Between the Vines: One woman's wine-soaked musings

Organic B.C. wine and rugby: who knew they'd fit together so well?

Well, they've done it. Donna Bernard, Douglas Okero, and Summer Dhillon have managed to tie rugby to two of my favourite things: wine and food. And with the help of sponsors like BluStone Bistro & Lounge and Chandra Estate Winery, along with food-and-drink partner The Esposito Group, how can they help but be successful?

The tie-in started Thursday evening when the trio formally launched their newest project, the  International Rugby Sevens, a world-class international rugby tournament to take place this summer in the heart of B.C.'s Fraser Valley—Abbotsford. Festivities begin July 23 and carry on until July 25, when we get to the main event, a full day of games followed by awards and an after party.

At the launch, not only were we introduced to dignitaries, rugby players, and other VIPs, but we got to nibble the goodies provided by BluStone and sip Chandra Estate wines, which happen to be lovely, certified organic, and a product of the Okanagan Valley, right in Oliver, B.C. What luck!

I sipped on both the pinot gris and merlot—one at a time, of course. The Chandra Estate pinot gris , named O, is a medium-bodied wine with a bit more acidity than I had expected (I happen to like that, by the way). It presents aromas of peach and nectarine, followed quickly by rose petal and honey. On the palate, this wine is refreshing with flavours of peach, pear, and a hint of honey. I'd pair this wine with my grilled boneless chicken breasts that I serve with a salsa of mango, garlic, lime, and cilantro.

Besides the aromas of plum, ripe blueberries, spice and something vegetal that others described as black olive, the Chandra Estate merlot, named Halo, gives a definite floral scent reminiscent of violets. On the palate, this wine is lush and full of the fruity goodies and easy tannins you'd expect from a merlot. I sipped while chatting and then had more with dinner, a very generous serving of BluStone's slowly braised pork ribs. Yum!

 

Summer Dhillon, Donna Bernard, and Kathleen Rake
share some wine and some laughs.

You can find Chandra Estate wines in select wine stores and restaurants including Kensington Square Wines (Burnaby), Wine Emporium (Langley), Mud Bay Wines (Tsawwassen), Bellevue Wine Company (West Vancouver), Vij's (Vancouver), and Relish (Vancouver).

Salut!

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.

Vincor Canada names new president

Eric Morham succeeds Jay Wright as president of Vincor Canada, effective immediately. Wright assumes a new role in the United States with Vincor Canada’s parent company, Constellation Brands, Inc.

Morham will accompany Wright to the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, which is taking place this week. Both executives will attend the trade events during the festival, giving Morham the chance to meet customers, media, and his new employees, while providing Wright the chance to say some farewells.

In the upcoming months, Morham will move to Canada and work from the Mississauga, Ontario office, where the leadership team will report to him. While his appointment is effective immediately, there is a transition period of approximately 30 days to ensure business continuity.

 

Vincor Canada is a wholly owned subsidiary of Constellation Brands, Inc., a leading international producer and marketer of beverage alcohol brands with a broad portfolio across the wine, spirit, and imported beer categories.

 

Well-known Constellation brands sold in Canada include Inniskillin Wines, Jackson-Triggs Estate Wines, Sumac Ridge, See Ya Later Ranch, Naked Grape, Sawmill Creek, Nk'Mip (a joint venture with the Osoyoos Indian Band), Le Clos Jordanne, Osoyoos Larose, Vex, Grower’s Cider, Hardys, Goundrey, Kim Crawford, Ruffino, Kumala, Toasted Head, Ravenswood, Estancia, Franciscan Oakville Estate, and Robert Mondavi Winery.

 

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Is it your juicy cherries? Your little bit o' spice and earth? Your utter food friendliness? Tell me, dear Chianti, why do I love you so?

I've been trying to figure out what is it about Chianti that rocks me.

I've decided I get rocked by it because Chianti is one of those juicy (acidic), earthy wines, supple and elegant, with easy tannins that absolutely loves to be consumed with food. Made from Tuscany's most important grape, sangiovese, Chianti goes as easily with a red-sauced spaghetti as it did with our evening fare.

