Scroll down and watch this funny video discussion about Stelvin closures (and other things) from Road 13 Vineyards, co-starring cellar master Bailey Williamson.
My gal-pals and I spent a rainy August afternoon in the Road 13 barrel room, with Bailey taking us through a fabulous tasting. He even taught me how to spit in the drain.
You can view Road 13's other videos here, here, here, and here.
Salut!
What if you could help support Canuck Place Children's Hospice by sipping wine from around the new world?
Well, you can when you attend The Globe in Your Glass on Wednesday, October 28, from 7:00-9:30 p.m at the Pan Pacific Hotel, 999 Canada Place, Vancouver.
Winemakers from Australia, New Zealand, California, and B.C. lead you through what they're proudly calling, "a new world wine discovery."
Tickets are just $25 but attendance is limited to 200 so you should move on this now. I'll be there...come and find me so we can meet!
If you'd like to donate directly to Canuck Place, please click here!
Salut!
Sip, sample, and savour wines from around the world and pair them with delectables from Chef Bill Schildpatt on Saturday, November 7 at Chilliwack's Best Western Rainbow Country Inn. Part proceeds go to support the Chilliwack Fraser Rotary Club and the Salvation Army Chilliwack Food Bank
Call Deanna Wardell at (604) 795-3828 to buy your tickets.
Salut!
Well, here it is, my first attempt at a video wine tasting. I was nervous. Wasn't loud enough. Should have given more detail. And forgot to have the label facing you, so I took a still photo of it.
But all that's okay because at least I tried. And my next one will be much better.
The wine I tasted was the 2008 La Stella Leggiero, an unoaked Chardonnay.
I'd love your feedback.
Salut!
Thanksgiving dinner in Canada brings on a traditional comfort-food bonanza. Roasted turkey, creamy mashed potatoes, savoury stuffing, various vegetables, tangy cranberry sauce and lots of rich gravy all find a place on our dining table.
My usual advice to folks, when they ask what wine to pair with food, is to match or contrast the flavour, weight, and texture of the focus food with the flavour, weight and texture of the wine.
Traditional matches include a big, bold, heavy California cabernet sauvignon paired with a slab of beef, grilled rare, and a New Zealand sauvignon blanc paired with a summer salad dressed with a citrus vinaigrette. These wines match their partner focus foods. For contrast, foie gras with sauternes or gorgonzola cheese with ice wine are classic. The sweetness and acidity of the wines contrast the saltiness and richness of the focus foods.
But it’s tough with a turkey dinner because it has so many variables, so many flavours, textures, and weights that can be deemed the focus.
Thanksgiving dinner wine in our house is typically pinot noir, with Riesling served to those who don’t drink red. Neither wine is heavy or overly complicated (please don't confuse that with simple and boring) so they won't overpower or clash with the meal; conversely, they have enough presence so they aren’t beat up by the food. Their acidity and fruitiness make them the well-rounded wines at a dinner ta
ble.
They do it all—from cutting through the fatty richness of the gravy and standing up to the sweet-tart cranberries, to cleansing and preparing your palate for your next bite.
This year, however, I'll be going "pink" and offering up Segura Viudas Brut Rosé ($15.99/12% ABV), a sparkling Spanish wine made from trepat, garnacha, and monastrell grapes, and Le Vieux Pin Vaïla ($25.00/13.8% ABV), a pinot noir rosé from B.C.'s own Okanagan Valley.
All the wines I've mentioned have a really good acidity level, which makes them perfect for turkey dinner. If you haven't already, please read my piece called "Big Tang Theory" in Palate Press where I talk about acidity in wine and why it's a (really) good thing.
Salut!
Copyright © 2009 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.
The Art Institute of Vancouver hosted a graduation reception last week for its first round of WSET (Wine & Spirits Education Trust) diploma recipients.
To achieve the diploma, one must complete Level 4 of the WSET program, which is no easy feat; in fact it often takes students three years to complete the four units of Level 4.
Sumac Ridge Estate Winery supplied their NV Tribute, a sparkling wine made from chardonnay grapes using the methode classique. This wine was "created to honour world class athletic performance as it takes centre stage at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympics Winter Games" but served to honour the WSET grads, too.
At the reception to receive their diplomas and celebrate all their hard work were:
Sharon McLean says a few words and thanks study buddy Louise Wilson
From left: Mark Shipway, Harry Hertscheg, Sharon McLean, Louise Wilson,
Wes Hunter, Barb Philip, Michaela Morris, and Tim Ellison
Many people, including instructors, came to the event to show their support to the graduates. And Sachi Singh, manager/instructor at The International Culinary School, made sure everyone's glass was full and the appetizers kept coming.
Betty Verkhuil of Vancouver International Film Festival& Film Centre
and Shelley Hamer-Jackson of Wine Australia celebrate with grads
Mark Shipway and William Johnson are all smiles
More smiles...this time from Sarah McCauley and Harry Hertscheg
Sachi Singh makes sure our glasses are full
Copyright © 2009 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.
We spent the afternoon and early evening at the EAT! Fraser Valleyevent at Abbotsford's Tradex on Friday. While there, we took in the vendors, restaurants offering samples (the seafood chowder from Ravens on the Beach was a killer once again), and tasted our way through wine, beer, and rum.
You still have time to take it all in. The event runs until 9:00 tonight and again tomorrow, Sunday, September 13 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Rick and I spent some time with Abbotsford-South MLA John van Dongenand his constituency assistant Sherri Wacker at the front of the class learning how to taste wine from Vancouver's own Wine Diva, Daenna Van Mulligen. Before the formal presentation, and for our entertainment, she sliced the top off a bottle of bubbly with a sabre.
I tasted some beer from R & B Brewing and quite liked the Bohemian Lager, which I found to have a slightly bitter aftertaste that refreshed and cried out for some food. Now, I don't know anything about beer so these are simply my uneducated observations.
Art Hornel, a.k.a. The Dynamic Sales Guy pulls levers for thirsty patrons
We made a pleasant discovery while at the event: Mt. Lehman Winery. All their grapes are B.C.-grown, although they aren't all grown on their own estate. And, while they grow organically, they aren't yet certified organic. Donna Redekop poured us the red, an eight-grape blend called Pioneer Red that was juicy and earthy with red cherries and light tannins. This is an easy-sipper that would be super with spaghetti, pizza, or barbequed pork chops. The eight grapes that make up this blend are Zweigelt, Dornfelder, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, and two I've never heard of, but will research further: cabernet libre and cabernet foch.
Donna Redekop of Mt. Lehman Winery pours their Pioneer,
an eight-grape blended red
You can find Mt. Lehman Winery at the south end of Abbotsford, just north of Townshipline Road and you can reach Vern Siemens—farmer, winemaker, and proprietor—by phone at 604-746-2881 or by e-mail at vern.siemens@shawlink.ca for wine information and tasting-room hours.
Salut!
Copyright © 2009 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.
