A Celebratory Tantalus Dinner

Being members of both the British Columbia and the Australian Wine Appreciation Societies, Boo and I get the opportunity to attend at least a couple winemaker dinners a year. There are very few dinners that have succeeded in getting my juices flowing as much as the promise of combining Tantalus wines with Hawksworth cuisine. Not only is Tantalus one of my favourite BC wineries but I can definitely say that I'm not a regular at Hawksworth, one of Vancouver's most celebrated restaurants. In fact, I've only ever been there once before and, if memory serves, it was for an AWAS dinner.

The dinner was being held in celebration of Tantalus' 10th Anniversary and it certainly lived up to expectations. Boo and I were particularly fortuitous in that we were seated in direct proximity to winery principals David Paterson (winemaker), Jane Hatch (general manager) and Warwick Shaw (vineyard manager). Opportunities to discuss the nitty-gritty of wine and winemaking with such seasoned hands are rare occasions for a piker like me.

I found the conversation riveting but the food and wine wasn't too shabby either.

The courses revolved around dungeness crab, sablefish, risotto and duck breast - any one of which could be a pick of mine off of any menu. Add a bit of wine to these tasty morsels and the evening was set.

The Tantalus gang poured a mix of new and old that was worthy of the anniversary celebration. Starting with a 2010 Old Vines Riesling Natural Brut during the reception gathering, we settled into dinner with two mini-flights of Riesling. The dungeness crab, avocado and grapefruit salad was accompanied by a 2005 and 2014 Riesling. I can't recall having tried such an aged Okanagan Riesling before. Indeed, I doubt many local wineries would want to try ageing their Rieslings to such an extent. Although many see this label as Tantalus' more approachable - or heaven forbid the term - entry level Riesling, it held its own against the fresher, current vintage.

The sablefish saw '08 and '12 pouring of the Old Vines Riesling - a BC Riesling that likes food if ever there was one - and the richness of the fish just killed it with the acidity of these babies. My glasses seemed to be empty far too soon. I'm sure I must have been short-poured.

A roasted cauliflower risotto was paired with the 2010 and 2012 Chardonnays and the duck breast - surprise, surprise - saw two Pinots (again 2010 and 2012) alongside. I've generally been drawn to Tantalus for their Riesling but the Chard and Pinot Noir are definitely showing signs that they are developing into contenders as well as the more recently planted vines start to see more age on them.

1933.  2014 Tantalus Syrah Icewine (Okanagan Valley VQA)

As has been my habit with the blog, I only add one wine to The List at these dinners since our table or small gang never polishes off an entire bottle of any one wine - as much as we might like to. So, tonight's wine for The List is one that I'm not sure I've even tried before - let alone have in our cellar.

I may be adding the Syrah Icewine to The List but we were actually tempted by a pouring of an aged 2005 Riesling Icewine as well. Thankfully, there was no call for a straw poll to see who favoured which over the other. I'd have been hard-pressed to pick. One thing was clearly evident though and that's that Icewines can still pack plenty of punch after a decade's ageing. A hallmark of fine icewine is that there still be plenty of acidity in the wine so that it doesn't become cloyingly sweet. The '05 was certainly an unctuous sip, yet it still didn't veer into pure sweet as its acidity must have waned over the last decade.

All told, this was a winemaker's dinner for the ages. I'll have to mark the 20th Anniversary dinner in my calendar as soon as they announce one.

As we would have liked the whole experience to continue, the next night, Boo and I opened a bottle of the 2012 Tantalus Rosé. I'm not adding that bottle to The List though as we'd already polished off a bottle and it sits on The List at #1659.

Thankfully, whether there's a List or not, I know there'll be plenty more Tantalus wines filling my glass down the road.

A Valentine's Day Treat

Valentine's Day. Saturday night. How often does that come along? Thing is, Boo won't get home from work until about 8pm; so, we decided to just stay at home and take it easy. Guess we've seen enough Valentine's Days over the years that simplicity can work just as well as a big night on the town - particularly if I spend a good portion of the day prepping things in the kitchen and make sure that the martini was ready to pour as soon as my sweetie walks through the door with his standard, "Honey, I'm home."

Finding some heart-shaped pasta at Cioffi's was a great start. Adding in some fresh scallops, asparagus and vodka cream sauce would certainly be a way straight to my heart. The hope was that it'd work on Boo as well.

1862.  2013 Sea Star Blanc de Noir Rosé (Pender Island - BC)

Thinking a Rosé would suit the occasion, I grabbed a bottle of Sea Star's Blanc de Noir. Seeing as how 2013 was the first vintage of wines produced by Pender Island's Sea Star, I'm thinking it must say something that this is the third bottle that I've added to The List - especially when I believe they've only released five wines for a grand total of 1400 cases (only 312 cases of this Rosé). Luckily, we visited the winery last Thanksgiving and managed to coax some wines out of owner, David Goudge, even though the winery was sold out of almost everything except the Ortega. I guess those years of bumping into David at various fundraising events paid off big time.

I know that David and winemaker, Ian Baker, were justifiably proud of the Rosé. It was made entirely from island grown Pinot Noir and it was awarded a "Best Rosé in Show" at last year's Northwest Wine Summit. Perhaps reminiscent of Southern France more than what we'd associate with South Pender, there was a lovely acidity that balanced out the tart fruit on the palate.

I can't wait to get my hands on some of the vintages to come. I can just see making those bottles a bit of Valentine's present to myself.

