Barbours, Wellies, and Wine

BOOK REVIEW | WINE FOLLY The Essential Guide to Wine

2015-11-05T14:28:00.001-08:00

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words; describing wine maybe even more so.

Madeleine Puckett and Justin Hammock of winefolly.com fame have uncorked the bottle full throttle with their infographic based wine book Wine Folly - The Essential Guide to Wine. The twenty-eight chapter, two hundred and thirty page soft back, is the ideal wine book for both the novice and seasoned professional. Wine Folly covers the Fundamentals of wine; tasting, handling, and food pairing, along with wine styles covering fifty-five of the most recognizable varietals, and twelve main wine growing regions which accounts for just over eighty percent of the global production.

The four steps How to Taste; covering look, smell, taste, and conclusion are well explained for the novice. The descriptors for wine faults and colours are spot on. The chapter on food and wine pairing covers the basics of complementing or contrasting wine and food pairings very much like you would see from Tim Hanni or Andrea Immer. The wine and food pairing flow charts are little harder to read and maybe an issue for someone who is colour blind.

The main focus of the book is the Styles of Wine section. Wines are divided into nine styles from sparkling to dessert with sub divisions of light, medium, and full-bodied. Each of the fifty-five grape varieties is given a two page visual overview. Grape profiles are point rated for fruit, body, tannin, acidity, and alcohol, along with five dominant flavours and a flavour wheel of "possible flavours". The second page covers global production in acres and hectares along with where it is grown, ageing potential, suggested serving temperatures, and average price point. Additional information on regional styles, winemaking, or ageing are visually represented. A sliding scale infographic covers the flavours developed in cool to warm climate wine growing regions. It would have been nice to have a brief food pairing suggestion which each variety; but that is lost when more wine style information is required to explain appellation or regional production rules.

Wine Folly is a great addition to the authors outstanding website with sidebar links to the site. Despite many of my industry peers frowning on QR codes I think a QR code link back to their website on each page would be a great addition for a future release. A few wine regions have been overlooked including Eastern Europe, Canada, and Greece; all regions to watch in my opinion.

I throughly enjoyed this visual journey of wine styles, regions, and tastes and highly recommend a purchase for yourself or a wine lover. Buy the book and a few bottles of wine for the ideal Christmas gift.

Wine Folly The Essential Guide to Wine is available at leading Canadian book shops and on line at Amazon.ca

This book was purchased by me on Amazon at a re-release price.

Alsace | Freshness and Terroir

2015-03-24T13:42:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure to attend an Alsace luncheon hosted by Thierry Fritsch, Enological Engineer for the CIVA and enjoy the experience of the wonderful food friendly wines of the Alsace.

Alsace in a nutshell is a wine region of whites (90% production), home to Hansel and Gretel villages, twenty-six Michelin starred restaurants, and the love child of both France and Germany. The past tug of war conflicts between France and Germany has left a footprint affecting language, food, and wine production.

Alsace has 15,500ha of vineyards, 4,400 grape growers, and a miscellany of terroir with thirteen types of marls, schist, sandstone, limestone, chalk, clay, and granites that affect the unique wines of this region. The Alsace region is four times longer than wide and is nestled between the horsts of the Vosges Mountains and Black Forest that not only effects its geology and climate, but also its culture.

There are only three AOC for the region; Alsace, Alsace Grands Crus (51 site specific vineyards and four per cent of total production) and Cremant d’Alsace (white and rose sparkling wines). Two variants of late harvest wines, Vendange Tardive (VT) and Selection de Grains Nobles (SGN), around out the wine styles. If the grape variety is mentioned on the label, the wine must be made from one hundred per cent of the variety listed. The primary grapes of Alsace are Riesling, Pinot Gris (formerly Tokay Pinot Gris until 2006), Muscat, and Gewürztraminer.

Thierry commented on the nature of Alsace wines; which are fermented totally dry, rarely under go malolactic fermentation, and are made to retain their crunchy acidity and food pairing ability. The wines are ideally suited for the Germanic influenced foods like sauerkraut, tart flambee, and fatty meats. The wines freshness and acidity makes Alsace whites perfect with similar pickled dishes from Asia (kimchi, tsukemoono, and suan cai). Truly international food friendly wines.

Hawksworth Restaurant did a wonderful job of pairing up the wines with a number of courses along with their polished and professional sommelier service. The tart flambee with bacon, sweet onion, and arugula was perfect with the Sparr Pinot Blanc, a slow cooked chicken breast, confit chicken wing, broccoli, and a fingerling potato salad worked well with Pfaffenheim Pinot Gris, the cheese course with the Morbier on a brioche with apricot puree and spiced almond was a bit more challenging matching the slightly bitter note of the cheese with the Gewurz bitterness. The VT wine was a nice match to the tartness of the rhubarb in the vanilla crème with chamomile, poached rhubarb and strawberry.

WINES TASTED: Monday March 23rd 2015 Hawksworth Restaurant York Room

Domaine Zinck Cremant Brut Rose $28.99

Subtle pink with a fine mousse. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity and flavours of strawberry, red cherry, subtle biscuit notes, herbs, and a touch of mineral in the finish.

Maison Pierre Sparr Pinot Blanc Diamant 2011 $21.99

Straw-green with aromas of apple, flower blossom and citrus. Medium-bodied, medium acidity, and a lovely lush and juicy wine with apple, pear, flowers, and a touch of exotic spice.

Maison Trimbach Riesling 2012 $29.99

Pale straw with fresh lime aromas. Medium-bodied with zesty acidity, good concentration, and flavours of lime, green apple, lemon zest, and a touch of mineral in the long finish.

Domaine Zinck Alsace Grand Cru Pfersigberg 2010 $35.99

Yellow green colour with aromas of flowers, herbs, and lemon. Full-bodied, rich with concentrated flavours of honey, spice, poached pear, and minerals. Will improve with another 3-5 years of cellaring.

Maison Michel Chapoutier Pinot Gris Schieferkopf 2010 $29.99

Yellow gold with aromas of butter and malo. Medium to full-bodied with good concentration and flavours of grapefruit pith, subtle malo, and ginger.

Cave de Pfaffenheim Grand Cru Steinert Pinot Gris 2009 $34.95

Yellow gold with a green tinge. Aromas of pineapple and flint. Medium to full-bodied with ripe fruit (smoked pineapple and Mirabelle plum). Richly textured with honeyed rs notes.

Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer 2012 $29.99

Straw yellow with aromas of subtle rose and ginger. Full-bodied, dry, concentrated, and richly oily in texture. Fantastic flavours of grapefruit pith, Turkish Delight, and melon.

Maison Kuhlmann-Platz Grand Cru Schoenenbourg Gewurztraminer 2012 $34.95

Straw yellow with a somewhat closed nose of rose and mineral. Medium-bodied, some rs with flavours of spice, rose, and citrus.

Maison Hugel & Fils Gewuztraminer Vendange Tardive 2003 $39.99

Yellow gold with aromas of ripe tropical fruit, spice, and subtle botrytis. Full-bodied, complex, and rich with perfectly balanced acidity and sweetness. Loads of spice, honey, barley sugar, peach and earthy botrytis hints.

For additional information on the wines of Alsace click on this link.

Sauvignon, Sotolon, and Science | Taste Buds and Molecules by Francois Chartier

2015-03-20T17:38:00.002-07:00

Taste Buds and Molecules by Quebecois sommelier Francois Chartier is a fascinating read into the world of food and wine matching based on molecular compounds and their aromas rather than the tried and true method of pairings based on contrasts, complements, and regionality. The book is divided up into sixteen chapters focusing on particular flavour compounds, ingredients, or molecules. The book is laid out in a format that should appeal to a chef or sommelier, rather than the typical wine or cookbook reader. If you are a fan of chalkboards, mind mapping, bulleted text, and handwritten text and diagrams you’ll love the layout and flow of the book.

My initial sommelier training involved the now dated four taste theory of salty, sweet, sour, and bitter then followed by the concept of a fifth taste umami (savoury created by glutamates) and now possible sixth and seventh flavours of fat and kokumi (heartiness caused by calcium).

Francois’s book focuses on the effects of volatile molecules which effect all fragrances we encounter in wine and food. Using concept of similarities of various molecules he has thought out new and intriguing wine and food pairing options. I read through the book once and then followed up on some of his wine and food suggestions with great results.

Chapter Four | Mint and Sauvignon Blanc

Cold Taste Sandwich

This chapter made the most immediate and time tested sense to me. Mint has always worked with Sauvignon Blanc when I cook. Mint is a bridging ingredient allowing food and wine to marry. An herbaceous Sauvignon naturally pairs with the herb mint. Francois points out that mint belongs in a family of anise-flavoured molecules that also includes tarragon, basil, celery, and apples. These flavours work and are found in cool climate unoaked chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Albarinho. I used this concept to create his “cold taste” sandwich and a pea and mint risotto with the two Sauvignon Blancs. A perfect marriage of flavours occurred in the sandwich made with goat’s cheese, wasabi mayo, Granny Smith apple, green bell pepper, and mint when paired up with a British Columbia La Frenz Sauvignon Blanc. New Zealand's Spy Valley Sauvignon perfectly paired up with a pea and mint risotto.

Sotolon & Sauternes & Tokaji

Chapter Five | Sotolon The Molecular Chain Linking Vin Jaune, Curry, Maple Syrup. Sauternes, Etc.

This was a fascinating chapter where I paired up some top quality ready to serve curry dishes from Vij’s with aged Sauternes and a Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos. The molecule sotolon 4,5-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone gives curry, walnuts, Cuban cigars, aged teas, maple syrup, and over ripe grapes their distinctive flavours. The sotolon rich fenugeek in the curry bridged the food and the sweet wines. The oxidised quality of the Tokaji was a perfect pairing along with the high sugar level which counterbalanced the spice heat. Sotolon also works well with Oloroso Sherry, mature Champagne, Malmsey Madeira, and Vin Jaune.

Lamb with Aged Riesling

Chapter Twelve | Rosemary A Southerner…With An Alsatian Profile!

This chapter deals with the wonderfully aromatic Mediterranean herb rosemary, which I discover is rich in terpenes. This family of volatile molecules includes eucalyptus, petrol, lavender, pine, saffron, and thyme to name only a few. Francois recommended pairing lamb raised on the herbs of the Mediteranean with terpene heavy whites especially Riesling, Muscat, and Gewurztraminer. I paired up a roast herbed lamb with an aged Chilean Riesling for a wonderful complimentary experience. This chapter was a clear winner.

Other chapters that have intrigued me include the "oak and barrels", "Saffron", and "Capsaicin" components. I think a chapter that may have me bewildered is that of Chapter Seventeen "Capsaicin The Fiery Molecule in Chili Peppers" I have a hard time with reds and heat so Im looking forward to trying some of the suggestions and cooler red serving temperatures to see and taste the effects.

After years of trial and error, along professional training in wine and food pairing, it is intriguing to add an additional repertoire of concepts from this book to my day to day dining experiences and wine and food pairings professionally. Science was never my strong point at school, but this was a fascinating and eye opening read.

