Who – Gray Monk Estate Winery

What – Gewürztraminer VQA 2007

Where – Kelowna, BC

Why – Summertime… and the sippin is easy…  With this much sunshine, my tastes naturally gravitate toward aromatic, fruity whites – perfect for patio parties.  This lovely gew has a bright, peachy-yellow hue and powerful ripe Okanagan peach, green apple and spice aromas.  The palate has perfumed tea, lychee, pink grapefruit and spicy flavours, in an ever-so-slightly sweet style.  The finish is citrus kissed crisp and fresh.

When – Perfect for the lighter cuisines of summer, pair this with salads or Asian cuisine – or yummy enough to just enjoy on its own.

How (much) - $16.99 at winery, VQA shops, private wine stores, BCLS

Winespeak of the Week – Gewürztraminer [geh-VEHRTZ-trah-mee-ner] reaches its zenith in the Alsace region of France, showing its suitability for cooler climates. The German word gewürtz means “spiced,” and these wines are known for their spicy and crisp notes. The grape has numerous synonyms, such as Traminer Musqué, Traminer Parfumé, Traminer Aromatique (or Aromatico), Rotor Traminer, Edeltraube, Rousselet, Savagnin Rosé, Tramini, and Traminac.

From Tea-smoked Duck to Green Tea Ice-cream, cooking with Tea is more popular than most people think.  I have tasted a sensational Chocolate truffle made with Earl Grey and do believe Jasmine tea would have the same sublime effect.

Chinese has been cooking with tea ever since there is tea.  You can find in hard-boiled eggs cooked in either Oolong or Pu-er tea added with herbs like bay leaves, star anise and peppercorns at T&T Supermarket or Taiwanese restaurants.

Smoke meat or fish can easily be done right in your home kitchen.  Use an old but clean cast-iron or stainless steel wok as a smoker by placing loose tea leaves at the bottom.  Get a wired rack that can fit steadily in the wok about one inch above the tea leaves and place the half-cooked meat or fish (padded dry) onto the rack. Turn heat to high first and smoke on medium-high heat for 10 - 15 minutes until fully cooked.

There are different varieties of tea, the secret to choosing which tea to use is very simple – go with your taste preference.  Black teas tend to carry a more intense flavour, while green teas are more floral. Left over brewed tea can be added into sauce or gravy, or use to marinate meat, or even to add flavour to desserts.

Our friends at Kelowna’s The Rotten Grape Wine & Tapas Bar have premiered BC’s first self-serve Enomatic wine system.  Guests are invited to taste 8 varietals of wine sold by the ounce, all at the touch of a button.

The Enomatic machine is a fully automated, state of the art, wine preservation system direct from Italy that dispenses temperature controlled wines via a wine debit card.  The Rotten Grape wine bar guests may select any combination of 8 red wines. Tastes range from $2 to $7 per ounce.

The wines will change frequently, offering the opportunity to showcase the best of the Okanagan as well as to introduce guests to new regions & flavors, guarantying a new and exciting wine discovery on every visit.

**If you make it there this week, your line up includes the iconic; Black Hills Nota Bene, La Frenz Shiraz, Herder Josephine, Lake Breeze Pinotage, Felton Rd. Pinot Noir (NZ), St.Francis 1998 Nuns Canyon Merlot (CA), Vineyard 29 Cabernet Sauvignon (CA), L’Ecole 41 Syrah (WA). 

“It is a fun, interactive way to taste wine with friends. We invite everyone to come and learn how to use the machine and explore the Okanagan and beyond through wines & local cuisine.  It’s like the best toy ever for wine enthusiasts”, say owners Rita Myers and Chef Tasha Warren.

We can’t wait to make it in for a taste – or 8!

I can’t think of a grander celebration than a 100^th anniversary.  And that’s just what Quails’ Gate Estate Winery is celebrating this year.  The Stewart family is certainly an Okanagan pioneer, and 2008 marks their 100^th year of working the ground in Kelowna.  I was fortunate to chat recently with Tony Stewart about their recent achievements and plans for the future.

Just as his ancestors were working in farming in the early 1900’s the earth remains a family tradition today – obviously now, the attention is to vines.  Ben Stewart is the Chairman, and responsible for co-founding Quails’ Gate Estate Winery in 1989, and runs the winery with his brother Tony Stewart, CEO, and responsible for creating an environment that will enable Quails’ Gate to succeed as one of the world’s best wine houses. They brought on winemaker Grant Stanley in 2003, a move that has helped propel them into the world wine stage. Grant is breaking new ground and focusing the wine practices of Quails’ Gate in pursuit of “terroir” specific wines. Grant and the Stewarts are leading the way in helping to articulate the distinctive qualities of the Okanagan terroir that unequivocally define and shape the flavours of the grapes grown in the Valley.

They’re celebrating this year, and in true Stewart fashion, are opening their doors and inviting all to join in the festivities.  On September 13^th, plan on spending an afternoon strolling through the winery and enjoying a bustling farmers market with live music, an assortment of organic producers, local artisans, crafts and savory food.  And don’t forget the wine!   Well known for their Pinot Noir, the December 2007 Wine Enthusiast Magazine rated the 2005 Quails’ Gate Family Reserve Pinot Noir at 93 points, the top rated Pinot Noir in Canada – and also their top overall Canadian table wine.

