The second Social Bites dinner field-trip was in Yaletown and if this gives you an idea of how popular it has become: all tickets were sold within days of announcing the event!  I loved the first event, so bought my tickets quickly because I wasn’t about to miss this one.  Besides, Karen Hamilton of Tiny Bites was cooking up an asian sampler and her cooking is not to be missed, and the hot spot round-up promised dessert wines and chocolates (need I say more?).

Brent and I hopped over to Yaletown with time to spare so we picked up a screw cap wine to enjoy with our meals at Viti.  Tough call.  One bottle, two different meals.  What to do?  I decided to pair my wine with the Asian Sampler because I wan’t sure what kind of tex-mex to expect later, so I chose Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc for its lemon grassiness and fresh palate cleansing super powers.

Rice Paper Shrimp Rolls, Corned Beef Sinigang, Braised Pork Spare Ribs with Apricot Sauce.

Hobby chef, Karen busied around the kitchen with her sous-chef Bruce making finishing touches to her dishes as we chatted it up with the other two guests.  When the final product was brought out, we were astounded by the beautiful presentation of the sampler inspired by her recent trip to Asia.  You know it’s good when the chatter at the table dies and it is replaced with “mmmm”s and sighs.  As a bonus, I was pleased that my wine choice was a stellar compliment to the food! It was hard to pick a favourite from the trio: the shrimp rice paper rolls stood out with each flavour standing on its own and complimenting each other, the corned beef sinigang was tender and packed with flavour, and the apricot sauce for the spare ribs had just the right amount of sweetness.

Chili Con Carne with Corn Bread

We almost lost track of time, and hurried to the next hobby chef’s place.  (Note to self: wear better shoes when running around downtown)  I love that Annika arranges the locations close enough together so that we can walk to each place without worrying about parking or over imbibing.  I just made poor a poor choice of footwear (but it matched my dress).  The next meal was a Tex-Mex Chili Con Carne made by Marc from Amuse Consulting with his BFF Jackie.  His chili was to die for.  Literally.  Not only was the meat tender and tasty, but the heat from the chipotles was, well, hot.  I am not one to shy away from spicy foods so I devoured every tasty bite of this down home southern concoction and being a sucker for corn bread, I had two pieces.  Pinot Gris doesn’t really go with chili, but it helped cool off my mouth.

From left to right. Blackberry Port - Salt Spring, BC Seeling Schwarzriesling (Pinot Meunier) - Naumburg, Saale Unstrut, Germany Vespaiolo Sparkling Wine - Bregenz, Italy Rotkäppchen Riesling Sparkling Wine - Freyburg, Saale Unstrut, Germany

The hot spot was at Yaletown Gallery where we all met up, filled out and submitted our hobby chef evaluations, and sampled some lovely dessert-type wines presented by Kate, The Wine Mistress.  She brought us wines from Vino Allegro Wine Imports Inc., and Annika shared some German wines which we sampled along with some chocolates from the oldest chocolate factory in Germany.  We enjoyed persuing the gallery with our treats and admiring the beautiful skilled work of local artists.  My wine notes are a little hazy, and I am working on finding a better way to remember my thoughts on what I tatse because by the time I share my thoughts, my mind is often on what I currently have in my glass.  Bear with me.  The Rotkäppchen Riesling Sparkling Wine (Freyburg, Saale Unstrut, Germany) was an off dry riesling that was delightfully refreshing with sour/tart apples and lemons (find out why it is referred to as Lieutenant Lemonade here), and the Seeling Schwarzriesling (Pinot Meunier) (Naumburg, Saale Unstrut, Germany) was a rose that reminded me of chocolate and strawberries.  The Vespaiolo Sparkling Wine (Bregenz, Italy) was my favourite of the evening boasting its toastyness, tiny bubbles, and peach flavours.  Obviously, I did not leave empty handed.  The ballots were tallied, and the hobby chef winners were announced and the last wine was poured.  It was a Blackberry Port (Salt Spring, BC) made with organic Saltspring fruit.  It was a lovely finish to the evening and went down smoothly in all its sweetness.

