CheckMate for the Win with Provence’s November Wine Menu

(Vancouver, BC) – Provence Marinaside shines the spotlight on Oliver BC’s CheckMate Artisanal Winery for its second Monthly Wine Menu. “Checkmate produces extraordinary wines,” says Provence’s Wine Director Joshua Carlson. “Under the skillful guidance of winemaker Philip McGahan, they have garnered two consecutive 100-point vintages of their ‘Little Pawn’ Chardonnay – the first Canadian wine to score 100 points being the 2015 vintage.

“I am very gratified by how popular October’s Martin’s Lane Menu has been. We’ve received some wonderful comments from our guests,” continues Carlson “so I am very excited to present our guests with a menu featuring CheckMate’s award-winning 2015 Little Pawn Chardonnay and 2014 End Game Merlot.”

The Monthly Wine Menu is series of special menus designed to highlight rare BC wines. The Monthly Wine Menu features wines from BC that are typically difficult to find by the glass (e.g. small production, back vintages, out of stock items, or priced out of range). These are paired with dishes especially created by Owner/Chef Jean Francis Quaglia and Chef de Cuisine Sheldon Maloff that are inspired by the wine, not the other way round as is usually the case. The dishes are unique to the Monthly Wine Menu and do not appear on Provence Marinaside’s regular menu.

The Monthly Wine Menu contains a QR code so that guests can access more information on the winery and the featured wines.

November – CheckMate Artisanal Winery
Winemaker: Philip McGahan

Two-course Menu $57/person
Two-course Wine Pairing $58/person
Two-course Petit Pour $30/person

First Course
Dungeness Crab Salad
Sherry butter, apple and celeriac

CheckMate ‘Little Pawn’ Chardonnay 2015
$32/glass, $128 bottle
The wine is aged for 16 months in 47 percent French oak.
There are aromas of citrus, sage and licorice. The palate is a medley of fruit flavours including Mandarin orange mingled with subtle oak notes. Tropical and citrus fruits are revealed on the very long finish, with bright acidity keeping the wine fresh and lively.
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Second Course
Veal Tournedos
Grilled radicchio, confit tomato, and mashed edamame
Blue cheese and green peppercorn sauce

CheckMate ‘End Game’ Merlot 2014
$40/glass, $185/bottle
Made from 100 percent hand-picked and destemmed grapes; the wine is barrel-aged for 21 months in 100 percent new French oak.
Opulent on the palate, there are savoury and bright flavours of cherry, plum, cassis and vanilla. The wine is elegant and polished, with long, ripe tannins. The nose has an enticing pure merlot red fruit character that pushes the oak into the background.

The November’s CheckMate Wine Menu is priced at $57 for the two-course food menu with the selected wine pairing available for an additional $58 for both wines (petit pour is $30), or if you prefer, the wines can be purchased individually by the glass or bottle.

Be sure to check out the CheckMate Wine Menu from November 1 through 30. It’s a move that is bound to result in a winning (k)night.

Provence Marinaside Notes:
Provence Marinaside is committed to the health and safety of its guests and staff in keeping with the protocols set by the BC Ministry of Health. You can find the details of Provence’s standards here.

In addition to Dine-In service, Provence Marinaside continues to offer its Takeout Menu for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner daily. If you prefer to cook Provence’s food in the comfort of your own kitchen, they also offer six French Food Made Easy kits and two Cocktail Kits (Moscow Mule and Caesar). All are available through Provence Marinaside’s website along with Chef Sheldon’s Online Grocery Store for individual ingredient items such as meats, dairy, baking supplies and other miscellaneous items.

Provence Marinaside is also supporting The Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre with the donation of meals and funds along with a donation option on their website should the public also wish to support the organization.

Provençal Roast Chicken Kit in time for Easter and Passover

Here is another option for you to help with your holiday meal from Provence Marinaside!

