Event proves soup and wine can be a match
CALENDAR ITEMS
Even if soup is notoriously tough to serve with wine, I love the idea of Soup Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. at Blue Grouse Estate Winery in Duncan on Vancouver Island.
Until Dec. 23, visitors can enjoy a bowl of delicious homemade soup made with locally sourced seasonal ingredients, a Cowichan Valley True Grain baguette, and a five-ounce glass of wine for $14.
Some of the soup and wine pairings on the menu include squash and apple with 2016 Quill Off-Dry White, leek and potato with 2015 Quill White, and mushroom beef barley with 2015 Quill.
On Wednesday, 25 young cooks ■ from Fairmont hotels in the Pacific Northwest region strutted their style at the 13th annual Culinary Apprenticeship dinner.
The event included a cocktail reception, canapes, dinner, wine, taxes and gratuities for $149 per person.
This year’s theme, From Nose to Tail, paid homage to lesserknown cuts over a six-course tasting menu using duck, sturgeon, pork, lamb, beef and bison. Each dish was paired with wine and included three cuts to profile different flavours, textures, and cooking methods.
The Culinary Apprenticeship Program was launched by now retired executive chef Robert LeCrom in response to an increasing shortage of trained cooks and a marked interest in culinary careers.
Since then, hundreds of Red Seal certified cooks have graduated, including Top Chef Canada winner Matthew Stowe.
B.C. WINE OF THE WEEK
Blue Mountain Reserve Chardonnay 2014, Okanagan Valley $29.95 | 91/100
UPC: 626452351141
Five French clones and 25-year-old Okanagan Falls vines are at the heart of this elegant reserve Chardonnay. Forty per cent was fermented and aged in stainless steel, with the remainder in French oak (new to fourth fill) for 11 months. The result is a vein of driving acidity bringing freshness to its nutty, wooded, lees-led density. Structured green apple, crisp pear and lemon is seasoned with a brisk, crystalline lemon and nutmeg spicing. Serious juice with intensity, finesse and power without being overt and vulgar. Drinking very well now, but as we have come to learn will impress more with time in the bottle.
WINE FOR THE CELLAR
Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve 2012,
Napa Valley, California $139.99 | 93/100
UPC: 089819012985
There were 10,000 cases of PR made in 2012 and it’s likely they will age well into the third decade of the 21st century. The colour is nearly opaque, with smoky toasted barrel and blackberry notes at its core. Classically rich and mouth-filling, Napa Cabernet is always a little less linear than its French counterpart in Bordeaux. This was a textbook vintage. It’s dense, dark and delicious, mixing cocoa and blackberries throughout. Surprisingly drinkable and it should age effortlessly through 2027.