1863.  2008 Sonoran Estate Ehrenfelser Icewine (Okanagan Valley VQA)

No Valentine's Day is complete without some sweets as well and - for my money - a crème brûlée paired with Icewine is about as good as things can get. I'm not all that familiar with Sonoran Estate's wines. It's been around a decade longer than Sea Star but I just don't seem to find my way to many of the so-called Bottleneck Drive wineries outside Summerland. I picked up this bottle at the winery during a visit with the BC Wine Appreciation Society on its annual Bus Tour a couple of years back.

Made from Ehrenfelser grapes, this bottle had a bit of a pedigree of its own in that it won a Silver medal at the 2012 Northwest Wine Summit. With tropical fruits abounding, it truly was a marvellous pairing with the creme brûlée.

Even if the menu plan might have been totally in sync with some of my favourite tastes, I think it's fair to say that it hit the mark for Boo as well - but decency mandates that I defer on discussing how he showed his appreciation. Suffice it to say that he can be pretty sweet in his own way.

Dreaming of a White (Wine) Christmas

I don't think that it was the result of an over-abundance of Bing Crosby's or Michael Bublé's crooning, but my holiday dinner turned out to be an all-white wine Christmas. As is our family tradition, my sis, Vixen, hosted Christmas dinner for the gang. Other than to spoil the nieces and nephew, my job is to bring along the wine. Funny that.

1833.  N.V. Bailly Lapierre Réserve Brut (AOC Crémant de Bourgogne - France)

I was tipped off to this bottle following a bubbly tasting held at Marquis Wine Cellars awhile back. I wasn't able to make the tasting but this Crémant was apparently one of the hits of the tasting. Crémant wines, simply put, are Champagne-style wines that can't be called Champagne because they don't come from the Champagne region. The Crémant de Bourgogne (or Burgundy bubbly) was the first Crémant appellation to be authorized - along with Crémant d'Alsace - in 1975.

Bailly Lapierre is a cooperative of 70 families growing fruit around the town of Bailly in the northern part of Burgundy. Their sparkling wine is made from the region's permitted grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir and Aligoté. in reading about the cooperative, I was intrigued that the wines are aged in the old, underground quarries for the town, especially since the quarry work extracted from Bailly provided stone for some of France's best known architectural triumphs - Notre-Dame de Paris, Chartres Cathedral and the Pantheon Paris.

The limestone-based soils lend themselves to a minerality that the bubbles cut through and elevate. A nice balance between subtle tree fruit and the biscuit-y notes so typical of Champagne doesn't hurt either.

And to add to the celebration, with the bucks you save by buying Crémant instead of Champagne (generally a half to a third of the price), you can spend more on presents for the family. This is a particularly enjoyable aspect of this wine to the young'uns who don't care to join in with the toasting and sipping.

1834.  2013 Sea Star Siegerrebe (Gulf Islands - BC)

When picking the turkey wine, I thought I'd forego the classic Gewürztraminer and take one of the wines I was lucky enough to pick up during our Thanksgiving visit to Axel and English Doc on Pender Island. I say, "lucky" because all of Sea Star's wine have been totally sold out for some time now. Quite the feat for a first vintage release, especially when you produce varietal wines like Siegerrebe and Ortega - grapes that most folks have never heard of before.

As it was, I didn't stray too far from the "tried and true" since Siegerrebe is a cross of the Madeleine Angevine and Gewürztraminer grapes. I also knew there's wasn't much risk - even for the family Christmas dinner - since the wine was awarded a Gold Medal at the 2014 Northwest Wine Summit - one of the wine competitions I actually pay some attention to. Plenty of aromatics, with great acidity and some nice soft fruit, along with that bit of Gew spice, coming through on the palate.

I'll definitely be on the lookout for some more of this in vintages down the road.

1835.  2012 Red Rooster Riesling Icewine (VQA Okanagan Valley)

To close out the dinner, I grabbed a bit of a treat - for both those gathered and for me. Admittedly, it might have been a tad selfish, but knowing my family's inclinations for various wines, I was pretty sure that only Vixen and I would think about seconds. Choosing an icewine was also a conscious choice though to try and build on the nieces' introduction to wine. As newbies to the wine scene, a little - or in this case a lot of - sweet never hurts.

I think this is the first icewine that Red Rooster has released and, even then, this was a limited production of 547 half bottle cases. Boo and I grabbed some bottles during our last visit to the winery for an Adopt-A-Row event. As one of the treats the winery pulled out for the adoptive parents, we tried a barrel sample of the Riesling Icewine. Nabbing a couple of bottles was a no brainer.

I also figured that, since it was once again my responsible to bring bread pudding, the Icewine would be a grand match to the dessert - especially since I remembered to add the sugar to the pudding this year. The Icewine likely would have still paired nicely with last year's more savoury bread pudding but I think the match was a little more traditional this year.

An interesting note on the wine was that the folks at Red Rooster started picking the grapes around 2 a.m. on January 1, 2013. You've got to wonder about being out in the vineyard in -8 to -14°C weather to pick frozen grapes on the first day of the year. That's either one helluva way to finish your New Year's Eve celebration or quite the start to the year to come - a 2 a.m. wake-up call.

I'm glad they bit the bullet for us though - because that Icewine was a far nicer "end" to the dinner than the end the girls were subjected to once the table was cleared. I'm not entirely sure what prompted this display but it was hardly in tune with the joy of Christmas and suiting up in your onesie to watch Mama Mia.

Except to say that it was one "mother" of a way to end the dinner.

A Dinner Club Like No Other

Of course, the primary reason for our visit to Antigua was the Dinner Club Road Trip and dinner was set for tonight. Despite the anticipation - after all the road trip was over a year in the planning - we needed to give our hosts some time to prep their Antiguan morcels. As Jeaux and Matt diced and sliced, the rest of us took in some of what the island had to offer. Axel and English Doc went for a scuba dive while Lady Di, She Who Must Be Obeyed, Boo and I decided to wander around the thriving metropolis of St. John's.

