Between the Vines

Is it a stretch to think my weekend up at Whistler's Cornucopia will contribute to world peace?

Maybe. Then again, maybe not.

This year's charity recipient at Cornucopia is Playground Builders, whose tag line reads exactly what it does: "Creating play, building hope."

Playground Builders goes to war-torn regions worldwide and creates safe play spaces so kids can just be kids. When a community's children can safely play, it begins to feel empowered and this empowerment quite naturally leads to a stronger foundation and new, peaceful, possibilities. Let's face it—when our kids are happy, we're happy. It's no different for people in unstable and poverty-stricken areas of the world. And because local labour and supplies are used, an injection to the local economy helps to further bolster the empowerment.

 

To date, 45 playgrounds have been built in Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza, and the West Bank. And because of its efforts, Playground Builders has been nominated for the YMCA International Peacemaker Award.  

 

Salut!

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved. 

YVR Wine Bloggers & Sommeliers Group share an evening of no-pressure and no-pretence wine tasting and education

Congratulations and a huge thank-you go out to Elizabeth Clinton of Seacove Group and Jeff Bashford of Farmstead Wines (and co-organizers of the YVR Wine Bloggers & Sommeliers Group) for putting together such a fabulous wine-tasting, -appreciation, and -education event…and for letting me volunteer.  Many thanks as well to Scott Landon Antiques on Granville Street for opening their show room to the occasion—and us!

 

It was certainly well worth our drive to Vancouver from Mission for the evening. I enjoyed tasting all the wines and meeting so many wine lovers. And it was great for my husband to see that I am not so unusual in my passion and oeno-geeky-ness.

 

There were 10 wine stations placed throughout the antiques showroom, each with its own “fundamental lesson” and wines. The lessons were posed as questions:

1.    What affect does climate have on wine?

2.    Do you agree with the critics?

3.    How many different grape varieties can you name?

4.    Does Argentinean Malbec taste like Malbec?

5.    When was the last time you served a Sherry?

6.    Can you describe what a Riesling tastes like?

7.    Will a glass of bubbly this festive season be your first this year?

8.    Do you consider yourself a red wine drinker?

9.    Do you think artisan wines are worth the money?

10. Do you prefer Molson Canadian or Kokanee?

 

I was pouring at station nine, along with chef and wine aficionado Weston Nawrocki of BeauCharles Wine & Food Consulting. To demonstrate our lesson, we poured the 2008 Rosemount Estate Diamond Label White from Australia and the 2003 Marc Tempe Alliance from Alsace, France.

 

It was wonderful meeting so many peopel in the flesh, so many folks I've known only "virtually" this last couple of years. And I was glad to finally have a real-live, face-to-face conversation with Paul Rickett, Bowen Island's Wine Guy.

 

A definite highlight of the evening was when Pamela Clarke, co-founder and Chocolate Spin Meister (yes, that’s her official title) of xoxolat told me her story:  She has always avoided wine-tasting events because, as much as she loves wine, and as much as she enjoys it with nearly every meal, she feared wine tastings would be intimidating and full of snobbery with wine experts who are all puffed up with their own self-importance. So when this event was billed as "no pretence," she thought she'd give it a try.

 

Pamela was so excited—and I mean excited—to (A) find that the billing was true—ours was a no-pretence, educational event—and (B) share a room jam-packed with people who simply love wine and love sharing their collective knowledge and passion.

 

And, you know what? I think she’ll venture out to more tastings now that she’s seen first-hand that not everyone in the wine world is, well, a snob.

 

Follow these folks on Twitter:

Jeff Bashford

Weston Nawrocki

Farmstead Wines

Seacove Group

Xoxolat

Paul Rickett

 

Salut!

 

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.

Cooler weather calls for hearty wine

This piece was originally published in the October 29, 2009 issue of My City, a monthly magazine distributed with the Abbotsford News.

As the days get shorter, cooler, and damper, I tend to pull out and serve my heartier wines with what are, just naturally, more substantial dinners. In my cellar, the heartier wines are typically red. And in the kitchen, the more-substantial dinners translate into almost anything that is roasted, stewed, or braised.

Take this weekend, for example. Pouring rain and falling temperatures meant a roasted rack of pork for our Sunday dinner and a Malbec from Argentina to sip. Read more...

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.  

Learn about the fermented grape at this relaxed, no-pretense (but tons of fun) wine-tasting night in Vancouver

Do you love wine as much as I love it? Ever wonder why you love it? Have you ever thought, "Gee, I'd sure like to know more, but I don't know where to go or whom to ask?"

Well, my dear, you are in luck!

A group of highly passionate and knowledgeable (but no where near stuffy or staid) wine lovers, bloggers, and sommeliers have joined forces to bring you an opportunity to learn about more than 20 different wine regions, styles, and winemaking techniques as you taste your way through 10 stations and 20+ wines in wine-show style.

At each station, you'll come away with a lesson to help you better understand wine fundamentals. And by the end of the evening, you'll have tasted some 20 yummy wines, found answers to your questions, and gained enough knowledge and confidence to boldly go and pick that next bottle of wine from any specialty liquor store shelf or restaurant wine list.

You will be encouraged to grab a glass of your favourite wine of the night to sip while you mingle and make new friends.

Mark your calendar now for next Tuesday, November 10, then click here for more information and to purchase your tickets.

Only 100 Tickets available—purchase online to receive a $10 discount.

Salut!

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved. 

Harvest report: BC's Okanagan Valley

BC is home to five official wine-growing regions or DVAs (designated viticultural areas): Okanagan Valley, Similkameen Valley, Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands. Its most established and arguably most important DVA, the Okanagan, runs long and narrow from the Canada/U.S. border northward 160 km and encompasses Canada’s only bona fide desert and myriad mesoclimates. Read more...

Salut!

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved. 

Globe in Your Glass: discover new world wine and support Canuck Place

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!

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.

Wine on the Mountain: wine & food pairing fundraiser for Adoptive Families Association of B.C.

The top of Grouse Mountain is home to the fourth annual Wine on the Mountain fundraiser supporting the Adoptive Families Association of B.C.

Blind tastings, curious pairings, chocolate cellar, and more November 7. Tickets are limited. To get yours, call 604-320-7330, ext. 122 or drop a note to events@bcadoption.com.

 Salut!

Taste wines from 12 different countries at Rainbow Wine Festival

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!

Cornucopia: a celebration of wine and food in Whistler, B.C.

This weekend we're missing the Okanagan Fall Wine Fest, next weekend is Thanksgiving, which we won't miss since we're hosting it, and before we know it, November will be upon us.

But that's okay because November brings Cornucopia: Whistler's Celebration of Wine & Food, one of the top 10 wine-and-food events in the world, according to www.forbestraveler.com.

And we're going!

 
Cornucopia is an annual event made especially for food and wine nuts (a.k.a. enthusiasts), by other food and wine nuts (a.k.a. professionals). From November 12 to 15, there are events, parties, tastings, seminars, and get-togethers to tantalize every palate from morning to night to morning again.

This year's extravaganza has a fabulous line-up of events and chefs, sommeliers, vintners, and restaurateurs. You can choose your events by browsing the easy-to-figure schedule.

I'll be blogging live from Cornucopia as well as making notes for my wine column in The Abbotsford News and my monthly contribution to Palate Press.

Why don't you come along?

Salut!

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.

What wine will you serve with Thanksgiving dinner?

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.