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(Vancouver, BC) – Provence Marinaside has added kit numero trois to its popular French Cooking Made Easy Kits. Each kit provides enough ingredients to make two portions. Just in time for Easter and Passover dinners, this third kit features Oven-Roasted Half Chicken Provençal with sautéed vegetables and smoked potato mash. Provence’s Roasted Half Chicken, one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, has been one of its most popular since the restaurant opened their first location in 1997. The kit will be available for $40 starting today, Friday, April 10.
 
“Roast chicken is comfort food in our household, and I believe it is the same in many homes,” says Chef Jean Francis Quaglia. “We all need a little comfort food right now.”
 
In a short video, Chef Alessandra Quaglia demonstrates how easy it is to reproduce this dish at home in your own kitchen.
The Kit includes:

• Whole Chicken (cut in two)
• Herbs de Provence
• Pre-blanched mixed vegetables
• Smoked mashed potatoes
• White wine
• Demi-glace 
• Olive Oil, Lemon & Seasonings

Photo by Emrys Horton, EPH Photography

With each new kit, Wine Director Joshua Carlson suggests a featured BC wine pairing to complement the dish and this can also be ordered for an additional fee. “We believe in supporting our local wine producers to help them and help the BC economy,” says Carlson.  This week’s wine pairing is Meyer Family Vineyards  Tribute Series Joanie Rochette Old Main Road Vineyard Chardonnay 2017 which won Platinum in the 2019 Wine Align Canadian Wine Awards. It is priced at $35.
 
French Cooking Made Easy Kits were first introduced by Provence as a way of helping people cook at home during social isolation. The first two kits, Prawns Provençal and Lois Lake Steelhead have proved so popular that they will remain available on an ongoing basis.
 
These kits are being offered in addition to Provence’s special Takeout Menu of prepared dishes.
 
Kit orders must be placed at least two hours prior to pick up by calling the restaurant at 604-681-4144. As with Takeout Menu items; French Cooking Made Easy Kits will be available for takeout only between 11:30 a.m. and 8 p.m.  Provence Marinaside will be open Good Friday through Easter Monday for takeout orders.

 Bon Appetit!

Provence Marinaside Introduces French Cooking Made Easy Kit

If you have ever eaten at Provence Marinaside in Yaletown and crave to enjoy their food again during the COVID-19 crisis, why not let them help you cook their dishes?  Here is their latest announcement. Bon Appetit!

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Provence Introduces French Cooking Made Easy Kit
 

(Vancouver, BC) – Since we are all at home self-isolating, why not take the time to hone your cooking skills? Starting this Thursday (March 26), you can cook some of Provence Marinaside’s iconic Provençal dishes from the comfort of your own kitchen.
 
Priced at $40, Provence’s French Cooking Made Easy Kit consists of the recipe for the selected dish of the week plus enough ingredients to make two servings. The kit also includes half a French baguette.  Each week Chef/Owner Jean-Francis Quaglia will post a demo video to Provence’s website of the selected dish and Wine Director Joshua Carlson will suggest a wine pairing to complement the dish which can be ordered to accompany the kit for an additional fee. Provence’s French Cooking Made Easy kits are being offered in addition to Provence’s special Takeout Menu of prepared dishes. Kit orders must be placed at least two hours prior to pick up by calling the restaurant at 604-681-4144. As with Takeout Menu items; French Cooking Made Easy Kits will be available for takeout only between 11:30 a.m. and 8 p.m.
 
This week’s dish is Prawns Provençal.  For an additional $35, you may wish to add a bottle of Upper Bench Chardonnay 2018 The Prawns Provençal kit will be available this Thursday through Sunday, March 29 with a new kit available on Monday, March 30. 

Bon Appetit!

Explore California at the 2019 Vancouver International Wine Festival

The BC Liquor Stores have some recommendations for you to buy California wines during the Vancouver International Wine Festival, which kicks off on Feb. 25, 2019.  Here is their press release.  Enjoy.