Antigua's capital and biggest city, St. John's still only has a population of around 24,000 to 25,000 and it's abundantly evident that the city and country is dependent on tourism - with cruise ships and their day visitors being a primary focus of the city centre. Most of the shops and market stalls are geared to cruising tourists who meander in the shadow of the huge ships that tower over local buildings.

We started our visit off with what was to be a quick bite at a local lunch spot. Unfortunately, that proved to be our undoing as SWMBO's purse and camera were stolen right out from under our noses as we were sitting in the street-side, public dining area. We still have no idea as to who might have pulled off the dastardly deed but it certainly put a damper on our plans as the girls had to return to the resort to cancel credit cards and deal with the issues that arose. The one good thing was that their passports weren't in the purse.

At the girls' insistence, Boo and I continued to amble around St. John's - not that there was an awful lot to take in. We hiked up to St. John's Cathedral but the old Anglican cathedral was undergoing extensive renovations and wasn't even open for viewing. We continued our walkabout and made our way to the local food market but, it was Monday and that's not one of the big market days. As such, there was no real buzz around the place.

Once we'd had our fill of town, we made our way back to our villa and started prepping for Dinner Club. As circumstance saw fit, it was St. Patrick's Day and, unbeknownst to us, St. Paddy's is quite the going concern throughout the Caribbean. It must be all the drinking associated with the day! Forever the consummate hostess, Jeaux was well prepared for the day with a parade of Irish accoutrements - as well as an array of libations. She even started off the evening with green cocktails - a Midori Pineapple concoction that set the tone for a dockside evening.

If Jeaux hadn't written down the menu, I'd have had a hard time recounting it because the names of and many ingredients of the dishes were certainly foreign to this Canuck. Jeaux and Matinder strived to feature local ingredients and whip up some of the most popular national dishes. Appies on the deck started with Keshi Yena - cheese stuffed with spiced meat - that is believed to have originated with the slaves from the Dutch Empire who stuffed the rinds of Gouda or Edam cheese with meat table scraps. These were followed by Fiery Shrimp and Potato Cakes (made with "hairy potatoes") and Conch Fritters.

Prior to our arrival, I likely mentioned to Jeaux (but no more than a dozen times) that, if she only served dish at Dinner Club, I hoped it would involve conch. Girl came through - even though she pointed out that conch is not the most delectable of seafoods and isn't even all that easy to find on local shelves. No matter. Conch is what I think of when I think Caribbean cuisine and I got to go home and say that I'd had some.

I've also always thought of Caribbean foods as having an underlying heat. So, when Boo and I saw a bottle of off-dry bubbly in the Toronto Airport Duty Free, I grabbed it - figuring it'd be a nice way to start off the evening's wines.

1551.  N.V. Peller Estates - Signature Series Ice Cuvée Rosé (VQA Niagara Peninsula - Ontario)

Made in the traditional method (read Champenoise), the Ice Cuvée Rosé is a sparkling wine made from primarily Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes; however, in a bit of a detour from traditional Champagne grapes, 10% of the wine is Cabernet Franc. I was also intrigued to see that, for this sparkler, Peller Estate added a dosage that is a combination of Cab Franc Icewine and Vidal Icewine. The intended result is off-dry notes on the palate but with a dry finish resulting from the tannins in the Cab Franc that forms part of the base wine.

Of course, bubbles just naturally hint that a celebration is at hand as well and I think travelling over 5700 miles, one way, for "a dinner" is a bit of an occasion. Bubbles also lead to toasts and we heartily toasted our missing comrades-in-arms. Tyrant and Panda Guy were all arranged to make Dinner Club with us but they had to back out shortly before we left when a family health issue arose.

Truly disappointed that they couldn't join us, that just meant that we had to eat and drink enough for them as well.

1552.  2012 Pedroncelli - Signature Selection Chardonnay (Dry Creek Valley - Sonoma County - California)

1553.  2012 Chemin des Sables - Savion (Rosé d'Anjou AOC - Loire - France)

If you check out my posts on previous Dinner Clubs, there's often a preponderance of big reds through the evening. Jeaux knew better and her request for wines this time around were for whites or rosés. We also had to rely on the selection of wines available down at the Epicure grocery and, while I have seen worse, the array of wines was rather limited and included a lot of globally commercial brands. Bright, light and cheerful was obviously the route to take.

Turns out that there was a bit of bonus for the blog when I saw that the Rosé d'Anjou was made from Cabernet Franc, Gamay Noir, Pineau d'Aunis and Grolleau. I was a little surprised to see that I hadn't added Grolleau to my Wine Century Club tally yet but, sure enough, it wasn't there. So, this little road trip had an unexpected addition to that list - in addition to the (much expected) fine dinner.

And, speaking of that fine dinner, Jeaux and Matinder started the sit down portion of the meal with callaloo soup. Another well-known staple of the islands, Jeaux made her's with fresh callaloo greens which were, again like the conch, not the easiest of ingredients to find. In keeping with the secondary St. Paddy's Day notes, the soup arrived with a green Irish soda bread. Is there no end to this gal's creativity?

1554.  N.V. Sartori - Pinot Grigio Blush (Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie I.G.T. - Italy)

The Blush was paired with yet another trio of traditional Caribbean dishes:
Salt Fish and Ackee, Green Papaya and Breadfruit Salad (with its potato-like flavour). The first dish is considered to be Jamaica's national dish but it has migrated throughout the Caribbean. The salt cod is sautéed with boiled ackee (a treefruit brought to the islands from West Africa centuries ago), onions, hot peppers, tomatoes and spices. I don't know if Jeaux cooked fresh ackee or not but I have since learned that it can be poisonous if the fruit is unripe and TIME magazine named it one of the world's "10 Most Dangerous Foods." Somehow I missed this fact during dinner - if it was even mentioned.