Taste Buds and Molecules is available on-line at Chapters for $18.80 http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/taste-buds-and-molecules-the/9780771022678-item.html?ikwid=taste+buds&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=2

The Art of the Wine Note

2015-03-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

In this digital age the need for detailed tasting notes has been replaced by the simple smartphone camera click. A digital image of a wine label gives you access to the most basic information you’ll ever need: grape, country, producer, and vintage. Smartphone apps can do the rest supplying you with tasting notes, prices, ratings, and nearby retailers. As a wine professional with handwriting worthy of a doctor’s, I developed over the course of two decades, my own system for writing detailed tasting notes quickly. My initial wine training and note taking came from working in the UK with WSET training as well as North America where numeric systems appear to dominate. Every winery, agent, and sommelier organisation has a unique but somewhat similar tasting structure and lexicon for note taking. My system evolved for the need for speed, accuracy, memorisation, and ability to cross communicate my notes to the trade and consumer. With today's powerful digital and social media wine reviews I can easily transfer my notes from paper to digital quickly and accurately.

Note Taking Short Cuts

As a professional, I've tried to embrace both the WSET and Court of Master Sommeliers lexicons and codexes in my working career. Something not taught is the ability to write comprehensive notes on the fly. In reality most wine tastings do not involve seated tastings but jostling about in a crowded room with pen and paper. Any wine notes come down to the basics; appearance, aroma and flavour, palate (acidity, tannin, sweetness, alcohol, body, and flavour) and a conclusion. From the start I have never been a supporter of numeric ratings of wine whether it’s the twenty point Australia system or the Parkerized North American 100 point system. Numbers mean nothing to a consumer or to most professionals. For me, a wine tasting note, needs to convey a sense of flavour along with the structural foundation of the wine. Acidity, tannins, sugar, texture, and finish are cornerstones of a wine note. I also need to now a bit about the wine making i.e. oak and have an assessment on the quality, price, and age-ability.

I developed a short series of two to four letter codes to write all of my wine notes. Although they appear to convey nothing they actually supply all the information I need about a particular wine. Having memorized a couple hundred codes I can easily transfer this information into written or digital format. My codex covers colour, aroma, flavour, wine components, winemaking, packaging, value, and assessment.

Here is an example of a note for the Tahbilk Marsanne 2011.

Typical Note Taking

CLPG MN+ YN means clear pale green with a medium plus intense youthful nose. D MA+ MAL MB MC+ MTX MF+ reminds me that the wine is dry, has medium alcohol, a medium-body, medium+ flavour, and medium texture, as well a medium+ finish. NC LM PF GFT MN indicates the flavour profile, so in this case ,nectarine, lime, passion fruit, glace fruit, and mineral. NO indicates no oak, - dash indicates ageing ability and the stars ***(*) indicate the quality. Most of this information is non important to a consumer so I usually highlight the descriptors I want to use before posting a note on-line or within a wine app.

Lexicon Short Cuts

My note taking short cut system involves 95 descriptors for appearance, nose, assessment, and conclusion; along with an additional lexicon of just over one hundred and twenty aroma and flavour clusters. Now and then I will experience a new flavour so the lexicon continually grows. The handy nature of my system also allows me to write decent notes in restaurants on the back of napkins or stray bits of paper.

Aroma and Flavour Lexicon

Consumer Tasting Note

If you would like a copy of my short cuts please let me know and I'll e mail you a PDF copy.

Oak, Smoke, and Fermentation| Wine & Cuban Cigar Pairing

2015-01-19T18:04:00.000-08:00

As a sommelier default cigar pairings by text book and execution were Cognac, Armagnac, Scotch, and fortified wines. This left out those sunny evening whites, wintery reds, celebratory bubbles, and post mains stickies, which can successfully pair well with a cigar.

If we look at wine, especially table wine under 14% abv, and cigars there are similarities between these agricultural products that make pairings possible. Wines and cigars are the finished product of fermentation, and terroir, and the human hand.

Habanos can be considered top tier of the cigar world. There are specific farms “vegas” within denominated regions of origin, rules governing the production, ageing, and marketing of cigars; and very much like the finest wines; hands on processes from farm to mouth.

Cuba has four outstanding tobacco growing DO’s known as the “Vegas Finas de Primera”. Vuelta Ajajo is the finest region known for its outstanding soil and macroclimates along with Semi Vuelta, Partido, and Vuelta Arriba. Production of tobacco like wine has a series of calendar driven processes from seedling planting, leaf harvesting, two fermentations over the course of 70 days or more, sorting and classification, and the hand production of the finished product. Tobacco production like grape growing is heavily influenced by climate throughout its growing cycle “vintage”. Cigars are also influenced by shade and sun grown leaves – think cool verse warm climate grape flavours.

A typical cigar is made from five leaves. Three leaves make up the flavour profile; “volado” leaf is light flavoured and very combustable, “seco” leaf is medium flavoured and contributes to the aromas, and the third leaf “ligero” is full flavoured and slow burning . The fourth leaf “capote” is the binder of the filler leaves and will define the final shape of the cigar. The final leaf “capa” is the wrapper, chosen for its flawless colouration and visual appeal. A well-made cigar is much like the Bordeaux cepage with various leaves blended for the perfect balance, flavour profile, and smoke-ability.

What makes a successful marriage of cigars and table wines? Consider cigar size and flavour along with a wine’s fruit level, tannins, oak influence, and acidity. Cigars are measured in not only breadth but also length. Breadth or ring gauge is measured in sixty-fourths of an inch. Slender cigars vary from 26^th to 39^th of an inch, standard cigars 40to 44, and heavy ring gauges from 46 to 52. Cigar length varies from 4 to 7 ¼ inches. Size does not represent strength so you need to know your houses and their style. Be cognisant that size influences smoking time anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour and a half.

As with wine and food pairing; acidity is a factor to consider. Wines are high in acidity compared to cigars that are alkaline in nature. The perfect pairing would be like that of Yuanyang “Hong Kong coffee milk tea”. Flavours are subjective in both wine and cigars, but most successful pairings are those with complementary flavours rather than contrasting flavours. Tannins and cigars are not the best of mates with wine tannins making cigar flavours appear harsher. White wines that are too heavily oaked can also have the same effect. I’ve found from numerous pairings that fruit forward soft reds are a cigars best pairing, along with off-dry to very sweet whites, whose honeyed notes highlight the flavours of cigars. The sweeter the wine the heavier and more flavourable cigar match is possible.

HOUSE STYLE GUIDE

Light-flavoured | Hoyo de Monterrey, Quai D’Orsay, Fonseca, and Guantamera

Medium-flavoured | Punch, Romeo Y Julietta, Por Larranaga, Diplomaticos, Cohiba, and H. Upmann

Full-flavoured |Bolivar, Partagas, Raman Allones, and Saint Luis Rey

Lighter cigars are great matches to new world Pinot Noir, Gamay, and Tempranillo. Pinot Noir’s elegant texture and soft tannins along cranberry, rhubarb, and smokey forest floor flavours are a perfect complementary style. Rioja’s Tempranillo mirrors many flavours of light to medium-bodied cigars with its raspberry, leafy, and cedar/vanilla/coconut notes from extended oak ageing. Reserva’s and Gran Reserva’s are beautiful complementary smoking reds. Gamay with its bright ripe fruit and soft tannins is a great bridge between light and full-bodied cigars. If you are a fan of "natural" wines or those with some VA or touch of brettanomyces these endear themselves to cigars. Tuscany's Sangiovese can work with light to medium cigars especially with a bit of bottle age.

Bordeaux and Meritage style wines work perfectly fine with lighter cigars especially after five to ten years of ageing once the tannins soften and tertiary notes appear. Younger Cabernet is an interesting experience if the wine exhibits any of the classic chocolate box or minty flavours. Be aware of tannic Cabs.

Medium-bodied cigars nicely pair with ripe juicy reds especially Zinfandel and Australian Shiraz. Zinfandel is a nice complementary pairing with its spice and briar notes. French Cote du Rhones and aged Syrahs also work well medium flavoured cigars. With full flavoured cigars I prefer youthful fruit forward reds with loads of fruit and soft tannins. With aged and complex wines veer towards complex lighter cigars. Italian Amarone is another option with full-flavoured cigars just be aware of the tannins of the wine.

White wines are the biggest challenges to pairing with cigars. The natural acidity level in whites competes with most cigar flavours and acts as a palate refresher with each sip. Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis, and Pinot Gris are not great matches. Bold Chardonnay based Champagne and sparkling wine is a good bet all cigars. The autolysis notes of bread, yeast, and cream are pleasant cigar partners. White friendly cigar wines are those with some oak treatment and/or malolactic influences i.e. many new world Chardonnays.

Riesling, especially when off-dry, works well with many cigars as the riper fruit flavours intermingle with the floral and woody notes. A stunning match with cigars also includes dessert wines including botrytis heavy Sauternes and those made from Furmint. Try a Hungarian Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos with a full-flavoured or maduro cigar, a heavenly mix of honeyed fruit, smoke, and unctuousness. With white wines contrasting matches seem to be the best matches.

Give a table wine and a cigar a try... you may be pleasantly surprised.

Country Walks - Fort Langley

2014-11-06T18:26:00.002-08:00

One of the things I miss about the UK is the access to the countryside, good walks, and a warm pub for a pint and meal. It was a pleasure to visit Fort Langley and walk the Fort-to-Fort Trail last week and re-kindle the charm of the countryside. An hour car trip away, or in my case ninety minutes on public transportation involving the Skytrain and two buses made for a leisurely morning commute.

The Fort-to-Fort Trail links the original Hudson Bay Company location within the Derby Reach Regional Park to its current historic location in Fort Langley. The walk is a splendid mix of thicket, river views, marshes, and subtle grassy knolls along with an interesting history involving the HBC, its fur trading route, Anglo-American tensions, and the birthplace of British Columbia and of its original residents the Stó:lō “river” people. An interesting heritage apple tree selfguided tour is well worth part of the walk with trees planted by the HBC back in 1827.

This walk is easy and gentle from the current starting point at the historic Fort through the town Centre and along the Bedford channel with its views of Brae Island on your right. The trail deviates a bit along Allard Crescent home to gentlemen/hobby farmers. Walking this stretch is like a scene from Top Gear – expect to see lambos, Land Rovers, and Astons purr by the large gated estates. From here you meander through Derby Reach Regional Park and experience a bit of a change in grade about 14% over the course of the 4.6 km walk. Give yourself two hours to walk in both directions returning to Fort Langley town Centre for a bite and pint.

Saturday November 22nd is Christmas Tree Lighting night a jolly good reason to pop out to the country for dinner, a stiff drink, and another Christmassy walk.

Bites and Drinks

Hand food : Say Cheese

Pub Grub: Fort Pub (Parallel 49 beer on tap)

Fork and Knife Dining: Lamplighter (reservations recommended)

Beverages: Republika Coffee Roasters (great roasters using organic/fairtrade beans)

A Must! 2014 BC Vintage

2014-10-16T13:53:00.000-07:00

This year is looking like a stellar vintage for many winegrowers in the Okanagan. A warm summer has lead to reports of excellent phenolic ripeness and great natural acidity. BUY BC!

