Wines of France Luncheon

I was at a recent luncheon and tasting of wines from the Alsace, Loire, and Languedoc organised by Sommelier Mireille Sauve and Sopexa Canada. The seminar focused on the misconceptions that many Vancouverites have on French wines i.e. expensive, confusing, and not understanding label and region as well as its food friendly nature. According to the BCLDB the French wine market amounts to  8.1% of the BC market share with the all inclusive  catchall “Midi/Provence” region(s) making up a majority of wine sales.

The seminar looked at the reduction of the four tiered classification system to the new three tier with AoP “Appellation d'Origine Protégée” at the top of the pyramid followed by the IGP “Indication Geographique Protegée” and Vin de France.

Not a surprise to the trade attendees was the great value and food friendly nature of French wines  from these regions. The wines were paired well and creatively with food from Siena restaurant.

Huet Vouvray Petillant Brut $34.90

Straw green with subtle toast, spice, pear, and mineral aromas. Medium-bodied, crisp acidity, rich mouthfeel with apple, pear, and undertones of minerals and toast.

Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’Alsace Brut Rose $29.99

Eye of partridge colour. Cherry, strawberry and herb aromas, Light-bodied, good acidity, red cherry, herb, and meaty  flavours.

Bruschetta Trio

Ormarine Picpoul de Pinet $13.99

Straw green/yellow. Aromas of grapefruit pitch and mineral. Medium-bodied with good balance of acidity and texture. Notes of glace fruits, pink grapefruit, apple, and orange, and mineral.

Chateau de la Roulerie Anjou 2010 $21.99

Yellow gold with honeyed nut and gunflint aromas. Medium to full-bodied with a unctuous texture, and flavours of citrus, apricot, and a hint of earth and wild flowers.

These wines were paired with a trio of bruschetta (cod brandade, white bean and sage, and mushroom truffle). The Anjou was the best match overal with its richness and slightly sweet flavour profile complementing the dishes. 

Seafood risotto 

Pfaffenheim Pinot Gris 2011 $18.99

Straw green /yellow colour with mineral notes. Medium-bodied, light honeyed and nut overtones with a hint of residual sugar giving it some mouthfeel and balanced by refreshing lemony acidity.

Henri Bourgeois Sancerre La Cotes des Monts Damnes 2010 $36.95

Straw green with a pungent aroma of gooseberry and guava. Medium-bodied, crisp, and refreshing with gooseberry, guava, blackcurrant leaf and hints of minerality. New world leaning with its intensity.

These wines were paired with the seafood risotto. The Sancerre surprisingly enhanced the fishiness of trout in the dish where as the rs in the Pinot Gris enhanced the fish flavours and body complemented the richness of the rice. 

Duck pasta

Weinbach Pinot Gris “Reserve Particuliere” 2010 $51.99

Yellow with light gold hints. Complex aromas of almond and mineral. Full-bodied, concentrated, and layered with nut, honey, mineral, red currant, and subtle petrol notes.

Gerard Bertrand Cotes de Roussillon Tautavel Hommage aux Vignerons 2007 $41.99

Opaque ruby purple. Complex aromas of hay, dark chocolate, and cedar resin. Full-bodied with chewy tannins, dark chocolate, pepper, plum, cedar, vanilla,  and spice.

These wines were paired with a duck confit ravioli and duck sausage with shaved pecorino and brown butter. The winner by a long shot was the Pinot Gris. The red was too intense for the complex layered flavours of the dish. A caramelised mandarin and hint of nutmeg in the pasta was a superb match and bridge with the white wine. 

Chocolate torte

M. Chapoutier Banyuls $32.65 500ml

Ruby red mahogany with molasses and stewed fruit compote aromas. Full-bodied with floral, citrusy alcohol hints, subtle cocoa,  violets and orange. 

Dessert was paired with a Banyuls and a couple of whites. I like "Like with Like" and the Banyuls was spot on with chocolate torte.






Overal a wonderful luncheon  with great food and wine  pairings and proof positive that the balance of fruit, texture, and structure of French wines make them ideal food candidates. 

Siena restaurant is located at 1485 West 12th Avenue. Telephone: 605 588 1485

Gin, Tonic, Big Ice, & a Cucumber

G&T

The quintessential summer drink, simple in statement, easy to make, and so refreshing when made right. My perfect G&T recipe includes Hendricks Gin and Fever Tree tonic.

1.5 oz (44.3ml) Gin
6.8 oz (200ml) Fever Tree Tonic
Large ice cubes
Cucumber spear
Lime wedge

Although I have an automatic ice machine on my refridgerator I opt for larger ice cubes with trays from Colourworks. These silicone trays make large square cubes that are easy to deploy into your glass.