We all lived to tell though. And, thankfully, all lived for dessert.

Capturing the tropical nature of the dinner - and with a tip o' the cap to St. Patrick - we finished off the evening with a Pineapple Carpaccio doused in a Ginger/Lime dressing and a dollop Coconut Ice Cream.

Of no assistance to my speedy conclusion of reaching 2001 Bottles, we did not pop the cork on another bottle of wine. Rather, Matinder twisted our arms and served up a nightcap of Bushwhackers - coconut cream, Kahlua, Dark Rum, milk and Crème de Cacao. Another popular drink that he's picked up on the sailing circuit, those Bushwhackers had us all ready to call it a night.

As if the five hours of dining and drinking wouldn't have been enough to leave us knackered as is.

I can't say as I've ever travelled this far for a dinner party before. Conch. Ackee. Breadfruit. Callaloo. There's little doubt that Jeaux and Matinder came through with a Dinner Club menu and location for the ages. They might have a hard time equalling this one when it's their next turn to serve it up in Vancouver. I can't wait to see how they try though.

An Intimidating Dinner Date

As much as Boo might tell you otherwise, we don't dine out all that much. Lack of time and expanding waistlines see to that. All the same, we do have a couple of favourite restaurants that we try to make it to at least once or twice a year.

One series of successive dinners has resulted in our striking up a casual friendship with one of Vancouver's - indeed, one of Canada's - top chefs and his wife, who just happens to manage the front of the house (and no doubt a whole lot more). We've tossed around the idea of having Perry and Molly's Mother over to our place for dinner for a couple of years - but we'd been unable to coordinate schedules.

That is, until now.

Not that the thought of serving a home cooked meal to a celebrated chef was intimidating at all. Nah - not in the least (especially since I was leaving a couple of the more important dishes up to Boo to pull off).

I figured our task was to come up with a menu that was sophisticated enough to be interesting - and seem like we have a smidgeon of culinary talent - but basic enough to make it seem like we weren't pulling out every ounce of kitchen witchery that might be in our bodies. Molly's Mom had told me that most people don't like to have them over because they feel that they have to cook restaurant quality food and go all out to impress them. She then confirmed that Perry (like most chefs) is simply thrilled to have someone else cook. She advised that he'd be happy if we served up Kraft Dinner.

It was almost as daunting trying to come up with additional guests - since we didn't have any friends in common with Perry and M-Squared. Given the foodie nature of our initial guests, I kinda stuck with the theme and invited Mr. Technicolour and Haley. Mr. T. teaches WSET courses and runs the wine program at one of Vancouver's culinary schools - and is as outrageously entertaining as his name (and socks) might indicate. Haley is long suffering - but for the most part, highly amused.

1405.  2011 Haywire The Bub (VQA Okanagan Valley)

1406.  2012 Orofino Moscato Frizzante (Similkameen Valley)

Ever since, Molly's Mom and I had started talking about dinner, I'd hoped to take advantage of the garden and try a little al fresco dining for at least part of the evening. Luckily, the weather held out and we had the chance to enjoy a couple of the newer entries on the burgeoning BC bubbles scene.

The bottle of The Bub is Haywire's first release of their classically aged sparkler, made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. We sipped away on it with warmed, spiced olives but I see that The Bub won the sparkling category at the inaugural Canadian Oyster Wine Competition held this Spring in the Okanagan.

I believe that the 2012 Moscato Frizzante is the second vintage of the beautifully packaged Orofino bubbly. The wine is primarily Muscat Bianco grapes but a touch of Riesling is blended in for additional acidity, as is a shot of Pinot Gris. Orofino's website notes that the three grapes are picked with special consideration for "acidity and aromatics" and that "they are fermented separately and then blended at filtration." The wine is a bit drier than might be expected from the name and the packaging but it certainly disappeared quickly with our Arabic cheesy bread.

1407.  2011 Fairview Cellars Sauvignon Blanc (VQA Okanagan Valley)

The sit down portion of our dinner started with a mussel and saffron soup that we paired with Bill Eggert's Sauvignon Blanc - his "oyster wine" as he calls it. We might not have served up the oysters but, from past experience, I knew that the rich soup - that is nothing but wine, mussels and a few vegetables and spices - would match up just as nicely. This is the only white wine that Fairview produces but, even at that, only 600 cases were produced in the 2011 vintage (triple the 2010 count). It's not the easiest wine to find on the shelf but I inevitably grab a bottle when I do see one by chance.

I've noted, in an earlier post, that Boo and I splurged on a new BBQ. It features a rotisserie - that we have yet to try - and I thought it might be a perfect opportunity to try our new toy with a leg of lamb. I'd sent everyone an e-mail for wine suggestions and mentioned the lamb plan. Perry got back to me and mentioned that there are only two items that Molly's Mom doesn't particularly like - lamb and olives. Naturally, our plans had involved both.

Boo and I switched up on the lamb and decided to smoke some pork but, when everyone arrived, I let Perry and M-Squared know that I'd received the message and changed the menu. I told them that because of the last minute change in plans, we needed to take Molly's Mom at her word though and that we were serving KD (packaged mac and cheese for those of you that didn't grow up with it). We proudly announced that we had made a really special version though and that we'd added wieners to the mix. Was that going to be special or what?!