This week I attended a rather unique tasting lead by Master of Wine Rhys Pender for the British Columbia Wine Institute. The tasting included 2014 musts, the intermediate bridge between grape juice and wine, along with examples of 2012 and 2013 vintages that are a BCLDB focus promotion for the month of October. Along with my colleagues it was a rare treat to taste musts for Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, and Cabernet as well as surmise their finished fate.

Rhys Pender, winemaker and owner of Little Farm Winery, as well as an MW; lead the seminar on winemaking basics in the Okanagan and discussion of the flights of wine. He stated an interesting and overlooked fact that Canada has one of the few iconic wine styles that represent a country “Ice Wine”. Rhys also discussed Canada as a “cool climate” wine country despite having extremely warm and cool microclimates throughout the Okanagan, The Islands, and Fraser Valley. Time for a re-think of BC’s regions and classifications?

What I found fascinating was the tasting of the musts and freshly picked grapes. They were in various stages of change from juice to partial fermentation, cloudy, and full of organic matter.

Pinot Gris must | Cloudy and grapefruit/orange juice mix in colour. Aromatic but not noticeably Pinot Gris in flavour and aroma.

Gewurztraminer must | Less cloudy than Pinot Gris, pink grapefruit juice colour. Subtle lychee aromas and flavours. Noticeable varietal flavour profile.

Merlot must | vivid purple black colour with flavours and aromas of plum, blueberry, and cocoa. Sweet and full of particulate matter.

Cabernet Sauvignon must | violet purple colour with aromas of cassis and red berries. Lighter than the merlot must.

Throughout October, the BCLDB is promoting British Columbia wines, here are my notes on the ten I tasted being featured in various retail locations.

My Ratings | * = poor ***** = outstanding

Nk’Mip Pinot Blanc 2013 $15.95

Pale green with green apple and pear aromas. Light-bodied with apple, pear, and subtle mineral notes. ***

Sandhill Hidden Terrace Sauvignon Blanc 2013 $18.99

Straw green with herby gooseberry leaf aromas. Medium-bodied with good concentration and acidity. A herby leafy style of SB. ****

Gehringer Brothers Estate Pinot Gris 2013 $14.99

Straw green with glade fruit, apple, and grapefruit notes. Medium-bodied and crisp with ripe apple and grapefruit pith flavours. ***

Lake Breeze Vineyards Pinot Gris 2013 $19

Yellow green with Alsace style aromas (restrained grapefruit). Medium-bodied, dry, bigger and richer than the Gehringer. Lots of apple and grapefruit and a mineral laced finish. ****

Gray Monk Estate Winery Gewürztraminer 2013 $16.99

Straw green with lychee and subtle rose aromas. Medium-bodied, relatively dry, with ginger and subtle lychee notes.

Wild Goose Vineyards Gewürztraminer 2013 $18.50

Straw green with a very perfumey driven nose (sweet spices and rose). Medium-bodied, drier than Gray Monk, with good concentration and flavours of spice, fresh ginger, and lychee. ****

Hester Creek Estate Winery Select Barrels Merlot 2012 $18.95

Ruby red with herbal aromas and a touch of cedar. Medium-bodied, easy to drink, with notes of plum, cocoa, spice, and a hint of dill. **(*)

Mooncurser Vineyards Cabernet Merlot 2012 $20.90

Youthful ruby purple colour with new oak/cedar aromas. Medium to full-bodied with cassis, blueberry, subtle vanilla and a blackcurranty finish. ****

Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 $16.99

Ruby purple with aromas of herb and blackberry. Medium-bodied, easy to drink style, and flavours of herb, chocolate, and cassis. **(*)

Time Estate The Girls Vivacious Rose 2013 $19.99

Coppery pink with wild strawberry and raspberry aromas. Light-bodied with a soft mid palate and clean crisp finish. Easy to drink rose with strawberry dominate notes *** 100% of this wine sales goes to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - BC/Yukon Region (CBCF)

Looking for more information on the wines of British Columbia? Click here for the BC Wine Institute website.

Bodegas Valduero – Rising Star of Ribera del Duero

2014-06-18T00:08:00.003-07:00

The mention of Ribera conjures thoughts of Vega Sicilia, Pingus, Pesquera, Abadia Retuera, Hacienda Monasterio, and Bodegas Alión to Spanish wine fans. Not bad for a region, that thirty years ago, was a infant that now challenges Rioja for Spain’s greatest region. Conceived in 1982 with a handful of winemakers, Ribera now has in excess of 18.000 ha of vines, and over two hundred recognised wineries.

What makes Ribera unique? A combination of three factors; terroir – similar to the Douro with complex mixes of limestone, marl and chalk, a dramatic microclimate with a short and hot growing season along with diurnal temperature variations from 10 to 35 degrees, and a focus on a single grape - Tempranillo known locally as Tinto Fino or Tinto del Pais.

Bodegas Valduero, founded in 1984, is the child of Gregorio Garcia and his winemaking daughter Yolanda. The property consists of two hundred hectares surrounding the village of Gumiel de Mercado.

Wines and lunch at Cinara with wine service by Sommelier Terry Threlfall who did a great job with serving all the wines at the perfect temperature.

Albillo Blanco 2012 $27.99

This rare white varietal is only allowed to be grown at Valduero and Vega Sicilia. Just 2% of all planting are Albillio. Average vine age is twelve years.

Yellow gold with aromas of mineral, citrus, and a hint of herbs. Medium-bodied with a rich leesy texture, great acidity, and flavours of flowers, glace fruit, grapefruit, and a hint of beeswax and mineral. ****

Rosado 2012 $19.99

A blend of 60% Tempranillo (35 to 40 year old vines) and 40% Albillo using the saignee method.

Paired with spring salmon, sunflower seeds, rye berries, herbs, and citrus vinaigrette - Albillo was the best match.

Medium deep rose colouration with aromas of strawberry leaf. Medium-bodied, dry, refreshing acidity, and back to front wild strawberry and pepper notes.***(*)

2009 Crianza $44.99

100% Tempranillo, 15 months of oak ageing, 1 year of bottle ageing

Ruby red with aromas of herbs, tobacco, and dark black fruits. Medium to full-bodied, good concentration and integrated tannins. Complex flavours of oolong tea, vanilla, leather, and exotic spice. ****

2010 Crianza $44.99

Ruby purple with aromas of blackcurrant, spice, and leather. Full-bodied, youthful, good concentration and structure. Lots of tea, herb, spice, and leather notes. ****

Paired with duck terrine, balsamic roasted radicchio, pine nuts and lentils - 2010 vintage the best match.

Reserva 2007 $59.99

Selected vineyard sites with vines between 15 and 25 years old. 30 months of oak ageing and 18 months of bottle ageing.

Youthful ruby purple with complex aromas of kirsch, mint, and tobacco. Medium to full-bodied, elegantly styled, and loaded with complex notes of spice, blackberry, menthol, cured tobacco, and red berries. ****(*)

2010 Unacepa $59.99

100% Tempranillo from 55 year old vines. 18 months of oak ageing with 1 year of bottle ageing. ****

Ruby red with cedar, strawberry leaf, and tobacco aromas. Full-bodied and complex with Asian spice, cedar, cherry, briar, and tea notes.

Paired with lamb shoulder, dried olives, potatoes, and red peppers - best match Reserva 2007.

Gran Reserva 2004 $169.99

100% Tempranillo from 50 to 75 year old vines. 48 months of oak ageing ( 6 species) and 40 months bottle ageing.

Dense ruby purple with aromas of soy, leather, cigar, and smoke. Full-bodied and concentrated with youthful tannins and complex flavours of cherry, black currant, and cedar. ****(*)

2001 Gran Reserva sold out

Ruby purple with a hint of mahogany. Aromas of soy, lead pencil, leather and blackberry. Full-bodied and concentrated, deceptively youthful with ribena, lead pencil, black fruits, herbs, tea, and exotic spice notes. *****
Paired with quince, Port marinated beets, and aged sheep cheese - best match 2001

Valduero wines are worth seeking out. They offer complexity and good value compared to many Ribera del Duero wines currently available in the BC market.

The wines of Bodegas Valduero are available in selected BCLDB stores, private retailers, and through Direct Wines

Catch me if you can? 4 Grapes, 3 Regions, 1 BC

2014-06-11T13:46:00.002-07:00

At a recent British Columbia VQA wine education seminar; the tasting component involved a blind tasting of Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah/Shiraz from the well known ancestral homes of the varieties along with a BC wine added for comparison. After twenty five years of wine and restaurant trade experience you'd think my palate could easily identify the usual suspects. I made some mistakes; but walked away from the tasting realising that British Columbia in the last two decades has become a very interesting and emerging world wine region. A place to watch!

Here are my handwritten notes and my educated guesses; some are correct and some wrong. You'll never stop learning.

RIESLING FLIGHT

Pewsley Vale 2012 Eden Valley Riesling $23.99

Pale yellow, lime cordial aromas, medium-bodied, crisp acidity, lots of lime, mineral finish. GUESS| AUSTRALIA ****þ

Tantalus 2013 Riesling $22.90

Straw yellow, sweet floral and ripe apple aromas, off-dry, elegant styling, fruit and apple flavours GUESS| BC **(*)þ

Gruen 2102 Riesling Mosel Germany $18.49

Straw green, honeyed aromas with a hint of petrol, medium-bodied, off-dry, some lushness, ripe green apple and hint of honey. GUESS| GERMANY ***þ

CHARDONNAY FLIGHT

Meyer Family Vineyards 2012 McLean Creek Okanagan Falls $30

Straw green, lots of toasted (new) oak, medium- to full-bodied, lots of charred oak vanillins and toast, some malo, melon, pineapple, smoke, good acidity. GUESS| AUSTRALIA ****ý

Domaine de Chalet 2012 Puilly Fuisse France $36

Straw green, restrained nose of mineral and wet rock, medium-bodied, crisp, elegant, great length, mineral, fern, subtle earth. GUESS| CHABLIS (lighter vintage, entry level) ****þ

Schug 2012 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay $30.49

Straw yellow, ripe melon and banana aromas, medium-bodied, some malo notes, lush, lots of tropical. GUESS| BCý

PINOT NOIR FLIGHT

Stoneboat 2011 Pinot Noir Oliver BC $24.90

Brick red, dried currant and floral notes, medium-bodied, good acidity, flavours of earth, wood smoke, and soya GUESS| Central Otago New Zealand ****ý

Akarua 2013 Pinot Noir Central Otago New Zealand $26.99

Cherry red, medium to full-bodied, richer than first PN, flavours of black fruits, dried cranberry, silky textured GUESS| BC ****ý

Jean Claude Boisset 2011 Pinot Noir Burgundy $24.99

Cherry red, warm spice aromas, medium-bodied, complex, pencil lead, mineral, red fruits. GUESS: FRANCE ****þ

SYRAH/SHIRAZ FLIGHT

Chapel Hill 2011 Parson’s Nose Shiraz McLaren Vale Australia $19.99

Ruby purple (dense), aromas of menthol, meat, and cassis, full-bodied, youthful, solid tannins, loads of ripe back fruits, menthol, and pepper. GUESS| AUSTRALIA ****þ

Brunel de la Gardine 2011 Crozes Hermitage Rhone Valley France $29.99

Ruby red, aromas of rustic earth (hint of bret), medium-bodied, cherry, blackberry, herbal notes. GUESS| BC or FRANCE? **(*)þ

Painted Rock 2011 Syrah Okanagan Valley BC $39.99

Ruby red with ripe fruit (blackberry) and herbal aromas. Medium to full-bodied, rich and complex, flavours of juicy blackberries, smoke, tea, vanilla, and sage and bergamot GUESS| WASHINGTON or AUSTRALIA ****ý

Cicerone VS Sommelier 2014

2014-06-10T16:11:00.002-07:00

Cicerone Don Farion, Chef Vianello, Sommelier Michaela Morris

What came first, beer or wine? Beer references date back to at least 3100 BC along wine production dating back further to 6000 BC. Both glorious man made beverages still with us today. It has only been in the last decade that the two have competed head on as the best beverage to pair with food.