Fever Tree Tonic, although dear at $1.50 for a 200ml bottle, is the perfect tonic compared to supermarket brands. Fever Tree is made from organic botanicals and cane sugar.

Gin is a personal choice with my favourites being Hendricks, Old Raj, and Sipsmith. 

For summer garden drinking I like to garnish my G&T with both a lime wedge and a spear of cucumber.

Stay cool as a cucumber this summer and enjoy the spoils of war and maleria with a G&T.

Kedgeree & South Africa White

My west coast version of Kedgeree

Kedgeree, a classic Anglo-Indian dish with  mixed theories on its origin; either from India prior to 1340 with a dish known as Khichri or as a younger Scottish dish that was brought to India by Scottish troops then returned to the UK in 1790's  to wide appeal amongst the Victorians and their passion for all things colonial and the British Raj. 
Usually served as a brunch or breakfast dish; I find kedgeree to be a great and quick way to prepare a dinner dish. Kedgeree makes a  great wine pairing dish with its layers of flavours (smoked fish and Asian spice) and its textural notes of rice, egg,  and spice heat.

My recipe, with a west coast twist,  can be prepared in less than half and hour and feed four hungry wine friends.

Ingredients:

350g smoked wild salmon lox

300g Basmati rice

1 dried chili ( finely diced)

1/4 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion (chopped)

6 cardamon pods (split and seeded)

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon Garam Marsala

1 tablespoon Madras curry powder

small bunch of parsley (coarsely chopped)

4 eggs (to be fried, sunny side up)

2 lemons or limes (cut into wedges)

Method:

In a deep side pan or wok add the olive oil and sauté the chopped onion.

Add the dried chilli, coriander seeds, cardamon seeds, and Garam Marsala. Cook until the onions are soft (20 minutes)

In a pyrex bowl mix the Madras curry powder with the whipping cream and let sit to infuse flavours.

Cook the rice in a rice cooker until done.

In  a small bowl pan gently warm up the curried whipping cream

Add the cooked rice to the sautéed onion and spice mix.

Add the smoked salmon lox, water,  and curried whipping cream.

Stir until well incorporated and keep warm at low heat Gas Mark 2 and cover with foil

Cook the eggs; tradition says hard boiled but I prefer them sunny side up.

Plate the rice mixture, garnish with parsley, and add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice.

Garnish with a lemon or lime wedge.

This classic old school dish was paired with two South Africa whites, a Riesling and Chenin Blanc; both worked extremely well with the dish and its layers of flavours and textures.

2010 Nederburg The Winemaster's Reserve Riesling 13.99CDN$ 13.5% abv

Pale green colour with aromas of subtle petrol, lime, and canned pineapple. Medium-bodied with a nice structure, excellent fruit and acidity balance, and layers of ripe pineapple, lime, petrol, and a hint of mineral. Excellent value. The sweet pineapple and lime notes married well and complimented the spice notes of the kedgeree.

2008 Lammershoek Chenin Blanc 32CDN$ 14.5% abv

Yellow gold -green colour with complex aromas of almond croissant, pear, and a hint of hay fields. Full-bodied, creamy textured, and loaded with nut, marzipan, mineral, and meadow flowers. A complex wine at its peak and a shoe in for a good quality Savennieres. Wild yeasts, unfiltered, French barrique fermentation, and nine months of old barrel ageing. This stunner worked well with the kedgeree with its contrasting flavours and its complementary rich texture.

        

New Zealand Wine Fair 2012

Yesterday I attended the trade tasting of the New Zealand Wine Fair at the Roundhouse in Vancouver.  This year twenty vineyards were in attendance pouring wide range of aromatics,  the benchmark Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and a selection of the Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhone inspired varieties.  As of 2012 New Zealand has 698 wineries producing 235 million litres of wine with 154.7 million litres on the export market.

This year Rieslings from the South island (90% of production) really impressed me with their lime and spice notes and  interesting minerality. Pinot Gris seemed to be a big push by many producers with styles from light and lean on the South Island to richer fruit salad styles on the North.

Benchmark Sauvignon Blancs never fail to impress with their distinct pungentness and Babich, Cloudy Bay and Spy Valley were stand outs.

What really had me interested this year was some of the more unusual and are hard to find here in the Vancouver market; Viognier, Tempranillo, and Syrah.

Here are my standouts from yesterday's tasting.

Waimea Dry Riesling 2010 Nelson $18.99

Straw green with lovely aromas of fresh lime and a hint of mineral.

