwineevents (at) gmail (dot) com will win a pair of tickets ($50 value). Fab!

Mark your calendar for TASTE: A Celebration of BC Cuisine & Wine

2009-10-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

I love these blind tasting events! I'm putting this one on my personal calendar for December.

Friday, Dec 4, 2009

7pm to 12pm

At Lark Clothing Store, 2315 Main Street, Vancouver

$40 - RSVP

Charity Beneficiary – Mount Pleasant Elementary School

email TasteEvent@gmail.com
Ph 604-879-9965

Event Details
A blind wine tasting of BC wines in 5 categories; crisp, aromatic, elegant, smooth and spicy. Each category will have two wines to taste and a small plate creation by the Garden ParTy Catering. Small plates will be paired with each wine category and feature BC wild, organic ingredients. Ticket sales will benefit Mount Pleasant Elementary School programs.

The event will be structured as a closed tasting. Groups of 25 guests will be admitted at the set times listed on their tickets. They will taste at each station and, then, be given a write up of each participating wine as they exit the tasting room. After tasting, guests can continue on to eight ½ restaurant lounge to relax and discuss.

Associated Businesses
Swallow Tail Culinary Tours
The Garden ParTy Catering
Lark Clothing Store
Browning & Co
The Flower Factory
Eight ½ Restaurant Lounge
Skookum Harvest Wild Foods
Now BC Organic Co-op

To purchase tickets contact TasteEvent@gmail.com or visit Lark Clothing Store or The Flower Factory

For more information contact Dane or Veronika at Lark 604-879-9965

Vancouver Lesbian and Gay Choir looking for donations

2009-09-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

Due to the BC Goverment's slashing of funding for arts organizations, the Vancouver Lesbian and Gay Choir (out and singing to you for 20 years!) is looking at a big funding shortfall. We are doing a lot of fundraising this year, and a small part of that is asking for donations. We're a registered non-profit, so your donation is fully tax-deductible. Here's the link to donate. No amount is too teeny.

We get about half our yearly budget from membership dues. Most of the members pay $250 a year, but that doesn't bring in enough to operate -- especially since we offer dues subsidies for people who want to sing but simply cannot afford it. The bulk of our expenses include paying our director and accompanist, buying music, and paying rental to the groovy lefty church where we rehearse, so the money we spend goes directly back into the community.

In addition to monthly expenses, we are hoping to be able to attend the Unison queer choir festival in Winnipeg this year. We have been fundraising for that trip for several years, but the funding shortfall has drained that bank acccount. We're hoping to build it back up.

If you live in BC, please write your MLA to complain about decimation of arts funding. So many worthy organizations are hurting right now. The best long-term remedy for the entire BC arts community is for the government to resume its support of the arts. Let your representative know that this matters to you, too. (MLA addresses here)

The Vancouver Lesbian and Gay Choir is determined to survive the current crisis, and to keep singing for and about our wonderful, diverse community. With your help we can continue to thrive and grow, both musically and as an organization.

Food Porn: Lunch on the Terrace at Mission Hill

2009-09-24T15:44:00.001-07:00

I'm a lucky girl. I've had a lot of stunning meals in my life. Topping the list is the snails and sardines lunch my honey and I had in Iraklion, Crete, back in 2001. The duck confit at CRU also rates highly in my salivating memory, as does three course price fixe at Momofuku Ssam Bar in NYC. The Crazyweed Kitchen in Canmore will always have a place in my heart. Then there's my dear late dad's grilled steak, which I would give anything to taste again.

This last weekend in the Okanagan we hit the foodie nirvana jackpot -- the Terrace at Mission Hill. It was the last day of their open-air dining season, and the weather couldn't have been more beautiful.

Please excuse me for not describing the flavours in these dishes more fully. We were too busy expiring from the deliciousness to write down specifics. God, it was brilliant. The photos will have to make up for the lack of description. Take it as a given that everything was even more delish than it looks.

They started us out with a little pork loin amuse bouche. It wasn't on the menu so I didn't get a full description of the dish but it was a tasty little munch with wonderful contrasting textures: crispy pork and grainy corn bread.

My honey had the marinated moonstruck feta and antique tomatoes, with sungold 'ketchup' and tarragon. I'm not usually a fan of foam in food presentation, but they do it very well here. Gorgeous!

Here's my starter, duck prosciutto with a leek and Alpine Gold tart, with estate country pears and brown butter. In the poached pear cup are icewine pearls, which they make with icewine, verjus, and agar agar, and they're sitting on brown butter foam. The combination of textures and flavours on this plate were brilliant: chewy, buttery prosciutto and flaky, melt-in-the-mouth savoury tart. The icewine pearls with the pear was utterly surprising -- slippery-crunchy!

With these dishes I had a glass of Mission Hill's Reserve Pinot Gris, crisp, pear-apricot and intense with a long finish.

Now to the mains... my honey had the braised venison shank, calimyrna figs, sundried olive gremolata, and pappardelle. Yes, it's Bambi. Bambi died for our delight. It was brilliant.

And my main was the roasted beef striploin, with roasted sweet corn, chantarelle mushrooms, confit potatoes and mustard jus. Very seasonal: the corn, the roasted peppers, the carrot puree all mellow harvest flavours. And surprisingly, the rare beef was cold and crusted with salt on the underside. Completely delicious, especially accompanied by Mission Hill's Quatrain with its intense plum and chocolate notes.

It didn't take long for my plate to turn to this (and yes, I did swipe the plate with my fingers)...

I also ate every one of those little spicy garnish flowers.

We had to stop and catch our breath for a while before dessert. We watched people explore the winery grounds:

And we watched the hills change colour across the lake:

We even saw a helicopter land on the grounds. We overheard some of the staff say that it was bringing in some people for lunch, and I think it may have been the gentlemen a few tables over, who were celebrating a friend's 50th birthday.

The Terrace is long and thin, and it seems small and intimate but I counted about 80 covers. The service? Warm, friendly, and extremely attentive.

For dessert, my honey had the raspberry and white chocolate daquoise with chai hot chocolate. I believe those are sugared pistachios for garnish. So fresh, so carefully spiced!

I had the sugarpie pumpkin pie, with ginger corn gelato and popcorn. And no, you can't have any. Nobody can have any of this, it's all mine forever. My god. Even my Auntie Amy can't make pumpkin pie like this, and I need a bathtub full of the ginger pumpkin spiced popcorn!

I don't know about you, but when I go to a fine restaurant I go to feel spoiled. I want to be transported from my mundane life into a dream of being a pampered, coddled rich person -- someone who gets the best of everything -- just for a few hours, just to pretend. Mission Hill did that -- they made us feel like the most important people in the universe.

And the food. Having thought it over, I can honestly say that this truly was the highest foodie experience of my life so far. The presentation was artful, the textures playful, the flavours fully integrated and intelligently chosen.

Vancouver Wine Events calendar launched!

2009-09-22T09:44:00.001-07:00

Since it's difficult to find a comprehensive, regularly updated list of all the wine events in town, I've decided to start my own: Vancouver Wine Events. I'm using Google Calendar, so it should be quick and easy for me to add and update events. If I don't keep it updated, please feel free to kick my butt!

My honey and I just got back from a fantastic weekend in the Okanagan. The best part of the trip was a transcendent meal on the Terrace at Mission Hill. It was one of the best meals of my life. I have photos. Food porn is forthcoming!

Also forthcoming is a report on the incredibly fun Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans concert Tinhorn Creek hosted for their 15th Anniversary celebration. What a great party! We had wine, wind, and flying elbows in a two-stepping mosh. I have photos!

Here's a list of all the wineries we visited: Road 13, Burrowing Owl, Hillside Estates, Tinhorn Creek, La Frenz, Poplar Grove, Quail's Gate, Mission Hill, and Mt. Boucherie. Doesn't sound like a lot, but we were exhausted. I have photos galore and lots of wines to blog about. Yeah!

Romancing the Vine (Vista D'oro, Township 7, Dunham & Froese)

2009-08-08T16:45:00.000-07:00

The Trials and Tribulations of owning a boutique winery, by Patrick Murphy of Vista D'oro, Mike Raffan of Township 7, and Kirby Froese of Dunham & Froese, moderated by Shelley Boettcher of the Calgary Herald.

Mike jumped into winemaking as a leap of faith! Made the mistake of asking the owners of Township 7 for their advice on starting a winery, and 6 months later they asked him if he wanted to buy the business.

Patrick has a family winemaking history -- his family made wine with the Bruno Gerussi family in New Westminster. Patrick made the decision to create a value-added farm, with fruit trees they create preserves that are sold throughout the province.

Kirby started in the wine industry in 1998, was a waiter, wine steward, and managed a wine store. Decided he wanted to be in production of wine. Worked for wineries in Australia, then in Chile, then Califorina. Kirby thought he'd find an international wife but then he went home to visit his parents in Moose Jaw and married the next door neighbour. He went to work for Hawthorne Mountain (now See Ya Later Ranch). Now he is practicing Biodynamic and Organic viticulture at Dunham and Froese.

Mike: There are only three big wineries in BC, and all the rest are boutique. One distinction in boutique wine making is that there are no specialists, it's a very colleagial environment. Boutique operations must do quality, or they don't exist. And also, the operation is manual -- each bottle is touched by hand multiple times.

Patrick: Small is the operational word. We must make wine that is unique, and we have to give visitors an experience. Anything under 10,000 cases is probably a good benchmark for "boutique."

Kirby: If you can take your dog to work, you have a boutique winery. He prefers the term "farmgate" to boutique, because boutique sounds like a place you get your hair done.

Mike: I have four things I've learned over all the mistakes I've made and survived. 1) Don't underestimate the importance of funding. The need for capital never stops. 2) If you don't have a winemaking background, don't even try if you don't have a good winemaker whom you can have a close relationship with. 3) You must have a guaranteed grape supply. Wine is expensive in BC because there's more demand for grapes than there is available tonnage. There are 130 wineries fighting for the last 25% of Okanagan grapes. 4) The industry is not mature yet, and there are few resources to get systems and standards into the business.

Patrick: Your budget must be twice what you think it should be. You need cash flow coming in to service your debt. But the reward is significant, if you can make a product you believe in.

Kirby: If you are putting up a building, double the size of the building before it leaves the architect!

Shelley: If you had millions more money what would you do?

Mike: I'm doing this because I love doing it. If I had more cash, in Naramata I would double the size of the winery. I'd like to make a cave winery with a gravity flow, and a beautiful tasting room. I would improve the winemaking facilities so my winemaker wouldn't have any problems with quality.

Patrick: I'd deconstruct our old dairy barn and give ourselves more space.

Kirby: We are actually looking into financing right now (describes his very small production facility). You can do it in a small facility, but it's not easy. This spring we're putting up a new building.

Mike: We were at a tasting at Steamworks, and Kirby's eyes glazed over looking at all the containers on the Vancouver docks, and Kirby said, "Look at all those wineries!"

Shelley: What's your most positive experience?

Mike: The day I met my wife at the tasting table! And the best time is when I'm introducing people to my wine and they love it.

Patrick: The best thing is getting out of the office, into the vineyard. I like it when someone's driven to the winery and wants to buy a bottle of my wine to bring to a special place.

Kirby: I like working with pumps and hoses, the work is very satisfying. Getting accolades from people is eye-opening, and makes you realize you're right to keep doing it.

Tasting: Dunham and Froese Amiciatia (White and Red Bordeaux blends with a twist), and a Rose (southern French style). Township 7 2006 Merlot, aged in oak for 2 years, 6 months in bottle, from the Black Sage Bench, 6 year old vines.

Patrick: Vista D'oro fortified walnut wine, with Marechal Foch, Cab Franc. There are four 100 year old walnut trees on the farm. In 2001, we made their first test batch and by 2005 they decided to get a license, and now we're in their third year of production. Walnuts are harvested on Bastille Day, so it's more like a fruit than a nut.

Question from the floor: What is involved in the decision to go VQA or not?

Mike: We sell in a lot of different channels. The most profitable is to sell out of our tasting room, then restaurants, then private liquor stores, and then VQA stores. So it's less profitable, but it's a really good marketing investment. VQA stores sell over 20% of all BC wines (even though there's only about 20 stores).

Patrick: If we sell it from our farm shop, we get to keep a lot of the tax. We want the recognition of being VQA, because it's a mark of quality and it puts the focus on BC products. A VQA shop helps people make good, educated decisions. Their salespeople can retell our story.

Kirby: (agrees) VQA has been a huge asset to the industry since day 1. We take a little bit of a hit, but it's worth it.

Cool, Single, and Sustainable by Mark Davidson and Ingo Grady

2009-08-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

Mark Davidson is from Wine Australia and Ingo Grady is Director of Wine Education at Mission Hill.

We've got two wines, one from a cool climate and one from a warm climate.

Mark: Australian wines tend to get tarred with the same brush, but they aren't all the same. There is a push towards cool climate wines in order to find wines with more restraint. Especially when you drink wine every day, you can't deal with big jammy wines every day.

Ingo: Most of the world's greatest wines come from areas that are considered cool to moderate. Cool climate = average climate in growing season is 60 degrees or below. Okanagan in 59 degrees. The climate ultimately is the cumulative averages over decades. Winemakers try not to screw up the fruit they've busted their butt to grow.

Two wines: BC Pinot Grigio ($15) is crisp, zesty, light, and refreshing. Australian Eden Valley Riesling ($25) grown at 400 m altitude, longer, cooler growing day, vineyard first planted in 1887, then replanted with Riesling in 1961. Dry, balanced, typical Australian Riesling.

Mark tells his wine education students that if they don't appreciate Riesing by the end of the six week program they'd fail the program and most likely fail in life!

Next wines: Two Chardonnays, from BC, Mission Hill Perpetua($32) (my favourite!) and from Australia Heggies Chardonnay ($27), also from the Eden Valley .