One of the great games for a sommelier is the pairing of wine and food. We think in terms of complementing or contrasting flavours, textures, creativity, and regionality when trying to create the best pairing experience for the dining guest. The equally passionate Cicerone (beer sommelier) strives for the same success using a lower alcohol carbonated beverage. Both camps are trained professionals, Somm’s can train through the International Sommelier Guild, WSET, and the Court of Master Sommeliers. Cicerones have the Cicerone Certification Program, the Prud'homme Beer Certification, Siebel Institute of Technology, and World Brewing Academy in Germany, and the Beer Academy Accredited Sommelier program based in the UK. Like the Sommelier training programmes, the cicerone/beer sommelier programs, despite being relatively young in origin focus on levels of training with detailed syllabus and accreditation levels. The US based Cicerone Master Cicerone program has only had seven graduates with an annual pass rate similar to that of the WSET Master of Wine programme since its inception since 2007.

This year’s face off during Vancouver Craft Beer Week was with Sommelier Michaela Morris of House Wine and Cicerone Don Farion of Bomber Brewing/ BierCraft Restaurants paired with the creative food of Chef Alessandro Vianello at the Fairmont Pacific’s ARC. This was cicerone Don Farion's second win over a sommelier.

1st Course| Vinho Verde vs Flemish Red

Pacific Octopus Carpaccio with kelp and rhubarb beads

2012 Quinta do Ameal 11.5%

Loureiro Vinho Verde DOC Portugal

Straw green with aromas of lime and green tree fruits. Medium-bodied, zesty acidity, nicely structured with a rich mid palate and flavours of lime, pear, a hint of melon, faint vanilla, and some herby complexity.

Rodenbach Classic Flanders Red Ale 5.2% Belgium medium-bodied with sour berry, plum, fig, and subtle balsamic notes. Lightly carbonated.

On paper the Vinho Verde should have won based on regionality. Portuguese whites shine with abundant Atlantic seafood. In reality the Rodenbach paired better with the salinity of the dish and the wildcard the rhubarb beads. The flavours of rhubarb were a perfect complement to the beer's sourness. Beer Wins.

2nd Course Riesling Vs German Hefeweizen

Smoked Potato Peroganeni with House Made Lardo, Saurkraut, and Crème Fraiche

2010 Chapoutier Schieferkopf Lieu-Dit Fels Riesling Alsace AC, France 14%

Yellow gold colour with aromas of ripe lime, apple and a hint of petrol. Medium-bodied, bone dry, lots of concentration, citrus, mineral, apple, and petrol flavours. Complex.

Maisel’s Weiss Hefeweizen 5.4%Germany

Cloudy unfiltered old gold. Medium to full-bodied with typical “hefe” notes of banana, spice (clove), and grapefruit. Good amount of carbonation.

This dish was a good pairing for both the beer and wine. The carbonation level along with fruit and spice flavours of the beer were great with the smoked potato and creme fraiche. The body, structure, and concentration of flavours of the Riesling paired with all the elements of this richly textured dish. Wine Wins.

3rd Course Frappato vs American Porter

Salt Baked Heirloom Carrot with Ferro salad, cumin, dill, micro cilantro, with cocoa nib soil and Sherry Vinaigrette

2011 Valle dell’Acate “Il Frappato” Vittoria Frappato DOC Italy 13%

Cherry red colour. Intriguing aromas of red cherry liquorice, herbs, and minerals. Medium-bodied, soft tannins, good acidity, and flavours of cherry, raspberry, dried mint, flowers, and a touch of dried orange. Served slightly chilled - brilliant.

Deschutes Black Butte Porter American Porter 5.2% Oregon

Very dark mahogany colour. Aromas of cocoa, coffee, and roasted malts. Medium-bodied with a creamy texture and flavours of roasted oats, chocolate, coffee, and some charred spice notes. Lightly carbonated.

Another on paper, win for wine, although this dish paired better with the Black Butte Porter. The wine with its refreshing acidity and racy red fruit and herby flavours paired well with the spices and earthiness of the farro; but lost out to the overtly chocolatey nutty notes in the cocoa nib soil. The porter mirrored flavour for flavour with the soil, Sherry nuttiness, and the earthy notes of the farro. This dish was very close to pick a winner. Beer Wins

4th Course Cabernet Sauvignon Vs Bier de Garde

Lamb Short Loin & Corned Lamb’s Tongue with Sweetbreads, Peas, Mint, and Lamb Dressing

2009 Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon Margaret River Australia 14%

Opaque and inky. Aromas of mint, menthol, and cassis. Full-bodied, excellent balance of acidity and tannins. European styled with complex notes of blackcurrant, leafy wild berries, cedar, and warm spices.

The Commons Biere de Garde Farmhouse Ale Saison 5.4% California

Light amber colour with aromas of Normandy apple, herbs, and a hint of hops. Medium-bodied, good carbonation, and flavours of earth, herbs, malt, pepper, and restrained hops.

Lamb and Cabernet a perfect match! The savoury herb notes of the minted peas was a perfect balance for the flavours and and aromas of the Australian Cabernet. The restrained styling of the wine, reminiscent of a richer vintage Bordeaux, paired extremely well. The sweetbreads were not an ideal wine pairing, the tannins of the wine enhanced the offal like flavours of the ingredient.

Cicerone Don Farion mentioned the challenge of matching greens with beers, this saison however was a wonderful pairing, to the mint and peas with its complementing earth and subtle herb flavours. The sweetbreads faired better with the beer by balancing the earthy flavour profile. A tough personal call; but the wine was a better overall match. Wine Wins.

5th Course Moscato vs Strawberry Beer

Strawberry Shortcake with white chocolate blanket, pink peppercorns, roasted strawberry, and sorbet

2012 Massolino Moscato d’asti DOCG Italy 5%

Straw yellow with aromas of orange and apricot sorbet. Light-bodied, elegantly sweet with balanced acidity and some petillance. Flavours of orange, nectarine, and a hint of savoury herb and green tea.

Friuli Belgian White with Strawberry. 4.1%

Light red amber colour. Aromas of strawberry shortcake. Light-bodied and very sweet with strawberry, orange, and a hint of coriander. Good carbonation.

Another tough pairing with both the wine and beer working well with the dessert. The tart strawberry sorbet was brilliant with the lovely acidity and petillance of the Moscato. The very reasonable priced beer won hands down with the complementing flavours and sugar level. Beer Wins

Final Score by 48 Diners| Beer 26, Wine 22

It was interesting that neither the cicerone or sommelier paired anything local with the food matches. As a Sommelier, I would have also looked further afield for wine matches, based on the menu. BC wine is still a challenge based on price point and value. Possibly next year's competition could incorporate a local craft beer and wine into one of the dishes or consider even one blind beer and wine pairing to enhance the challenge? Overall a great night that proves both a glass and a pint make good friends over food.

New Zealand | New Burgundy

2014-05-05T18:38:00.003-07:00

In the 80's New Zealand knocked the block off of the foundations of the Loire Valley’s Sauvignon Blanc with its seductive and pungent take on this old world white; now Burgundy needs to watch its heels as Pinot Noir strikes a blow with wines that bridge old world structure and new world fruit forwardness.

At a recent master class tasting, of a bakers dozen of New Zealand’s best Pinots, you could not walk away from without realizing the future potential of this grape. With just over a decade of intensive Pinot planting under its belt, New Zealand will,without a doubt, prove a problem for Burgundy. When a $30 red has finesse, structure, and beguiling aromas and flavours that convince you of the Beaune, Nuits, or Carneros you can only smile.

What makes New Zealand Pinot Noir shine? Is it a sense of place, climate, winemaking, or enviromental isolation? It is a trinity of all.

Pinot Noir is predominantly a South Island grape, with five of regions of the seven major Pinot regions located there. South island regions include Nelson, Marlborough, Waipara and Waitaki Valley's, and Central Otago. The North island Pinot regions cluster at Wairarapa and Martinborough.

The climate of New Zealand is primarily maritime, with all land masses with 130km of the Tasman Sea or Pacific, resulting in mild dry summers and cool nights). Soil types range from stoney and clay alluvial soils, and winemaking bridges both new and world techniques. Oak ageing is usually less than eighteen months, and cold soaking and whole cluster fermentation is the norm. A majority, including all wines tasted, are under "Stelvin" packaging. Most vineyards are small holdings another similarity to the Burgundian model.

What struck me at the tasting was the style and flavour profile of Pinot and its variations based on terroir and regionality. New Zealand Pinot exhibits silky tannins, a balance of vibrant racy red and dark fruits , as with a backbone of earth, spice, and herbs. My tasting notes mentioned Beaune, Nuits, Carneros, and Willamette. With a median price of $38 the wines are of great perceived value in the Vancouver market.

REGIONS & WINES

Nelson|Artisan producers. Fragrant complex style with notes of cherry.

2012 Waimea Estate $29.90

Cherry red with aromas of cranberry, red cherry, and autumnal woodsmoke. Medium-bodied, soft tannins, good acidity and flavours of smoke, earth, thyme and sage.

Marlborough|Largest Pinot Noir region. Linear styled with red fruit (raspberry and plums)

2012 Ara Select Blocks (Waihopai Valley) $24.95

Youthful ruby colour. Wild raspberry aromas. Light-bodied with youthful fruit forward notes of red cherry and raspberry. Ideal seafood wine.

2012 Cloudy Bay (Wairau Valley) $40.95

Ruby red with smoked raspberry aromas. Medium-bodied with a nice balance of tannins and acid. A bit of orange on the nose and palate (alcohol?) along with subtle chocolate and earth notes.

2012 Auntsfield Single Vineyard (Southern Valley) $32.95

Youthful ruby -purple colouration with complex aromas of mint, liquorice, and graphite. Medium to full-bodied, youthful tannins, and notes of cherry, graphite, plum, and forest floor. Complex and great value.

2012 Tohu Rore Reserve (Awatere Valley) $44.95

Ruby red with red fruit and earth aromas. Medium-bodied with good concentration and balance. Loads of cranberry, red plums, and hints of barrique.

Waipara Valley|Limestone influenced. Firm tannins, and flavours of spice, pepper, and plummy sweet fruits.