Tonight I took thin pork chops (the grocery store markets them as "quick fry") and rubbed them with a paste made from olive oil, Dijon mustard, freshly ground sea salt and black pepper, garlic, and dried rosemary. All earthy flavours, with a bit of a tart bite.

While they sat in their rub, I fixed up some steamed broccoli, a dish of Spanish-style rice, and an easy salad of romaine lettuce, red onion, ripe red tomatoes, and B.C. hothouse cucumbers, all dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Then I quickly (they were "quick fry," after all) grilled them on our barbeque...and served.

Tonight's wine was a 2007 Frescobaldi Castiglioni Chianti DOCG, ringing in at 13% ABV and just $16.99 in B.C. government liquor stores.

    

This Chianti (which happens to be 90% sangiovese and 10% merlot) was clear and clean, showing a bright ruby (with just a hint of purple) colour. On the nose, I found tobacco, spice, sour cherries and cherry pit. In my mouth,the wine was not quite medium bodied, elegant, and supple. It was juicy, with flavours of cherries, sour plum, and a little bit of the farmyard on the palate...Yum!

Salut!

Copyright 2009 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.

If our little corner of the Fraser Valley is any indication, then Dining Out for Life was successful

Bravo Restaurant & Lounge was packed tonight. And boy was it jumpin' with energy and verve.

Rick and I went there for dinner with friends Andrew Franklin (publisher of several Fraser Valley newspapers, who just happens to be Rick's former boss) and Chris Blank (from the Agassiz-Harrison Observer) to support Dining Out for Life, while we did some well-deserved celebrating of our own.

We started with a bottle of Sumac Ridge Estate Winery Steller's Jay Brut (2003), a lively sparkler full of joy. I found toasty notes and strawberries on the nose and fresh citrus and strawberries on the palate. The mousse was soft but persistent, which always makes me happy.

For dinner, Andrew had the New York steak, Chris had the featured filet, Rick enjoyed the penné with chicken, and I had the rack of lamb, which was absolutely delicious and left me smacking my lips—literally.

To go with the lot, we had a bottle of the Sumac Ridge Black Sage Vineyard Merlot (2005). This wine displayed classic merlot characteristics: lots of dark fruit and berries along with a little fruitcake on the nose. This was followed with a ton of ripe-plum-and-molasses softness on the the palate.

The evening was definitely a success—at least it was from our point of view: good friends, good food, good wine. Hopefully, A Loving Spoonful and Friends For Life, the people who benefit from Dining Out for Life, feel the same.

Salut!

 

 

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.

Win a night at Spirit Ridge Resort and Spa in Osoyoos, a VIP winery experience, and two tickets to Oliver's best-kept secret

What's Oliver's best-kept secret? A wine festival called Banée, of course. And it's running April 17 & 18 this year.

Here's the background...

In an effort to better express their purpose as they fit into their wine-growing, -making, and -selling niche, a group of more than 15 wineries from B.C.'s Okanagan Valley (McIntyre Bluff, B.C. to the U.S. border at Osoyoos) recently changed the name of their non-profit group from South Okanagan Wineries Association (SOWA) to Oliver, Osoyoos Desert Wine Country Association (OODWCA).

It didn't take long, however, for the naming committee, comprised of some of the sharpest minds in the wine community, to realize that their new tag was simply impossible to handle. And that's why they need help—now!

The person to come up with a smashing, usable, and ultimately winning new name for this association of wineries, along with his or her guest, will be treated like royalty at the upcoming Banée.

To learn more online, visit: http://oliverosoyooswineries.blogspot.com

Naming Criteria

The winning name:

1. Should not be longer than 40 characters.
2. Should aptly describe the group of wineries, which are located in the Oliver and Osoyoos area. For example, the term "South Okanagan" is not an appropriate or accurate description because the geographical region South Okanagan goes as far north as Summerland.
3. Should evoke the fact that this region is where the majority of the Okanagan Valley grapes are grown. This is serious wine-growing country, encompassing the famed Golden Mile and Black Sage benches.
4. Should not be a term that is trademarked or used by another winery or winery association. For example, "Corkscrew Drive" is used by wineries on Penticton's East Side Road, "Bottleneck Drive" is used by the Summerland winery group, and "2Bench" is a trademark belonging to Tinhorn Creek Vineyards.

