By Kathleen Rake
In the August 21 issue of the Abbotsford News (page A35), I paired the Singletree Winery Siegerrebe with Lepp Farm Market's Asian Ramen Noodle Salad recipe.
Click here or on the image below for the recipe and wine pairing.
À Votre Santé!
Copyright © 2015 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.
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By Kathleen Rake
Some six or seven years ago, I told fellow wine lovers Sean Calder and Shea Coulson, who were each drinking a cold brew after a lengthy wine-tasting event, “I don’t really like beer.”
Their unrehearsed response came quickly and at the same time, “That’s because you’ve never tasted a good one.”
Fast forward to 2015, and I can tell you they were right.
So, what is good beer, really?
I am not an expert, but I have taken to practising (by tasting) in order to work my way to becoming one.
It started with participating at the beer presentations in between my wine seminars at the Fraser Valley Food Show, where I was told plainly that “beer tasters don’t spit.” (I haven’t yet found spittoons at any beer-tasting events or venues.) I followed that by getting advice from people in the wine world whose palates I trusted, and applying my wine-tasting experience to the pint glass.
When I drink a beer, I want something that is refreshing, pleases my palate, has some complexity, and makes me want to take another sip.
Makes sense, right?
And, since I rarely drink beer without food to go along with it, I want a beer with a flavour profile that will enhance the whole experience, not overpower it or get beat up by it.
Just my luck that here in the Fraser Valley I have easy access to a number of craft beer breweries.
In Abbotsford, for instance, you will find Old Abbey Ales, Ravens Brewing Company, and, expected to open in December this year, Fieldhouse Brewing Co.
When Ravens had its grand opening, I went in to say hello to owner (and fellow wine lover) Paul Sweeting, wish him well in his new venture and taste the beer made under the expert eye of head brewer Nick Fengler, another Fraser Valley local.
It was an interesting flight, with a number of glasses calling me to taste again. But the one I liked most, the one that suited my palate best, with its citrus, spice and light-but-lingering bitterness, was the Farmers Ale. “That’s funny,” said Sweeting, “It’s the one we made with wine drinkers in mind.”
Figures.
At the inaugural BC Hop Fest in October at Dwayne and Diane Stewart’s hop farm in Abbotsford, I was able to taste several more craft beers, this time made with fresh instead of dried hops. “It’s called wet-hopped beer,” explained event producer Donna Dixson. “The hops have to get from the bine¹ to the tank in 24 hours.”
A number of people compare fresh or wet-hopped beer, which can be produced only at harvest, to Beaujolais Nouveau that sees release on the third Thursday of November. I hesitate to make the same comparison, but I understand the general message they are trying to send—it’s fresh and comes just once a year.
This year’s BC Hop Fest was blessed by the weather gods. And people got to taste the fresh beer while standing practically between the hop bines. Each vendor was excited to talk about his or her particular wet-hopped beer, and those who used the host farm's hops could even tell you from which row their hops came.
BC Hop Fest was a perfect opportunity to taste and learn more about craft beer. Mark your calendar for next year’s event: Oct. 1, 2016.
¹The upwardly growing stem upon which the hops grow is called a bine, not a vine.
À Votre Santé!
Copyright © 2015 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.
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Last night I opened a Sauvignon Blanc 2014* from Evolve Cellars, a new B.C. Okanagan winery found on Bottleneck Drive. Here are my notes:
White wine:
Sauvignon Blanc 2014
Producer:
Evolve Cellars
Region:
Okanagan Valley, BC VQA
Grape/Blend:
Sauvignon Blanc
Price/ABV:
$15/13.9% ABV
Eyes:
Clear, pale yellow, with a touch of green.
Nose:
Citrus, melon, tropical fruit, suggestion of smoke.
Palate:
Lime, stone fruit, hint o' sweet spice.
Overall:
Smooth, fruity, mouth-filling. The suggestion of smoke and hint of sweet spice are odd since this wine saw no oak. Maybe next time I won't find it there--who knows?
Buy it:
Private liquor stores, VQA stores, directly from the winery.
Pair it:
I served this dry white wine with grilled boneless/skinless chicken breasts I had cut up and tossed with linguine, home-made pesto, and about half a package of Boursin cheese. I'd like to try it with smoked-salmon eggs benny or a traditional goat cheese.