2011 Pegasus Bay (Waipara Valley) $48.00

Ruby red with liquorice and damson plum. Medium-bodied with good concentration and flavours of plum, black pepper, and dark cherry.

2011 Greystone (Waipara Valley) $35.00

Cherry red with aromas of liquorice and a hint of saline (olive). Medium-bodied, concentrated, and flavours of plum, cranberry, and spice and savoury herb.

Waitaki Valley|Limestone country with dark fruits, suave acidity, and minerality.

2011 John Forrest Estate Collection (Waipara Valley) $70?

Ruby with a complex nose (wet rock, merde, flowers, and farmyard). Medium to full-bodied, lush and savoury, layers of fragrant complexity with black cherry, herbs, and merde. Benchmark Pinot!

Central Otago|Firm tannins/acidity with black cherry and fresh herbs.

2011 Coal Pit Tiwha (Gibbston Valley) $40.75

Ruby colour with a fragrant nose. Medium-bodied with a silky texture and flavours of earth, spice, and cherry liqueur.

2011 Akarua (Bannockburn) $36.99

Ruby purple. Nose of violets and thyme. Medium-bodied with sweet spicy fruits and a hint of chocolate.

2011 Quartz Reef (Bendigo) $44.95

Ruby red with citrus (alcohol) and herb aromas. Medium to full-bodied with good concentration, fine grained tannins and lush fruit and herbs.

Wairarapa|Younger region with lifted cherry, plum, and tobacco flavours.

2011 Gladstone Vineyard (Wairarapa) $44.50

Cherry red (lights of the flight). Fragrant herbal and five spice aromas. Medium-bodied with cherry, smoke, and ripe cherry notes. Texturally like a Bourgogne AC.

Martinborough|Oldest Pinot Noir regio. Full and subtle style with plum, chocolate, and meat flavours.

2011 Escarpment (Martinborough) $35.00

Ruby colour with aromas of cedar and graphite. Medium-bodied with juicy fruits (ripe plum), spice and garrigue.

Pinot is New Zealand's second most planted grape variety well behind Sauvignon Blanc but its future looks bright. Next time you're thinking Pinot Noir head over the to New Zealand section of your wine shop. You will not be disappointed.

More information on New Zealand wine can be found at www.nzwine.com @nzwine

The Wine and Spice Route | Lamb & Beetroot Curry

2014-01-28T20:15:00.000-08:00

One of the more challenging; but rewarding wine and food pairings is that of Asian cuisine, a broad palate, covering the cuisines of China, the South seas, and the Indian sub continent. I recently prepared this fantastic lamb and beetroot curry from the Westminster Cinnamon Club in London and found its best wine match.

Spice whether sweetly aromatic like cinnamon, ginger, or garam marsala or herbal like fennel, cumin, or coriander reacts differently to wine. An all rounder, that not only bridges the two styles of spice, as well as the texture, heat, and flavour of curry may be surprising to many; but Shiraz – particularly chilled sparkling Australian Shiraz is one of the best matches. The curry had some great flavour enhancers and elements that paired extremely well with the wine. The key spice elements of garam marsala, clove, and chilli along with the unusual herbal notes of the camporus and smokey black cardamom pods in the background as well as beetroot with its earthy aromas and cooked sweetness added additional texture and complexity.

Aromatic & Herbal Spices

Black Cardamon

Aromatic & wet spices

Cinnamon Club Lamb and Beet Root Curry

Ingredients (serves 4):  750g leg of lamb, deboned and cut into 1½ inch cubes  400g beetroot, boiled whole and cut into 1½ inch cubes  500ml water  4 tablespoons oil  1 teaspoon cloves  4 pods black cardamom  3 medium size onions, thinly sliced  150g yoghurt  3 teaspoons salt  1½ tablespoons red chilli powder  1 tablespoon coriander powder  2 tablespoon ginger and garlic paste  2 teaspoon coarse red chilli flakes  1 teaspoon garam masala powder  4 sprigs of fresh coriander  Juice of half a lemon   For pickled vegetables   500ml distilled white vinegar  500ml water  70g sugar  1 teaspoon salt  1 teaspoon fennel seeds  1 teaspoon black onion seeds  8 baby carrots, cleaned  8 baby turnips, cleaned  8 baby radish, cleaned  8 baby parsnips, cleaned

Method:   Marinate the meat with yoghurt, salt, red chilli powder, ground coriander and ginger-garlic paste and keep aside for 20 minutes.   To prepare the pickled vegetables, combine the water and vinegar with sugar, salt and spices and bring to a boil. Add the vegetables and simmer until they are cooked, but still a bit crunchy. Remove from heat and strain. Retain the liquid for future use.   Heat oil in a thick bottom pan, add the whole spices and stir for 30 seconds. Add sliced onions and fry until golden brown. Into the same oil, add the marinated meat and cook over a high heat for 10 minutes with constant stirring. Add the chilli flakes and cook for another 2 minutes. Now add the water, reduce the heat and cook for another 20-25 minutes.   When the meat is nearly cooked and a little water remains, add diced beetroot and garam masala and cook for 5-6 minutes or until meat is tender.   Remove from the fire and serve hot garnished with coriander sprigs and finished with a squeeze of lemon.   Serve the lamb curry with rice or bread, topped with the pickled baby vegetables.

My home version

Recipe from the Westminster Cinnamon Club

The Old Westminster Library, 30-32 Great Smith St, London SW1P 3BU, United Kingdom

+44 20 7222 2555

Bleasdale Sparkling Shiraz

The curry itself had a good amount of heat. In the future I'd reduce the amount of chilli and increase the garam marsala to make an even better pairing with the wine.
The chilled Shiraz, served at a similar temperature as white sparkling wine, with its low acidity, soft tannins, ripe fruit, and perceived sweetness lifted the exotic flavours within the dish without the heat in the dish. The bonus of carbonation, like beer, made for a refreshing cleanse between bites. The Bleasdale has a dense ruby colour, fine mousse, and aromas of raspberry, black cherry, and subtle pepper. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, with soft tannins and flavours mirroring the nose along with mulberry, chocolate, and warm spice notes.

Nest Protect Smoke Detector

2014-01-08T14:16:00.000-08:00

Minimal Packaging

It was only a matter of time before the much-reviled smoke detector became an object of desire

that may actually save your life. Nest Labs of Palo Alto released in November their wifi enabled

“ Nest Protect” a smoke and CO detector that breaks the mold on design and functionality of

necessary home appliance. Designed by Tony Fadel, design head of Apple’s first eighteen

generations of the Ipad and three versions of the Iphone, the Protect exudes well thought out

design aesthetics and user friendliness.

Fresh out of the box, the detector strikes a cord with its square shape resembling a

ceiling mounted speaker, than life saving device. Installation is straightforward and easy

to understand with detailed and easy to read instructions. Downloading of the Nest app

and a few minutes of configuring and the detector is ready to go. Using the app you can

program the detector to function differently depending on the room you choose.
Our installation was in our kitchen so I programmed the unit to allow for hand wave silencing using gestures and for the automatic night light when motion is detected at night.

The unit itself contains a photoelectric smoke sensor, along with sensors for carbon monoxide, heat, humidity, ambient light, and ultrasound motion detectors. Voice commands and prompts are US accented female “Siri” which according to the Nest website gets the attention of sleeping children more than a piercing alarm. The voice can be programmed to speak in English, French, and Spanish. Along with voice prompts of early warnings of smoke or CO and loud alarms in the event of fire or warning ignores, the unit also displays its status with coloured LED rings. Blue=set-up and testing, green=safe, yellow=early warning and heads up of smoke/CO levels increasing, red=emergency and white=night path light.

Iphone App and
Notifications

With the Protect wifi enabled any change of status causes a push to your smartphone for a heads up along with interconnectivity between units. Smoke in the kitchen informs the detector in your bedroom or living room as to where the fire is located. In the event that you burn some toast or leave a candle smoldering a voice prompt will inform you and can be silenced just by waving at the unit using the built in NestWave sensor.

The Nest Protect is available in both black (on-line only) and white. In Canada retail pricing is $129 for either the wired or battery version. Debating the merits of photoelectric over ionisation units – the Nest works extremely well for us especially in close proximately to our gas range. A bit dear but considering the cost a decent smoke and CO detector and the possible life saving benefits I'd highly recommend the upgrade. Looking at the on-line reviews it appears that Nest Labs may have other future plans for this and their thermostat with its array of built-in sensors. Home automation looks exciting.

Mince Pies and Wine

2013-12-11T12:27:00.001-08:00

A carrot for the reindeer and a mince pie for Father Christmas on Christmas Eve was one of my early memories of these sweet and savoury treats. The noble minced pie may have its roots and connections with the crusaders of the 13^th century, the Romans, or the Tudors; but it endures like Christmas cake sans the jokes. If lore is correct, the first pies were made from shredded meats, suet, and dried fruits, and as time and commerce progressed the addition of exotic spices from the Near East.

Today's typical mincemeat recipe consists of apples, raisins, currants, candied citrus peel, suet, butter, sugar, and sweet spices. These key elements make wine pairing straightforward. Seek out wines that are comparable or sweeter than the dessert and complement the flavour profile of the pies (orange and raisin).

Top choices from lightest to fullest.

Muscat (California)

Muscat de Baumes-de-Venise (France)

Passito di Pantelleria (Italy)

Tokaji 5 Puttonyos or sweeter (Hungary)

Tokay Muscat (Australia)

Malmsey Madeira (Portugal)

Tawny Port (Portugal)

East India Sherry or PX (Spain)

If you are in the UK or have family there consider bidding on some extraordinary mince pies for child charity. One hundred British chefs are creating pies pushing the limits of creativity. Some of these recipes would make amazing wine pairing possibilities. Here's a few intriguing mince pie variations.

Nobu Mince Pie 2012 | Black coconut ashes
and black sesame

Gymkhana Mince Pie Naan: raisins, orange zest, pistachio, coconut, cardamon and Brandy Rabri

Duck & Waffle: Lemon meringue mince pie, roasted marshmallow, vanilla lemon curd

Nobu: Maguma mince pie: Kuro-Goma dough with a spicy core

SmokeHouse: Swirls of cinnamon and bacon sugar puff pastry, bacon and bourbon mincemeat all dipped in bourbon butterscotch

Happy Christmas!

Book Review | The World Atlas of Wine 7th Edition

2013-12-06T01:12:00.001-08:00

Living on my wine laurels I had not purchased an edition of World Atlas of Wine since its 3^rd back in the early eighties. Geographically and geologically the world may have not changed much physically; but what mankind has done on the surface is significant. This 400 page tome written by eminent British wine writers Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson covers the basics of grape varieties, wine making, the use of oak, winery design, weather and climate, terroir, and the enjoyment of wine. There’s even a nod to the use of smartphones for wine tasting notes. The meat of the book lies in its elegantly written prose on the wine regions and its visual design of the maps. Many images on both the print and digital format incorporate well designed infographics – which seem popular with the tech savvy.