The Stewart Family is not one to rest on their laurels however.  Last year saw the completion of their 4500 sq ft. Hospitality Centre. The new addition is the hub for guest services at the winery, including a 3500 sq ft wine tasting and gift shop area as well as a private dining room, the Stewart Family Dining Room, all with spectacular panoramic views of Quails’ Gate Estate vineyards and Okanagan Lake. The new Wineshop features a state-of-the-art tasting bar (complete with self rinsing spittoons!) and boasts reclaimed wood flooring, and a gorgeous handcrafted stone fireplace. The Stewart Family Dining room is a fully technically equipped facility where groups of up to forty people can host private gathers, corporate retreats or intimate family gatherings. Complete with a demonstration kitchen, conference room and private reception patio, the Stewart Family Dining Room is a stunning showcase for events.

And this special Dining Room will be where the once-in-a-hundred-years Century Dinner will take place. To celebrate a century of pioneering history, the Stewarts are putting on a “100 mile” theme dinner featuring Okanagan purveyors, Quails’ Gate wines, live music and, perhaps most importantly, Stewart Family hospitality. Certainly not an event to be missed – reserve your seat now for the September 13th dinner.

Where are they moving to next?  Tony says over the next couple of years, they will complete the winery experience for guests, marrying the art of food and wine with interactive tastings, sensory gardens and educational programs.  They will push ahead with their culinary tourism destination Old Vines Restaurant and strengthen the bonds they have with the new generation of local organic artisanal producers in the Valley.  And they will continue to focus on the wines – overseeing 200+ acres of prime land in the Valley to produce the finest wines they can for us.

Happy 100^th Stewart Family – we thank you for all the gifts.

Our friends at Slow Food Vancouver tipped us off to Swift Aquaculture, a beautiful, 5 acre piece of farmland in the district of Kent near Agassiz. Within their quaint farmhouse and 2 barns on site lie an undiscovered treasure of feisty crayfish, spicy wasabi plants, peppery watercress and silky fleshed farmed coho salmon. Swift Aquaculture comes with an incredible story of one committed, passionate cultivator. His name is Bruce Swift.

Bruce and his wife, Mary Lou, are both food scientists. Mary Lou specializes in dairy sciences and Bruce has committed most of his post secondary education to studying the Coho salmon. Using his specialized knowledge, Bruce has created an enviro-friendly, land-locked, sustainable system that links the salmon to the wasabi, the watercress to the crayfish. The water from the tanks of the Coho is used to fertilize the crops of wasabi and watercresss, and the algae pools formed from the planting of the watercress and wasabi is used as food for the crayfish.

Swift Aquaculture is featured on this year’s Slow Food Cycle Tour Agassiz, taking place on August 9th.  At Swift, cyclists will get the opportunity to sample a fresh wasabi leaf. It has a clean, slightly bitter flavour, like that of arugula, but with the punchy finish indicative of wasabi. It makes a spectacular salad green. You will also sample Bruce’s Coho that is hot smoked. According to Bruce, “there is a negative stigma to farmed fish because consumers assume that all farmed fish have antibiotics”; this is simply not the case. The feed he uses for his Coho does not contain any drugs and he controls the size of the fish by adjusting water temperature and amount of light exposure. Bruce has a passion and commitment to sustainable farming practices with a drive for developing creative processes to bring innovative food ingredients to all foodies’ tables.

Makes sense to us – see it for yourself and sign up for the Cycle Tour!

Victoria Gin has sold out…three times!

Victoria Winemaker & distiller Ken Winchester of Winchester Cellars knew he was onto something when noted British drinks writer Jim Murray sampled a test batch of Victoria Gin and pronounced it “stunning.” Now, only eight weeks after its launch at Victoria’s Empress Hotel, the gin has sold out three times, and there is a waiting list for future bottlings.

The gin took Gold among more than 1,100 wines and spirits in the recent Northwest Summit Wine Competition in Oregon. “But it’s the word of mouth among the trade that’s been phenomenal,” says Winchester. He has invited restaurateurs, bartenders, and press to pitch in on distilling runs, to better understand the complexities of artisan spirits.  Treve has been out there numerous times to ‘play’, and her family has helped Ken run the bottling line.

“Gin is a complex spirit, much like single-malt whisky. When you see the gleaming copper potstill, smell the 11 botanicals boiling away, and the spirit trickling out of the condenser, it’s magic.”

Victoria Gin is soon heading to a faceoff in New York with Oregon’s Aviation Gin as the best Gin in North America.

“Never mind North America,” says Winchester, “Bring on the world!”

Victoria Gin is available at the winery on the Saanich Peninsula, and at select restaurants and liquor stores in BC.  It’s worth seeking out, so grab some if you see it.