Ingo: There are no absolutes in the wine business, so there is something romantic and appealing about a single-vineyard wine, what expresses a specific place on earth. But there are some single vineyards that are bigger than all the vineyards in the Okanagan! Sometimes single vineyards are just one dimensional.

Ingo: Perpetua is a single vineyard wine that's the result of the accumulated lifetime expertise of a winemaker. The vineyard is just north of the US border. It delivers a completeness that none of our other vineyards do, and it's still developing.

Mark: In a 16 top wines competition in Australia, top California, top everywhere, Perpetua came up #5. (Informal poll -- most people here like Perpetua best.)

Sustainability:
Ingo: As consumers we need to be careful of greenwashing. Okanagan doesn't have a universal sustainability code, but Australia does. To most of us, sustainability means to farm in a way that leaves value for future generations, but still is profitable now. Biodynamic is just organic with religious zeal.

Next wines: Yalumba Tri-Centenary Vine Vale Grenache ($44 and is going up to $70) and White Bear ($13) Sauvignon Blanc. Both wines reflecting responsible practices.

Me: Both lovely, these wines couldn't be more different. I adore Grenache, with its lovely violet scent and mild-mannered bloodiness. This Yalumba Grenache is brilliant. The Sauvignon Blanc is very approachable and fresh with tropical fruit.

Ingo: Sometimes the winemaking is the weak link in organic wines. The fruit is great, but it hasn't been well made.

Mark: The Yalumba Grenache was planted 1889, sustainably farmed, single vineyard, not cool climate as you can obviously taste. The winemaker views this as warm climate Pinot Noir. Turns out the oldest Grenache and Mourvedre vines on the planet are actually now in Australia.

Mark: I actually like the romance of knowing that I've been in the vineyard of the wine I'm drinking. I don't care if it's better or now, I just like it.

Ingo: Having witnessed the evolution of BC winemaking in the past 29 years, a wine like this Grenache is humbling.

Old vs. Young by Sid Cross and Daenna van Mulligan

2009-08-08T13:22:00.000-07:00

Sid Cross of Western Living and Daenna van Mulligan the Wine Diva, and impressaria of Wine Scores, are presenting Old Vs. Young.

Sid is a lawyer, wine writer, food writer, wine competition judge, co-founder of the Chef's Table Society of BC. Daenna says he's tasted more old wine that probably anyone in the room.

But Sid says that just because it's old doesn't mean it's good. He recently opened some 1971 and 1970 wines, nearly 40 years old, that were amazing, but at the same time some he opened some 1989 wines that were terrible.

Today we have 8 wines to taste and some are back vintages.

Daenna asks who has a cellar whether that be a closet or a cubby (many hands up), and mentions that anyone who has a cellar has it because they're aging wine.

Daenna asks whether Burgundies are relevant to people. She says that when she started cellaring wine she and her husband went full on Burgundy, and that was a mistake because there are so many great wines that are also worthy of cellaring.

Tasting wine #1: Typical New Zealand, fresh. Why would you age this wine?

Sid: you age wine in order to get something better at the end. But whether wine is stored properly or not, that aging can go badly.

Daenna: How do you know if a wine is age-worthy? Sid: You need a wine that is good when it's released, then when it's aged it'll be better. Daenna: Anything that is balanced to begin with will do well when aged. Sid: Most wines aren't well balanced. But some of the best value wines right now are from Brazil and Uruguay, but we can't get those here.

Next two wines:
Two Rieslings from Mission Hill -- 1994 and 2007. Sid: Riesling is really worth cellaring. Daenna: Germans don't like to drink old Riesling, and they don't like residual sugar. The darker gold Riesling is from 1994! Wonderful to taste that. Daenna: Sometimes the optimal window for an aged wine can be very short, so it's best to cellar three bottles so you can try to pinpoint the right moment to open it.

My notes: The 1994 Mission Hill Riesling is amazing. A dusty butterscotch nose, with petrol and rose blossom. A beautiful scent, like a $1000/oz perfume. On the palate, dried apple, petrol, buttery lemon, but with crispness and a balanced acidity. Delicious! Wish I had some cheese with this!

Daenna: Wines are like people, when the vines are young they have energy and vigour, but when they're old they have complexity and have calmed down.

Sid: Riesling is amazing because it can have high residual sugar and still be complex.

Next wine, Le Vieux Pin rose 100% free run Pinot Noir: (Free run = letting the colour bleed off the grapes.) Sid: this wine won't get better from aging. The winemaker: For us, we're after finesse and elegance. Grapes were picked at 22 brix, and that would make a terrible red wine, but makes a great rose. In our library we have some 2005, but aging makes this wine subdued. This wine had 36 hours of skin contact. They were after a pale salmon colour. Daenna: I'm drinking a lot of Rose this summer.

Daenna: In my cellar, the whites are Riesling and Chenin Blanc.

Daenna: If someone asks if you want to taste an old wine, do we feel obligated to like it? Do we feel we have to enjoy it because we're wine enthusiasts? Sid: We still have to train our palate so we can enjoy more.

Next wines: Mission Hill SLC Merlot 2005 and 2003.
Daenna: Can see more vibrancy in the 2005 wine. The 2003 has a lot of power, sagey, herbal character, chocolate, plushness, great tannins. (Me: 2003 has a more brick like colour, and it's significantly more delish.)

Next wines: Nederberg Shiraz 2007 and a Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley, Rodney Strong 2003.
But we've run out of time! 40 minute is not enough time to taste and talk about 8 wines.

The Wine Soaked Landscape by Dr. Donna Senese from UBC Okanagan

2009-08-08T12:42:00.000-07:00

(This is a summary of a presentation made by Dr. Donna Senese at Vinocamp 2009)

What is it that draws so many people to wine country? We are in love with wine country all over the world. Her observation as a geographer has shown that there's been a reconstruction of images and iconography associated with the countryside and especially the wine country landscapes. And why is that?

What's seems to be important is that the landscapes are beautiful and make us feel good. Ancient geographers were interested in the wine landscape too. First mapmaking (in Mesopotamia) was to illustrate wine routes -- ways to get the wine to market.

Romans tended to define a civilized area as an area that produced wine.

Abruzzo in Italy: Famous for mountains, sheep, shepherds, mountain sheep, more sheep and sheep cheese, and the production (in tanks the size of football fields) of Montepulciano d"Abruzzo and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, which are major export products.

Abruzzo is spectacularly beautiful, and Donna wonders why it's off the tourism routes? And it has winding roads around the hills -- which makes it easy to get lost, and getting lost is important to wine tourism! A geographer knows that in order to find something, you need to get lost first. Wine tourists want to have the experience of finding something that's off the usual routes -- to have the impression that you're the first to find something.

Her wine guides in Abruzzo were not Italian, though they were of Italian descent, they were South African! They were doing "Family Roots" tours in Abruzzo, and marketed tourism to people whose ancestors were from Abruzzo.

In Abruzzo there are nomadic shepherds who take their sheep from high to low pastures, and they are often on the roads! This is a traditional lifestyle, and this is also part of the tourism industry -- seeing the civilization, the discovery, and the tradition. Abruzzo is the nascent wine tourism area of Italy.

Tuscany, established wine tourism:
Chiantishire -- where British people have come to live in Tuscany, and have taken over. These expats have come for a high class lifestyle "amenity migrants." They life like landed gentry, they don't do any labour on their land. In order to turn a countryside into a wine tourism area, you have to remove the labour and inject civilization, discovery, and tradition.

Andalucia, Spain:
The sherry triangle. This was relatively undeveloped until over-popularity turned the Costa Del Sol into concrete jungles. Now there is a new group of neo-hedonists who have left the coast and have moved into the sherry triangle.

North American wine tourism industry:
Huge growth of wineries since 1992. Her theory is that the most recent growth is in areas that were already established tourism areas, that had the infrastructure already. But there's a synergy between retirees, tourism, and wine country.

Baby wine area in Califoria, El Paso:
El Paso was a cowtown. But then Napa and Sonoma spilled over, which meant land prices rose very high and people looked for cheaper areas to develop. A ten-fold increase in wineries, wine production, and a ten-fold decrease in cattle production.

Hollywood has associated good living with wine country: quality of life, high class living, and removal of labour.

Okanagan Valley, BC:
Decades-long tourism landscape (apples, skis, peaches and beaches!) -- not very sexy, no class association. But then the wine revolution hit the Okanagan, now more than 140 wineries -- but only wine tourism makes this economically viable. More tourists in the shoulder seasons! Wine has changed the landscape -- a fabulous, naturally beautiful, idealized landscape. The ideal geographical condition for a successful wine tourism reason. A apple field turned to a vineyard is now a tourist attraction.

In the Okanagan, nobody makes a lot of money, but people have a lot of money. 60% of the income in the Okanagan is from pensions!

There has been a big migration of people who have money and want to own wineries. The allure of guilt-free hedonism: you buy local, fresh, and drink good wine. This gives you romance, tradition, class, wealth, health, and a feeling of belonging to the landscape.

(Tinhorn Creek winemaker Sandra Oldfield's Vintage Mustang)

Vinocamp Cheesecamp 2009 starting now!

2009-08-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

We are getting started here at Vinocamp (and Cheesecamp!!) 2009. Folks are getting registered, grabbing their seats, grabbing some food and getting settled in.

After the keynote talks, we'll split off into the separate vino and cheese camps. It'll be really interesting to see how the split goes. What will win supreme numbers, the love of wine or the love of cheese? We're hoping vino wins out because the wine room is much larger than the cheese room!

McManis Family Vineyards Viognier 2007

2009-06-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

When I was in Washington last Easter I picked up this bottle of McManis Family Vineyards Viognier at a Trader Joe's. This is a California wine, and I think it cost $10 there in the U.S., but yesterday I saw it at Viti Wine and Lager for just under $30! Oh my stars and sticker shock!

It is a lovely Viognier, though. Maybe not $30 lovely, but I've paid more for worse wine. The nose is classic new world Viognier -- floral and mountain stream aromas, with notes of honey and tangerine. On the palate, it's clean and concentrated plum and pear, with generous mineral character. Delish!

Jackson Triggs 2007 Proprietor's Reserve Viognier with special topic cleavage!

2009-06-15T19:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, this post is about the wonderful Jackson Triggs 2007 Proprietor's Reserve Viognier, first reviewed here 11 months ago and still a favourite.

But first! Bonus cleavage with the newly released Science Fiction book GREEN by Jay Lake, a friend of this column and a wonderful, prolific, earthy, salt-of-the-earth, brilliant, generous writerman!

(This column has a history of presenting cleavage with SF books we're excited about.)

This is, shall I say, a book-and-wine pairing. I am fully dedicated to the Jackson Jackson Triggs 2007 Proprietor's Reserve Viognier. This wine is elegant but earthy, voluptuous but dangerous. It sneaks up on you. At first you think you'll only have a glass but it's so delicious that soon you've emptied the bottle not of your own accord.

On the nose: Elegant with lots of mineral, fresh mountain stream aromas. A bit of citrus and a lot of Macintosh apple, but restrained with the fruit. Complex. Intriguing. You must have more!

On the palate: Very integrated and balanced. Dry, not overly fruity with a brilliant but restrained acidity. Plum and wild strawberry, Macintosh apple. The plum leads to a depth of flavour that is surprising and you just can't get enough!

This wine has developed in the 11 months since I tasted it last, but still the mineral, glacial scree slope character dominates. Glorious.

Ah Jackson Triggs we are your willing slaves! This is my all time favorite Viognier.

Wild Goose Blanc de Noirs 2008

2009-06-14T19:55:00.001-07:00

A gorgeous fruity rosé from those amazingly talented people at Wild Goose. Made from Pinot Noir and Merlot, this luminous peachy-rose coloured wine is so fruity, balanced and delicious. This is a new release which seemed a bit closed at first but after pouring through an aerator it just opened right up.

On the nose, strawberry and rhubarb, on the palate, more of the same plus ripe peach, peach skin and floral honeysuckle. Fruity and silky, glorious!

All hail the BC whites release

2009-06-08T13:28:00.000-07:00

Some people like spring because of the lovely flowers it brings. Some love it for the promise of sunshine and summer vacations. I love spring for the BC whites wine releases!

Over the winter the choices of BC wines become increasingly slim as thirsty wine drinkers empty the shelves. By March, pickings can be exceedingly slim. But then comes May 1, with the promise of many delicious new discoveries! Ah, how wonderful!

Here's a shot of my recent haul from Yaletown's VQA specialist Taylorwood:

What have we here? Wild Goose Blanc de Noirs 2008, Stoneboat Nebbia 2007, Jackson Triggs Viognier 2007 (always a favourite), Cedar Creek Ehrenfelser 2008, and Inniskillin Discovery Series Viognier 2008 (something new for them, I think).

This is treasure!!

Mt. Boucherie Summit Reserve Blaufrankisch 2004

2009-06-04T19:02:00.000-07:00

Special international redhead guest cleavage imported from exotique San Francisco

This adorable red caught my attention at the 2009 Vancouver Playhouse International Winefest. Oh, so delicious! So lovable, so quaffable!

I am not at all familiar with Blaufrankisch. It's an Austrian varietal, also known as Lemburger and Frankovka. The great Jancis Robinson states that the varietal is becoming increasingly popular in Germany of late. If German Blaufrankisch is at all like this lovely BC version, I can certainly see why.

One of the most expensive wines in the Mt. Boucherie portfolio, this retails for $25. In my opinion, the price is a bargain because it has so much to offer. On the nose, tons of fresh, rich blackberry and blueberry fruit generously garnished with black pepper and liquorice. Fine, persistent tannins, a good but not bracing acidity, and lots of liquorice on the palate, with black cherry, blackberry and more blueberry.

The possessor of this post's guest cleavage is a true foodie, and she recommended pairing with Burrata cheese drizzled with a fresh peppery, grassy olive oil. Or a fresh garden pea pasta, or gnocchi with brown butter sauce. But what we actually paired the wine with was good company and conversation. Perfect!