Social Bites has its next event on May 23 in Fairview / South Granville where yours truly will be cooking up a storm to benefit the Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Life.  Check out the Social Bites Website for more information on how you can participate in either cooking or eating for this great cause.

A huge thank you to Annika, Yaletown Gallery, the Wine Mistress, Vino Allegro, and all of the hobby chefs.  It was a fantastic evening, and you can expect to see me at many more Social Bites events.  You have made a fan out me.

Head Winemaker, Dan Jones, was kind enough to take some time to tell me about the New Westminster winery, the wines, and the barrels.  He outsources his grapes from the Lake Country just north of Napa, has them shipped up here in a temperature controlled truck within 24 hours of being picked, and then stems and crushes them.  It is all as if he were on the vineyard himself with that short timeframe.  He is a true garagiste; the first in BC and one of very few in Canada.  A garagiste is a French term for someone who makes a relatively small production of wine based out of a small building or, you guessed it, a garage.  In this case it was a building in a business park and was full of lovely French oak barrels parked on the racks amongst stainless steel vessels.

When I asked how much of a difference his influence and the changed environment makes on his wine compared to wines made from the same grapes in Napa, he proudly gestured at his many awards.  He has also earned some sparkling reviews from Jurgen Gothe, Deanna Van Mulligan,  Dr. Gary Hayes, and Robert Whitley.

French Oak Barrels at Pacific Breeze

I have a fascination with barrels.  They remind me of hibernating bears or butterflies, sleeping until they are mature enough to fill bottles.  These sleeping beauties were segregated into two areas.  The reds were the largest group stacked in the main area, and the chardonnnay ‘princesses’ had their own temperature controlled room (appropriately named: Chardonnay Room).

Dan deciphered the labels on the barrels for me: The first letter indicate the forest from which the oak originated, the second group of letters indicate the level of toastiness, and the third group (if it applies) indicates if the head of the barrel is toasted.  Why are the barrels toasted?  The answer is simple: toasted tastes better.  The toasting inhibits the oak from transfering and overpowering the wine; the heavier the toast the less oaky the wine, and the lighter the toast the more oaky it becomes.  Everyone has their own preference of how much oak a wine needs.  There are the two extremes of those who prefer unoaked and those, like my hobby wine dabbler father, who ask the question: can there be too much oak?  Most people would say yes.  Yes, there can.  (He created a wine he affectionately named ’splinters’.)  I find myself in the middle-of-the-road depending on the wine.

Pacific Breeze does many different tastings and educational evenings.  Sam Hauck does the teaching based on his experience as a wine maker and wine adjudicator.   Dan was telling me how they once tasted the same wine from different barrels made from different forests and were amazed by the distinctness that each forest added to the grapes.

I enjoyed tasting a few of the varietal wines on their own and then picking out the flavours in the blended wines.  I was blown away by the spring release of P2 as well as the unabashedly oaked 2005 Chardonnay (I am my father’s daughter).  Of course, I left with my arms full of those plus the summer porch friendly unoaked Sauvingnon Blanc.  I am very impressed with the quality of these wines and the artistry of Dan Jones and his team.  The simplicity of a garage creates a perfect canvas to create revolutionary, award winning wines and breaks the mold of the preconceptions that a great wine must come from large establishment.  Sometimes the greatest wines are born out of humility, innovation, and hard work.

Has the recession got you down? Are you hanging up your wine glasses and putting flowers in your decanter? I recently cleared out my closet of empty wine bottles to get a better return than I am getting in my investments. It is obvious that the recession means bad news for financial gain on monetary investments, and even poor stability in the dependable interest of savings accounts, so where is our money safe? The answer to your economic woes is in wine. Vino Veritas. I don’t just mean drowning your worries in a wine bottle; your wine purchases are the ideal liquid assets.