I know the sun is shining and school is the last thing on your mind.  But oenophiles and sommeliers would be wise to sign up for this class early – before tickets sell out.  For one special day, on September 8^th, you can get the chance to hang with Canada’s first (and only!) two Masters of Wine, Vancouver’s Barbara Philip MW and Igor Ryjenkov MW.  They’ll be leading the group in a full day of tasting and discussion, allowing a peak into this rarefied wine world. There are only 264 Masters of Wine in the world – wow!

It’s the only time I’ve ever looked forward to going back to class!

Tickets are limited and selling quickly.  Reserve yours before August 1^st and pay only $200.  After that the price increases $25.  To register or for more information, email Mark Shipway, or call 604 683 9200 (x 3248).

Over a decade ago, after a lifetime of cooking, catering, and discovering the magic of food in a delectable collection of concepts, Linda Meinhardt chose a new venue for her creativity on South Granville in Vancouver.

And now – to the delight of foodies everywhere (like us!), her creativity has expanded to a 2^nd – much bigger – location.  Clocking in at three times the square footage, Meinhardt Fine Foods the 2^nd is at Arbutus and West 16^th, next to the Ridge Theatre – and bringing new meaning to ‘dinner and a movie’. 
Linda Meinhardt opened the space earlier this week, and while the atmosphere may be new, her mission is still the same: “All the basics. All the best”. All of the things we love so much are here in one spectacular location - foods from our backyard and foods from around the globe. And they’re displayed with bountiful generosity, in true Meinhardt style.

3151 Arbutus St. (at W. 16th Ave.)
604-732-7900

Several years ago, in an abandoned orchard on Shuswap Lake, Kristen and Bruce Jordan began to dream of making cider. Wanting to bring their dream to fruition, they knew they needed a strong start and so enlisted the help of a British cider master to complement their own careful study of organic orcharding and cidermaking. When they discovered the perfect site on the Saanich Peninsula, overlooking the Pacific, Sea Cider was born.

The Jordans began by planting 1000 organic apple trees on the site and by painstakingly building a beautiful ciderhouse, overlooking the Gulf Islands to one side and their orchard to the other.  The stunning ciderhouse houses the entire cidermaking process – from growing to milling, pressing, fermenting and bottling. Here they produce traditional styles of apple cider from both “old world” and “new world” cider apples.  And they also hold tastings and conduct tours year round.

On July 26^th, they’ll be celebrating their one-year anniversary, and welcoming the public to join in the festivities.  Everyone is invited to an outdoor BBQ where complimentary cider samples will be poured.  Proceeds from the BBQ will be donated to Lifecycles, a Victoria non-profit that promotes eating locally. Tickets are available by email or phone 250 544 4824.

Wild BC sockeye salmon from British Columbia’s Nass River is now appearing in the local market with wild BC spring salmon already available and wild BC pink, coho and chum to follow. 

The BC Salmon Marketing Council has continued to promote and celebrate the diversity of the five different kinds of wild BC salmon by producing a new recipe booklet, the fourth in its series of booklets, with each of the five recipes contributed by a renowned local chef who has featured a recipe that perfectly highlights the distinct qualities of a specific species.  

Robert Clark, Executive Chef of Vancouver’s C Restaurant, Raincity Grill and Nu Restaurant shares his Wild BC Pink Salmon Baked with Tartar Sauce recipe.  Recognized as a leader for his strong commitment to feature ingredients that are the best in quality and sustainable in supply, Robert is also highly regarded as a culinary ambassador passionately promoting British Columbia as a burgeoning seafood producing region.  He accordingly encourages individuals to, “celebrate the diversity of our wild BC salmon”.   He adds, “While I am passionate about highlighting the wonderful flavours and textures of each kind of wild BC salmon, wild BC pink salmon is the salmon that I prefer the best and the one that I love to work with the most.  It is the most versatile and can be the most rewarding.”

WILD BC PINK SALMON BAKED with TARTAR SAUCE

Provided by:  ROBERT CLARK, Executive Chef of C Restaurant, Nu Restaurant and Raincity Grill, and the BC Salmon Marketing Council

Serves 4

Tartar Sauce

1 cup    mayonnaise

2 tsp     dried dill           

3 Tbsp  finely chopped cornichons (gherkins)      

1 Tbsp  finely chopped stuffed green olives          

1 Tbsp  finely chopped shallots  

1 Tbsp  finely chopped capers    

1 Tbsp  finely chopped fresh parsley       

2 Tbsp  lemon juice       

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard   

4 - 6 oz boneless, skinless wild BC pink salmon fillets                 

sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F/200° C.

2. Prepare the tartar sauce by combining the mayonnaise, dill, cornichons, olives, shallots, capers, parsley, lemon juice and mustard until well blended.

3. Season the wild BC pink salmon fillets with salt and let them sit for 10 minutes. Place the salmon on a lined baking sheet and spread a tablespoon of tartar sauce over each piece.

4. Bake at 400° F/200° C for 7 minutes until just slightly under done, or 10 minutes until salmon is cooked through and just flakes when pressed with a fork. 

5. Serve with the remaining tartar sauce on the side.