Mt. Boucherie has been one of my favourite BC wineries for years. They do their reds especially well, especially the Syrah, but that also make a terrific Semillion, a wonderful Chardonnay (with a bite!), and many other lovingly crafted wines. No ostentation, just good grapejuice.

Here's a shot of their tasting room, circa 2007:

Not fancy, but very cozy and friendly. And that window in the back has a million dollar view looking east across Okanagan Lake.

Cedar Creek Ehrenfelser 2008 ($19)

2009-05-31T18:42:00.000-07:00

This is what we wait for all winter -- the spring release of the Okanagan whites. Ah, and was it ever worth waiting for.

If you love aromatic whites like I do, you need to taste Cedar Creek's Ehrenfelser. It's a wine to die for. Killer tropical fruit bomb nose -- papaya, pineapple, and mango with floral honeysuckle. On the palate, more tropical fruit dominated by tangerine. It's classed as off dry but I don't find it sweet at all. Glorious balance, nice acidity. Heavenly.

Anthony Gismondi, he of the fabulous shoulders, gives this wine a 89. I give it a yum.

The Ehrenfelser was released on May 1. Taylorwood Wines in Yaletown has 3 cases left and there may be more to be found throughout Vancouver, but it's going to be sold out in a month or two, so get yours now.

This is how it works around here

2009-04-26T17:18:00.000-07:00

I do my taxes, I get Kir Royale. Yeah baby. That's the way it works.

Sparkling wine is Sumac Ridge Stellar's Jay Brut 2004 with a healthy dollop of Chambord Liqueur Royale de France. This is what we call a reward.

Disapproving cat is extra.

Casa La Joya Reserve Viognier 2007 (back to the cleavage)

2009-04-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

Back to this particular wine blog's raison d'etre I bring you the extremely cleavage-worthy Casa La Joya Reserve Viognier 2007 from Viña Bisquertt in Chile's Colchagua Valley.

I was surprised by this elegant, restrained wine. The nose was very mild, green clover with bare hints of wild strawberry, not at all the voluptuous nose most Viognier presents. On the palate, smooth and creamy with some lychee but lots of mineral. A very nice balance and elegant intensity.

A very interesting, intellectual wine. I picked it up at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival wine store. Though it's currently not available at BC Liquor stores, they do carry other Casa La Joya wines so I hope this lovely Viognier will join the lineup soon.

Wines of Mexico Fest, in Vancouver Thursday

2009-04-01T17:12:00.000-07:00

I've been intrigued by Mexican wines ever since I travelled to Mexico City last May. I haven't tasted very many -- only two in fact: this tasty Chenin Columbard from Monte Xanic, and a delicious Viognier from Bodega de Santo Tomas. I had the Viognier at fabulous La Hacienda de Los Morales, an 18th Century mansion in tony Polanco.

Since then I've been dying to explore more Mexican wines. So imagine my disappointment -- I have to miss the Wines of Mexico Fest. The fest is this Thursday, April 2 at the Metropolitan Hotel. Tickets are $35 through and can be purchased through the website.

Mexican wines are practically unknown in Canada, but the Fest will no doubt include some very rare, interesting, quality wines. Don't miss this opportunity to taste where barely any Canadian has tasted before!!

One of the many courtyards at La Hacienda de Los Morales.

Vancouver Winefest Thursday Trade Tasting Report

2009-03-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

Excited crush at the tasting booths (See Ya Later Ranch in the foreground)

I just got home exhausted and exhilarated from my first full day at the wine fest. The whole tasting room was buzzing with energy and excitement all afternoon. Now, the winefest is always exciting, but this one is special because the focus is on BC wines, with a full two thirds of the tasting room devoted to BC wineries.

Here are some highlights of my day:

Mr. and Mrs. Gidda, proprietors of Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery

Mt. Boucherie has been one of my favourite wineries for several years now. I think they do their reds especially well. Today I tasted their Blaufrankisch and I was stunned by it! As always, I can't manage to take tasting notes under pressure in a crowded tasting scenario, but this was had great intensity and spiciness. I'll be looking for this wine again, most definitely.

Me mashing Georg Riedel, the King of Crystal

I got to meet charming Mr. Georg Riedel of Riedel Glass. He was so sweet and formal that I just had to get all Canadian mushy on him. Who wouldn't get mushy on the man responsible for all this wonderful glassware?

Riedel Glasses display

I also met Wade Stark, charming winemaker from Prospect Winery, who looks exactly like my first boyfriend. I managed to restrain myself from kissing him (at least for today).

Bo Concept provided furniture for a great chill-out area in the far end of the room. Having a comfy lounge area to retreat to is just so great. Good idea, folks!

Patti from Okanagan Wine Tours

I met lovely Patti Tetreau from Okanagan Wine Tours. Patti knows everyone!! She didn't come out from behind her booth, or I probably would have kissed her too.

Anne at Les Vins d'Alsace

Anne was one of the team manning the booths at Les Vins d'Alsace, which is promoting the pairing of Alsace wines with Asian food. You can put this pairing to the test at their booths, where they're offering a little tasting plate of sushi and pakoras to taste with the wines. It works! Good pairing!

When you check out their booth, do try the Cremant d'Alsace, a lovely rosé sparkler.

Bradley Cooper and friend!

I just had a brief drive-by wave with Bradley Cooper, intrepid winemaker at Township 7 and Black Cloud, who is BC's most Web 2.0 connected winemaker!

Great wine discoveries of the day:

Mt. Boucherie Blaufrankisch (as mentioned above)
From Jackson Triggs, a brand new, just bottled, behind-the-counter Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz Viognier with incredible flavour and elevating energy from Brooke Blair, J-T's red wine winemaker. (Which reminds me, I have to ask Brooke what happened to J-T's excellent Pinot Noir, which has disappeared from their lineup in recent years.)
Also behind-the-counter from Jackson Triggs, a sparkler just into the bottle for its second fermentation, with wonderful fresh apple and earthy scents. Great potential here. Looking forward to seeing it in about 18 months.
Not a new discovery for me, but do check out Brad Cooper's Black Cloud Pinot Noir at the Township 7 booth (and the wonderful Township 7 wines too, especially their Merlot).
I also got to taste a Pinot Gris from Prospect that was just bottled on Wednesday! Tasty!
Finally, from La Frenz, a stunning Tawny Port!

Check these out, you won't be disappointed. Ah, it was a good day. More reports to come!

P.S. For more Winefest info, see Tiny Bites' Winefest Anthology!

Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival begins!

2009-03-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

"Get Uncorked" the kickoff event of this year's Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival featured several of Inniskillin Okanagan's Discovery Series wines paired with delicious nibbles at Earls Paramount on Hornby Street.

Featured wines were the Chenin Blanc, Marsanne Rousanne, Zinfandel, Malbec and Tempranillo Icewine. Excuse me for not making tasting notes -- it was simply too much of a crush to pay proper attention to the wines or the food. However, the wines were all extremely tasty and well balanced. I've enjoyed most of these offerings before, and I must make a note to review them all properly. The Chenin Blanc is a favourite of mine, and I was especially impressed by the concentrated fresh berry fruitiness and smoothness of the Malbec.

Brilliant service with brilliant smiles

I absolutely love the fact that Inniskillin Okanagan's winemaker Sandor Mayer is so passionate about growing non-traditional varietals, which would seem crazy to even try in Canada. And he makes them work! Vincor really should be applauded for supporting Sandor in this venture. It's nutty enough to grow Malbec in Canada, but Tempranillo Icewine? Oh, it was good!

The Ogopogo was in attendance.

Gorgeous, non-mythical Daenna Van Mulligen, the wine diva herself, looking fabulous!

Sisters Sue Vandervelde from Vancouver and Rachel Christie from Cranbook enjoying the Chenin Blanc.

Colleen Coplick from Buzz Networker cuddles Ryan McKinley from Pinq!

Miss Chenin Blanc keeping glasses full.

Delicious nibbles!

Au Petit Chavignol, new wine bar in East Van

2009-03-23T10:06:00.000-07:00

Au Petit Chavignol tiers of NOM!

Au Petit Chavignol is a new wine bar brought to us by the lovely women responsible for Les Amis du Fromage. It's been open for less than two weeks, and has been packed with customers since the first moment they opened their doors. The wine bar is nestled beside the new third new branch of Les Amis du Fromage at 843 East Hastings, a particularly blah portion of industrial East Hastings. Across the street is the Al Mozaico Flamenco studio, however, which adds a little colour to the concrete and asphalt surroundings.

We arrived at Au Petit Chavignol at 5:15 on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Only 15 minutes after opening the place was already half full. By 5:45 it was packed and people were waiting at the door. Our server told us they've been slammed every moment of the ten days they've been open so far. Why? Well, this wine bar blows all others in Vancouver out of the water. The wine list isn't huge, but it's carefully chosen, and the food is both stupendous and not nearly as expensive as other wine bars in the city.

Food

As expected, Au Petit Chavignol has a killer cheese list. We weren't in the mood to overindulge in dairy, however, so we picked from the other offerings. The Poor Man's Caviar (an eggplant paté), was tender and flavourful with a gloriously creamy texture.

Fig and chestnut salami from Moccia Italian Meat Market (an East Van treasure) -- a very complex, gentle flavour.

Cucumber salad with crottin de chavignol and a delicate lemon dressing, and a melt-in-your-mouth heirloom prosciutto from La Quercia Artisan Cured Meats in Iowa.

All of these dishes were extremely high quality, very fresh and flavourful. My only complaint is that Au Petit Chauvignol's bread doesn't match up to the quality of the food -- it's a characterless white loaf with little flavour and a soft texture. As a paté delivery system it's fine but I always feel that bread should bring more to a meal.

Beverages

I tried two glasses from their by-the-glass list, first Antech Blanquette de Limoux Grande Réserve 2006 -- full of mandarin orange scents and toasty, earthy almond and orange flavours, off dry but with a dry finish. A beautiful wine which has become an instant favourite. Adore!

Second, I had the Château Pesquié Viognier 2007. I found the nose had some floral elements, but mostly lemon pith scents, and the palate was mostly citrus. A very unusual Viognier, not at all voluptuous -- dry, with restrained perfume and a citrus finish.

My honey had a glass of the R&B Brewing Co. Bohemian lager. More East Van pride, yeah!

Ambiance and service

The service was very personable, friendly and attentive. Decor is tasteful, dark grey and dusky plum walls and huge windows (Scout Magazine has some photos of the space when it was in progress). The room is quite small and narrow with concrete floors and a high ceiling, so pack 45 guests into that space (30 at tables and 15 at the big bar) with a team of servers running their butts off and you've got a very noisy room. This is not a place for intimate conversation.

The Damage

Four dishes, two glasses of wine and one beer set us back $55 before tip. Though not cheap, this is most definitely a bargain compared to other Vancouver wine bars. Will we be back? Oh definitely, and at opening time so we don't have to wait!

More info: reviews by Tim Pawsey, Andrew Morrison, Vancouver Magazine, Vitamin Daily and Martini Boys. The man responsible for wonderful Vancouver food blog Butter on the Endive is working the charcuterie station.

Les Faux Bourgeois Café

2009-03-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

Les Faux Bourgeois exterior

Les Faux Bourgeois is a terrific French bistro at Kingsway and Fraser (reviewed here, here, here and here). On February 1 they opened a teeny little café in a corner of their space. It's very small -- cosy in fact -- with four little tables and three seats at the bar. This morning it was bright and welcoming with the sun streaming through the windows. The café feels like a little corner of heaven on the edge of, well, a busy city intersection.

The view out the windows is pure Edmonton:* cars, asphalt, trolly lines, power lines and traffic lights with only the very occasional pedestrian sauntering past. This is not a place for people watching! But inside: a few tables, a little bar with maroon upholdered stools, an iPod playing French music, and lovely young French woman serving perfect coffee.

Les Faux Bourgeois interior

I'm fascinated by their decor. Either this place was created in the 1940s and hermetically sealed until last week, or their interior designer is an utter genius. The wood veneer on the banquettes and the bar looks exactly like it came from an Alberta Legion. Do you know what I mean -- the kind of wood they put on the walls back in the 1940s, seen to this day in Canadian Legions? Real wood, with an ashy stain -- this is what fake wood panelling from the 1970s was trying to be. The floor and backsplash behind the bar are clad in little white hexagonal tiles, and the walls are covered in cheesecloth and whitewashed over. If it weren't for the iPod on the bar I'd think I'd timetraveled walking through the door.

Les Faux Bourgeois coffee

Ah, the coffee. Rich, creamy coffee -- shade-grown, organic, fair trade from Farmer First. We had to stay for two cups. And the pastries! Only two kinds available, croissants and pain au chocalat both from brilliant Thomas Haas, North Vancouver cult chocalatier. Exquisitely tender, flaky, melt in your mouth pastries to die for.

Birds were singing like crazy as we walked through east Van on our way to check the out the cafe. I think spring has finally arrived. In fact, here's proof just up the street from the café!

Sophia and 15th, signs of spring

*Actually I love Edmonton, just not its car-centricness.

Corb Lund Concert at Tinhorn Creek Vineyards

2009-03-16T10:30:00.000-07:00

Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans in concert at Tinhorn Creek Vineyards September 19! We don't particularly care for country music in our house, but we love Corb Lund.

Part of Corb Lund's attraction is that he's an Alberta boy. He reminds me of my cousins back home, the guys I went to high school with, the love of the mountains and prairies, and a life filled with horses, trucks and dogs. But that's not all -- his lyrics are great, his music is terrific, and he's damn smart. Here's a stream of his song Horse Soldier, Horse Soldier, a song about history, of all subjects:

The concert will be held at Tinhorn Creek's Outdoor Amphitheater. Tickets are steep ($200) but include a pre-concert barbecue. If this price makes your teeth chatter a bit, Tinhorn Creek is hosting four other bands in their Canadian Concert Series this summer, at $35 each or $125 for the whole series.