2010 Mollydooker Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz (South Australia)

It's a good thing we went with the smoked pork though because I doubt that Perry and Molly's Mom's bottle of Blue Eyed Boy would have gone as well with the KD. It was totally appropriate of them to bring along the Mollydooker because they had hooked us up for a visit to the winery when Boo and I visited McLaren Vale a couple last year. What they didn't know was that Boo and I had tasted the 2010 Blue Eyed Boy during that visit and the winery was kind enough to give us the bottle (that had barely been cracked) as a souvenir. Accordingly, I don't get to add this bottle to The List because Boo and I promptly finished off that earlier bottle in Australia - and added it to The List as #1118.

When wines are as tasty as this Shiraz is though, I don't mind drinking another bottle of a wine already on The List. I'm also thrilled to say that Boo enjoyed this bottle far more than he enjoyed the one in Oz. He's not as big on fruit bombs as I can be and he's had a bit of dislike for Mollydooker's total commitment to that style of wine.

1408.  2004 Spinifex Indigene (Barossa Valley - Australia)

1409.  2006 Ghost Pines Merlot (Napa and Sonoma Counties - California) 

We followed up the Mollydooker with another big Aussie. The Spinifex Indigene is from the McLaren Vale's wine producing neighbour, the Barossa Valley. Spinifex is a boutique winery that was started up in 2001 and has garnered up some big points with the wine critics for this blend of 2/3's Mataro (Aussie for Mourvèdre) and 1/3 Shiraz. With only 600 cases having been made, I'm a little surprised that any of it made it up here to Vancouver. I think that might be a testament to the understanding that Vancouver was one of the first foreign markets to cotton onto Aussie exports. Because some higher end Aussie producers found Vancouver to be an early adopter of their production styles, we're still rewarded sometimes with wines that don't often make it to North American markets.

The last of the big reds was a treat that Mr. Technicolour and Haley brought. Mr. T. had done some consulting work with the American Consulate and, in thanks, he was given a case of wine. While choosing the wines from the Consulate cellar, he was tipped off to grab a bottle of the Ghost Pines Merlot. A blend of grapes from both Napa and Sonoma, the '06 Merlot saw an addition of 7% Zinfnadel as the winemaker looked to "exhibit the best of both appellations."

We likely could have kept going with the reds but dessert beckoned and we moved on to a couple BC treats.

1410.  2009 Stoneboat Verglas (Okanagan Valley)

Dessert was peach pie with peach gelato and, if I do say so myself, was matched beautifully with the Stoneboat Verglas - for all intents and purposes, an Icewine, even though it isn't called one. Made from the largely unknown variety Oraniensteiner and Pinot Blanc, I'm just going to quote John Schreiner and his review: "Charming and seductive. It has a fabulous aroma of peaches and ripe pineapples and it tastes like a bowl of tropical fruits. The bright acidity gives the wine perfect balance, giving it a clean and focussed finish without any cloying sweetness." Darn right!

I almost regretted serving it at dinner because there were six of us and the bottle's 200ml didn't go nearly as far as it would have if I'd opened the bottle and kept it all to myself.

As a consolation, this is the first wine featuring the Oraniensteiner grape to be added to The List and I have a new variety to add to my Wine Century Club tally (#154 I do believe). Now, that's always an added bonus to a bottle of wine.

N.V. La Frenz Tawny (Naramata Bench - Okanagan Valley)

The 200ml didn't go too far though; so, that was followed with the La Frenz Tawny. Since the Tawny isn't vintage dated - and I've enjoyed a number of bottles over the years - it isn't being added to The List either. It was earmarked for a cheese course but, by now, we'd concluded that we didn't need another course. "Simple fare" or not, we were done and the rich, multi-award winning fortified wine was a fine finish to the evening.

Despite, the palpable anxiety, I think it's safe to say that Boo and I weathered the storm. I haven't been ballsy enough to ask for any commentary on the food from our guests but I think I might just be brave enough to ask these folks over for dinner again all the same. i may have to resort to that KD and wieners, but I'm sure we can make up for it with the wines.

Dinner at Elzee's

The Labour Day long weekend is upon us and I decided that it was just going to be a bit too much work to pull off a repeat of last year's Tea Dance - and too many of the gang had decided to vacate the city this year. Luckily, Elzee decided to work away in the kitchen and have us over for dinner.

Dancing would be optional.

2008 JoieFarm Riesling (Okanagan Valley)

Elzee had just returned from a bit of trip to the Okanagan and she'd come back with a bit of collection of new bottles. Accordingly, she needed to make a bit of room for the incoming bottles and brought out an oldie but goodie. Problem - if you want to call it a problem - is that I've already added this vintage of JoieFarm's Riesling to The List at #211.

No complaints from this boy though. I liked it then and still like it now.

We never need to worry about going home hungry or not enjoying the dinner when an opportunity to dine at Elzee's is presented. I don't know if it's the Italian heritage or not, but the food is never ending and it's always tasty. She's often stated how she likes to use Boo and I as "guinea pigs" for a new recipe she's run across - and we generally leave asking for a copy of it.

In addition to the Okanagan trip, she'd also recently been to Vancouver Island and she, magically, managed to come home with a salmon fresh from this year's fishery. We'd had a bit of tip off on the main course; so, we opted to bring along a Pinot Noir to match up. Having just enjoyed the rather stellar Elephant Hill Viognier, I opted to grab another Kiwi wine that I'd been holding on to for awhile. If Elephant Hill became a new addition to a New Zealand "wish list," a visit to Central Otago is right at the top of that list.