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The highly anticipated Vancouver International Wine Festival this year is featuring California as the theme region, making this the perfect time to explore the wines of the Golden State. Winery principals representing 160 wineries from 15 countries will travel to Vancouver to showcase their wines. Visit the onsite BC Liquor Store Festival Wine Shop for a selection of BCL Select exclusive, festival exclusive and collectible bottles signed by the winemakers themselves to add to your cellar or give as a gift.

What makes California wines so exciting right now? California has been blessed with fantastic vintages for the past seven consecutive years from 2012 to 2018. The majority of California wines featured at this year’s festival will be from the 2015 and 2016 vintages. In the 2015 vintage, the challenging growing season resulted in wines that are high quality but with low yields. The 2016 vintage experienced a near-perfect growing season.

If you can’t make it to this year’s festival, BC Liquor Stores carry a great selection of California wines all year-round. Give these wines a try:

Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay, Tom Gore Cabernet Sauvignon, and Windstorm Lodi Old VIne Zinfandel

 

Woodwork Chardonnay, Dynamite Cabernet Sauvignon, and The Crusher Petite Syrah

 

BC Liquor Store e-News for January 2019

DEALS OF THE MONTH AT BC LIQUOR STORES

Start off 2019 with these amazing deals, limited time offers and new products! Our Savvy Savings has everything you need for entertaining, meal pairings, or even just sipping by a warm fire.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to save big. Drop by your nearest BC Liquor Store today and stock up! Some of our highlights include:

TARIMA ALICANTE MONASTRELL Spain 895680 750 ml Reg. $15.99 Now $13.99* 91 Points, Jeb Dunnuck – “The 2016 Tarima Monastrell offers more dark fruits, pepper, and earth in a rich, full-bodied, expansive, charming character. It’s another terrific value.” Only available at BC Liquor Stores! ANGELO MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO Spain 226098 750 ml Reg. $11.99 Now $9.99* This down-to-earth expression of Montepulciano is a great value. Aromas of black cherry, strawberry and plum accented by floral, herbal and spicy nuances flow to a smooth and well-balanced palate. Only available at BC Liquor Stores! SMOKY BAY CABERNET SAUVIGNON Canada? 799221 3 L Reg. $31.99 Now $28.99* This Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from South Eastern Australia is medium-bodied with soft tannins and notes of raspberry, blackberry, plum, pepper, vanilla and oak. Sip with steak or burgers. Only available at BC Liquor Stores!

ARTIUS CHARDONNAY USA 188496 750 ml Reg. $12.99 Now $9.99* Chardonnay in California reflects the sunshine state that ripens this grape like nowhere else. So hints of tree fruits of apple, tropical notes like pineapple and light butter and spice round out the package. Only available at BC Liquor Stores!

TORRECORTA TERRE SICILIANE CATARRATTO PINOT GRIGIO Italy 182202 750 ml Reg. $12.99 Now $9.99* This blend of Pinot Grigio and Catarratto, indigenous Sicilian grapes, has fresh and fruity aromas of pear, green apple and white peach. The palate is crisp with a clean finish. Only available at BC Liquor Stores!

BOLLA PROSECCO Italy 226157 750 ml Reg. $16.99 Now $14.99* Appealing ripe fruit aromas on the nose with hints of apple, pear and peach follow through to a fresh and fruity palate. The fine streak of acidity injects freshness and length to the lively finish. Only available at BC Liquor Stores!

REFRESHMENT SOCIAL LITE PINEAPPLE MANGO  Canada 232884 4 x 355 ml Reg. $10.79 Now $9.79* Fresh cut pineapple on the nose leads to pineapple with a hint of coconut and smooth mango aftertaste. This is made from natural ingredients, unsweetened and only 80 calories. It’s a crowd favourite.

BEER STEAMWORKS PREMIUM CRAFT LAGER Canada 175370 12 x 355 ml Reg. $19.99 Now $17.99* Appealing to both new and experienced craft beer drinkers alike, this craft lager was steam-brewed and deliberately aged to create an easy-drinking and flavourful beer that is crisp, clean and refreshing. Only available at BC Liquor Stores!