New York Trip Report #4: Vegan pastries from Penny Licks

2009-03-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

Pastries from Penny Licks

How can these fantastically delish looking goodies possibly be vegan, you ask? I have no idea. They sure a heck didn't taste vegan, they tasted as though they were packed with the finest, freshest butter, eggs and cream. The creation at the top left is their peanut butter bomb, which is just so rich the only possible explanation is that their baker sold their firstborn to Satan to get the recipe. Here's a review from a local, and another from Serious Eats New York.

Penny Licks is a little teeny cafe-bakery at 158 Bedford in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, right smack in the center of hipster heaven, a place so hip it's already over. But don't tell that to the throngs of prettily-mussed young people on the street crowding into the great little bookstores, bars and cafés.

Also not to be missed in the area is Uva Wine Shop, with great recommendations and a fascinating, off-the-beaten-track selection; the Bedford Cheese Shop (most definitely not vegan!); and Verb Cafe which had the best decaf espresso my honey has ever tasted, and in fact still dreams of.

Superior coffee from Verb

Name that Wine Association!

2009-03-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

The Powell's vine arbor in Summerland

Name that Wine Association, win a trip to Banée -- Oliver's wine festival, April 17 and 18.

The South Okanagan Wineries Association are on the hunt for a better name. When they got together to come up with a name themselves, the only moniker they could get consensus on was rather unwieldy: OODWCA (Oliver, Osoyoos Desert Wine Country Association). Yikes!

They need help! Something short and catchy, something that evokes the virtues of their specific region, the area where most of the grapes in the Okanagan are grown. Full contest details and entry form here.

New Nuba digs!

2009-03-12T19:55:00.000-07:00

Before the stellar dress rehearsal performance of Vancouver Opera's Rigoletto last week, my honey and I dined at the spacious new digs of Nuba, Vancouver's (formerly) teeny tiny cult Lebanese restaurant. They've only been in the new space a month!

Nuba has always had delicious food. They've been squeezed into two eentzy spaces, one up on Seymour near the Granville Bridge, and the other on West Hastings. Now they've moved the West Hastings space to the basement of the Dominion Building formerly occupied by the well loved Mexican restaurant The Mouse and Bean, and Nuba finally has room to spread their wings.

It's a really good sized room, easily 20 tables, and a spacious granite bar. They've got a nice little cocktail menu including organic sangria and beet Bloody Mary, and a wine list with eight selections by the glass (three whites, one rose and four reds). I expect that the wine list changes quite regularly, but last week the list included the See Ya Later Ranch Riesling, always a favourite here. The by-the-glass menu is $6-8, in keeping with Nuba's very affordable menu.

The food was great. Fresh, tasty and healthy. Here's a little food porn for the record:

Chicken yummy something or other -- not on the web version of their menu.

Dessert: Cardamom creme bruleé and stuffed apricots. Yumm.

Nuba has always been popular, and I don't expect they'd have trouble filling this expansive new space with enthusiastic, satiated diners. However, you really should check out their new digs and treat yourself to some tasty Lebanese cuisine.

Winefest tix still available!

2009-03-05T10:38:00.000-08:00

Tickets! I love tickets!

The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival is just 17 days away. Tickets are 76% sold out and going fast, so get your tickets soon. Don't want to miss out!

Non-link between cancer and booze

2009-03-05T09:15:00.000-08:00

These lovely ladies don't look worried.

Here's an interesting article about the unwarranted hype regarding cancer risks of drinking for women.

Here's a quote:
For over a decade, a constant stream of studies has warned women who drink that they run an increased risk of getting certain cancers, particularly breast cancer. But this steady stream of anti-drinks advice last week gave way to a global torrent when two new studies about the link between drinking and cancer in women received huge, and typically uncritical, international media attention. From Spiked

I'm certainly not saying that booze can't kill you. Recently, I've seen death from alcoholic cirrhosis up close, and it was painful, undignified, disgusting and lengthy. But I do think we're all better off when we don't allow Puritanism to get a choke hold on our enjoyment of life.

Wonderful dinner at Cru

2009-03-01T13:29:00.000-08:00

Red and White and Wine: Someone was feeling a little frisky at supper last Wednesday.

Last week my love and I went for a special birthday supper at the wonderful Vancouver restaurant Cru. We ate like queens. Lucky person that I am, I've had many great meals in my life. One of them was in New York recently. Another, way back in 2001 in Iraklion, Crete, featured snails, beets and sardines. And last week's dinner at Cru was yet another mindblowing meal.

I've eaten at a lot of fine restaurants lately, and have even been lucky enough to dine not once but twice in the last month at the much touted West. Quite frankly, Cru's food is even better than West's and for less than half the price. Cru may be the best foodie bargain in the city.

Cru recently celebrated its fifth anniversary. It's an intimate little space, long and narrow, dimly lit and it feels quite romantic. We were there very early, but I was happy to see that even on a Wednesday night in the middle of February, they filled up quite nicely by 6:30.

And the food. My food porn, let me show it you. We went for four small plates. First we had the Miso-marinated sablefish with cauliflower pureé and greens and the three kinds of bruschetta (cured arctic char and house-made cream cheese; white bean puree, crispy sage and parmesan; and edamame, pecorino and oven-dried tomato). All delicious. Unfortunately fish on cauliflower and bits on bread don't make for the best photos. Just take my word for it, the fish was perfectly tender and flavourful, and the bruchetta was tasty.

Miso-marinated sablefish with cauliflower pureé and greens

Bruchetta x3

As yummy as the first course was, the second course blew it out of the water. We had the Oloroso-sauteed mushrooms, on brioche, with aged white cheddar and balsamic glaze, and the crispy duck leg confit, spätzle goat cheese hash, warm bacon dressing. What a fantastic combination these two dishes were: the earthy sherry-scented mushrooms, yeasty brioche, tangy cheese and balsamico paired with the tender, rich duck and smoky bacon. Oh, a meal to remember.

Oloroso-sauteed mushrooms, on brioche, with aged white cheddar and balsamic glaze

Crispy duck leg confit, spätzle goat cheese hash, warm bacon dressing

Not to get all evangelical on you, but really, you need to run out right now to Cru and order the mushroom and duck small plates. You will not be sorry, and you may have a religious experience. And they're inexpensive!! The duck is $16 and the mushrooms are $13. I'd pay much more for food this good. I've paid much more for food not half as good!

The four dishes were more than enough for a meal for two, but it was a special occasion so we had to have dessert -- Grand Cru Chocolate Truffle with peanut butter mascarpone mousse and Warm Apple Spice Cake with vanilla bean crème fraîche. Both rich but not heavy, with a high comfort food quotient.

Warm Apple Spice Cake with vanilla bean crème fraîche and Grand Cru Chocolate Truffle with peanut butter mascarpone mousse

The six dishes filled us to bursting. And before wine, taxes and tip, this meal was $70. Tell me that isn't a bargain.

Ah, but we did have wine. Wonderful wine, glorious wine by the glass. Cru has a finely curated wine list, very sensitively chosen. We had glasses of:

Cedar Creek Ehrenfelser 2007, aromatic, mysterious and complicated with lots of fruit but also green notes like willow bark and pine, but then also maraschino cherry. This wine made us both nostalgic -- it brought up memories of the lake in Alberta where our families both have cabins. Amazing wine. Can't buy any in the city -- it's sold out everywhere. (I've looked!)

Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris 2007, big mineral and floral nose, big complex almond, orange blossom and asparagus flavours among others I'm just simply not skilled enough to identify. Utterly delicious and complex. I'd like to become well acquainted with this wine.

Quail's Gate Limited Release Pinot Noir 2006. I didn't get any notes down about this one as I was too busy enjoying the food. But it was a beautiful Pinot Noir, fragrant and flavourful.

Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay 2006. This was the only non-BC wine we tasted that evening, and as with the Pinot Noir, I was too transported by the food to pause and write notes. A big, rich, oaky Chardonnay, though, quite nice with tons of butterscotch.

Thanks Cru crew for a terrific evening!

Gray Monk Odyssey III (nonvintage port)

2009-02-24T19:39:00.000-08:00

BC port with Northern Voice 2009 t-shirt.

Here's something completely different -- a BC port. Big flavour, big sweetness (but not cloying!) and best of all the bottle lasts forever. I opened it a few weeks ago and at 19.8% alcohol, it won't lose its virtues for a long, long time.

I know nothing about port -- and even less about BC port -- so I'm not going to pretend. I'll let other speak for me. Here's a run-down of BC port wines from a few years back. And the inimitable Anthony Gismondi (man with mighty shoulders and a mighty database) shows only 5 or 6 BC ports on his site, none of them very recent. La Frenz has one and Quail's Gate has another (both tawny ports). Cedar Creek had a Madiera-style offering but doesn't seem to be making it any longer.

Gray Monk Odyssey III (non vintage; $23)

Humbly admitting I am no port expert, I quite enjoy the Gray Monk Odyssey III. It's light purple-red in colour, vanishing to lavender on the edges. A big, concentrated nose with fresh black cherry and sweet plum scents, with maybe a hint of coffee. The nose comes with a big hit of alcohol (there's the 19.8% again). More sweet plum, blackberry and black cherry on the palate, all fresh fruit, no stewed flavours here. The wine is sweet, of course, but it's not heavy nor cloying.

Delicious. And how wonderful is it to have an opened bottle that will keep? I'll be enjoying this bottle sip by sip for weeks.

Buds on the vine (a shaky metaphor for blogging)

2009-02-20T19:26:00.000-08:00

Sumac Ridge grape buds, July 2008

I've been at the Northern Voice blogging conference for most of today, and I'm feeling a whole hell of a lot of love for my blogging compatriots. I met so many interesting people today, and each and every one of them seemed to be so positive-minded, so generous with their time and knowledge, and so wonderfully warm and genuine that I'm just in love with all of them.

It seems to me -- and excuse the goofy poetics -- that that bloggers share an understanding that we're all in this together. We all share the same root system, the same stem, the same leaves. I won't say there's no spirit of competition among bloggers -- of course there is. But there is a commonality of attitude that includes communicativeness and generosity.

Tomorrow is the second and last day of the conference. It's been a long week and this morning at work I was thinking I might not make it through the whole thing. But now I feel like I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Black Cloud Pinot Noir 2006

2009-02-18T19:04:00.001-08:00

A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou...

We're very serious about wine here at Full Bodied Labs. No wine goes unmeasured, with calipers and petri dishes we come to a completely scientific conclusion...

Ah, heck with it. Here's what we did:

We sat down to a delicious meal of homemade vegetable soup, salad, a fresh baguette, some fine cheeses... and a perfect bottle of wine. And we enjoyed it, with all our hearts.

This is an exciting wine, the first release from two people who are building their dream: Bradley Cooper, winemaker from Township 7 and Audralee Cooper. Together they are Daum Cooper Winery Services, and Brad is all over Web 2.0. Here's the Twitter feed for Black Cloud, Brad's Twitter feed, and their Winery Project blog, which has been active since May 2004.

Brad and Audralee: You've been working toward this for a long time. You've been sweating, worrying, waiting and no doubt you've been wondering. You've done so well. The wine is heaven and I love it so much. Thank you for making such a beautiful wine.

Here we go, this is what it all comes down to:

Black Cloud Pinot Noir 2006

Pretty, clear light ruby in colour. On the nose, blackberry, Bing cherry, and lots of anise. Gorgeous scent, it should be made into a perfume. Ah, lovely. The palate: a mild, gentle Bing cherry and plum -- I'd even say quetsche plum -- old world plum, not new world, if you know the difference.

Gorgeous balance and a lot of finesse here -- this is not a wine that hits you over the head with its virtues. It seduces, it waits until you're vulnerable and then it strikes!

Let it breathe for a bit, and the anise comes out more, the flavours expand. You realize that the flavours were a bit elusive at first and now they're coming to you in full force. Ah, delicious.

Wonderful to sip, perfect with a light simple meal. I wouldn't go any heavier meat than roast chicken or pork. Seek this wine out, it will reward you!

St. Hubertus Chasselas 2007

2009-02-14T13:56:00.000-08:00

When I go wine shopping the first thing I do (after snatching up my favourite bottles) is sniff out the lesser-known white varietals. I picked up this tasty Chasselas at Taylorwood Wines, the fab Yaletown all-BC, all-the-time wine store. Though I'm not too familiar with Chasselas, I'm always willing to take a chance to find a new favourite. This bottle didn't disappoint at all!

An aside: St. Hubertus is a beautiful winery with a bloody disastrous website. They make better wine than html, so don't be put off by that link. Gad.

Lots of mineral in this tasty, tasty wine. The nose is light lemon and green apple, with creamy lemon and more apple on the palate and a very well crafted balance. Delicate, great for sipping, it's fantastic with cheese and I imagine would be a perfect match for grilled scallops.

Momofuku Ssam Bar: New York trip report #3

2009-02-08T12:35:00.000-08:00

Before my trip to NY for Christmas, I visited the blog Serious Eats New York about, oh, twelve times a day. And the post I kept coming back to slaver over was this one about Momofuku Milk Bar.

The other David Chang restaurants, Momofuku Ssam Bar, Noodle Bar and Ko didn't really cross my radar. All I could think of was the Caramel Salted Pistachio softserve, and how someday it would be mine.

We ended up at the milk bar at about 2PM after spending the morning being blown away at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We were hungry, footsore and past ready for lunch, and the bakery looked like it had been cleaned out by very tidy Mongolian hordes, so we slipped through the back way into the Ssam Bar and sat ourselves down in their cosy, simple little dining room. Their chairs are just wooden blocks with no backs, which actually promotes leaning on the tables so no complaints. Perfectly comfy.

We had the $25 price fixe lunch. I won't review the food in detail, because there's a fantastic review here. The food was simple, expertly prepared, and it was one of the most satisfying meals of my life. We had:

Pork buns: kind of deconstructed open pancake/taco style with braised pork belly and hoisin sauce. Succulent.

Kimchi apple salad: exactly what it sounds like, except with BACON. Yummm.

