Once a year, Simon Wosk of Sip Wines teams up with Vince Morlet of Tapenade Bistro to host a Winemaker's Dinner. And to help them paint the town red, they invite winegrower Bill Eggert of Fairview Cellars to bring his delicious red wines from the Okanagan to Steveston.
A few weeks ago, a sell out crowd of foodies and wine aficionados made their way to the Steveston eatery to enjoy seven Fairview Cellars wines with six dishes created by Tapenade's new chef, Chris Uyedo.
First up was a sweet seared scallop topped with golden trout roe. This appetizer lay on a
bed of green gazpacho with celery, apple, and radish. To bite into the trout caviar and experience the eggs' crunch releasing their briny flavour was heavenly.
Although Eggert produces mainly red wines at his winery in Oliver, we enjoyed
the scallop with a white, his 2012 Sauvignon Blanc ($19.90). Its grapefruit and lemon zest character and crisp acidity complemented the rich seafood and its accompaniments.
Next was the 2011 Two Hoots ($24.90).
Eggert only plants Bordeaux grapes and produces blended wines as they do in Bordeaux. Two Hoots is mainly Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and Cabernet Franc added for complexity and to soften the more tannic CS. That way it can be enjoyed within three years of production but can age longer.
Like their French counterparts, Eggerts' wines are best enjoyed with food. Morlet revealed to me Chef Uyedo's secret to matching the vino and the vittles; "We get the wine a few days ahead of time and then we cook the food with the wine."
The squab was prepared two ways: a roasted breast and a confit leg, cooked slowly in oil. This was the tenderest squab I've savoured, the flavour similar to duck and duck liver.
Our third course featured two wines, the 2004 and 2011 Cabernet Franc ($29.90) with a duo of lamb. I found that the fruitiness of the 2011 Cabernet Franc married well with the lamb rump, whereas the older and earthier franc matched the savoury flavour of the lamb merguez. This North African red sausage seasoned with harissa was an exotic find for me! And there was still more to come! Cab sauv is the workhorse grape and appears in the three different bottlings, including the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon ($39.90). I normally expect a Cab to be paired with red meat, but chef Uyedo had a surprise for everyone. He prepared a spectacular braised eggplant that stood up to the sturdy cassis flavoured red.
Served with caramelized mushrooms and bitter radicchio, the cabernet toned down the bitterness in the radicchio.
Our fifth course, was a 48-hour braised short rib, deboned, sliced and medium rare. The beefy flavour and tenderness of the short rib was delightful. And it was accompanied by a deep-fried bone marrow croquette; crispy on the outside, sensuous on the inside. Plus, there was a sunchoke aligot (cheese and mashed sunchokes), as well as king oyster mushrooms and purple kale.
The wine we savoured was the Fairview Cellars 2011 'The Bear' ($34.90). It's a blend of five of the Bordeaux varieties with Cabernet Sauvignon adding structure and Cassis, Merlot providing plum and soft flesh, Cab Franc gives voluptuousness and bouquet, and Malbec and petit verdot adding more complexity. Amazingly, the food revealed the wine's layers of wonderful flavours.
The finishing touch was an aged Late Harvest Riesling. The grapes ripened on the vine and became raisins, concentrating the nectar and making the wine intensely flavoured and sweet. Riesling has an apple flavour and this wine also included a honey character and a whiff of diesel, something expected in fine Rieslings.
It was four hours of fine wine, gourmet food, and good company.
Next time Sip Wines and Tapenade Bistro advertise a Winemaker's Dinner, do yourself a favour. Go! You won't be disappointed.
Eric Hanson is a life-long Richmond resident, a retired teacher and wine educator.