SPIRIT FIREBALL Canada 642264 1.14 L Reg. $32.49 Now $29.49* Rumour has it Fireball was developed in the 1980’s after one the coldest winter in Canada. The smooth taste of whisky with the added kick of spicy cinnamon warms the senses. Try it in a hot beverage this season.

 

BCWAS 8th Generation Vineyard Event April 21

Come out to the BCWAS 8th Generation Vineyard wine tasting on Thursday April 21 and experience more BC wine.  There are so many BC wineries around now.  I am in particular VERY interested to try their Riesling and Pinot Noir, as I did a BC Riesling Review last year, and this year I am now starting my BC Pinot Noir Review. Here is the tasting announcement from the BCWAS.

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Join us for a fun tasting with Stefanie Schales of 8^th Generation Vineyard!

           

        Photo credit 8^th Generation.

When Stefanie and Bernd Schales decided to call their winery “8^th Generation” they really meant it. Their families have been making wine in Germany since 1783 – that’s a lot of history!

Stefanie studied architecture while Bernd followed the family tradition by becoming a winemaker. He studied at the State Academy for Viticulture & Oenologie of Weinsberg in Germany, and went on to make wine in Germany, New Zealand and South Africa.

After immigrating to Canada from Germany, Stefanie and Bernd purchased their first vineyard, in OK Falls, in 2003. In 2007, they bought the winery in Summerland. Our BCWAS September bus tour has been there twice, and each time the stop was one of our highlights!

8^th Generation makes Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Meunier Rosé, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Syrah as well as two frizzante-style bubblies and their flagship Riesling.

Stefanie and Bernd with the 9^th generation.                  Photo credit www.spiegel.de.

Stefanie is bringing 12 wines with her, so we’ll get to taste almost everything! 

Wines being poured include:

·         2015 Integrity frizzante

·         2014 Confidence frizzante

·         2014 Chardonnay

·         2015 Riesling Classic

·         2014 Riesling (Best Riesling in Canada at the All-Canadian Wine Championship)

·         2013 Riesling Selection

·         2015 Riesling Selection tank sample

·         2015 Pinot Meunier Rosé

·         2012 Pinot Noir

·         2014 Cabernet/Merlot

·         2013 Syrah

·         2015 RedOne

 

And because we know how much you love your wine and cheese, we’re also going to have a few platters from Les Amis du Fromage.

The beautiful new tasting room at the winery..             Photo credit: 8th Generation

Date:  Thursday April 21, 2016

Time: 7:30-9:30

Place: our regular venue, De Dutch Pannekoek House, Vancouver Convention Centre West, located in the western corner, lower (seawall) level, near the Olympic Torch.

Price:  Members: only $39/ Guests: $55

Click here to sign up: http://www.bcwas.ca/latest-news/join-us-for-a-fun-tasting-with-stefanie-schales-of-8th-generation-vineyard

Directions:

Transit:  It’s a short walk from both Burrard and Waterfront Stations.

From Burrard Station: walk down (north) on Burrard to the new Convention Centre.

From Waterfront Station: walk west to the new Convention Centre.

You can either walk west along Waterfront Rd to the Olympic Torch, then go across the plaza towards the water and down the stairs, or, follow the seawall along in front of the Convention Centre until you come to the restaurant.

Driving: You can park under the Convention Centre West. Follow the signs for the seaplane terminal. Use the doors closest to the Tap & Barrel. Parking can be expensive, though. You may be able to find cheaper parking a few blocks away.

As always, we recommend that you take transit, and we will provide you with a free ticket home.

2016/2017 BCWAS membership: Join us now, and your membership is good until the end of March 2017. Only $40 for a whole year of our fun and fabulous events! Click here to become a member of the best wine club in town. http://www.bcwas.com/membership.html

Questions? Contact us at events@bcwas.com.