Grilled Branzini: apparently this is a name for Mediterranean sea bass. Just grilled, crispy on the outside, buttery on the inside, with a little olive garnish.

Braised beef brisket: served over noodles and broth, with cilantro and yum.

Blondie pie: a salty sugar caramel pie, to die for.

PB&J: let's look at the PB&J again...

This is a salty peanut butter pastry topped with pannacotta and circled with concord grape preserve. There is nothing on earth more delicious than this dessert.

It tastes like you're two years old and you're having your first peanut butter and jelly sandwich, surrounded by angels singing the hallelujah chorus. That's how good it is.

Their menu apparently changes from day to day, so I assume their wine list does too. I had Baron Knyphausen Baron K Riesling, and a Long Island Marcari Early Chardonnay, and I was enjoying the food and wine too much to write down any tasting notes. Great pairings with the food, though. My honey had Domaine du Page French Country Style Ale from Two Brother's Brewing in Chicago, and absolutely loved it.

After such a huge lunch we were utterly stuffed, but I hadn't forgotten the Caramel Salted Pistachio softserve, raved about here, here, here and here. We rolled back through the restaurant into the bakery, ordered a cup to go and it was...

Cue the hallelujah chorus again. I can't even describe it.

We staggered through the East Village, completely full but unable to stop slurping down the magnificent Caramel Salted Pistachio deliciousness. Did we finish it? Well, it's possible that before we got to St. Mark's Bookshop we did give up and have to ditch the last few ounces of wonderfulness. But we tried, we tried hard.

Morning of art, afternoon of amazing food and book shopping, evening of cuddling on a couch at home with a movie. This was the most perfect day of my life.

Mission Hill Perpetua 2006

2009-02-06T18:39:00.000-08:00

Every so often I fall in love with a wine and it becomes everything I want to drink now and forever. For a few months now, Mission Hill Perpetua has been that wine. I love it. I clutch it to my bosom. And it's a damn good thing the bottles are hard to find or I'd go broke buying them all up. Taylorwood has some, and apparently so does Everything Wine. A bottle will run you about $33, and every drop is precious.

Oh my pretty. My love. Perpetua forever.

Perpetua and Quatrain are the little brother and sister of Mission Hill's flagship Bordeaux-blend Oculus, making a lovely bouquet of three in their Legacy series. These are all small lot, hand picked, small batch wines lovingly made.

Perpetua is a Burgundian style Chardonnay, light on the oak (25% French oak, 75% stainless steel). While I'm not adverse to oak at all, the light touch here highlights the mineral in the fruit, and nothing is overwhelmed. Everything is in perfect balance.

On the nose, Perpetua is nutty, floral and earthy. On the palate, almond and creamy hazlenut, with gentle lemon and orange blossom, and lots of mineral. The finish goes on forever. Gorgeous to sip solo, or beautiful with food: I'm thinking goat cheese pumpkin ravioli with crispy sage and brown butter.

Perpetua I will love you forever.

Sip Bar: New York Trip Report #2

2009-02-02T20:01:00.000-08:00

On our first full day in NYC we went all the way uptown to the very northern tip of Manhattan to visit the Cloisters museum, and spent the day looking at funkyass Medieval art like this:

Check out that demon. Is he digging what the Archangel Michael is dishing out, or what? Pervert.

Anyway, back to the topic of food. After hiking through the snow to get to the museum we were well and truly ready for a nice meal and some yummy drinks. We ended up at Sip Bar, which is on Amsterdam just 2 blocks off the northwest corner of Central Park, just a block away from the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

We didn't end up there randomly, I found it on the good authority of Serious Eats New York, who enticed me there with promises of bacon wrapped, cheese stuffed dates.

I think I spent the entire two weeks before our vacation fantasizing about those dates. In fact, whenever I was bragging to people about our upcoming trip I would tell them about the bacon wrapped, cheese stuffed dates, and watch them drool. But as fate (date) would have it, when we got there our waitress informed us that they just don't make them anymore.

Ah yes, one silent tear for the bacon wrapped, cheese stuffed dates that shall never be mine.

Anyway, we were so hungry that we didn't take photos of the food. We had the chicken kebobs, smashed potatoes, carrots with ginger and wild mushroom strudel. All delicious and wolfed down quickly. The wine list is rudimentary, but I forgive them (it's just a tiny little place, after all). They only have cheap/good/expensive picks for reds and whites. But they do have an nice selection of infusions. I had The Last Goodbye which was dried cherry citrus infused brandy. Yumm.

If I lived in the area (dare to dream) this place would see me every day. They are open from 6AM for the coffee/breakfast crowd and don't close down until 4AM.

New York Trip Report #1: Oak Wine Bar, Williamsburg, Brooklyn

2009-01-31T21:21:00.000-08:00

I've been sooo remiss -- such a lazy blogger for the last few months. But now I've got tons of stuff on deck, so wheeee! I feel no guilt.

First up: My superior honey and I went to NYC this xmas. For two weeks we traded apartments with the adorable sister of a friend and her lovely husband. We got to hang out in their fab Brooklyn apartment, while they got stuck in the largest Vancouver snowstorm in recent memory.

Not to put too fine a point on it, they got this:

And we got this:

Bwaaa ha ha ha ha.

Needless to say, the trip was the best ever. We ate tons of great food, visited art museums, went to the opera, and walked a hell of a lot. We were in heaven.

Okay, first meal report:

The Oak Wine Bar, Williamsburg, Brooklyn

A cozy little wine bar perfectly providing comfort food to a couple of jetlagged, underslept and slight intimidated Canadians.

I was entirely too braindead and tired to even register the quality of their wine list. All I can tell you is that I was underwhelmed by their Chenin Blanc, and it was from South Africa. Their ribs, however, were perhaps the most delicious I've ever tasted:

And my honey was very happy with the almond chicken:

Were we awake? Perhaps not, but we were well fed and happy. And when we walked home afterwards in the dark, in big bad Brooklyn, we had imbibed enough comfort to be able to look around us and feel utterly at home, even under the Brooklyn Queens Expressway:

We admired the odd little buildings:

And the xmas lights:

And then we went home to our hosts' lovely apartment and pretended we were New Yorkers.

Winefest Earlybird Tix available today!

2008-11-18T12:24:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day to buy Vancouver Playhouse International Winefest tickets, and at a special earlybird rate! Sounds like a great xmas present idea to me.

Get them while they're hot!

See Ya Later Ranch Four White Roundup

2008-11-17T19:36:00.000-08:00

What have I been doing lately? Drinking wine, apparently! Specifically, white wine, and more specifically, lately, whites from the Okanagan's gorgeous See Ya Later Ranch.

I visited SYL this summer, and I was utterly bowled over by the beauty of the winery. Now, most wineries are quite lovely, but this one is special. Take a look at this view:

Looking down Hawthorne Mountain

Looking up the mountain

I was also impressed by SYL's whites. Here's a rundown of what I've been sampling lately. Just so you're not surprised, these are all rave reviews. Very well balanced, fresh and tasty wines that are obviously made with great care and love.

See Ya Later Ranch Pinot 3 2006

This is a unique blend: equal parts Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir, with no oak at all. The nose is earthy lemon, pear and melon. The palate was well rounded, peppery and spicy, with distinctive rosemary flavours. It has that dynamic byplay between dryness and sweetness, though of course it's not sweet at all. Very well balanced and scrumptious. I could drink this wine every single day.

See Ya Later Ranch Chardonnay 2007

I'm not too cool to love a Chardonnay, and I love this one. The nose is creamy and fresh, sweet caramel apple. On the palate, as with the Pinot 3, there's a dynamism between acid and sweetness that is just wonderful. There's anise in the flavours, and a long, persistent finish.

See Ya Later Ranch Jimmy My Pal 2007

One of the most charming things about SYL Ranch (aside from their delish wines) is their dog-friendliness. Outside the tasting room there's a shady grove where people can tether their dogs, complete with water bowls and dog toys. And several of their wines are named after the dogs buried in the nearby pet cemetary, created years ago by Major Hugh Fraser for his beloved menagerie.

Jimmy My Pal is a name on one of the gravestones, and SYL donates 50 cents to the SPCA for every bottle sold of this wine.

The mix in this blend is Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. It's a highly mineral wine, which always gets me intrigued. The nose is earthy and musky, with some lemon and that inexplicable fresh mountain stream scent. The flavours are elusive, musky and mineral, and very persistent. This is one of those contemplating wines, and I'd be happy to spend my life trying to figure it out. Loved it.

See Ya Later Ranch Barrel Fermented Semillon 2007

This was probably the most complex wine of the four. It's a big white, with a big personality -- the Mae West of wines. The nose is honeyed and floral, with some citrus. The flavours are oily and dynamic, intense and mellow at the same time. Again, there's the dynamic byplay between acidity and mellowness. There's Macintosh apple, flowers, mineral and almond. A voluptuous wine. Adore.

Love is in the air, and in the wine! Congrats Lori and Mike!

2008-10-02T21:56:00.000-07:00

Photo of the Lovebirds taken on their Engagement Weekend wine touring trip to Yakima and Walla Walla over the Labour Day long weekend. This is at Kiona Winery in Red Mountain. Lori reports that Mike really liked their Syrah while she really enjoyed their Chardonnay and Cab Sauv.

We at Full Bodied are very much in favour of love, in all it's myriad, surprising and wonderful forms.

Why are we mentioning this? Well because we found out a few days ago that Lori Pike, Mission Hill's gorgeous and charming Director of Public Relations and Mike Raffen, the dashing owner of Township 7 Vineyards are getting married! Congratulations Lori and Mike! BC wine royalty, together forever! Whoo!

Yes, I have had a few glasses, but the wine doesn't change this: Love, my darlings, love is God. Beauty is truth, and truth beauty. May your days all be beautiful and truthful together.

Sumac Ridge 2005 Black Sage Vineyard Cabernet Franc ($19.99)

2008-10-02T21:33:00.000-07:00

Let us rejoice, yes, let us celebrate the return of Miss Annie's superior cleavage with this beautiful bottle of Sumac Ridge Cab Franc!!

Friends went to visit family in Summerland recently, and this is the one bottle I begged, nay, pleaded with them to bring back for me -- the lovely Sumac Ridge 2005 Black Sage Vineyard Cabernet Franc. This is one of my all-time favourite BC reds. Ah, it's lovely. BC does Cab Franc very, very well in my opinion.

And you have to admit, Miss Annie's cleavage is lovely too. Far superior to my own. *kow tow*

Ah, the Cab Franc, it's got so much going on! On the nose, lots of green: asparagus, and pine with green plum. New shoe leather, cherry, clove and anise. Burned sugar -- Annie says, "like when you're at a fine restaurant and the table next to you is having the world's best creme bruleé."

The palate: Leather, some plum -- zesty but creamy. Without any denigration, it's refreshing in the same way as Diet Coke -- it has the same proportion of zing and loadedness. Very very satisfying. Unlike many BC reds, it's doesn't overwhelm with tons of fresh fruit. What a wonderful wine. I could drink it forever.

If I could choose just one red for the rest of my life, this very well might be it. It's that good. Thank you Sumac Ridge folks -- it's October and you're labouring on the crush pad. Well, you're doing it for a good reason -- to bring wines like this to us appreciative folks. We thank you!

Mission Hill Reserve Chardonnay 2006 ($19.99 in BC)

2008-09-29T18:18:00.000-07:00

This pretty, pale gold wine is, as of this moment, my favourite Chardonnay. I could drink it forever. I had my first taste at the Wine Access-Mission Hill Winery of the Year dinner at the Blue Water Café in July (food porn blog post here). I adored it then, and I love it now.

This is a wine of contradictions. It's mellow, pretty and friendly, but also complex and has a bit of a bite. It's not a monster -- there's no overoaking here, no massive fruits. Here, Mission Hill proves that restraint and moderation can provide very interesting results indeed.

On the nose, apricot and pear, with swirls of anise and honey. The taste -- Granny Smith apple, lots of mineral and some ash. Creamy, with the oak barely apparent but bringing it all together. There's tons of dynamic energy in the back-and-forth byplay of mellow cream and tangy bite.

Wonderful, wonderful! I am in love!

Happy 5th Birthday CRU!!!

2008-09-26T19:03:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday Miss Annie and I went to a fabulous birthday party for the wonderful, Zagat-rated restaurant and wine bar CRU. Happy birthday CRU!!

And happy 100th post to us, Full-Bodied! Bringing you wine and cleavage several times a week. To celebrate, I give you the best photo taken at the CRU party:

Yes there were three women fluffing Miss Annie. We can't help it, it's what we do.

OK, on topic. Cru is a wonderful restaurant. It has possibly the city's best by-the-glass winelist. The food is terrific, and the chef is seriously adorable. I'm serious. She needs to be on Cute Overload.

CRU chef Alana Peckham, with owner Mark Taylor and manager Bill Eckhardt.

Cheers to you, CRU crew! Your accomplishments are herculean! You have kept a fine restaurant going and growing in the ultra swift and competitive Vancouver marketplace. That's a major accomplishment.

The party was lovely. Here are some pics:

Lovely babes

More babes

Yet more babes

CRU Manager Bill Eckhardt and and Danna Rutherford, who has glorious hair.

Special guest cleavage

I did take photos of men too, but none of them turned out. For example, Ian Hanomansing was there with his lovely and vivacious wife Nancy Trott. He's one of the handsomest men on earth but the photo makes him look like a plague victim.

And I after much protest I managed to get a pic of David (Superhero Waiter Alias: Maurice), but it looks horrible. If I posted it he'd track me down and punish me (not in a good way, either).

We had wine! Mission Hill Pinot Gris, Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris, Township 7 Merlot among wonderful wines I wasn't quick enough to snag. Nice choices, folks.