*This wine was provided as a sample.
À Votre Santé!
Copyright © 2015 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.
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We had dinner at our friends' home last night. It was, as always, delicious. I took the greens because, well, I just have #SoMuchSalad growing in my garden boxes.
They grilled the salmon and poured the Nichol Vineyards Pinto Gris.
Nichol Vineyards Pinot Gris 2014
100 % Naramata Village grown, cold soaked on the skin.
$22 at the winery/12% ABV
The eyes:
Clear, bright, pale hint-o-salmon colour.
On the nose:
stone fruit, sweet spice, herbal qualities, citrus peel, light hint of smoke.
On the palate:
stone fruit, green apples, lemon and grapefruit juices, and trace of ginger.
Overall:
Great backbone! Bright and alive. If you have friends or family who are white-wine-only drinkers, this one will serve them well alongside red meat.
Serve it with:
This Pinot Gris was great with the grilled salmon. I'd like to give it a second try with grilled bone-in pork chops and a tart chunky apple-ginger sauce.
À Votre Santé!
Copyright © 2015 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.
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I ran into a friend earlier today and he asked if I had ever reviewed any wines under the $10 mark.
Well, sure I have.
In fact, in 2013 I dedicated three of my Abbotsford News wine columns to just such wines. Here they are again. Keep in mind the vintages and pricing will have changed, but they are still wines with good QPR (quality-price ratio), in my opinion.
Click on an image below for the corresponding article ... and cheers!
À Votre Santé!
Copyright © 2015 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.
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You have to buy this rosé wine from Mt. Lehman Winery in Abbotsford. Really.
Sure it's a gold-medal winner from this year's SavorNW Wine Awards. Sure, it's wallet-friendly, ringing in at just $13.50. And sure, it's grown, produced, packaged, and sold locally. But, best of all, it is bright, well balanced, and delicious.
Read my notes in this month's Sipping Vines column in the Abbotsford News. Also, give the recipe from Lepp Farm Market a try. The tang of the feta cheese and tomatoes, along with the spicy fennel, garlic, and pepper flavours, and the salty-sweetness of the shrimp will work perfectly with this rosé.
À Votre Santé!
Copyright © 2015 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.
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Artichokes are delicious! At least, they are in my world. But choosing wine to go along with them can prove to be a challenge.
I like to serve a Chablis with my artichokes at home, but Sarah Knoefler in this article online at Eater.com offers some fabulous alternatives.
What wines have you tried with artichokes? Which wines do YOU recommend?
À Votre Santé!
Copyright © 2015 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.
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Napa Valley Wine Academy published a fun article about sabrage, written by Jonathan Cristaldi. Take a minute to read it. And remember, you can sabre sparklers other than Champagne; they like to get this special treatment, too.
For my Canadian readers:
Here is the infographic from the article:
À Votre Santé!
Copyright © 2015 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.
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Sparklers are great for any day of the year, but absolutely essential for Valentine's Day--breakfast, lunch, dinner, or in between and afterward.
Haywire Winery offers two that will spark that lovin' feeling.
Both these wines are lovely and lively, with bright fruit and mouth-teasing mousse.
Baby Bub (375ml/$14) shows a little more red berry and citrus than its bigger sister, Pink Bub (700ml/$25), which greets you with bright cherries, followed by Granny Smith apples.
To warm your heart just a little more, $2 from every bottle sold for Valentine's Day will be donated to PADS, Pacific Assistance Dogs Society. Look for the delightful neck-tag gift cards.
Go here to find out where you can buy these wines.
À Votre Santé!
Copyright © 2015 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.
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I came across a Wine Folly piece today titled, 7 Basics to Serving Wine and Glassware. I'll be covering all seven of these basics (and more) during my seminars at this year's Fraser Valley Food Show, Oct. 3 - 5 at Tradex in Abbotsford:
Want to swirl-sniff-sip with me? Choose from five wine-tasting seminars, or make your way to all of them:
If you like wine and wine stuff, visit Wine Folly for all sorts of information and fun infographics.
À votre santé!
Copyright © 2014 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.
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