Please note: There are no paper tickets for our events. Once your purchase is completed you will be added to our attendees list. Please check in when you arrive.

Please make sure you have a safe way home. Take transit, call a cab, or ask a friend to be a designated driver. We will have free transit tickets on hand for those who take BC Transit home.

Please note that we are unable to provide refunds. If you purchase a ticket but cannot attend the event, please let us know with as much advance notice as possible and we’ll try to re-sell your ticket, but we cannot guarantee this.

Abbotsford Harvest Dinner – Wine, Beer, Main Dishes and Dessert

Many of us aspire to the 100 mile diet.  Keeping our food local.  Supporting our farmers.  But here in Vancouver, have you considered that those farmers, might be a 30-45 minute drive away in Abbotsford, in the Fraser Valley?  I was invited as part of the Circle Farm Tour to experience an Abbotsford Harvest Dinner, and was pleasantly surprised by the bounty of food, wine and beer that is available.

The dinner starting with chatting and sampling local beer from Ravens Brewing Company.  This brewery just opened earlier this year and collaborates with local growers and suppliers to craft artisan beer.  I tried their English Dark Mild.  It was indeed dark, with a charcoal and dark malt flavour to it, but not too heavy, so that you can enjoy more food and wine.

The dishes we enjoyed were:

• Campbell’s Gold honey roasted, local delicata squash with pumpkin seeds, Abbotsford goat cheese from Mt. Lehman Cheese (appetizer)
• Maple Hills Farm’s chicken roulade with creamy polenta and kale chips (appetizer)
• Lepp Farm Market’s pork loin wrapped in bacon with savory shallot and plum marmalade (entree)
• Yarrow Meadows’ duck breast with balsamic pearl onions (entree)
• Roasted local beets and parsnips (entree)
• Organic Fraser Valley rice risotto with roasted shiitake mushrooms (entree)
• Birchwood Dairy’s vanilla ice cream topped with Gojoy Berries’ goji berry compote (dessert)
• Onnink’s chocolate blueberry bonbons (dessert)

I must say that it was nice to meet, or have the farmers from Abbotsford introduce themselves to us as we sat at a beautifully set table in the barrel room of Mt. Lehman Winery.  Thanks also to Chef Jeff Massey from Restaurant 62 who prepared all these dishes for us.

The farmers supplying our food and drink are:

• Taves Family Farms Applebarn
• Gojoy Berries
• Mt. Lehman Cheese Co.
• Lepp Farm Market
• Campbell’s Gold Honey Farm and Meadery
• Mt. Lehman Winery Ltd
• Birchwood Dairy
• Onnink’s Blueberry Farm

The dishes come from fresh ingredients from the vegetables, to the pork, chicken and duck.  A few standout dishes for me were first the honey roasted local delicata squash with pumpkin seeds and goat cheese.  Creamy sweetness from the squash, with creaminess from the cheese and a bit of crunch from the pumpkin seeds.  The Lepp Farm Market’s pork loin wrapped in bacon was also outstanding for me.  The bacon comes from Lepp, and is smoked by them.  No artificially aged bacon here.  The flavour of the bacon was really outstanding and makes you think about the industrial bacon you buy in grocery stores.  No comparison.  If you have never tried roasted beets, give them a try.  I really like the earthiness of the beets.  And the blueberry bonbons are also a very tasty way to end dessert.  Good quality chocolate mixed with blueberries.  You cannot go wrong with this combination.  All the dishes were very good, and I present to you pictures of these dishes for your visual consumption below.  If any of this food or wine sparks your interest, drive out to Abbotsford and buy from these farmers.

I must especially thank winery owner Vern Siemens for opening bottles of every white and red wine I think they make, for us to experiment and pair with all the dishes at our Abbotsford Harvest dinner.  I in particular liked Mt. Lehman’s Pinot Noir and Unoaked Chardonnay, and felt they made good pairings with many dishes.