908. 2004 Carrick Pinot Noir (Central Otago - New Zealand)

The Central Otago region claims to be the Southernmost wine producing region in the world but it's pretty new as far as winemaking goes. The first commercial release from the district was only in 1987. It is already, however, gaining a reputation as one of the very best regions for producing Pinot Noir. Even eminent British wine writer, Jancis Robinson, has been quoted as saying that, "Many believe this is where the Pinot grail is to be found."

Three-quarters of the grapes grown in Central Otago are Pinot Noir and the region is best known for intense and vibrant wines. Like most Kiwi wines, however, Central Otago wines are almost invariably found in the premium sections - at premium prices. The region's wines can be hard to find in the first place, but, when you do find them, you have to be ready to bite the bullet. This bottle clocked in at $45 - which, believe it or not, is rather reasonable for a Central Otago Pinot in our market; maybe even on the low side of the spectrum.

Carrick recently announced that, following the minimum three years of organic farming, the winery's vineyards and winemaking practices have been certified as fully organic. They are even taking some aspects of their processes to full bio-dynamic levels. I don't really have the opportunity to discuss the concept further at this time (the blog does feature some discussion in other posts) but a quick mention might be to say that the winery follows the earth's natural rhythms and uses only natural composts and yeasts.

I particularly liked one quote on Carrick's website where they stated that they'd "noticed that the wines sometimes stand out when we are tasting them and often it is a 'flower or fruit' day on the biodynamic calendar. We are aware that one large UK supermarket chain doesn't taste wines on a root day!" If you're like me, you may not have even known that there are such things are "flower or fruit" days. My calendar must be full of "fruit days," I think. I also have to wonder if the word "root" has the same slang meaning in New Zealand as it does in "Oz." That might make wine tasting a bit tougher.

My questionable wit aside, I'm not sure the degree of organic practices were being followed back in the days of the 2004 vintage; however, I often find that wines purporting to have been made pursuant to biodynamic practices are often bigger than their counterparts - and this wine was certainly big for a Pinot, even by Otago standards. Perhaps even a bit much for our salmon. We had no trouble finishing off the bottle however.

909. 2007 Naked Grape Ice - Unoaked Vidal Icewine (VQA Niagra Peninsula - Ontario)

Elzee had a final treat for us as well. First, it was a new frozen lemon dessert (her trademark lemon tart being an all-time favourite of mine). And that was topped off with an icewine from the Niagra Peninsula.

I'm a bit surprised that Naked Grape even produces an icewine. The label is one of the mass market wines that forms part of the Canadian wine juggernaut that is Vincor (itself part of the worldwide Constellation brand). Icewine isn't a wine that I'd commonly associate with a mass market. It is a VQA product; however, so the winemakers must have followed the prescribed requirements in making it. I might have suspected that the grapes were simply frozen and pressed but that wouldn't be allowed under VQA guidelines.

Mass market or not, it was a lovely way to finish a delicious evening.

I'll also just put out the note that Boo and I are certainly open to offering our services to others needing guinea pigs as well.

Will bring wine.

Game 5 - A Clutch Game If There Ever Was One

Two rather nasty games in Boston. Just as soon put them out of my mind, thank you very kindly. Don't even bother to ask what time it is? 12 past Luongo got tired rather quickly over the last couple of days. But we're back in VanCity and the whole city is hoping that the real Canucks show up tonight. I don't think anyone would give our guys much of a chance if they go back to Boston for Game 6 being down 3 games to 2.

I'm out of the big gun, Mission Hill Legacy Series wines now, but I'll just have to hope that tonight's wine will have enough ooompf (a very technical wine term) to propel the Canucks to a big win. I wouldn't say that it's exactly lacking in pedigree. Ryan Kesler may be on the canucks' second line, but I don't think anyone would argue that he's not top tier quality.

825. 2006 Mission Hill Select Lot Collection Merlot (VQA Okanagan Valley)

Having mentioned its "pedigree," I suppose I should point out that this wine won a Gold Medal at the 2010 All Canadian Wine Championships. And, despite being a 2006 vintage, I think this is still the current release for the SLC Merlot. Nice of the winery to age the wine for us as long as they have. A "gold medal" may be more appropriate for hockey at the Olympics, but I think the whole idea of being the best at your game is a pretty good call for the Canucks at tonight's game.

The SLC label may not be part of the Legacy Series but it is still considered a premium wine for Mission Hill. I don't know for certain, but I believe the grapes chosen for this wine are easily of the calibre used in the Legacy wines; however, these grapes can come from more than just the single vineyard used in that series.

I can see - and taste - why the wine did as well as it did at the 2010 competition. We haven't necessarily been drinking a lot of 100% varietal Merlot from BC of late - but this has a profile that could clearly convince me to try more if all BC Merlots were this good.

Rich and well structured, it's big for a BC Merlot, but it doesn't over-power you with its fruit or any other component. The winemaking team showed some restraint in trying to extract every last iota from the grapes - and I'm grateful for it.

Too bad that, at $40 a bottle, I'll pretty much have to keep it to special occasions - like a Stanley Cup playoff game - to reach for one.

Other than having had a fine bottle of wine, I'm more than happy to say that the bottle did it's job and the Canucks pulled off a 1-0 win. Vancouver is a happy town and the team now has two chances to win one game AND the Stanley Cup.

In fact, I was so enthralled that I opened another bottle that I'd been keeping on hand to celebrate this third win. (it just took a little longer to be opened than I'd hoped.)

826. 2005 Mission Hill Reserve Late Harvest Riesling (VQA Okanagan Valley)

Considering what a sucker I am for dessert wines, ports and stickies, we don't tend to drink many of them. I guess it's easy to buy a bottle and end up putting it away with all the other "special occasion" wines that never seem to get opened. Good thing a third win in the Stanley Cup Finals is about as "special" an occasion as there can be - especially when you consider that the Canucks have only ever done that once before in their existence and that was 17 years ago. I guess I can admit that I was old enough to be drinking at that time; I don't, however, think I was drinking wines of this calibre.

