Hello wine lovers and happy #wineWednesday!  I trust you are keeping well and discovering some new, great wines.

Last week, I was up in Penticton for three days of B.C. VQA panel.  I enjoy my time up in the Okanagan very much and this trip was no different.  I had the opportunity to do an interview with both Lyndsay and Graham O’Rourke of Tightrope Winery for the Alcohol Professor.  The next evening, Beth and my Dad hosted a five-course meal at their home.  Beth prepared all of the food and I paired each course with a B.C. wine.

Beth and I had a lot of fun putting together the menu. There were 8 of us around the table which made for a nice sized group.  Before each course was served, Beth would say what the course included and I would talk about how I came to select each wine as a compliment to the food.

I handed everyone (except my father) a glass of Sumac Ridge ‘Stellar’s Jay’ Brut upon arrival.  Beth prepared Vietnamese shrimp rolls and honeydew melon wrapped with prosciutto as the canapés.  I asked that some Pingles ( original red can ) join the ranks as well.  Sparkling wine is a fantastic aperitif and a perfect pairing with salty foods, fatty foods and fresh foods – pretty much everything works with a nice glass of sparkle.

At the table, our first course was a fresh tomato and basil bisque.  Absolutely delicious and I paired it with Lock and Worth Sauvignon Blanc 2014.  It has been awhile since I have found a B.C. Sauvignon Blanc that really impressed me.  This did.  A blend of 87% Sauvignon Blanc and 23% Semillion, this crisp white was a perfect match to the tomato bisque as it matched acidity to acidity.  Delish.

For the second course, Beth prepared a seafood trio consisting of ceviche, a crab puff and some excellent smoked salmon ( that my Dad and Beth caught while fishing in Quadra Island ) wrapped around dill cream cheese with capers.  Oh my.  I paired this with Quails’ Gate Rosé 2014.  One of my long-standing favourite rosés, it made for an excellent match most perfectly with the smoked salmon and carried the other two offerings nicely.  Rosé and seafood is often hard to beat.

Our main course was a stunning chateaubriand (tenderloin beef filet) served with rosemary goat cheese potato cake and asparagus.  An excellent main course that demanded a worthy wine.  I chose none other than La Frenz Cabernet Sauvignon 2012.  My favourite B.C. Cabernet Sauvignon and one of the favourites of the evening indeed.  This Cabernet Sauvignon, with 5% of Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, paired beautifully with the protein and structure of the beef dish.  Divine.

For dessert, Beth made a delicious frozen lemon mousse as our final course. It was out of this world.  Interestingly, we may have converted a few people around the table over to ‘dessert wine lovers’ as they all fell in love with Quails’ Gate ‘Botrytis Affected’ Optima.  Fresh and sweet and stunning, the acidity in this gorgeous wine matched the refreshing lemon mousse making for a perfect ending to the meal.

A huge shout out to Beth Campbell for an amazing evening and a thank you to Beth and my Dad for asking me to be a part of a great night.

My little family is off for our second annual vacation down to the south Oregon coast this weekend….stay tuned for my new discoveries while I am away!

XO
C