Basic BC Map

From a wine prospective this latest edition maps and explores the great strides in wine production in Yamanashi (Japan), Ningxia (China) along with Croatia and the Caucuses. Phenomenal growth in New Zealand lead to a 6 page increase in print real estate, along with South Africa (5 pages). A 15% increase in North American content includes 2 pages on Virginia and New York’s Finger Lakes. The up and coming State of Texas did not get as much attention. There are now over 215 maps an increase of twenty since my edition. Increased mapping of California, Spain, and Greece add to the extended knowledge base of the book. Sadly my adopted home, British Columbia, only gets one page along with Ontario. It was nice to see the simplistic Okanagan map was up to date with two producers to watch; Joie Farm and The Okanagan Crush Pad. Although no map references where given to the Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island. My country of birth, England also merited one page, but the opening line “Climate Change” could sadly change that in future editions.

During the 80’s my wine trade time at Oddbins allowed me to read geography along with cartography. The maps especially in the digital IPad version are of keen interest to me. Maps, like pictures, are worth a thousand words; they frame a region with a sense of place and terrior. The cartography team behind this book did a great job conveying the sense of place with a series of regional, macro, and micro scale maps.

Macro and micro scaled maps

Good Legends & Scaling

Altitudinal Shading Issue

Overall the maps follow proper cartographic protocols. Key elements are clearly labeled (vineyard boundaries, points of historic interest, and key landmarks). Each map has a clearly defined graphical scale bar, along with good graphical hierarchy (line weights, colour, layers, and easily to understand and clear symbology). Legends are easily found and understandable.

Map colouring was well conceived. A few friends with colour blindness Colour Vision Deficiency (CVD) found the maps easy to read.

Some maps on the regional scale lacked altitudinal shading making it hard to visualise the geography of some countries i.e. New Zealand’s South Island, and California. This was made up great detail in the small scale maps.

Map truth or accuracy is bang on. My last wine trip to Madeira to Ponta Delgada to visit some Sercial vineyards was accurately represented on the map.

Madeira | Actual vs Map

The book starts with France and ends with Japan and China. Future editions could be intriguing. The hardback version is available at leading retailers and on line for $60Cdn and $24.95 for the IPad version at the Itunes store. I purchased the hardback versions for home use and the digital version for staff training and perusing while commuting.

The World Atlas of Wine is a must buy for anyone in the wine trade, a wine lover, or aspiring cartographer. It is a concise, accurate, and a joy to read.

Menu Blade Decanting Pourer Aerator DesignWright

2013-11-06T17:53:00.000-08:00

The Venturi effect is the reduction in fluid pressure that results when a fluid flows through a constricted section of pipe. The Venturi effect is named after Giovanni Battista Venturi (1746–1822), an Italian physicist.

Its rare that I look at wine gimmicks and usually stay old school with a traditional waiter’s friend, decanter/funnel, and occasionally the inert gas preservation system for practicality, or Port tongs or the sabre (for showmanship of course). The past couple of years I have seen and used in various restaurants and clients home’s “venturi” aerators. In a nutshell, they work, some better than others. One of the biggest selling aerators on the market drives me batty with its room gurgling death sounds as you decant the wine so I shy away from its use and its knock-offs. Until last week I had given these aerators a miss; then I discovered the Menu Blade Aerating Pourer.

Menu Blade Aerating Pourer

This plastic and rubber aerator appealed to my design esthetic as a one piece unit that attached quickly to all bottles and closures. Designed by UK brothers Adrian and Jeremy Wright of the design house DesignWright www.designwright.co.uk it was a clear winner on form and function alone. According to the packaging the Blade out performed the "Vinturi" by 4% from 429% to 425% oxygen aeration according to Eurofin - who I only heard about after an internet search.

The Menu Blade was used in three blind tastings with wine trade friends and performed as I expected. Two young reds (2010 Bordeaux and 2011 Australian Shiraz) had softer tannins and enhanced secondonary fruit aromas and flavours after the blade use; although when used on a seven year old Spanish red (2006 Carinena DOC) the tertiary flavours became dominate (not my favourite). Still old school by nature; I’ll use the blade when a client does not have a decanter, in some restaurant situations; but for sure with wine mates and somms as it will adds an element of fun and discussion to our tasting events.

The Blade is well designed, affordable, and works well. It retails between $19.99 and $22.99 as well as available on-line at Menu - Scandinavian Design

USE IT FOR: young reds and youthful old world Chardonnay (Burgundy)

NOT FOR: aged reds and whites, sweet wines, and natural/biodynamic reds with sediment

Wine by the Glass #LanguedocVan

2013-10-15T15:48:00.003-07:00

From October 10^th until November 14^th experiences the wines of the Languedoc at four Vancouver wine bars. The Wine Bar, Brix, Siena, and Seasons in the Park are all pouring between two and four feature wines from this region of foothills and sea in the South of France. By eating and sipping at each location you can enter to win gift certificates and a fantastic prize of a limousine for two visiting all four wine bars for wine and appetizers. Take a selfie with a glass of Languedoc wine at each location for even more chances of winning and post it to Twitter and Facebook using the hash tag #LangeudocVan @Languedocwines.

Take a Selfie & Tweet @LanguedocWines
to win prizes including a limo wine bar crawl
Stephen Bonner & Joy Metcalfe

What to know about the Languedoc? It’s a wine region made up of four departments, the Eastern Pyrennes, the Aude, the Herault, and the Gard covering 40,000 ha over a large range of climate and soil types. The Langeudoc produces a full roster of wine types from still whites, sparkling, rose, reds, and dessert wines. Winemaking focuses on Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Carignan for red and rose production; along with Grenache blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Viognier, Picpoul, Marsanne, Roussanne, Vermentino and Ugni Blanc for whites.

Languedoc is rich in food and wine; bridging the French, Spanish, and North African cultures. Spice markets, cafés, canals, rolling foothills, as well as castles and abbeys dot the landscape. This is home to the Mediterranean lifestyle and diet and an array of wine styles ideally suited to the cuisine.

Vancouver is the perfect North American city to promote and taste this region’s wine. With our Pacific rim, farm to fork, and market-oriented restaurants the wines of Langeudoc are natural partners. Try a Limoux with oysters or sushi, a Minervois red with a herby goat cheese or a burger, a GSM with bbq’d meats or a curry, and a Muscat with chocolate or nut based dessert.

Look for bottles and end caps with the Occitan Cross “The Langeudoc Cross” representing the twelve signs of the zodiac and the months of the year is found on all bottles of wine from this region. An ancient symbol re-interpreted for a classic wine region and wine.

Wines tasted on my recent wine bar crawl

Sieur d’Arques Premiere Bulle Limoux

Pale yellow colour with decent mousse. Aromas of brioche and flower petals, Light to medium-bodied with crisp apple and white peach notes. Refreshing and round mouth feel. ***

Chateau Pech-Celeyran Cinquieme Generation La Clape 2011

Yellow straw colour with aromas of flowers and mild tropical fruits. Medium-bodied, nice unctuous texture on the mid palate and flavours of peach, honeysuckle, and guava. Good length and acidity. ***

Domaine Delso Picpoul de Pinet 2012

Pale straw green with aromas of lime and subtle rose notes. Light-bodied, refreshing acidity, and flavours of pear, citrus, and flower petals. ***

Gerard Betrand Terrior Minervois 2010

Dark garnet colour with a bouquet of smoke, blackcurrant, and briar. Medium-bodied with garrigue notes, cherry, and plum. Good length with soft tannins. ***

Domaines Paul Mas GSM Coteaux du Languedoc 2011

Ruby purple colour. Aromas of blackberry, voilets, and mineral. Medium to full-bodied with plum, blackberry, licorice, tobacco, with a finish of spice and savoury herbs. Good value. ****

Saint-Saturnin Le Clocher Languedoc 2010

Garnet red with black plum aromas. Medium-bodied with soft tannins, and flavours of earth, strawberry, and plum. ***

Domaine de Babio Minervois 2009

Ruby red with complex aromas of spice, liquorice, and red fruits. Medium to full-bodied, with youthful tannins, mineral, fruit compote, and meaty undertones. Good complexity and length. ****

Antech Cuvee Expression Cremant de Limoux 2009

Pale straw yellow with good mousse. Aromas of biscuit, nut, brioche, and granny smith apple. Medium-bodied, creamy textured palate, and flavours of honeyed apple, lime, nuts, brioche, and a hint of sweet pear. ****

Restaurants participating in the Languedoc Wine Bar Crawl

Provence/The Wine Bar 1167 Marineside Crescent @TWB_TheWineBar

Brix 138 Homer Street @brixvan

Seasons in the Park QE Park @SeasonsinQEPark

Siena 1485 West 12^th @SienaVancouver

The Trilogy and Symphony of Sherry | Gonzalez Byass

2013-10-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

Last month I had the opportunity attend a sit down trade tasting of Sherry Gonzalez Byass at the Salt Tasting Room Cellar in Vancouver.

What makes Sherry unique? Think of it in the form of trilogies from region, production, and style.

The Holy Trinity is Palomino, PX, and American oak. Palomino and Pedro Ximenez – two of the key grape varieties for Sherry production, along with the use of American oak, and biological or oxidative ageing create the pillars of this amazing wine.

Three towns create a triangle of production in the D.O. Jerez-Xeres of Southeast Spain. Sherry production occurs between the towns of Jerez de la Frontera, Puerto de Santa Maria & Sanlucar de Barrameda and covers just under 11,000 ha of vineyards. Soils within this triangle are Albarizas, Barros, and Arenas. The Albariza (white) soil comprising of Oligocene period calcium carbonate producing the best Sherry. Palomino, PX, and Moscatel are the three grapes solely used in Sherry production within this demarcated region.

The winemaking threesome involves production influenced by biological, oxidative aging, and the solera system. Their influence produces three styles of wine; dry, naturally sweet, and blended. Sherry is part of the fortified wine family involving the addition of wine distillate making Sherry between 15 and 20% abv. The freshest Sherry, Fino and Manzanilla, owe their style to the interaction of “Flor” a natural occurring yeast and its biological prevention of oxidation from within a 5/6th full barrel. Olorosso is an oxidative style with constant exposure to air in the barrel. The Solera “Floor” system is a blending process of old with young wines that allows a young wine to take on the qualities of its older siblings. Oak butts “botas” are scaled in rows three to four high with Sherry of various ages. The blending process “running of the scales” ensures the quality and characteristics of the Sherry are maintained. Sherry has to be aged a minimum of three years before release.