And we had food! David aka Maurice tirelessly offered plate after plate of Moroccan spiced lamb chops (so tender!), halibut cakes with preserved orange (the world's most wonderful fish stick), house cured salmon (holy wow), heirloom tomato gazpacho (yummm), caramelized onion and sheep’s milk feta tart (to die), and a wonderful blackberry and creme fraiche on a melt in your mouth biscuit (could have eaten 100 of them).

Thank you CRU crew for letting us share in your birthday celebration.

Finally, I leave you with one final babe:

Not only is she gorgeous, she took good care to keep our wine glasses filled.

Grey Monk Odyssey Pinot Gris 2006

2008-09-22T18:46:00.001-07:00

BC wine folks have been weighing in on Pinot Gris lately. BC does Pinot Gris really well, and some say that it should be considered a specialty of our region. Anthony Gismoni discusses the topic here, and I've heard the opinion repeated hither and yon.

Let the Pinot Gris roll, says I! Especially when it's this tasty.

Brief symposium on Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio: they're the same grape, but denote wines made in different styles. Pinot Gris is the French style -- more mellow, more mineral, less fruit. Pinot Grigio is the Italian style -- crisp and fruity. But to confuse the issue, some wineries don't pay attention to the style in naming the wine. If you particularly prefer a style, check with your friendly wine store salesperson before buying.

Grey Monk Odyssey Pinot Gris 2006

This is truly a French-style Pinot Gris, with tons of mineral and a subtle hand with the fruit. The nose is understated, clean and floral. The taste is almond, apple and lots of mineral. This wine for contemplating, it makes you sit down and think. Lately I've been preferring wines that put the mineral up front and go easy on the fruit, so I loved this bottle.

One added benefit to mineral-heavy wines compared to fruit-heavy -- they seem to last longer. Fruity wines tend to taste terrible after just one day in the fridge, but mineral-heavy wines can take a little air. I finished this bottle two days after opening, and it tasted just fine.

Quail's Gate Chenin Blanc 2007

2008-09-22T18:25:00.000-07:00

It's official, Chenin Blanc is my new favourite varietal. It's a lesson in contasts, crisp yet mellow, stony yet floral, it's all about the yum. I adore it! I loved this Mexican offering, and I worship the Inniskillin Discovery version (review to come -- there's a bottle in my "cellar"). Chenin Blanc, I love you!

(You may have noticed by now, I tend to love everything I like. I'm just not a luke-warm kind of person.)

Ok, the wine.

Quail's Gate Chenin Blanc 2007

On the nose, it's fresh, stony, bright mountain stream, with some citrus and floral notes. When I smell it I picture this:

Stream in the Mt. Robson vicinity, by Blibbler

Oh yes, it's heaven.

Taste: At the beginning of the swallow, it's a flash of fresh and disappears, then it builds back quickly with lots of citrus and floral flavours. The finish is long -- about 2 minutes straight, with lip-smacking lemon and lime pith. But it doesn't seem acidic, it's mellow too. And there's more stone -- ash, really. So wonderful.

It's a total treat. $17.99 is a bargain at some BC Liquore stores, though I got my hit at wonderful Taylorwood Wines in Yaletown. Get yours!

UBC Farm is under attack

2008-09-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

UBC Farm free range chickens by bbqmag

We're all worried about the rising cost of groceries, safety in our food supply, and the effect of high oil prices on the future cost of the food we eat. So under these conditions, who looks at the only functioning farm within the city of Vancouver, labels it Future Housing Reserve and plans to build high priced condos on it?

UBC Campus and Community Planning, that's who. Look at a map of UBC, and you won't find the farm. Future Housing Reserve -- that's what it says, and they won't even allow the farm to be properly signposted. (I drove around UBC for over 30 minutes last night, trying to find it.)

The next 6 months are critical for the fate of the farm, and we can all make a difference to help save it. The general public will be given the opportunity to weigh in on the issue during a series of community forums October 16-28. Watch the UBC Farm website for specific information (and I'll post updates here, too).

The farm is valuable -- not just to the 2200 UBC students from 7 faculties who use it for research and learning -- but to all of Vancouver. There are children's programs where kids get to work with volunteer retired farmers to learn about gardening, and there is a market garden every Saturday morning which attracts over 20,000 people each year. Researchers at the farm are doing critical work on healthy ecosystems -- work that cannot be duplicated in a lab or classroom.

Let's not let this wonderful resource get turned into yet more unaffordable condos. Vancouver has plenty of those, but only one farm.

101 things to eat in Vancouver before you die

2008-09-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

Here's an inspiring list of local delectables from Vancouver Magazine. Perhaps a little North and West Vancouver intensive for this big city girl, but some of these treats sound good enough to lure me out to the 'burbs.

To this list I have to add the Walnut Raisin bread from Fratelli, accompanied by St-André cheese from La Grotto del Formaggio next door and fresh Okanagan nectarines.

¡Viva los Vinos Mexicanos! Monte Xanic Chenin Columbard 2006

2008-09-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

In May I was in Mexico City, and on the last day of my trip I managed to find a liquor store and grab a few bottles of Mexican wine to bring home. They've been sitting patiently, waiting to be enjoyed until finally a few days ago I cracked one open.

Lately I have been developing a huge weakness for Chenin Blanc. Yes, I tend to like off-dry wines, is that uncool of me? This bottle was lovely, extremely cleavage-worthy, and if it were available in Vancouver I'd never be without. It was about $12, but the shop I bought it at was in a very upscale area so it would probably be cheaper elsewhere.

The Monte Xanic Chenin Colombard is 95% Chenin Blanc and 5% Colombard. It was very aromatic, with peppery apricot and honey predominating, but also floral and mineral notes. It's off dry, of course, and had a very nicely balanced acidity with honey, peach, apricot flavours with some fine minerality and lingering pepper. The finish was loooooong.

Chicken with nectarines

Chenin Blanc is great to cook with, so I sacrificed a glass to a quick dinner. I carmelized an onion with a chicken breast, then added a sliced nectarine and deglazed the pan with the wine. Quick and Delish!

Strangely -- considering how close Mexico is -- their wines are practically unknown in Canada. Spanish imperialists and missionaries first brought vines to Mexico in 1521, so Mexico has been making wine for longer than any American nation. I intend to find out more! There's an Mexican wines English language blog, sister to one in Spanish.

¡Viva los Vinos Mexicanos!

Dine for charity, my lovelies

2008-09-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

Help save the UBC Farm! Bid bid bid like a baby squid!

More info here.

Agricola Marrone 2006 Langhe Arneis Tre Fie

2008-09-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

Agricola Marrone 2006 Langhe Arneis Tre Fie ($39.50 and worth every penny)

Anthony's lapel, captured at Vinocamp by Luckyfish

First of all, let me apologize for not having a cleavage pic of this wine. It completely deserved it, but I didn't get the shot. Perhaps I was too busy enjoying the wine.

Vancouver's Farmstead Wines brings the Piedmont to BC. Agricola Marrone is a family-run, naturally farmed wine producer in the Piedmont Barolo region. Marrone wines are fantastic. I was first introduced to them last February at the Vancouver Wine Fest, and took home a bottle of their drool-worthy Muscato d'Asti (review here).

Farmstead Wines, by the way, is a real treasure. Passionate proprietor and chef Anthony Nicalo finds naturally farmed, grower-produced wines (which he terms Vinaroon wines) and imports them to BC. The entire Farmstead line can be purchased at Firefly Wines on 12th and Cambie.

Queen of digression: Firefly Wines has an 8-bottle Enomatic wine sampling system, so shoppers can sample wine there at any time. What a fantastic perk!

Back to the Arneis. I'd never heard of the Arneis varietal before -- Italy has so many exotics to explore! Jancis Robinson, in her Oxford Companion to Wine, mentions that it nearly died out in the 1970s but has since seen a resurgence.

The 2006 Langhe Arneis Tre Fie has a gorgeous, delicate floral nose, with pear scents and a touch of honey. On the palate it was dry and light but complex with a deep minerality swirling with ripe Bartlett pear. It would be perfect with grilled halibut. What a beautiful wine.

Help save the UBC Farm!

2008-08-25T14:56:00.000-07:00

UBC farm Ecovillage by Julien Lamarche

The University of British Columbia Farm is being threatened with extinction. Much of the farm's land is being considered for development, and a multi-state initiative is now under way to raise funds to save the farm.

Online Auction

First, an online auction is being held on September 10th - up for grabs is a home-cooked meal for eight prepared by Barbara-jo McIntosh of Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks and Anthony Nicalo of Farmstead Wines. The meal will be no less than five courses, and will be accompanied by Farmstead wines.

Multi-restaurant extravaganza

Next, six of Vancouver's finest restaurants will each be setting a table for six and serving an amazing five-course meal accompanied by Farmstead wines. The restaurants are West, Gastropod, Cru, Fuel, Chow and La Quercia. Prior to the meal, guests will tour the UBC Farm and only then will the find out which restaurant they'll be dining at.

Tickets are $250 and can be purchased by calling Books to Cooks at (604) 688-6755.

All of these wonderful meals will feature food from the UBC Farm. As food security concerns make local food production more and more important for all of us, it's very important to preserve urban farmland and support research in sustainable food practices.

Icewine Martini

2008-08-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a taste sensation to make the tastebuds go wild -- Icewine Martini, recipe courtesy of charming and knowledgeable Sally from Inniskillin Okanagan.

2 oz fine vodka (I use Level Vodka, there's nothing better to my taste)

1 oz icewine

A squeeze of lemon (optional)

Shake shake shake with ice in a cocktail shaker and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a few frozen grapes.

Still very sweet, it's icewine with a hell of a kick. MMMMM!

Prospect Winery 'The Lost Bars' Vidal Icewine 2007 (with cleavage!)

2008-08-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

"No dry white wines today," she said. "I want something sweet."

Well, have we got sweet. Prospect Winery's 'The Lost Bars' Vidal Icewine 2007 -- probably the best value icewine on the market. 375 ml is $40 in BC, less elsewhere, and other icewines run over $50.

Icewine, however, is worth every penny. People work hard, very hard to bring in this harvest. Usually they're picking in the middle of the night, in temperatures well under -8 C. It's cold, dark and dangerous.

Sally from Inniskillin Okanagan (who make amazing icwine) told me that her husband nearly lost a finger to frostbite during last year's midnight New Year's harvest. In the excitement and rush of picking he didn't notice that his finger had gone numb, and by the time they discovered it the finger was nearly gone. It was touch and go for a month, but in the end -- thank goodness -- he did keep the finger.

Sally trots that story out every time a tasting room guest complains about the cost of icewine.

It's pure nectar, and I'm happy to pay for it.

Prospect's Vidal icewine is lovely, honeysuckle and rose aromas, pure sweet honey and flowers on the tongue. Not complex, but very winning. Delish.

Great Canadian by-the-Glass Wine List Challenge: The Veranda at the Empress Hotel

2008-08-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

See Part I of the challenge on our Scrappy Challenger, Okanagan Mountain Lodge near Jasper, Alberta. They stunned us with the wide breadth and depth of their by-the-glass wine list.

Now, the venerable, world-famous Empress Hotel on Victoria's picturesque harbourfront!

It was a hot August afternoon, and I'd just finished a meeting with the Ministry of Forests and Range. I was in the mood for a tipple, and I scanned the waterfront venues -- lots of pubs, but none of them bade fair for a fine wine list. Then my eye caught the Empress. Surely that lovely old dowager would have a great wine list, surely indeed. I sat myself down in a comfy wicker chair on the Veranda and studied the wine list. Here is is:

Well, it's nothing to complain about, and they get huge points for showcasing BC wines. This would be a great wine list at nearly any other venue, but it does seem a tad anemic coming from the great and royal Empress.

However, I can't say I was unsatisfied. Wine, view and a comfy chair? Heaven.

I started off with the Church & State Viognier 2006 -- it was the obvious choice because I love Church & State (they do a terrific job!) and of course I am a sucker for Viognier. The wine came ice cold, so I let it warm up a bit before diving in. It had the classic Viognier mountain stream aroma of flowers and granite, quite concentrated, very aromatic and heavenly. On the palate, some pear and lemon peel but not overly fruity, lots of nice minerality. Gorgeous.

I ended the afternoon with a glass of the Tantalus Old Vines Riesling 2006. I reviewed the 2005 a while back and found it wasn't the style of wine for me, so it was time to give Tantalus another try.

Again, the glass came ice cold. Though that's appreciated on a hot day, Empress, that's just not good serving. Tsk!

The Tantalus Old Vines Riesling 2006 showed a very light citrus nose, with a touch of gasoline (though that could have been the fumes coming off the harbour). It had a lively snap of acid and an absolute ton of lemon. Huge Loads of lemon! Very refreshing, with a long long long finish bursting with lemon peel and citrus fruit. It even left that back-of-the-throat, mouthwatering sensation you get from good lemonade. I've never had a wine with such aggressive citrus before.

As for the Great Canadian by-the-Glass Wine List Challenge -- as sole judge and jury, I decree that the scrappy Overlander wins out over the Empress. However, with wine there are no losers, just happy, interested, slightly inebriated imbibers.

Saturna Island Vineyards from the air

2008-08-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

Isn't this beautiful? If this doesn't look like heaven, I don't know what does.

I took this photo last week while flying on the Harbour Air floatplane from Victoria to Vancouver. It's the Saturna Island Vineyards, and it looks gorgeous.

The vineyard produces Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Chardonnay (oaked and unoaked), and -- uniquely -- a fortified port-style wine. Saturna Island is quite remote, with a population of 350. This article by the Edmonton Journal's Nick Lees says that about 40% of their bistro customers are yachties who arrive at the winery by boat. That's no surprise considering there are no direct ferry sailings from either Victoria or the lower mainland.

Tailgating in Naramata

2008-08-18T15:24:00.000-07:00

The Naramata Bench Tailgate Party is fast approaching! Do you have your tickets? It's less than a month away -- September 13.

Tickets are $75 and include delectables from Naramata Heritage Inn & Spa, Hillside Estate Barrel Room Bistro, Okanagan Herb Co. and The Bench Artisan Food Market, along with (of course) lots of new releases from the 22 participating wineries. The weather should be fine, and everyone will be primed to dance long into the night.

