Order in Mission Hill, if you’re lucky enough
Imagine you live in Ottawa and there’s a knock at the door. It’s the chef from West Kelowna’s Mission Hill Family Estate along with a sommelier to take over your kitchen to create a four-course gourmet meal for eight to be served in your dining room, complete with award-winning paired wines.
“We wanted to create a one-of-a-kind fantastic national contest,” said Mission Hill senior brand manager Morna Cassidy.
“What better way to to that than go on the road with Bring Mission Hill Home, our first-ever travelling culinary program.”
The website to enter, BringMissionHillHome.com, has been launched and winners will be drawn from nine geographic regions across the country – Victoria, Vancouver, Okanagan, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatchewan-Manitoba, Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal.
There will also be a special 10th dinner prize that can only be won by one of Mission Hill’s Privilege Club members.
It’s a bit of a cheat to include the Okanagan because there won’t be much travel involved for the chef.
However, the winery wanted to have a local winner as a tribute to Mission Hill’s home.
The chef and sommelier will fly to all the other cities with the ingredients and wine to make, serve and clean up a fabulous dinner.
As well, they’ll leave behind the Staub cast-iron cooking set and Zwilling Henckel knives used for the dinner along with a Mission Hill gift basket.
Me and my wife, Kerry, were invited recently to be guinea pigs with three other couples for a test-run Bring Mission Hill Home dinner at the winery’s lake house on Green Bay Road.
Chefs Patrick Gayler and Adam Vaughan whipped up a golden plum and feta salad, scallops in spicy buttermilk, roasted lamb with beets and chocolate tart.
The courses were matched, respectively, with a series of reserve wines, the 2017 Sauvignon Blanc ($21.50), 2016 Chardonnay ($21.50), 2015 Shiraz ($26) and 2015 Merlot ($26).
The menu and wines could change by the time winner dinners are served from October to February based on available ingredients and what wines pair best.
AK’s tattoo
Chef AK Campbell’s love of food, and beautiful women, is evident from the full-sleeve tattoo on his left arm.
It features pinup girls in chef outfits along with bountiful fruits, vegetables, eggs and bacon.
Campbell, and his tattoo, are now at work at Time Winery in Penticton and Evolve Cellars in Summerland.
He’ll be in charge of the small-plates program at Time in the former movie theatre downtown when it opens this summer and he oversees everything culinary at Evolve’s location overlooking Okanagan Lake.
Originally from Nova Scotia, Campbell graduated from the Culinary Institute of Canada in Charlottetown before moving west and working in the kitchens at Heather Mountain Lodge Resort in Golden, Truffle Pigs Bistro & Lodge in Field and Naramata Heritage Inn.
He most recently was assistant director of culinary operations at Vintage Hospitality, the restaurant operator of the Sonora Room at Burrowing Owl Winery in Olivery, Mica at Spirit Ridge Resort in Osoyoos, the Vineyard Kitchen at Black Hills Winery in Oliver and the Gunbarrel Saloon and The Trading Post, both at Apex Ski Resort. “My culinary approach is simple,” said Campbell. “I cook food that is big on flavour, bold and fun.” Both Time and Evolve will feature his ‘breads and boards’ winery staple of cheeses, breads, charcuterie and antipasti and other small plates such as chickpea frites with charred-onion salt with garlic yogurt sauce and short rib hush puppy with spicy tomato jam.
Chard from Lillooet
I continue to be impressed with the wines that comes out of the Fraser Canyon’s only winery – Fort Berens in Lillooet.
The latest is the 2016 Chardonnay ($19), an easy-on-the-oak vintage that lets the aromas and flavours of pineapple, grapefruit and lime shine.
The Chard is actually a tribute to Lillooet because most of the grapes came from the winery’s estate vineyard.
However, some of the grapes also come from the more-established Okanagan and Similkameen wine regions with contributions from Oliver Twist Vineyard in Oliver and Blind Creek Vineyard in Cawston.
The deft oaking comes from just 30 per cent of the wine being fermented and aged in French barrels, the rest in stainless steel.
If you’re really a geek for details, I can tell you a portion was fermented using native yeasts, particularly Montrachet yeasts, a favoured strain for use with the estate-grown grapes.
Some of the wine also underwent malolactic fermentation so the tart malic acid that naturally occurs in grape must is converted to softer-tasting lactic acid.
Regardless of whether you understand this or not, it all makes for a wine that can be enjoyed on its own on the patio or paired with grilled salmon.
Rose release
In the mood for some rose today? Then drop by Penticton’s Play Winery rose release party anytime between 4 and 7 p.m. for a sip.
In addition to enjoying the 2017 rose ($18), you can also taste other new releases like the 2016 Moscato ($18), which won a gold medal at the B.C. Best of Varietal Wine Awards, 2016 Ad Lib ($20) (a classic Bordeaux-style white blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon) and Merlot-based red blend 2015 Improv ($25).
Graze on appetizers while listening to live music, check out the art of Calgary’s Alex Kwong and take in the amazing view from the winery and bistro on Skaha Hills Drive. Play wine club members can attend for free. Or you can buy tickets for $30 by calling ahead at 236-422-2675 or online at PlayWinery.com.
Or take your chances and try to buy a ticket at the door.
Half marathon
The fifth annual Kelowna Wine Country Half Marathon on June 23 has been revamped to include a lot more wine.
Sure, if you decide to run you’ll have to cover the 21.1 kilometre distance from the Vibrant Vines Winery in East Kelowna to Waterfront Park downtown.
However, there’s also the option of doing the half marathon as part of a two person relay or just do the five kilometre route.
Festivities start on June 22 with the race expo from 1 to 7:10 p.m. at the Delta Grand hotel where runners can pick up their race packages, check out exhibitors and taste wine.
At the finish line on June 23, the Beverage and Music Festival in Waterfront Park will feature 15 wineries, breweries and cideries offering tastings and a food truck 9:30 a.m. to noon.
The fest is open to runners and runners can also buy up to five additional tasting glasses for $35 for non-runners to get in on the wine, music and fun.
Registration details at KelownaMarathon.ca.
Mix and mingle
A business reception is always better when held at a winery.
So, the Greater Westside Board of Trade’s Business After Business social and networking event on Thursday 5 to 7 p.m. will be at Rollingdale Winery. Appies and wine, of course, will be served. The networker is free for board of trade members, or $10 at the door for non-members.