Medium-bodied, good concentration and great crisp acidity. Lots of lime, lemon and hints of flowers. Nice structure and age worthy.

Waimea Viognier 2010 Nelson $19.95

Straw yellow with lovely aromas of apricot and cardamon.

Medium-bodied, lush texture but balanced by crisp acidity. Layers of dried apricot and

honeysuckle with exotic spice.  A nice bridge between New World and Old World styles.

Kumeau River Chardonny Villages  2008 $21.99

Straw yellow with subtle peach and nut aromas. Medium-bodied with hazel and brazil nut,  white peach and a touch of minerality with  good concentration. Well balanced and Macon styled.

Kumeau River Estate Chardonnay 2007 $35

Subtle oak and smoke aromas with hints of nut.

Full-bodied and complex with subtle pineapple, honeycomb, nut and smoked spice notes. Very Meursault like. 

Rock Ferry Tempranillo Bendigo Central Otago 2009 $NA

Garnet red with aromas of savoury herb and  cherry.

Medium-bodied with soft tannins and a lush texture, with tobacco, chocolate, strawberry and a hint of vanilla.  An unusual variety to see from NZ.  Not overly complex but interesting. 

Waiheke Island Syrah Man O’War Dreadnought Syrah 2009 $50

Ruby red with aromas of blueberry,  pepper, smoke and bacon fat. 

Medium to full-bodied, complex, tight tannins, and layers of tea, sweet spice, smoke and bacon. Big Northern Rhone style red. A beautiful Syrah. 

Trinity Hill Homage Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay 2009 $94.95

Ruby purple with complex aromas of black cherry, smoke, violets and a touch of bacon. Full-bodied, intense and richly textured. Layers of complex flavours ranging from Asian five spice, dried violets, damsom plum, blackberry  and liqourice. Big with enough tannins for a decade of evolution. Northern Rhone inspired and done well.  Expensive but worth it. 

Above and beyond the amazing selection of wines tasted at the fair;  New Zealand deserves kudos for aiming for 100% wine growing sustainability by year end.  For more information on New Zealand wine, click on www.nzwine.com

Perfect Pairings | German Wines & Asian Flavours

On the 25^th I had the opportunity to attend a German wine tasting luncheon hosted by the German Wine Institute and Master of Wine Jeannie Cho Lee at  Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie. The press conference was a precursor to the launch of Jeannie’s  Perfect Pairings German Wines & Asian Flavours booklet and a German wine promotion in sixty of the BCLDB shops for the month of May.

Sichuan cucumbers 

The fifty page booklet encapsulates many of Jeannie’s concepts on wine and Asian food pairing from her hard to find book Asian Palate voted  Gourmand’s Best Food and Wine Book in the World. The original English version is currently out of print but available on itunes if you have an iphone or ipad.

Jeannie described her wine and food pairing concept based on the  five flavours of Asian cuisine:

Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, and Umami and how they pair with the cuisines or as this MW states “the terroir of cities” especially food from Canton, Shanghai, Northern China  (Xinjiang and Heilongjiang), as well as  Japan, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, and India. 

Marinated eggplant

Sweetness is found in fruit, palm sugar, and coconut sauces; sourness from tamarind or lime; saltiness from soy, oyster sauce, and  pungent shrimp or bean pastes. Bitterness from ginkgo nuts, bitter melon, and ginseng.  Umami or the "fifth" taste is the savoury quality of fermented beans, mushrooms, and seaweed. 

Jeanne opened my palate to her concept of “roving chopsticks” where during the course of an Asian meal you experience a combination of small bites with varied flavour combinations of  the communal  table. The flavours, textures and temperatures of main dishes along with a  myriad of condiments makes for a very complex food and wine matrix compared to western cuisine.

Tofu Skin

With multi course dishes Jeannie recommends  a wine that will pair with 60 to 70% of the dishes. The wine needs to be versatile and flexible and Riesling is the perfect bridge builder.

The first course of our luncheon was a combination of plates of pickles, Sichuan cucumbers, marinated eggplant and tofu skin. These cold and marinated dishes were elegantly paired with a Riesling Sekt.

Dr. Loosen Riesling Sekt Mosel $18.99

Straw yellow with fresh yeast and apple notes. Light-bodied, crisp lively acidity, apple, lemon, lime, and floral notes.

Cold Soft Tofu

Vegetable potstickers and steamed prawn and chive dumpling were nicely paired with a couple of Rieslings from the Nahe and Mosel.  I found the trocken better paired with the potstickers and slightly off dry Mosel a complex marriage with the steamed dumplings. 