Mt Lehman Unoaked Chardonnay Pinot Gris Pinot Noir and Merlot Reserve wines

Ravens Brewing Company English Dark Mild beer

Campbell’s Gold honey roasted local delicata squash with pumpkin seeds, Abbotsford goat cheese from Mt Lehman Cheese

Maple Hills Farm’s chicken roulade with creamy polenta and kale chips

Roasted local beets and parsnips

Yarrow Meadows’ duck breast with balsamic pearl onions

Organic Fraser Valley rice risotto with roasted shiitake mushrooms

Lepp Farm Market’s pork loin wrapped in bacon with savory shallot and plum marmalade

Birchwood Dairy’s vanilla ice cream topped with Gojoy Berries’ goji berry compote

 

My Favourite Wine Writing Words

Do you ever wonder what words you like to use the most when you are talking about wine, or some other topic that is important to you? I do. So I decided to try 3 different “Word Cloud Generator” tools on the web to scour through my mywinepal.com website blog entries and find out which words are my most popular. I decided to try more than one tool to see if the tools come up with the same words or are completely different.

The results of the 3 Word Cloud Generators and their graphics are below.  I left the word clouds in the format produced by the tools rather than try to make the clouds all look the same in shape and text orientation so that you get a better idea of what is produced.  Just in case you have never seen a word cloud before, the more frequently a word is used in a blog, document, etc, the larger it appears in the word cloud.

My Word Clouds

Wordle was the first tool that I ever heard about for creating word clouds.  From my experience, I think it does a very good job of finding favourite words.

MyWinePal – Wordle

Tagxedo also seems to do a good job.  Do you notice any similar words to my Wordle word cloud?  One thing I notice showing up is Pinterest and Facebook, which are “Like” buttons on my blog, so maybe this algorithm is reading more than just the blog articles.

MyWinePal – Tagxedo

Word it Out was the last of the three tools.  I think this word cloud is much more similar to Wordle, but the presentation, as-is, is not too stunning.

MyWinePal – Word it Out

Between the 3 word clouds, I think my favourite words are:

• wine
• Vancouver
• Pinot
• fruit
• Syrah
• Chardonnay
• France

An interesting experiment that may also give you some insight into what I like to talk about, or wines that I enjoy.  You may want to try this with other blogs, or with MyWinePal.com in the future, as theoretically each new article I post can potentially change the word cloud!

Get Ready for the Arts Club Theatre Company’s California Wine Fair

Arts Club California Wine Fair Ballroom Tasting last year

This is always a fun event.  California brings us big ripe fruit flavours, both for red and white wines.  For those of you who keep thinking about heavy oak, that is a thing of the past.  Many California wine makers use oak more delicately, or have unoaked versions of their wine.  You may be thinking Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, which are the stars for California, but California Pinot Noir is quite nice too.  And if you want a fun, jammy red wine, try a Zinfandel.  Below is the info for the upcoming Art’s Club California Wine Fair.  Get your tickets before it sells out!

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Vancouver, B.C.—The Arts Club’s California Wine Fair returns this spring with two distinct events for wine devotees: the large-scale California Wine Fair Ballroom Tasting and the intimate California Winemakers Dinner. These social and informative evenings are designed for guests to explore the abundant range of styles and varietals created across the Golden State by its prolific vintners. The fair is one of the company’s signature fundraisers, with proceeds benefitting the Arts Club’s community-based programs and youth education initiatives.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS + TICKETING INFORMATION: 

• Tuesday, April 22, 7–9:30 PM: California Wine Fair Ballroom Tasting
  Vancouver Convention Centre East, 999 Canada Place, Vancouver
  Tickets: $89
  To purchase: visit artsclub.com/events/california-wine-fair or call 604.687.1644 

• Wednesday, April 23, 6–9 PM: California Winemakers Dinner
  West Restaurant, 2881 Granville Street, Vancouver
  Tickets: $195 (with a $85 tax receipt)
  To purchase: contact specialevents@artsclub.com or call 604.687.5315, ext. 279

This year’s tasting marks the 34th presentation in Vancouver of the cross-Canadian tour, organized by California Wines. Highly knowledgeable wine producers from 115 wineries will pour over 400 wines to demonstrate the depth of diversity in the region. Wine enthusiasts of all stripes can sample the best California wines, including labels not currently available in B.C., and connect with vintners for advice on selecting, serving, and storing wine. The evening also includes an extensive silent auction featuring luxury travel, entertainment and cultural packages, and exclusive wine lots.