Ah, the breeze coming in off the lake, the rustle of the trembling aspen, the aroma of the ponderosa pines, the stars above, wine, good company and good food, sounds like heaven to me!

Lovely Naramata in the early spring

On blogging!

2008-08-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

And our closing words are by the charming Kelly! On wine blogging. Despite being tipsy and the insane heat - Kelly is, if I may say in my completely unbiased fashion, charming and smart. The message? Speak your mind. The blog is a democratic forum. Go for it. Start your own wine blog, because we want more dialogue, more wines, more discussion, more opinion.

Vinocamp 2008 was awesome!

Organic/Sustainable Winemaking with Anthony Nicalo

2008-08-16T16:08:00.000-07:00

They keep giving us wine to drink! About 14 or so by now. So we are getting less coherent as the day goes on. So, point form from henceforth.

Vinaroon - someone who both grows grapes and makes wine. Old term, since time of Shakespeare, which is coming back into favor.

He's showing up a list of chemical and artificial compounds that can and do show up in factory and some boutique wines. It is long and ugly. Oak extract?

Okay, I might not be sober enough to blog this properly. But...um, Paris Hilton sells wine. In recycled cans. As one woman said, "that makes me want to cry." How much labelled as organic or natural is really just a sales gimmick?

Wine. Sustainable growth. We should be smarter. Eating is an agricultural act. Applying 100 mile diet ideas to wine and pairing wine with food.

Two wines with this:
Grunerfeltniner (sp?) Strasservineberger (sp?) made by Martin Arndorfer. Everything must be done by hand in this vineyard. Rows aren't even big enough for a tractor. Steeply terraced. Martin wanted to farm in a traditional way.

Barberra - Renate Finocchio (sp?). Lovely wine. Outside of Barbaresco. Husband and wife doing all of the work themselves. Served in magnums! Every single label is handpainted. All of them.

And Anthony is wearing an awesome suit.

Vinocamp report 6 - Riedel Glasses and Indian Food

2008-08-16T15:59:00.001-07:00

David Sanders just gave a very illuminating demonstration of varietal-specific glassware. It really does make a difference -- I was incredibly skeptical, but now I believe!

Now it's the Indian Food and Wine Pairing Cooking Class by Chef Bal Arneson of Bal's Healthy Kitchen, who grew up in the Punjab and has been cooking since age 7. She has a cookbook coming out next February! It's about quick and easy, noncomplicated Indian food with 2 or 3 spices and no butter. And she is always asked what kinds of wine go well with Indian food.

She is demonstrating how to make a chickpea dish in less than 7 minutes:

Using ginger and garlic (the two things you should always have in the kitchen) with Garam Masala and cumin seed.

Chops 2 garlic cloves and ginger, simmers in olive oil (though she usually uses grape seed oil)

Add spices and toast -- very important to toast the spices

Chops a tomato, adds it to the pan

Adds a can of chickpeas to the pan (with juices), simmers for a few minutes

Chops a bit of purple onion and sprinkles it on top. DONE!

She believes than men and women aren't supposed to be stuck in the kitchen -- all her meals are 20 minutes or less.

With this dish, intense flavours so you need an aromatic white to balance it. We have Rigamarole White and Rose.

Riedel glassware

2008-08-16T13:04:00.002-07:00

David Sanders, Riedel glassware rep, lays out glassware.

****and here I was completed overwhelmed by glassware and tasting****

This little seminar was fantastic. We tried four varietals in varietal-specific glassware, then moved the wines to other shapes for comparison, including the ubiquitous banquet-style generic wine glass. I've always been skeptical of the idea that differently shaped glasses were necessary - surely the shape of the glass couldn't make *that* much difference. But I'm totally convinced now, particularly with some of the more distinct varieties, like pinot noir and riesling. The pinot noir was bland as hell in the generic glass, and rich and complex in the pinot glass. We tried each wine in each glass and the differences were remarkable. The distinct glassware is designed to highlight the features of the wine and discourage unwanted qualities, and the rim shape aims the wine at the appropriate palate spot. I would never have thought it would make so much of a difference if I hadn't had the chance to participate in a seminar like this. It may just be excellent marketing on the part of Riedel, but I am bloody well convinced.

Vinocamp report 5 -- food and wine pairing

2008-08-16T13:04:00.001-07:00

Next up: Food and Wine Pairing 101 by Sommeliers Michelle and Michaela from House Wine. They are a wine consulting company. They write for Eat magazine and Wine Access. They are also on CFUN radio. But they do not sell wine, they are unbiased. They have very impressive credentials!

There are many myths about food and wine pairing. They are going to talk us through four wines.

Some guidelines:

Drink what you like.

Think about the weight of the dish -- what's heavier, what's lighter. Then you want to match the weight of the wine to the weight of the food. Full bodied and light bodied. We taste a Pinot Grigo and a Chardonnay to illustrate the difference in body. Big bold food with big bold wine, and light bodied wine with lighter food.

The rules about white with fish and red with meat should be thrown out -- match body instead. If you want to serve a big red with fish, maybe use a rich sauce on the fish.

The weight of the protein and the intensity of the flavours are different things. Intensity of flavour -- stays in your mouth for a long time. For instance, spicy food like Indian and Thai food will stay a long time, so pair with Muscat, Gewürztraminer, Viognier.

Hot food -- you want a drink that is low in alcohol (9-12%) because alcohol will react with hot food (Riesling or Muscat)

With pungent, vinegary food -- Riesling or other wines which are high in acidity. Acidity refreshes the palate. Some foods are high in acidity -- artichokes, tomatoes, salads with vinaigrette. Very much want to match the acidity with the wine. (Kelly's note: Ah, that's why Riesling is so good with my paella!)

Tannin -- from seeds, pits and stems. Protein softens tannin -- a high tannin wine should be served with food -- protein and fat will soften the protein. Often a wine that you don't like on its own will be terrific with food. Lamb and Bordeaux or Nebbiolo. To taste the tannin, swirl the wine around aggressively.

Salt -- brings up the flavours of the dish. Salt will also bring up the flavours of the wine. So salt will exaggerate the tannin, make the wine bitter.

Port (or Sauternes) and cheese (salty cheese like Stilton) are a great match of sweet and salt

Food and Wine with House Wines

2008-08-16T12:08:00.001-07:00

House Wines - a wine consulting company - tastings, cellar management, parties, restaurant consultants. Sommeliers with matching adorable dresses with their logo. Dress marketing! Love it.

They don't import or sell one, so they're unbiased in terms of financial investment. Just wines that stun them.

Food and wine! Accompanying the talk are four Prospect Winery wines. I'm a big fan of this winery - everything I've had is tasty and reasonably priced.

Rules for food and wine:

Drink what you like.

The weight of the dish and the weight of the wine - you want to match them. Robust versus light. Lamb stew versus chicken salad. Comparison to full fat milk versus low fat milk. We try the Grigio and the Chardonnay. The Chard is definitely heavier and fuller on the palate. Typically it is. Pinot Grigio tends to be lighter, along with Sauv Blanc. Pinot Gris is heavier on the white side. Red and red meat and white and fish not necessarily the case. What if you don't like white wine?

Rule of intensity - intensity of flavours. Lingering flavours are intense. Need intense wines for intense flavours. Persistent flavours are riesling, gewurtztraminer, viognier, muscat. Spicy foods good with wines lower in alcohol. Riesling could go with ribs, because both intense.

Acidity - we try the Riesling. High in acidity. You feel acidity on the sides on your mouth. Makes you salivate and pucker. Some people like it, some don't. An acidic wine can make the flavours of the food brighter. But an acidic food can make a nonacidic wine taste flat. Match acid levels for food and wine. Tomatoes, for example, are a very acidic food. Cooler climates tend to make for more acidic wines.

Tannin - Tannin from stems and skins and seeds. Tannin is in red wine, but not in whites, generally. Example of tea steeped too long. Makes you pucker. To calm out tannins, you would add milk and sugar. Softens the flavour. Milk is fat and protein. When you have a tannic red wine, these are not wines for just drinking. Great with red meat, full of fat and protein, which softens out the tannins. Cab Sauv, Bordeaux are tannic wines. You feel tannins on the tongue and the cheeks. We swirl around the Shiraz.

Salt - a salty dish might not be good with a tannic wine. Tannins get bitter and intensified by salt or lemon which intensify flavours.

Cheese - They think white wine is better than red with cheese. Because of the tannic increase with salty cheese. Also cheese is high in acidity, so a high acidic wine will clash less. But if you like red... less tannic and highly acidic. Pinot maybe? Beaujolais? Gamay?

Don't worry about going back to white after full bodied reds with a final cheese course.

On that notes, it's lunch time.......

Vinocamp report 4 - Better than homemade

2008-08-16T12:08:00.000-07:00

Bradley Cooper of Township 7 and Wine and Vine BC -- making wine is not difficult, but making good wine is a different story. Wine started out as a communal effort, yet most wine today is factory made.

Consumers want to drink good wine, so as their tastes change often they change from "factory" wines to small producers. They buy from a boutique producer. Sometimes they try a "U-Vin" producer, or sometimes they make wine at home. Or you can contract a winery or a professional wine maker, which is very expensive. There is also Crushpad, a winery in San Francisco which does nothing but make wine privately.

Crushpad:

urban setting, recycled building, extremely HIP, comfortable, welcoming experience

crushed 700 tons in 2007 (lots!!), about 40,000 cases of wine in 650 separate batches

10 staff winemakers, many with excellent track records

has taken Web 2.0 and taken it to Wine 2.0

huge vineyard list, from California, Washington

the client has a checklist of about 30 aspects they want to use in their winemaking

client helps with the process, and can connect to the winery via the internet, with audio and visual stations

biggest tank is 2000 liters -- has tons of little tanks, all tracked via database and bar code

prices start at $19 a bottle, and there are 300 bottles a barrel

complete compliance with state regulations, so clients can actually sell wine commercially

have innovated "zebra barrels" that are made of staves of different ages

top of the line bottling machinery

Brad considers Crushpad the hottest startup in the wine world. Combines top quality and DIY. But could a market as small as Vancouver make it work? Our population is so small compared to San Francisco.

Wine for Elevenses

2008-08-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

Mid-morning wines from Brad Cooper, of Township 7.

White Semillon 2007 - lychee, honeydew, asparagus on the nose. Floral, light, grassy, very acidic.

Red Black Dog - Really like this one. Fantastic nose. Berries and roses, I swear. Made for a private client in 2003. Bordeaux varieties blend, with maybe some Pinot Noir. The crowd likes this one. Too bad we can never buy it.

Brad Cooper - Beyond Homemade

2008-08-16T11:39:00.001-07:00

Consumers are also on a pendulum, swinging to what's trendy, but moving as tastes develop. What's the alternative to factory wines? "Boutique" wines (small producers), making it at home, the make your own wine stores, hring someone for huge amounts of money. A new concept - Crushpad - custom winemakers in downtown Sonoma. 40,000 cases or so, 650 batches. About 10 staff winemakers. You basically fill out a questionaire of what you want (oak, tastes, etc) and pick some grapes, and they make it according to your preferences. Wow. We'll probably see a lot more of this in the future. And they'll help you sell in on the US market. Whoa.

They make and use "zebra barrels" - barrels reconfigured with different ages of oak. They look striped with the new and older pieces alternating. What a great idea.....

Why talk about them? Because it's the hottest start-up in the wine world. Marries quality with the DIY impulse. Nothing currenly like this in Canada.

Brad Cooper - Beyond Homemade

2008-08-16T11:39:00.000-07:00

morning photos at Vinocamp

2008-08-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

Vinocamp report 3

2008-08-16T11:22:00.001-07:00

Next presentation: Geography is a flavour - BC Wine Growing Regions by Kathy Malone, winemaker at Artisan Wine Co.

She is presenting the four different wine growing regions in BC and the possibility of differences in terroir here in BC.

Vancouver island
Coastal areas have high precipitation at the end of the season, so there is a long growing season but a lot of rain at the end which creates mildew and other rots. Have to use early ripening grapes, like Pinot Gris, Ortega, Pinot Noir, Auxerrois, Madeleine Sylvaner. Pretty wines, but not gutsy.

Gulf Islands
Similar to Vancouver Island, and some areas are very dry. Sometimes extreme scarcity of water. Accounts for 0.2% of BC grape harvest. Similar varietals to Vancouver Island, along with Gewerztraminer, Reisling, Chardonnay.

Fraser Valley
Area west of the Coastal mountains to the ocean. Climate has a lot of rain in fall and spring, but can be dry. Frost not a concern, but early ripening varietals still important because of wet rot. Soils are very fertile, silty and high in organic matter, which isn't usually thought to be the best for vines. Varietals: Madeleine Angevine & Sylvaner, Bacchus, Ortega, some Pinot Noir, Merlot and others. Has 1% of BC's grapevine harvest.

Similkameen Valley
Long and narrow valley west of the Okanagan Valley, but no lakes so no moderating effects from water bodies, so it is cold in winter and can be very hot in the summer. Has much higher mountains that the Okanagan, so the heat is held in the evening. Arid with persistent winds. This is a very young growing region, and so not a lot is known about how well it will produce, and what varietals are best. People are experimenting with a lot of different varietals. Gravelly, silty loams with glacial rock formation so there is a lot of potential for terroir. But it's thought that it takes 40 to 50 years for a vine to express the character of the soil, and BC's vines are comparatively young.

6.6% of BC grapes. Varietals: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Merlot, Icewine Pinot Blanc.

Okanagan Valley
The northernmost tip of the Sonoran Desert. Well protected by mountains on either side, rain shadow effect that leaves it dry and arid. Has only 7,500 acres of vineyards, with over 130 wineries, very tiny compared to Washington and Oregon. Hot, dry climate but short intense growing season. Formed by volcanic activity, faults, and glacial erosion. Varied soil landscape, sand, gravel, limestone, volcanic, silt, sandstone and clay. Rich ecology!