Start by taking stock of your cellar.  Separate the wheat from the chaff, if you will and set aside the wines that need a couple of years.  Better yet, open one of them and pour yourself a glass.  Now, you’ve likely got a few Christmas Sweater wines.  You know the ones: hostess gifts, reminders of bad dates, freebies… etc.  Although they are hardly quaffable, they are not for naught as they have the most value.  Here are a few savvy tips to make the most of your liquid stock:

The first are some favourite recipes that require a healthy indulgence of wine:

Frivolously Fruity Sangria

2-3 bottles of red wine (one cab, one merlot)
Juice of 2-3 fresh squeezed limes
Juice of 2 fresh squeezed lemons
2 Cups of fresh orange juice
1 liter bottle ginger ale or lemon lime soda
1 liter bottle club soda
1/2 cup brandy or gin
1+ Handful Strawberries, cut in half
1/2 Watermelon, in cubes
2 Thinly sliced Pears
1 orange sliced to float in final pitcher

Mix the wine, fruit, ginger ale, orange juice, lime and lemon juice, and brandy and let sit for 18-24 hours. Once the fruits and liquids have intermingled sufficiently, add club soda to thin the sweet consistency to taste. Garnish with slices of orange and maybe even some mint leaves for fun and then toast your new 750 mL stock broker for dealing you such a fine hand.

recipe inspired by Wine Esquire

For dinner, Drunken Tuscan Pasta is a favourite.   (On a personal note: you may wish to forgo the salt as the pancetta makes it salty enough.)  If you are ready to fire up the BBQ, try soaking a cedar plank in a bottle of red over night instead of water to add a rich flavour to your meats.  To finish off your meal of liquid gold, try a dessert of Maple and Wine Soaked Apple Cake.

Once you have satisfied your gastronomical needs, it is important to be aware of the many household uses of the reds and whites.

• Should you accidentally spill some red on your white shirt, let it be known that you have an abundance of stain remover at your disposal.  Simply pour a bottle of red into a large bowl or sink and soak your shirt until the stain is gone.

• Have your pets suffered the economic down-turn?  Perhaps it is time to exercise your eco-friendliness and share your wealth with those pretty little aquatic friends; top the tank up with a little Sauvignon Blanc.

• Speaking of topping up the tank, an aged Riesling or a Sauvignon Blanc with some Petrol in its character will sustain you through the wallet-pain after filling up your SUV at $1+ a litre.

• Falling stocks may cause to pull your hair, resulting in premature hair loss.  I came across information on stimulating hair growth by rubbing red wine or burgundy into the scalp.  True or not, you are bound to feel better about yourself after a few glasses.

Consider your wine purchases as a wine-stimulus package and support your local wine retailer with frequent visits.  Find your own ways of incorporating wine into your daily lifestyle and even if you would rather gaze at the wines that you have collected, you can always brag about your nice rack.

The planning committee didn’t wish to hold the wine festival so close to the Olympics, and I think that we can all agree that we will need a drink once they’re over.  Traditionally the festival is at the end of March, so be sure to mark off your calendars for April 19th to 25th.

I am very excited about the global focus: Rosé .  Rosé is left on the skins for only a couple of days which gives it its pinkish colour.  The most common varietals are Pinot Noir and Gamay, but there are other varietals out there such as Cabernet Franc and Shiraz.  It will be really interesting to compare different varietals and styles of Rose around the world.  I love a good pairing, and the one thing that gets me wound up in a ball of excitement about this style of wine is it’s flexibility with food pairings.  No doubt there will be some events that showcase and challenge this wine’s repertoire.

The next big news is the TWO theme regions: Argentina and New Zealand.  The consolates shared their excitement over the similarities and differences between them and our region and between each other.  Wine is part of Argentina’s every day life and they produce oodles of it and only export a relatively small percentage of their wines.  The festival gives them an opportune chance to show off what they do so well.  New Zealand is often overshadowed by it’s neighbour, Australia, but it puts out some great Sauvignon Blancs that are fresh and lively.

After watching their cultural performances, I am very sure that we can expect a lot of passion, pride, and sexiness.  As we draw nearer, I will cover more about these regions and the global focus. I must be off to the final night of consumer tasting, after which I will fill you all in on the wines that blew my mind, confused me, and made me spit (no, not really…I am just learning to spit like a good wine drinking lady).  Oh yes, and maybe I WILL run into Gismondi….