West Restaurant will host the California Winemakers Dinner, which brings together the award-winning duo of Executive Chef Quang Dang and Restaurant/Wine Director Owen Knowlton. They will showcase pristine regional ingredients in an exquisite multi-course menu of contemporary cuisine. Premium wine pairings include vintages from Edna Valley Vineyard, Ghost Pines Vineyard, Louis M. Martini Winery, and MacMurray Ranch that represent the Central Coast, Napa Valley, and Sonoma wine regions. Wine producers will dine with guests and talk about the culture of winemaking and share insights on new trends and technological advances.

CONTACT

Zoe Quinn, Publicity Coordinator: 604.687.5315, ext. 334, or publicitycoordinator@artsclub.com

High-resolution images are available for download online: artsclub.com/media. The username is journalist and the password is photos4media.

ABOUT THE ARTS CLUB
The Arts Club Theatre Company, now celebrating its 50th season, is the largest not-for-profit organization of its kind in Western Canada. Led by Artistic Managing Director Bill Millerd and Executive Director Howard R. Jang, it offers professional theatre at three venues—the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage, Granville Island Stage, and Revue Stage—as well as on tour throughout the province.

Website: artsclub.com
Blog: blog.artsclub.com
Facebook: facebook.com/theArtsClub
Twitter: @theArtsClub
Instagram: @theartsclub

Having Fun California Cruisin’ at Vancouver International Wine Festival

When you hear the term “California Cruisin” what do you think?  If you are me, it would be the beach, surf boards, the Beach Boys, and in general having fun.  Having fun is what we did have at the California Cruisin’ event for the Vancouver International Wine Festival last night at Brix Restaurant & Bar in Yaletown.  This was a walk-about event, with wines being poured from at least 12 different California producers (mainly from Sonoma and Napa Valleys), and various nibbles being passed around, made by Brix.

On the white wine side, all were Chardonnay.  But don’t think big, fat, oaky Chardonnay.  These were all leaner, had a stone / tropical fruit, green pea flavour/aroma component, and a light touch of oak, if it was oaked.  Very refreshing.

The red wine side was a bit more varied with Cabernet Sauvignon, of course, but there were a few Pinot Noirs, and some Petite Sirah blends.  I’ve noticed in the past 2 years that more California Petite Sirah is being available here in BC.   If you haven’t tried Petite Sirah before you should give it a try.  It can be hard and tannic, needing aging, but the ones I tried last night were very inviting.  The grape can have flavours of black pepper, blackberries, blueberries, spice and licorice.  Two that I had at this event were the Michael David Winery Petite Petit, 2011, and the Concannon Vineyard Conservancy Crimson & Clover 2010.  They will likely be available for tasting at the Festival tasting room starting this Thursday evening.  Also a shout out to the “big” California winery, Robert Mondavi.  They were pouring a really nice Napa Valley Chardonnay, 2011, and a Napa Valley Pinot Noir, 2012.  And if you want a more serious red wine with some tannic structure try the Chasing Lions Cabernet Sauvignon 2011.

Enjoy the food and wine pictures that I took during the event, and check out my twitter feed @mywinepal to watch my VINE video!

Liberty School Central Coast Chardonnay 2011

La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2012

LA Style Korean BBQ Beef Tacos

Michael David Petite Petit 2011

Concannon Conservancy Crimson and Clover 2010

Nine North Chasing Lions Cabernet Sauvignon 2011