Can ripen big reds, cabernets in the south because there are enough degree days. But it's a very challenging climate, with short growing season, cold winters, low rainfall. The key is to limit the yield -- so that the vines have the ability to ripen the crop.

Drip irrigation is mostly used, so there is the least waste of irrigation water. Overhead irrigation is not as good also because it cools the air around the vines, which is not good when you are trying to ripen grapes. It's said that converting to drip irrigation is the equivalent of moving your vineyard 100 km south.

Also use wine machines to lessen cold temperatures -- the use of these machines is growing.

Six subregions of the Okanagan -- Kelowna, Naramata-Skaha, Okanagan Falls-Vaseux Lake, Golden Mile (Oliver west), Black Sage (Oliver east), and Osoyoos Lake Bench. A long-term study is being done to find out if there are identifiable differences in these regions.

Future regions
Research is being done in Lillooet because they get a lot of heat but she can't imagine that it will come to much because it's such a challenging region.

BC Wine Growing Regions

2008-08-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

Kathy Malone on BC terroir - that elusive "somewhereness" - the combination of topography, soil, climate and people captured within wines. So, the quetion is, what's the terroir distinctions in BC wines?

Vancouver Island - Cowichan Valley shielded from the Ocean - a long growing season with low frost list. But all the island regions have a big risk of heavy rain at the end of the season. The moisture can break the grape skins and there's a danger of mold and mildew. So they have to only plant varieties with early harvesting. Pinot Noir is only red grape that "has a hope of ripening" on Vancouver Island. Pinot Gris, Ortego, Auxerrois are some other varieties.

Gulf Islands - Very mild weather, but a scarcity of water and extreme aridity in the summer present challenges. The lack of water stresses the vines, which might be a problem as the vines age. . 0.2% of BC harvest. Some varieties are Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Gewurtztraminer, Riesling, Chardonnay and others.

Fraser Valley - lots of climatic variations, lots of rain in fall and spring, but can be dry in summer. Need again early ripening varieties which can be harvested before fall rains. Soil is silty and high in organic matter because it's a river delta. 1% of the BC winegrape harvest. Predominant varieties are Madeline Angevine and sylvaner, Bacchus, Ortega and others. Wines usually grow better in gravelly conditions, which force the vines to go deep for nutrients.

The Simikameen Valley - Long and narrow, with steep mountainsides. No lakes, as in Okanagan. Which means no moderating effect on temperature. Higher mountains too, which holds the heat at night in the summer. Shading effect, however. Young growing region, people are still learning about it. Arid with persistend wines which can reduce the moisture in the vines and the soil. Stony, gravelly soil. 6.6% of the BC winegrape harvest.

Takes 40-50 years, it's thought, for vines to begin expressing the terroir of soil. The BC growths are so young, we may not see this expression for decades, particularly in a new region like the Simikameen valley.

Okanagan valley - In comparison to other west coast appleations, Okanagan produces a tiny amount of wine. Fascinating discussion of how the valley and lake were formed after the rupture of a huge dam of ice one bazillion years ago. Which makes the soil sandy, great for making those vines struggle. Compared to Bordeaux, there's a similar amount of degree days (a measure of temperature over a year), but we get way less water. Which maybe means more control over how much water the vines get? Someone (didn't catch who) has identified six subregions for the Okanagan valley, and they are investigating to see if flavours are different for each region. The study was scoffed at early on, but it turns out that there are some differences. It's long term study, so time will tell....

Kathy made the Rigamarole Red we're tasting - an unusual blend of Gamay, Pinot Noir and Merlot. Why? "We had Gamay that needed a home."

And now we're out of time.

I love the smell of Sauvignon Blanc in the morning...

2008-08-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

10:30 AM feels almost late here to start drinking. First two wines are Wild Horse Canyon Sauvignon Blanc 2006 and Rigamarole Red, a blend of Gamay, Pinot Noir and Merlot.

The Wild Horse Canyon wines I've had before have been nicely pleasant and crowd pleasing, but nothing that rocks my world. This is not exception, but it's quite tasty and would definitely be a great choice for a party. The Sauvignon Blanc is all melon and citrus, both in the nose and in the mouth.

The Rigamarole Red feels like three wines - juicy and raspberry on the nose, black fruits in the middle and astringent at the end. Nice.

Vinocamp report 2

2008-08-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

Bradley Cooper of Township 7 and Wine and Vine BC is one of the Vinocamp organizers and is also Tweeting and blogging Vinocamp. We're just about to start!

Of course we are using the unconference concept -- participatory, informal, relaxed, and loud!

Drinks After Dark is liveblogging this, too.

First presentation is on the Wine Research Centre at UBC. I'm just writing points on this presentation:

Researches from Canada, Bordeaux, Germany, South Africa

Three molecular biology laboratories, DNA Array, Spectrometry Lab

Studying the aging capability of BC wines, with 26,000 bottle wine library

Vinotheque collection of international vines, with donated vines (some from Robert Mondavi and Gina Gallo) so the students can sample and learn

Have received several multi million dollar grants

Work on Genomics of wine yeast, and genetically altered wine yeasts

Studied sluggish and stuck alcoholic fermentations

Studied Malolactic yeast, which provides no bio-amines, which causes about 20% of humans to get headaches from wine

Has no undergrad courses, but has (for credit) intro and advanced sensory courses, which outsiders can register for

Aging study -- asks BC wineries to donate 24 bottles of wines they think will age well, and then studies two bottles of each a year -- one for analysis and one for tasting with a panel of experts. Now they have studied wines that are 8 years old, and some of them are very good, aging well. They are doing this because not much is known about the aging potential of BC wines.

Live at VinoCamp!

2008-08-16T10:18:00.000-07:00

I'm doing the summary live blogging, because I type slower than Kelly, and I'm lazier. Here we are at VinoCamp 2008! It's lovely and hot here at the UBC Botanical Garden.

After quick intros, Dr. Hennie J.J. van Vuuren speaks about the UBC Wine Research Center. They have a Canadian Wine Library! Which is mostly concerned with gathering scientific date on the aging of BC wines - investigating the chemical compunds in wines as they age. There's also a panel that tastes them every year. Apparently there's quite a waiting list to get on that panel. And they have a collection of international wines, which are donated by the (rich) public, including Robert Mondavi and Gina Gallo, for tasting by poor wine students. van Vuuren works on the genomics of wine yeast - thank god someone does this, because I never could. They're also studying the genomics of wine vines, investigating their health and well-being.

Kathy Malone on Wine Regions of BC is next....

We are at Vinocamp!

2008-08-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

Vinocamp is just beginning.

People are still trickling in, and it looks like a terrific group! And the lunch menu looks fab -- salads, three kinds of pastas, and tiramisu and icewine for dessert. There are at least four people here who are documenting via blogging and twitter, so I'm going to try to find out who they are and post their links.

Great Canadian by-the-Glass Wine List Challenge: Overlander Mountain Lodge

2008-08-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

First, the scrappy challenger: Overlander Mountain Lodge, in sunny Alberta just east of Jasper!

*raucous applause*

The Overlander is just east of gorgeous Roche Miette:

Once upon a time it was the nicest hotel and the fanciest restaurant between Jasper and Edmonton. Even now, the ultra swank Jasper Park Lodge sends people to the Overlander when they're full up. I remember visiting the Overlander for the occasional fancy supper with my parents, way back when. It had a shuffleboard in the lobby and big game heads on the walls of the dining room.

The hotel has been considerably fancied up since then, but the bones are the same. It's still a big old log lodge, and though the animal heads were pretty tasteless, they added more atmosphere than the generic art currently on the walls.

The view can't be beat though. The Stone Peak dining room looks west over the Athabasca valley, with the silver river winding off between mountain crags. (Excuse the poor quality of this photo -- the light was challenging.)

We were there at 6:00 on a Sunday night, and there wasn't another soul in the dining room. We had it all to ourselves.

The wine list

We were there for wines by the glass, as my honey doesn't drive and I don't like risking the lives of friends, family and strangers with DUI. Thus the regular wine list was off limits, but it was impressive!! At least 150 reds and 100 whites, a healthy array of half bottles, 10 champagnes, 11 dessert wines, ports, 21 single malts, and 21 beers including 5 premium Belgian offerings.

Prices were from reasonable to sky high. For example, if you had 5 friends with deep pockets, the six of you could splurge on a vertical tasting of Joseph Phelps Insignia from 1999 to 2005, with bottles ranging from $290-410. Ouch, but worth it!

Okay, wines by the glass. Here's the list. Bear in mind that this is still quite a remote lodge, and the prices reflect the fact that the guests are usually well-heeled vacationers, and also the fact that their staff need to be lured out into the bush.

Not bad, hmmm? Nice interesting array. Good depth and breadth. I like it!

My honey had the See Ya Later Ranch 2006 Gewerztraminer, which I have mentioned recently in this post on the winery. It had a lovely pear and caramel nose, and on the palate, dry but not acidic, spicy and a long long buttery finish. Not too fruity, not too dry. Just lovely.

I had the Quail's Gate Chenin Blanc 2006. Chenin Blanc may just begin to edge Muscat and Viognier out for the top spot on my desert island varietal list. This BC Chenin smells of lemon peel and the great outdoors, and the mineral goes all the way though to the long finish. Totally delicious and worth spending a lot of time contemplating. I adored it.

We had these two wines with a lovely scallop appetizer:

The third and final glass was the Langmeil Three Gardens SGM (Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre) from Australia's Barossa. Holy crow. Nose: Big, smoke, leather prune-plum, concentrated but somehow fresh and lively. Not overwhelming. On the palate: Slippery-smooth at first, with cherry and raspberry jam, it slips down the back of your throat so gently, but then it starts to spark -- like fireworks -- like a strong spirit. Amazing! And the fireworks go on forever. Glorious wine. I'll be searching out a bottle very soon. Wow.

This wine list is the work of the Overlander's head steward Clint, with help and advice from local suppliers. Well done Clint!

Rockies to the Pacific

2008-08-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

In the last three days I have gone from this:

Mount Robson in the Canadian Rockies

To this:

Olympic Peninsula from the Victoria-Vancouver Harbour Air seaplane

And yes, I have wine intel upcoming! It's the battle of the by-the-glass wine lists! Starring the Veranda at the mighty famous Fairmont Empress Hotel, and a little known challenger, the scrappy Overlander Mountain Lodge, just east of the Jasper Park gates.

One of these fine hotels is a winner in the by-the-glass battle, folks, and the other ... well with wine, really is there ever a loser?

The Overlander is a fixture from my youth. I remember going there when I was childlike and cleavage-free. So guess who I'm rooting for?

More soon!!

VinoCamp! VinoCamp!

2008-07-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

Got your VinoCamp tickets yet? I finally managed to write up my VinoCamp abstract. Here it is:

Ah, the Okanagan, our own precious land of wine. Supreme natural beauty, vineyards everywhere, and all the water a boy or girl could want, right? Just look at all those lakes! Well, no. Right now, the Okanagan has the one of the lowest per capita water supplies in Canada and the area's population is going to double in the next 30 years. But this is not a doom and gloom scenario. Multiple initiatives are currently underway to not only manage the Okanagan's water resources, but also to restore and rehabilitiate the rivers, streams, lakes and natural ecosystems on which the health of the entire Okanagan depends.

Join me for an overview of the Okanagan's current water situation, the complex challenges we are facing, and the inspiring work that scientists, legislators, the Okanagan Nation Alliance and other dedicated people are undertaking to meet these challenges and bring about a future where there is water for all.

Now, you thought I was going to talk about cleavage and wine, didn't you. Hah! I am full of sneaky surprises. But my talk will not be dull, I promise you, and there will be wine samples to sip on.

Come to camp!

See Ya Later Ranch, Okanagan Falls, BC

2008-07-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

Vines and bird box at See Ya Later Ranch

On the July long weekend I imposed a day-long Okanagan wine tour on some loved ones who are only marginally interested in wine. Bad me! It was 40C (over 100F), and the five of us were crammed into a small car sans air conditioning. Oh, and did I mention the dog? We had a dog along on the trip too.

First stop was See Ya Later Ranch way up Hawthorne Mountain above Okanagan Falls. It's gorgeous up there, check out the view from their patio...

Is that not heaven? Due to the wide angle lens, this photo doesn't emphasize the elevation very well, but in person you feel very high up. Best view from a winery patio ever? You be the judge. Let me know!

This is the other side of the tasting room/patio building. Isn't it sweet? It's the original ranch house. The land was a cattle ranch until the 1960s, when they started growing hybrid grapes for Andrés. At that time it was called the Hawthorne Mountain vineyard.

The name See Ya Later comes from the area's history. The ranch belonged Major Hugh Fraser, a WWI war vet. He brought back a war bride from England and she didn't last more than a few days in the remote area. As the story goes, her Dear John note only said, "See ya later."

From then on the Major lived alone with his beloved dogs. He had a parrot too -- my friend Nicki's great-grandfather was a Vet in Okanagan Falls, and her grandma remembers the Major bringing his parrot in with a broken wing. The bird had flown into a piece of farm equipment.

SYL is still animal-friendly. They encourage natural pest control by setting up bird boxes all over their vineyards. We caught a good view of this lovely little tree swallow, and also got to see the nest of a sandpiper.

They also have a lovely little dog yard for visitors, which is adjacent to the Major's pet cemetary.

The Wines

Preston was very good to us at the tasting. We tasted four whites (Pinot Gris, Semillon, Gewerztraminer and Riesling), their Meritage, Ehrenfelser icewine, and their brut sparkling wine.

Standouts were the Pinot Gris 2006 -- very much in the French style, intense with an oily texture and lots of mineral. Loved it. Preston says that the 2007 will be amazing.

We also loved their Brut sparkling wine, a Riesling and Chardonnay blend which was very dry and thought-provoking. Delicious work, SYL!