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October 2009
October 31, 2009
October 30, 2009
Friday night dinner at The Keg in Abbotsford
We had an early, impromptu dinner at The Keg in Abbotsford tonight. To start, Rick had a rum & coke and I sipped a single-serving cava as we shared tempura snap peas and asparagus.
For dinner, I had the Prosciutto-wrapped shrimp with prime rib and Rick had a steak with bacon-horseradish cream sauce. Mine was fabulous and Rick proclaimed his as "great."
The wine was a 2008 Domaine Jean Bousquet Malbec (13.8% ABV) from Argentina, "made from organically grown grapes."
I found vanilla, smoke, dark red fruits, and blackberries on the nose, with rose petals, spice, coffee, and ripe black fruits on the palate. The tannins were soft and the finish was longer than I had expected. This wine, not quite as sophisticated as its sister, the 2006 Reserva, is good and rings in at $33.95 at the restaurant and $15.99 at B.C. government liquor stores.
And our server, Joanna Lumley, was out of this world.
If only all servers could be as professional, warm, and appropriately attentive as this lovely young lady. You'd better hang on to her, Mr. Keg Steakhouse.
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October 29, 2009
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!
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October 23, 2009
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!
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October 14, 2009
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 [email protected].
Salut!
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October 13, 2009
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!
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October 12, 2009
My first attempt at a video wine tasting...
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!
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"Spread the Love": a tally of favourite wine stores at Palate Press
Two of my favourite wine stores are featured in the Palate Press article you'll find here. You just have to scroll way down to the bottom of the piece to find them.
Here is a kick-start:
Whatcom Wine & Spirits
36035 North Parallel Road
Abbotsford, BC, Canada V3G 2C6
(604) 870-6166
Wine expert Rose Siemens manages this privately owned little store out in the eastern reaches of Abbotsford, BC, where city meets country head-on in the Fraser Valley. This is a store ideal for the wine-tasting novice, the wine-collecting aficionado and... Read more.
Signature Liquor Store, Abbotsford
40 – 32500 South Fraser Way
Abbotsford, BC, Canada V2T 4W1
(604) 870-5919
Located at the western end of Abbotsford, this store is run by the British Columbia government but is staffed by true wine lovers who are eager to share their passion. While all BC Signature Liquor Stores carry an expanded wine portfolio, offer product tastings, host special events and promise customers an “enhanced shopping experience,” the product consultants... Read more.
Do you have a favourite place to buy wine? I'd love to hear about it.
Salut!
Copyright © 2009 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.
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October 02, 2009
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.
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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.
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