2009 Tesch Trocken Laubenhelmer Karthauser Nahe $27.99

Straw green with subtle petrol notes.

Medium bodied, dry, with grapefruit, lime sorbet, and mineral notes.

2010 Urban Mosel $23.25

Steamed dumplings

Straw green with ripe apple and faint petrol notes. Medium-bodied, off-dry, with lime and flower blossoms. 

A complex dish of cold tofu with black bean, green Sichuan peppercorn ground pork, with Shimeji mushrooms and garlic chips as well as King pea tips with garlic and Shaoxing were paired up with a Pinot Blanc and an Auslese Riesling. The sweetness of the Auslese was the perfect pairing with the heat from the peppercorn pork. The Pinot Blanc battled the spice but was an excellent match with the tofu.

2009 Kruger Rumpf Pinot Blanc Nahe $33.99

Straw green with aromas of apple, petrol, and citrus pith. Medium-bodied and dry with grapefruit, mineral, and nectarine notes. 

2008 Fritz Haag Braunberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Auslese Mosel $37.99 (375ml)

Straw yellow with aromas of honey and barley sugar.  Medium-bodied, sweet and lush, with barley sugar, honey, and sweet ripe apple and a hint of petrol in the long finish. 

Crispy Pork Belly

Two Pinot Noirs, from the Pfalz and the Rheingau were paired with a crispy pork belly and lotus root dish.  The light tannins in the reds brought out the spice and earthy notes of both dishes. 

2009 Peter and Peter Pinot Noir Pfalz $18.99

Cherry red with simple aromas of herb, dried red currant, and a hint of meatiness. Light-bodied with hints of meat, cedar, red berries, and floral herby notes.

Lotus Root

2006 Schloss Reinhartshausen Rheingau $23.99

Ruby red with aromas of spice, smoke, and cherry.  Medium-bodied, quite complex with spice, autumn wood smoke and red cherry notes.

The final lunch pairing was Mosel Kabinett, that despite not having a lot of sweetness, was  perfect with the Youtiao (Chinese donut) and its light fresh bread complimented the wine wonderfully.

2006 Weingut Jakoby-Mathy Kinheimer Rosenberg Kabinett Mosel $30.15

Straw green with lovely lime and petrol notes. Medium-bodied, crispy acidity, petrol, green apple, and pineapple.

Pick up a copy of Perfect Pairings and try a selection of German wines paired up with small bites from Bao Bei this week at the BCLDB  on Saturday May 5th from 3 to 6pm at the 39th and Cambie Signature store. Jeannie Cho Lee's book is free of charge and of limited availability.

Youtiao

Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie is located at 163 Keefer Street 

(604) 688-0876

Naramata Bench Wines Spring Release 2012

Today was the spring trade tasting of the Naramata Bench wineries at the revitalised  New Westminster Quay River Market. The twenty-one member wineries presented a series of wines from the  2009 to 2011 vintages at their spring release. In a nutshell BC has five generic wine regions; Okanagan Valley, Similkameen Valley, Fraser Valley, Vancouver island and the Gulf Islands. The Naramata falls into the catch all Okanagan Valley designation. The region is in reality an eleven kilometre stretch from the town of Penticton to the village of Naramata. The "Bench" lies within a two and half kilometres of Lake Okanagan and benefits from its northern latitude for extended daylight hours, the moderating influences of the lake, and a complex soil make up of sand, loam, and lake alluvials. To the North, Nichol vineyards, and to the South, Perseus anchors the region. Production is relatively small with annual case production ranging from 2000 to 10000 cases. Overall  white wine production in my opinion is better than red. Whites have lively acidity and good aromatics; whereas the reds seem to develop premature tertiary notes in youth.  Some of my best finds include a selection of both red and white varieties. Must buys from todays tasting are:

2011 Poplar Grove Pinot Gris $20
Pale green with intense fresh pink grapefruit aromas. Medium-bodied, refreshing crisp acidity, and notes of pink grapefruit, melon, and apple.
www.poplargrove.ca

2010 Laughing Stock Chardonnay $26
Straw yellow with a nose of restrained oak, nut, and mineral. Medium-bodied with a lush mid palate and crisp balancing acidity. Complex with "Meursault" like nuttiness, steely mineral undertones, and a long finish of citrus sorbet.
www.laughingstock.ca

2011 LaFrenz Sauvignon Blanc $22
Pale green with balanced gooseberry and capsicum aromas. Medium-bodied, rich mouthfeel, and nice zippy acidity. Lovely fresh gooseberry and passionfruit flavours.
www.lafrenzwinery.com

2010 Kettle Valley Gewürztraminer $22
Straw yellow with lychee, grapefruit pith, and mineral aromas. Medium-bodied, rich,  dry, and Alsatian styled with rose, lychee and subtle bitter notes, Good value.
www.kettlevalleywinery.com

2009 Township 7 Syrah $24.99
Ruby red with classic bacon/meaty aromas. Medium-bodied with some tannins (2-3 years additional ageing), lushly textured with tea, spice, and meaty notes.
www.township7.com

2008 Township 7 Reserve 7 $34.99
Ruby garnet with tertiary aromas of black tea and strawberry compote. Medium-bodied with soft tannins, cherry, tea, and plummy notes.