Tio Pepe Fino $21.99

Pale straw green with aromas of almond, hazelnut, green olive, and yeast. Light to medium-bodied, with crisp acidity, apple, nut, and salty bread notes. Good length, concentration, and unctuous. 100% Palomino| Biological ageing | Flor ageing 5 years | 15% abv ****

Leonor Palo Cortado $NA

Light amber colour with complex aromas of buttered Brazil nut and antique wood. Medium-bodied with lots of concentration, nut, quince, baked apricot, and yeast notes. 100% Palomino | Oxidative Ageing | 12 years in Solera | 20% abv ****(*)

Apostoles Rare Old Soleras VORS $34.99

Amber with green tinge. Complex bouquet of spice, burnt sugar, and iodine. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, some residual sugar, nice balance of sweet and savoury. Caramel, old oak, and a long salty toffee note dominate. 87% Palomino, 13% PX | Oxidative ageing | 30 years in Solera | 20% abv ****(*)

Nutty Solera Olorosso $17.99

Amber colour, a nose of nut and light molasses, on the palate flavours of nut, spice, biscuit, and a hint of earth. Light Christmas pudding flavours. 100% Palomino | Oxidative ageing | 8 years in Solera | 20% abv ***

Croft Cream Sherry $17.99

Straw green with cheese croissant aromas. Off-dry with a baked apple skin and a savoury salty finish. Good entry level introduction to Sherry. Popular in Kenya according to their export director. 100% Palomino | Solera aged | Blended dry & sweet must | 4 years old ***

Noe Pedro Ximenez $34.99

Ebony black colour with a tantalising bouquet of baked raisins. Full-bodied, unctuously sweet, and loaded with complex flavours of with dried fruits (raison, date, and fig), liquorice, cinnamon, walnut, and coffee. 100% PX | Oxidative ageing | 30 years Solera ageing | 15.5% abv ****(*)

RATINGS

5 Stars ***** Outstanding

4 1/2 stars ****(*) Very Good to Outstanding

4 Stars **** Very Good

3 Stars *** Good

2 Stars ** Moderately Good

1 Star * Not very good, but not bad

Sherry Cheating Tip - Think Nuts

Almonds = Fino & Manzanilla

Brazils = Amontillado/Oloroso

Walnut = PX & Aged Solera (VOS/VORS)

A Glass & A Half of Bubbly

2013-04-03T11:43:00.002-07:00

This past Easter Sunday resulted in new and highly advertised chocolate bar from Cadbury getting the taste test with a glass of Optima Port for a late night nibble. The new Cadbury Dairy Milk Bubbly bar is an easy to eat aerated 21% cocoa solids bar seemingly marketed to towards young females. Cadbury has highly marketed this new chocolate with a six million pound ad campaign on TV, at bus stops, cinema's, and via Google and the augmented reality app Blippar.

Its good to see that this chocolate is Fairtrade certified and some serious thought has gone into packaging. The well known colour

Pantone 2685C Purple plays a dominant role in brand identity and the new easy to peel open closure is s great idea to avoid chocolate crumbs in your coat pocket.

The chocolate itself has an easy to melt airy texture and typical "Dairy Milk" flavours and sweetness from the "glass and a half" of milk and Ghana cocoa beans that impart a bit of brown sugar and fig notes.

Esthically Cadbury wins over its original counterpart Aero with a block bar that actually looks like free foam bubbles.

Aero Top CDM Bottom

Hats off to Cadbury for implementing augmented reality into their new packaging and marketing campaign. No QR code here; but an image recognisable label that requires a new smartphone app Blippar to enjoy interactive real time activities.

Blippar Iphone screen

The Bubbly bar was a nice post prandial bite with a glass of the Warre's Optima 10 Year Old Tawny. Young tawny brick colour with aromas of fig, plum, cherry, and roasted nuts. Medium-bodied, sweet with soft acidity, and flavours of nut, toffee, baked fruit crumble, and a decent length.

Restaurant Chain Wine Programme | EARLS

2013-02-05T18:43:00.002-08:00

Yesterday I got a sneak peak at several new Earl’s menu items and a tasting of their new collaboration house wines “Little Rascal Next Door ” made in the Okanagan’s by Cedar Creek Estate Winery. This is the first time in the 32 year history of the chain that a BC winery has been involved in the development and production of Earls brand house wines.

Rocket Salad

Earl’s wine programme and wine club is spearheaded by George Piper, the in-house wine buyer for the last twenty five years, as well as local wine writer Anthony Gismondi, and food and travel writer Kasey Wilson. The Earl’s wine programme is heavily new world oriented with a focus on Chile, Australia, and BC along with a small selection of French and Italian. The wine list is flavour focused and marketed and all wines are one price. A small reserve programme is heavily dominated by BC and Californian selections.

The ‘Little Rascal Next Door” house wines are a Cedar Creek creation. The red is a five varietal blend (35% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Pinot Noir, 16% Cab Franc, and 5% Syrah). The white is a six varietal blend (31% Gewürztraminer, 28% Chardonnay, 23% Pinot Gris, 8% Riesling, 7% Erhenfelser, and 3% Viognier).

Wine and food pairings were a combination of current and soon to be added menu items.

Rocket Salad with citrus dressing, beets, pears, goat cheese coulis, and candied pecans

Wahoo Taco

Cedar Creek Winery Riesling

Straw-yellow with lime and lemon sorbet aromas. Light-bodied, crisp acidity, and lovely long flavours of lime, lemon, apple, and subtle floral blossom notes. The wine is reminiscent of an Australia Riesling. This Riesling paired very well with the rocket salad but excelled with the wahoo fish taco.

Little Rascal Next Door White 2011

Straw green with aromatic aromas of honeysuckle, banana, and mango. Light to medium-bodied, well balanced, and full of orange, melon, subtle rose, ginger, papaya, and banana notes. Excellent food and aperitif wine.

Fish Taco with grilled lime and coriander marinated Wahoo, mango and avocado salsa, and Valentina crema.

Cedar Creek Pinot Gris

Straw green with grapefruit pith aromas. Medium-bodied, with flavours of grapefruit, apple, subtle mineral, and citrus pith notes. Good texture and balancing acidity. The body of the wine was a reliable choice to pair with the richly textured Wahoo but the Riesling outshone with its structure and flavours.

Beef Carpaccio

Beef Carpaccio with deviled eggs, crispy capers, and pickled red onion

Rascal Next Door Red 2011

Deep cherry colour with aromas of blackberry and savoury herbs. Medium-bodied, soft tannins, easy drinking structure and food friendly cherry, plum, and olive, and pepper flavours.

16oz Rib Eye

Signature Earls Rib Eye, 16oz bone-in Angus with a wet rub( olive oil, gluten free soya sauce, garlic, lemon juice,fresh herbs, and ground porcini.

Cedar Creek Signature Merlot 2007

Ruby purple with herbal notes and sweet spice and oak resin on the nose. Medium-bodied, good concentration, and lush flavours of plum, sweet spice, oak, subtle mint, and hints of cocoa.

Wines of France Luncheon

2012-11-28T17:16:00.002-08:00

I was at a recent luncheon and tasting of wines from the Alsace, Loire, and Languedoc organised by Sommelier Mireille Sauve and Sopexa Canada. The seminar focused on the misconceptions that many Vancouverites have on French wines i.e. expensive, confusing, and not understanding label and region as well as its food friendly nature. According to the BCLDB the French wine market amounts to 8.1% of the BC market share with the all inclusive catchall “Midi/Provence” region(s) making up a majority of wine sales.

The seminar looked at the reduction of the four tiered classification system to the new three tier with AoP “Appellation d'Origine Protégée” at the top of the pyramid followed by the IGP “Indication Geographique Protegée” and Vin de France.

Not a surprise to the trade attendees was the great value and food friendly nature of French wines from these regions. The wines were paired well and creatively with food from Siena restaurant.

Huet Vouvray Petillant Brut $34.90

Straw green with subtle toast, spice, pear, and mineral aromas. Medium-bodied, crisp acidity, rich mouthfeel with apple, pear, and undertones of minerals and toast.

Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’Alsace Brut Rose $29.99

Eye of partridge colour. Cherry, strawberry and herb aromas, Light-bodied, good acidity, red cherry, herb, and meaty flavours.

Bruschetta Trio

Ormarine Picpoul de Pinet $13.99

Straw green/yellow. Aromas of grapefruit pitch and mineral. Medium-bodied with good balance of acidity and texture. Notes of glace fruits, pink grapefruit, apple, and orange, and mineral.

Chateau de la Roulerie Anjou 2010 $21.99

Yellow gold with honeyed nut and gunflint aromas. Medium to full-bodied with a unctuous texture, and flavours of citrus, apricot, and a hint of earth and wild flowers.

These wines were paired with a trio of bruschetta (cod brandade, white bean and sage, and mushroom truffle). The Anjou was the best match overal with its richness and slightly sweet flavour profile complementing the dishes.

Seafood risotto

Pfaffenheim Pinot Gris 2011 $18.99

Straw green /yellow colour with mineral notes. Medium-bodied, light honeyed and nut overtones with a hint of residual sugar giving it some mouthfeel and balanced by refreshing lemony acidity.

Henri Bourgeois Sancerre La Cotes des Monts Damnes 2010 $36.95

Straw green with a pungent aroma of gooseberry and guava. Medium-bodied, crisp, and refreshing with gooseberry, guava, blackcurrant leaf and hints of minerality. New world leaning with its intensity.

These wines were paired with the seafood risotto. The Sancerre surprisingly enhanced the fishiness of trout in the dish where as the rs in the Pinot Gris enhanced the fish flavours and body complemented the richness of the rice.

Duck pasta

Weinbach Pinot Gris “Reserve Particuliere” 2010 $51.99

Yellow with light gold hints. Complex aromas of almond and mineral. Full-bodied, concentrated, and layered with nut, honey, mineral, red currant, and subtle petrol notes.

Gerard Bertrand Cotes de Roussillon Tautavel Hommage aux Vignerons 2007 $41.99

Opaque ruby purple. Complex aromas of hay, dark chocolate, and cedar resin. Full-bodied with chewy tannins, dark chocolate, pepper, plum, cedar, vanilla, and spice.

These wines were paired with a duck confit ravioli and duck sausage with shaved pecorino and brown butter. The winner by a long shot was the Pinot Gris. The red was too intense for the complex layered flavours of the dish. A caramelised mandarin and hint of nutmeg in the pasta was a superb match and bridge with the white wine.

Chocolate torte

M. Chapoutier Banyuls $32.65 500ml

Ruby red mahogany with molasses and stewed fruit compote aromas. Full-bodied with floral, citrusy alcohol hints, subtle cocoa, violets and orange.

Dessert was paired with a Banyuls and a couple of whites. I like "Like with Like" and the Banyuls was spot on with chocolate torte.

Overal a wonderful luncheon with great food and wine pairings and proof positive that the balance of fruit, texture, and structure of French wines make them ideal food candidates.

Siena restaurant is located at 1485 West 12th Avenue. Telephone: 605 588 1485

Gin, Tonic, Big Ice, & a Cucumber

2012-08-15T14:04:00.001-07:00

G&T

The quintessential summer drink, simple in statement, easy to make, and so refreshing when made right. My perfect G&T recipe includes Hendricks Gin and Fever Tree tonic.

1.5 oz (44.3ml) Gin
6.8 oz (200ml) Fever Tree Tonic
Large ice cubes
Cucumber spear
Lime wedge

Although I have an automatic ice machine on my refridgerator I opt for larger ice cubes with trays from Colourworks. These silicone trays make large square cubes that are easy to deploy into your glass.

Fever Tree Tonic, although dear at $1.50 for a 200ml bottle, is the perfect tonic compared to supermarket brands. Fever Tree is made from organic botanicals and cane sugar.

Gin is a personal choice with my favourites being Hendricks, Old Raj, and Sipsmith.