Determining the Winner

1. If there is more than one winning entry, the Grand Prize winner will be determined by draw from the pool of winning entries.
2. The Grand Prize includes the following for April 18, 2009 only: one night's accommodation at Spirit Ridge Resort and Spa in Osoyoos, B.C., a VIP winery tour experience, and two tickets to Banée. Prize value is $1,800.00 and does not include transportation.
3. The prize is non-transferable and must be accepted as offered. If the winner is not available to attend Banée, another name will be chosen.

How to Enter

1. Entrants must be 19 years or older.
2. Entrants are to go online to www.ccltd.ca/namethatwineregion
3. Entry deadline is March 31, 2009.

For more information, contact Crystal Froese of C. Froese Event Management or Leeann Clemens at Coletta & Associates.

Salut!

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.

Pork 'n pinot: each mouthful of food brought out the brilliance of the wine

So, here's what I did tonight with pork and B.C.'s Black Cloud pinot noir...

I took one of the recipes from Natalie MacLean's website—pork chops stuffed with red onion confit, dates, and dried cranberries—and modified it to suit our dinner guests and groceries on hand.

First, instead of pork chops, I roasted at a high heat two small racks of pork I had marinated (for about an hour) in finely chopped garlic, a Port-style blackberry wine—fortified fruit wine from Fort Wine Co.—fresh sage, freshly ground pepper and sea salt, and a little Dijon mustard. Oh yes, plus a splash of B.C.'s own Black Cloud pinot noir, which is available in the Fraser Valley at Whatcom Wine & Spirits.

While the roasts were in the oven, I put together the confit called for in the original recipe, but instead of adding Port, figs, and dried cranberries, I used more of the blackberry dessert wine, dried Bing cherries, and dried cranberries. Oh yes, plus a splash of Black Cloud pinot noir. And, instead of stuffing the meat before cooking, I used it as a topping once the roasting was finished.

Along side the main, I served brown rice cooked in organic chicken broth, grilled portabello mushrooms, and a tossed salad dressed with a mixture of olive oil and the Fort's blackberry balsamic vinegar.

Here's where it gets really good. I served a bottle of—you guessed it—Black Cloud pinot noir with dinner. It was perfect! The juicy cherries, smooth spice, smoke, and earth of the wine literally walked hand-in-hand with the food at dinner. Each sip made the food taste better, and each mouthful of food brought out the brilliance of the wine.

I've said it before, but it is certainly worth repeating:

It's an absolutely glorious thing when your
food and wine bring out the best in each other.

Salut!

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.

Easy way to figure out which wine to drink with breakfast, lunch, or dinner

I've just installed Natalie MacLean's food-and-wine pairing widget here on the right-hand side of my blog. Simply scroll down a smidge and give it a try.

I'd love to know what you think of it—the widget, that is—and then what you thought of the pairing.

If you're still a little uncertain, or if you need more information, please drop me a note. I'm happy to help you.

Salut!

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.

Single-salary Rhône-style blend

When I lunch at Earl's and want a glass of red wine, it's typically the Mon Ami Rascal red I choose.

The Rascal, blended especially for Earl's by the Perrin brothers of Château de Beaucastle and Perrin et Fils, is a Rhône-style blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mouvèdre (with a splash of Counoise) that is fruity, earthy, and a just-plain-easy drinker that gets along with so many foods.  This wine is not terribly complex, but neither is it dull and single layered.

Now that we can buy Rascal in B.C. liquor stores, and since its price tag is under $10.50, it's certainly an affordable sipper, and a particularly wise buy if you're living on a single salary. I have to tell you, Rascal will likely be shoving the Castillo de Monséran out of the way to take its place as our new "house wine."

Salut! 

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.