Wine Club: Episode Three

Last weekend was the third iteration of our small wine and dinner club, with hosting duties rotating to the third couple such that now all of us have hosted and created all three courses. Having started with entree duty, I was finally rotated to appetizers, and had been looking forward to it for ages – I had the perfect unique wine to share. A visit to Vista D’oro in the early fall had yielded a bottle of their fascinating Pinot Noix – a Sherry-like wine made from Pinot Noir that has aged for a year with Brandy-macerated walnuts. At the time of my visit the tasting room staff had suggested it would be the perfect accompaniment to a salty savoury olive tapenade so I immediately mentally linked it to one of my favourite appetizer recipes for Kalamata olive sundried tomato tapenade. Served alongside some Salt Spring Island Feta and a fresh baguette the tapenade was a big hit. The Pinot Noix provoked a great deal of mussing as it tickled our noses and palates: there was fruity Pinot Noir there but also the nutty Brandy walnut flavours, quite a roller-coaster experience and altogether delicious.

Our entree of the night was a truly exceptional duo of lasagnes prepared with almost entirely fresh homemade ingredients, right down to the ricotta! Homemade tomato sauce and pasta yielded results that are actually making me hungry as I write about it: mushroom lasagne for the vegetarians and a traditional meat dish for the other half of the crowd. Sandhill 2007 Small Lots Three was the ideal match – a blend of Barbera and Sangiovese with a touch of Merlot. The bottle had been opened earlier to decant and by dinner was awash in smooth juicy fruit. Considering only 266 cases were made I consider myself lucky to have tried this charming wine, some of which is still available on Sandhill’s website – get it while it lasts!

The final course was quite a sight to behold as we were presented with delightfully arranged dishes of poached pears and Poplar Grove Tiger Blue. The pears had been poached whole in mulled wine, and I’d certainly never had anything like that before! Ironically our dessert chefs pulled out a bottle of “D’oro”, the famous fortified walnut wine from its namesake winery Vista D’oro. Primarily Marechal Foch with Merlot and Cabernet Franc this wine is a unique and treasured treat. The aromatic red wine sauce and sweet pears mixed with the strong sweet flavours of the D’oro and tangy Tiger Blue made for a very enjoyable and memorable final course!

Upon reflection I’ve realized what makes our wine club so enjoyable for everyone: it is a non-competitive distributed compliment system! Since we are all making different courses that fulfill different functions, we are never in competition to “out-do” one another in a given evening; to do so would be attempting to compare apples and oranges, quite literally in some cases. Each course can be appreciated entirely on its own, and thus each amateur chef/sommelier receives unique compliments and praise. Because everyone contributes uniquely the compliments are distributed across all three couples, and everyone leaves happy in the knowledge that they helped make the evening a success! I’m looking forward to our next meeting in January: I’m back on entree duty and have already settled on the menu item and accompanying wine, neither of which I have ever tried before – it should be exciting!

Fraser Valley Wineries

Fraser Valley Wineries

Last Saturday we visited a farmer’s market near Langley with some friends, and after loading up on some unusually large produce we headed back to Vancouver, only to pass by a winery: Neck of the Woods. After determining that it had a tasting room and was actually open we headed back for a visit. There are quite a few wineries in the area around Langley, in the designated viticultural area officially called The Fraser Valley. Since we so rarely make it out there it seemed like a great time to check out this sometimes overlooked region of BC’s wine industry. What began as one winery visit turned into an exciting afternoon of wine touring that we hadn’t expected whatsoever!

Neck of the Woods Winery, our first stop, is a young winery that began life as Glenugie Winery in 2002. After the unfortunate passing of the winery’s founder it was purchased by a White Rock developer in 2008 and eventually renamed Neck of the Woods. They grow Pinot Noir, Zweigelt, and Schoenberger at the Langley vineyards, and produce a very nice sparkling Blanc de Noir from that Pinot, plus a Rose from the Zweigelt and Schoenberger. The winery also produces several additional wines from Okanagan fruit, such as a solid Meritage and a very off-dry Gewurztraminer. After tasting several of their wines (some of which can also be found under the “Backyard” label) we ended up taking home a bottle of Brut, as well as a mixed case of Chardonnay, Merlot, and Gamay (all Okanagan VQA) – 2006-vintage leftovers from Glenugie and priced to move at $99/case. There’s still plenty left so if you’re looking for some good basic table wines at a price that can’t be beat it’s a great opportunity.

Following Neck of the Woods, and with a complimentary and handy Fraser Valley Wineries map in hand we decided the day was young, and headed off in search of Township 7’s Langley location (having visited their Okanagan winery last spring). Township 7 clearly brings in a lot of traffic, as the small tasting room was buzzing with activity. We tried a few whites – a very nice Viognier, a crisp and clean Sauvignon Blanc, and a refreshing un-oaked Chardonnay among them – before picking out a tapas tray and a chilled bottle of Viognier for the picnic table outside. Having these pre-made trays of cheeses and dips ready to go in the fridge is a stroke of genius on Township 7’s part, and was the perfect way to enjoy a leisurely lunch in the vineyards. Red wines followed lunch and we thoroughly enjoyed the Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon; a breakthrough moment occurred when we realized that the Merlot conjured up flavours that reminded us all of smoked ham with mustard – surprisingly specific! I ended up purchasing a bottle, recalling that I also very much enjoyed the previous year’s vintage (2006) when I got a bottle in the Okanagan.

Quite close to Township 7 is a very unique winery and farm called Vista D’oro: “a culinary agritourism destination” in their own words. Vista D’oro not only produces a small portfolio of table and dessert wine (primarily using Okanagan fruit), but also an extensive series of artisanal preserves from fruit and vegetables grown on the farm. Above and beyond their excellent wine you should visit if you are interested in unique, locally-made, high-quality gifts to impress the foodies in your life. If we hadn’t just purchased a couple of jars of compote at the farmer’s market, we would certainly have come away with delicious-sounding preserves such as Turkish Fig with Walnut Wine or Chestnuts, Dates and Brandy. The selection changes with the seasons of course, the mark of a truly authentic artisanal producer. Fortunately you can find Vista D’oro wines year-round in VQA stores, including a very unique fortified wine called simply “D’oro”: a walnut wine comprised of Marechal Foch, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc in which green walnuts (from the trees right beside the tasting room) have been macerating in Okanagan Brandy. The best part is, Vista D’oro uses the brandy-soaked walnuts a second time after draining off the red wine blend. They add Okanagan Pinot Noir to the mix and age for a year in oak to produce a Sherry-like wine they cheekily call “Pinot Noix”. Hearing that it is not available outside the winery (“D’oro” is in select stores), and would taste superb alongside an olive tapenade (for which I have a killer recipe) I had to get a bottle!

The next time you find yourself in the Fraser Valley on a beautiful sunny Saturday keep your eyes peeled for winery signs; you might just discover some unique treats and unexpected delights!