Despite being a Late Harvest wine, the grapes for this wine weren't harvested until February 2, 2006. If the winery left the grapes on the vine for that length of time, my guess would have to be that the principals just didn't feel that the remaining winter weather was going to get cold enough to dip to the requisite temperatures needed to qualify for icewine. Otherwise, why would you wait that long? Our gain though - since icewine can standardly be double the price of a late harvest wine.

During this Finals series and all the Mission Hill wines, I've mentioned a couple of the winery's fine showings in international competitions. There's no doubt that BC produces some of the finest late harvest and icewines in the world. Tasting this, it's easy to see why. If, like me, you can drink glass after glass of full, fruity, sweet, aromatic wines that kick back with a nice brace of acidity, this bottle won't disappoint. You'll just need to find that "special occasion" because at $30 a half-bottle, the wine just disappears a little too quickly from my glass to make it a regular occurrence.

Hopefully, I don't have to wait for another third win in a finals series before I open another.

Now, the task will be to pick a wine that's, hopefully, good enough to drink from the Stanley Cup. One more win will do it!! Keep those cheers loud!

A Seasonal Dinner Club

Normally, Jeaux and Matinder's Annual Christmas Cookie Fest is the definitive start to the holiday season. I've lost count of the different types of cookies and treats that Matinder has offered over the years on that first Friday of December. Unfortunately, Boo and I won't be able to make it this year. So, all the more reason to celebrate the fact that it's their turn to host the Dinner Club and that they wanted to fit their dinner in before the silly season of parties and commitments kicks in and prior to their departure to the Caribbean - particularly since they're going to be gone for the first so many months of 2011.

As mentioned in previous postings of Dinner Club gatherings, Jeaux and Matinder are the theme-masters. I haven't got the slightest idea where the concept for this meal came from but, for the evening, we were taken away to the tropics. Be it Antigua, Barbados or the Virgin Islands, we just had to sit back and let our captain sail away into uncharted culinary waters - even with our "Dark and Stormy" cocktail start.

654. 2009 Domaine Houchart Rose (AOC Cotes de Provence)

655. 2009 Red Rooster Rose (VQA Okanagan Valley)

Any dish featuring saffron and mussels is likely going to strike a chord with me and this soup starter did just that. Jeaux' pre-dinner request for Rose was a great call and it was nice to see the contrast of the BC wine with the French wine. Rose wines are enjoying a popularity that has likely never been seen before (unless you count California's White Zinfandel as an actual Rose wine) and it can be made with seemingly unlimited profiles and from countless grape foundations. Case in point - the Red Rooster is all Cab Franc, while the Provencal is a blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Cab Sauv. Both wines passed the muster with this dinner crowd, although I'm sure that the soup had a good part in our enjoyment.

656. 2009 Desert Hills Viognier (VQA Okanagan Valley)

657. 2008 Ruby Tuesday Viognier (Okanagan Valley)

Next came the Viogniers to be matched up with a tuna ceviche that had mango and Asian overtones featured prominently. Both the Viogniers were from BC which was interesting. Had any of the guests gone into the bottle shop to pick up a Viognier a couple of years ago, even if they'd have been able to find one, it's not too likely that they'd have had a choice of BC wines.

I hadn't tried the Ruby Tuesday before - although I've seen the farmgate entrance on the Naramata Bench a number of times. This wine didn't strike a favourable chord though. I think everyone at the table had a distinct preference for the Desert Hills.

658. 2009 Joie Farm Chardonnay (Okanagan Valley)

My guess is that Lady Di brought along the Joie Farm. I think that girl must have stock in the winery. She must be one their biggest fans. Good thing their wines, as a rule, are more than worthy of her praise. Joie produces two Chardonnays - one oaked, one not. This is the latter, un-oaked version. It made its opening debut at the dinner table in between courses and it didn't last long enough to really be tried with any food. Funny that.

Top presentation marks were awarded for the crown roast pork, complete with a pineapple tiara. Served up with a tropical rice and salsa, the lighter body of a couple Tempranillos was, again, a good call by our hostess.

659. 2007 Ercavio Mas Que Vinos Roble (Toledo - Spain)

660. 2006 Bodegas Palacio Glorioso Crianza (Rioja - Spain)

Both of the reds were new to all of us. I leaned towards the Ercavio but Tyrant liked the Glorioso so much that he went out and picked up a case for his own party that was pending.

661. 2000 Paradise Ranch Merlot Icewine (VQA Okanagan Valley)

The icewine was an interesting treat that was matched up to a tropical tarte tatin and to a retreat to the living room. While an icewine made from a red varietal isn't unheard of; it's still far more common to find icewine made from white grapes. Despite being a 2000 vintage, it held up nicely in terms of a balance of sweet and acidity.

Seeing as how it was going to be months before we're going to be able to pull off another Dinner Club, tonight's gathering of the gang was a perfect way to start the upcoming holiday season. No doubt, Jeaux and Matinder's trip to the Caribbean is going to give them a whole new set of inspirations for the next time they host. I can't wait.

A Multi-Layered Dinner Club

Excitement may have been mounting for the World Cup - particularly for this blog and my World Cup of Wine playdowns - but our first "match" will have to wait a bit because tonight Lady Di and She Who Must Be Obeyed are hosting the Dinner Club gang. These evenings are always awash in wine, but it's the Lady's party - and menu - so, she played head sommelier and suggested the wines we were to bring for the evening. There was to be no commandeering of the wine list by me for my little soccer games.