For summer garden drinking I like to garnish my G&T with both a lime wedge and a spear of cucumber.

Stay cool as a cucumber this summer and enjoy the spoils of war and maleria with a G&T.

Kedgeree & South Africa White

2012-06-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

My west coast version of Kedgeree

Kedgeree, a classic Anglo-Indian dish with mixed theories on its origin; either from India prior to 1340 with a dish known as Khichri or as a younger Scottish dish that was brought to India by Scottish troops then returned to the UK in 1790's to wide appeal amongst the Victorians and their passion for all things colonial and the British Raj.
Usually served as a brunch or breakfast dish; I find kedgeree to be a great and quick way to prepare a dinner dish. Kedgeree makes a great wine pairing dish with its layers of flavours (smoked fish and Asian spice) and its textural notes of rice, egg, and spice heat.

My recipe, with a west coast twist, can be prepared in less than half and hour and feed four hungry wine friends.

Ingredients:

350g smoked wild salmon lox

300g Basmati rice

1 dried chili ( finely diced)

1/4 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion (chopped)

6 cardamon pods (split and seeded)

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon Garam Marsala

1 tablespoon Madras curry powder

small bunch of parsley (coarsely chopped)

4 eggs (to be fried, sunny side up)

2 lemons or limes (cut into wedges)

Method:

In a deep side pan or wok add the olive oil and sauté the chopped onion.

Add the dried chilli, coriander seeds, cardamon seeds, and Garam Marsala. Cook until the onions are soft (20 minutes)

In a pyrex bowl mix the Madras curry powder with the whipping cream and let sit to infuse flavours.

Cook the rice in a rice cooker until done.

In a small bowl pan gently warm up the curried whipping cream

Add the cooked rice to the sautéed onion and spice mix.

Add the smoked salmon lox, water, and curried whipping cream.

Stir until well incorporated and keep warm at low heat Gas Mark 2 and cover with foil

Cook the eggs; tradition says hard boiled but I prefer them sunny side up.

Plate the rice mixture, garnish with parsley, and add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice.

Garnish with a lemon or lime wedge.

This classic old school dish was paired with two South Africa whites, a Riesling and Chenin Blanc; both worked extremely well with the dish and its layers of flavours and textures.

2010 Nederburg The Winemaster's Reserve Riesling 13.99CDN$ 13.5% abv

Pale green colour with aromas of subtle petrol, lime, and canned pineapple. Medium-bodied with a nice structure, excellent fruit and acidity balance, and layers of ripe pineapple, lime, petrol, and a hint of mineral. Excellent value. The sweet pineapple and lime notes married well and complimented the spice notes of the kedgeree.

2008 Lammershoek Chenin Blanc 32CDN$ 14.5% abv

Yellow gold -green colour with complex aromas of almond croissant, pear, and a hint of hay fields. Full-bodied, creamy textured, and loaded with nut, marzipan, mineral, and meadow flowers. A complex wine at its peak and a shoe in for a good quality Savennieres. Wild yeasts, unfiltered, French barrique fermentation, and nine months of old barrel ageing. This stunner worked well with the kedgeree with its contrasting flavours and its complementary rich texture.

New Zealand Wine Fair 2012

2012-05-02T13:37:00.002-07:00

Yesterday I attended the trade tasting of the New Zealand Wine Fair at the Roundhouse in Vancouver. This year twenty vineyards were in attendance pouring wide range of aromatics, the benchmark Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and a selection of the Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhone inspired varieties. As of 2012 New Zealand has 698 wineries producing 235 million litres of wine with 154.7 million litres on the export market.

This year Rieslings from the South island (90% of production) really impressed me with their lime and spice notes and interesting minerality. Pinot Gris seemed to be a big push by many producers with styles from light and lean on the South Island to richer fruit salad styles on the North.

Benchmark Sauvignon Blancs never fail to impress with their distinct pungentness and Babich, Cloudy Bay and Spy Valley were stand outs.

What really had me interested this year was some of the more unusual and are hard to find here in the Vancouver market; Viognier, Tempranillo, and Syrah.

Here are my standouts from yesterday's tasting.

Waimea Dry Riesling 2010 Nelson $18.99

Straw green with lovely aromas of fresh lime and a hint of mineral.

Medium-bodied, good concentration and great crisp acidity. Lots of lime, lemon and hints of flowers. Nice structure and age worthy.

Waimea Viognier 2010 Nelson $19.95

Straw yellow with lovely aromas of apricot and cardamon.

Medium-bodied, lush texture but balanced by crisp acidity. Layers of dried apricot and

honeysuckle with exotic spice. A nice bridge between New World and Old World styles.

Kumeau River Chardonny Villages 2008 $21.99

Straw yellow with subtle peach and nut aromas. Medium-bodied with hazel and brazil nut, white peach and a touch of minerality with good concentration. Well balanced and Macon styled.

Kumeau River Estate Chardonnay 2007 $35

Subtle oak and smoke aromas with hints of nut.

Full-bodied and complex with subtle pineapple, honeycomb, nut and smoked spice notes. Very Meursault like.

Rock Ferry Tempranillo Bendigo Central Otago 2009 $NA

Garnet red with aromas of savoury herb and cherry.

Medium-bodied with soft tannins and a lush texture, with tobacco, chocolate, strawberry and a hint of vanilla. An unusual variety to see from NZ. Not overly complex but interesting.

Waiheke Island Syrah Man O’War Dreadnought Syrah 2009 $50

Ruby red with aromas of blueberry, pepper, smoke and bacon fat.

Medium to full-bodied, complex, tight tannins, and layers of tea, sweet spice, smoke and bacon. Big Northern Rhone style red. A beautiful Syrah.

Trinity Hill Homage Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay 2009 $94.95

Ruby purple with complex aromas of black cherry, smoke, violets and a touch of bacon. Full-bodied, intense and richly textured. Layers of complex flavours ranging from Asian five spice, dried violets, damsom plum, blackberry and liqourice. Big with enough tannins for a decade of evolution. Northern Rhone inspired and done well. Expensive but worth it.

Above and beyond the amazing selection of wines tasted at the fair; New Zealand deserves kudos for aiming for 100% wine growing sustainability by year end. For more information on New Zealand wine, click on www.nzwine.com

Perfect Pairings | German Wines & Asian Flavours

2012-04-30T23:55:00.002-07:00

On the 25^th I had the opportunity to attend a German wine tasting luncheon hosted by the German Wine Institute and Master of Wine Jeannie Cho Lee at Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie. The press conference was a precursor to the launch of Jeannie’s Perfect Pairings German Wines & Asian Flavours booklet and a German wine promotion in sixty of the BCLDB shops for the month of May.

Sichuan cucumbers

The fifty page booklet encapsulates many of Jeannie’s concepts on wine and Asian food pairing from her hard to find book Asian Palate voted Gourmand’s Best Food and Wine Book in the World. The original English version is currently out of print but available on itunes if you have an iphone or ipad.

Jeannie described her wine and food pairing concept based on the five flavours of Asian cuisine:

Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, and Umami and how they pair with the cuisines or as this MW states “the terroir of cities” especially food from Canton, Shanghai, Northern China (Xinjiang and Heilongjiang), as well as Japan, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, and India.

Marinated eggplant

Sweetness is found in fruit, palm sugar, and coconut sauces; sourness from tamarind or lime; saltiness from soy, oyster sauce, and pungent shrimp or bean pastes. Bitterness from ginkgo nuts, bitter melon, and ginseng. Umami or the "fifth" taste is the savoury quality of fermented beans, mushrooms, and seaweed.

Jeanne opened my palate to her concept of “roving chopsticks” where during the course of an Asian meal you experience a combination of small bites with varied flavour combinations of the communal table. The flavours, textures and temperatures of main dishes along with a myriad of condiments makes for a very complex food and wine matrix compared to western cuisine.

Tofu Skin

With multi course dishes Jeannie recommends a wine that will pair with 60 to 70% of the dishes. The wine needs to be versatile and flexible and Riesling is the perfect bridge builder.

The first course of our luncheon was a combination of plates of pickles, Sichuan cucumbers, marinated eggplant and tofu skin. These cold and marinated dishes were elegantly paired with a Riesling Sekt.

Dr. Loosen Riesling Sekt Mosel $18.99

Straw yellow with fresh yeast and apple notes. Light-bodied, crisp lively acidity, apple, lemon, lime, and floral notes.

Cold Soft Tofu

Vegetable potstickers and steamed prawn and chive dumpling were nicely paired with a couple of Rieslings from the Nahe and Mosel. I found the trocken better paired with the potstickers and slightly off dry Mosel a complex marriage with the steamed dumplings.

2009 Tesch Trocken Laubenhelmer Karthauser Nahe $27.99

Straw green with subtle petrol notes.

Medium bodied, dry, with grapefruit, lime sorbet, and mineral notes.

2010 Urban Mosel $23.25

Steamed dumplings

Straw green with ripe apple and faint petrol notes. Medium-bodied, off-dry, with lime and flower blossoms.

A complex dish of cold tofu with black bean, green Sichuan peppercorn ground pork, with Shimeji mushrooms and garlic chips as well as King pea tips with garlic and Shaoxing were paired up with a Pinot Blanc and an Auslese Riesling. The sweetness of the Auslese was the perfect pairing with the heat from the peppercorn pork. The Pinot Blanc battled the spice but was an excellent match with the tofu.

2009 Kruger Rumpf Pinot Blanc Nahe $33.99

Straw green with aromas of apple, petrol, and citrus pith. Medium-bodied and dry with grapefruit, mineral, and nectarine notes.

2008 Fritz Haag Braunberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Auslese Mosel $37.99 (375ml)

Straw yellow with aromas of honey and barley sugar. Medium-bodied, sweet and lush, with barley sugar, honey, and sweet ripe apple and a hint of petrol in the long finish.

Crispy Pork Belly

Two Pinot Noirs, from the Pfalz and the Rheingau were paired with a crispy pork belly and lotus root dish. The light tannins in the reds brought out the spice and earthy notes of both dishes.

2009 Peter and Peter Pinot Noir Pfalz $18.99

Cherry red with simple aromas of herb, dried red currant, and a hint of meatiness. Light-bodied with hints of meat, cedar, red berries, and floral herby notes.

Lotus Root

2006 Schloss Reinhartshausen Rheingau $23.99

Ruby red with aromas of spice, smoke, and cherry. Medium-bodied, quite complex with spice, autumn wood smoke and red cherry notes.

The final lunch pairing was Mosel Kabinett, that despite not having a lot of sweetness, was perfect with the Youtiao (Chinese donut) and its light fresh bread complimented the wine wonderfully.

2006 Weingut Jakoby-Mathy Kinheimer Rosenberg Kabinett Mosel $30.15

Straw green with lovely lime and petrol notes. Medium-bodied, crispy acidity, petrol, green apple, and pineapple.

Pick up a copy of Perfect Pairings and try a selection of German wines paired up with small bites from Bao Bei this week at the BCLDB on Saturday May 5th from 3 to 6pm at the 39th and Cambie Signature store. Jeannie Cho Lee's book is free of charge and of limited availability.

Youtiao

Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie is located at 163 Keefer Street

(604) 688-0876