2009 Perseus Invictus $32.90
Dense ruby purple with  oak resin aromas. Medium to full-bodied with layers of secondary and tertiary fruit (cassis, tea, olive, and, cigar, subtle mint and garrique herbs). Complex and good value.
www.perseuswinery.com

More information on Naramata Bench wines are available at www.naramatabench.com or Twitter @naramatawines.  Most of the  Naramata Bench wineries have embraced social media and more information can be found on their websites, Facebook, Twitter, and the in the case of Perseus bottle QR codes. 

Pints & Pours: The White Horse Parson's Green

 
 Anticipation was the key word for our planned visit to the White Horse in Parson's Green on our recent London trip. I had been reading the wine, beer, and food menu's on the pub's website for a couple of months prior to our visit. What a concept;  a gastropub on the edge of a leafy green, well rounded wine list and a stellar line up of  draught and international beers paired up with  regional and national ingredients on their food menu. Following a short walk from the tube, the area has a slight rural feel to it like Hampstead, we came across The White Horse. The pub has Victorian feel with an interior of rich mahogany paneling, flagstone and oak flooring,  comfy and well worn leather seating, a warming fireplace along with  nooks and snugs to drink and nibble in private along with a  full dining room and bar seating area. The White Horse has had the nick name of the "Sloaney Pony" for its Sloane ranger clientele. On our lunch visit it was a mix of local professionals and a handful of tourists. With 30+ wines by the glass and a nice balance of old and new world varieties  and a  well thought out selection of aromatics that work well with the cuisine the wine list gets a nod for one of the better pub lists. The list looks heavy from the Adnams portfolio which would also account for a number of the  beers from this brewer and retailer. Draught and cask ales make up at least a dozen selection options along with "based on their website"  a 100+ bottle selection of international beers with a great variety from Belgium, Britain, and the USA. I never did see the extensive bottled beer list even after asking not only my server but two bartenders for it!

Where this pub failed and it failed horribly was service. My wife and I arrived just shy of 1pm for lunch and a pint and a glass of wine. We ordered a couple of pints at the bar to start, leaving our credit card details for a tab, and then sat and sat for 20 minutes before we were given menus and asked for a food order. Surly service, no keen passion to sell the menu and little interest in offering me wine or beer suggestions or even a drink list.

For starters I opted for the venison carpaccio. Delightfully tasty with heirloom tomatoes, grilled thin asparagus, and a grainy mustard crust. This was perfectly paired with a glass of Dry Creek Chenin Blanc with a perfect balance of acidity with the tomato and mustard. An English wine either sparkling or an aromatic (Bacchus) would be a nice drink list addition.

My mains was a Black Pudding Crusted Pork Loin with glazed Brussels Sprouts, and pearl barley. A hearty lunch option on a chilly day in February, the pork was slightly overcooked but nonetheless very well excecuted . The Duchess de Bourgogne, a Flemish red ale, with sweet/sour  acidity, hints of oak, balsamic, and brett paired extremely well with the pork. The White Horse is the only pub that I have seen this amazing beer on draught.

After the starter and mains we were too full for a pudding course but the selection looked wonderful especially with their selection of pudding wine selections or a fruit lambic.

The White Horse is a lovely pub and I will have to return for their outdoor BBQ and beer festivals in a future visit.  Ambiance, patrons, and drink selection gets high marks. Service FOH does need a lot of work. Lack of guest skills, table service, and lack of interest in the food and drink ruined our overall experience. When I have to order a drink using my iPhone to look up their  wine and beer list on the website it makes you wonder why they have service staff. After three attempts with three staff members to get drink menu's it was complete service fail.

Food ***

Beer and wine selection ***

Service *

Overall **(*)

The White Horse

1-3 Parson's Green  SW6 4UL

Opening Times:
Sun-Wed: 9.30am-11.30pm
Thurs-Sat: 9.30am-12am

E-mail: info@whitehorsesw6.com


Telephone: 020 7736 2115

Twitter @whitehorsesw6