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Get
all the evaluations for
the April
Release National Post Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist Saturday, March 15, 2003 It starts next week, the rising tide of
chi-chi Spring winemaker’s dinners. They sprout up like daffodils and
certainly have their allure. Timing has a lot to do with travel
schedules and the impetus is this month’s renowned Vancouver
Playhouse where 100+ winemakers are going to be in
attendance. The suggestion of a winemaker’s dinner
sound great – after all, how many opportunities does one get to
actually sit down with a winemaker? Unfortunately, there are wide
variances in the quality of such events. The key things to consider are:
what wines are being served, where is it being organized, how good is
the menu/kitchen, how many people are attending and, last but not least,
the price. One thing I have learned is that the larger the group, the less likely that the event will excel. Certainly the window to meet and greet the winemaker becomes diluted. In addition, it becomes much more challenging for a kitchen, even with a great chef, to cut the culinary mustard when having to produce food for the masses. Last fall, for instance, I published
complaints from readers who had attended a winemaker’s dinner I had
written about. In this case, it was not the food, nor the venue, but
rather the Canadian agent’s selection of wines that left much to be
desired for the $125 price tag.
While some half-dozen food, restaurant and
wine writers were invited to attend, I was the only member of the fifth
estate to show up. Who knows why the others didn’t appear. Whatever,
sitting at the kitchen roundtable with the chefs, wine reps and key food
and beverage managers was a most fruitful exercise. The pretasting made me conscious that
selecting the most appropriate dish to accompany a wine isn’t always a
cakewalk. Take Phelps 2001 Sauvignon Blanc ($38.87 consignment
as priced by Lifford Agencies). The choice was between a Woolwich goat
cheese appetizer and a peppercorn crusted ostrich carpaccio accompanied
by some cheese shaped into a flower. Initially, my intuition was to vote
for the goat cheese – a perky marriage that has worked wonders with
classic Loire Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc. But not today! Believe it or
not, the thin slice of ostrich carpaccio accompanied by Quebec-inspired
Tete de Moine (or “head of the monk”) - a nutty, rich, Swiss Alps
cows’ milk cheese, won hands down.
Those are unable to attend might want to
take advantage of a real deal to taste the Phelps
1998 Insignia ($160 Classics 2001 Catalogue). Until this
Monday, March 17th, Epic Restaurant will be pouring it for
only $9 an ounce, about half of what it goes for in NYC. On the same
day, we have Napa
Valley Vintners Association Trade-Only Tasting, which runs
from 3:00 p.m. – 5:30 pm (information is posted on my website).
Unfortunately, no public tasting is planned for this year. Sommeliers
and trade readers can call Paula Oreskovich at Praxis Public Relations at 905-949-8255
ext. 223. In contrast, on Wednesday, March 19, the
LCBO is holding a public-only Burgundy
Pre-Arrival Tasting featuring 67 wines from the 2001 vintage
(152 Burgundies being offered). This year Vintages dropped both the
afternoon trade-only and Ottawa tastings meaning that restaurateurs will
simply be out of luck in trying to figure out which wines to buy. In
addition, for the first time Vintages decided not to invite any wine
writers to preview these wines all of which were donated by the
participating producers. Vintages Purchasing Manager Claudius Fehr
states that if you “can’t
make the tasting on the 19th
- don’t worry – you can always check out your favourite
third-party sources and order between March 20 and March 28.”
What “favourite third-party sources”
could he be thinking of? To my knowledge, not a single Ontario
wine writer has tasted these wines. I have also have been informed that
Vintages refused to sample many of the wines that agents were anxious to
pour, despite the fact that these Burgundies are donated at no cost to
the LCBO. At the time of writing, some 14 spots were left at $65 per
person (it is now sold-out). It takes place at the Arcadian Court
(Simpson Tower, 8th floor) from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm.
Check out the
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Copyright Food & Beverage Testing Institute of Canada
2004 |
Well guess what, someone was listening. In
this case, the folks at 
And
so it went, course after course being married with just the right dish.
Lobster and halibut for the 
and Syrah-based 
Five
courses, seven if you include the hors d’oeuvres and granité, and
eight wines later, the menu was done. Bottom line, barring any
catastrophe like corked wines, this event should be a smashing success.
You can check out the final menu on my website ($125 exclusive of
taxes/gratuities) or call 416-860-6949. The only drawback is that only
55 seats are available and that winemaker