Luckily for us, the weather actually cooperated and we were able to enjoy the repast al fresco in the girls' lush patio. As we started nibbling on a trio of tasty hors d'oeuvres, the Lady brought out one of her favourite bottles and it starts off our new additions to The List.

479. 2007 Joie - A Noble Blend (Okanagan Valley)

Could there have been a better start to the evening? An (almost) summer evening, a garden setting and one of BC's signature white blends. Since the winery opened in 2004, this aromatic blend of Germanic varietals looked to take advantage of some of the oldest vines in the Okanagan. Taking a shot at producing big reds might have been the flavour of the day for BC wineries, but the white varietal vines had already been in place for years and were well-established and producing wonderful fruit.

The lady might have brought out a magnum but it didn't last long with our crowd and her assortment of bruschetta, beef sates and filo rolls. So, next up was a little bubble (as modelled by the equally bubbly Jeaux).

480. N.V. Mumm Napa Brut Rose (Napa Valley - California)

A methode traditionelle cuvee that is made from Napa Valley Pinot Noir (with a small addition of Chardonnay - which, curiously, is not a "noir" grape), it was equally as refreshing as the Joie. And, bubbles just seem to go with almost anything.

As refreshing as these wines might have been, they did sport a touch of an off-dry sweetness and the boys were already calling for a red. The Lady and She Who Must are doing a little renovating and cleaning of stuff - and that includes a bunch of wine. A fortunate happenstance for the gathered, but not necessarily for the blog. The reds that she produced were a treat, but one of the bottle had already been added to The List and the other was another vintage of the iconic BC wine that we'd just done two library tastings of recently (at home and at the BCWAS dinner).

2002 Barossa Valley Estate E&E Black Pepper Shiraz (Barossa Valley - Australia)

Too bad for The List. We don't see $100 bottles offered up very often. I love this wine, but why couldn't it have been any other vintage than a 2002?

481. 2003 Black Hills Nota Bene (VQA Okanagan Valley)

Considering that the 2008 vintage of Nota Bene was just released at $60 (more in the private wine shops), you'd likely have to drop $100-plus for a bottle of the 2003 by now as well. Nothing but the finest for this crowd, I tell you. I think this addition will definitely solidify Nota Bene's position as the single wine that has seen the most vintages added to The List. I think this puts us a five years now.

482. 2004 Quinta do Ameal Escolha (Portugal)

483. 2008 Burgans Albarino (D.O. Rias Baixas - Spain)

Being time to start dinner proper, Lady Di was serving up a favourite of mine - mussel soup. She'd asked for two bottles of Alvarinho and I'd ordered two bottles online from Everything Wine - one Spanish and one Portugese - but it turns out that the Portugese bottle was an imposter. It was actually a Loueiro varietal which is often (generally) used in producing Vinho Verde - but at least it's another addition to my Wine Century Club efforts. Loueriro is regularly blended with Albarino; so, perhaps that's why it was listed as such online. We preferred the Spanish wine but that might be because the Portugese wine was actually oaked - interesting for a supposedly fresh white.

As the plates kept coming, Jeaux asked She Who Must Be Obeyed if there was a theme to tonight's dinner. Her reply, "Pandemonium." Given all the preparation and varying tastes on each course, it's no wonder the kitchen was "off limits" to all the guests. The Lady was raising the bar. Tyrant has used plates with four sections over the years but our hostess was pushing it with her introduction of a six-sectioned plate. Good thing that Boo and I are scheduled to host the next dinner. We may need to bring the menu plan back down to mere mortal levels.

To match the multi-plated courses, the Lady had me open five different Pinot Noirs for pairing up with the main course. My first thought was good lord, we'll never get through them all. One doesn't question a Lady however.

484. 2006 LaFrenz Reserve Pinot Noir (Naramata Bench - Okanagan Valley)

485. 2008 Mark West Pinot Noir (California)

486. 2008 Meiomi Pinot Noir (Sonoma/Monterey/Santa Barbara Counties - California)

487. 2006 Paritua Pinot Noir (Central Otago - New Zealand)

2001 Kettle Valley Foxtrot Pinot Noir (Okanagan Valley)

Once again, it turns out that one of the wines is already on The List. It's getting to be a bit of a chore trying to keep track of just what vintages of what wines we've already tasted. Since the Kettle Valley is already noted up at #310, I was, thankfully, able to concentrate my efforts on the remaining four Pinots. I tasted the Foxtrot but there was more than enough wine to keep me occupied without returning to bottles that won't count a second time around on this little "trip."

Pinot was a wonderful match for Lady Di's extravagant main course - a salmon coulibiac. The servings looked huge and I was asking for a doggie bag before I'd taken the first bite. However, this pastry wrapped salmon, layered with spinach, mushrooms, onions, egg (and on and on) was so tasty, there was nothing left for me to bring home.

Having finished off that super-sized portion, I suppose I shouldn't be overly shocked that we also managed to finish off all five bottles of the Pinot Noir as well.

I thought that might have been a good enough haul on the wine for one evening, but, no, there was one final treat for the gang.

488. 2007 Pilliteri Estates Vidal Icewine (VQA Niagra Peninsula - Ontario)

Let's face it. Whether it was past my bedtime and I'd polished off a dozen wines alone (which I hadn't) or not, I'd still join in on a taste of icewine. Finishing off an evening with a sweet wine is a favourite pleasure of mine. The honeyed sweetness and brisk acidity is a perfect ending to a grand evening.

I'm just going to warn all of our Dinner Club mates that our next take on the dinner is going to have a theme of "simplicity" - whether it's going to be easy or not.