Looking back at last week’s Vancouver Wine Festival, there were so many amazing events to attend. It’s so tough to judge my favourite. The lunches, dinners, brunches, and tasting seminars were all first class, educational, and fun.
But in the final analysis, my top choice was last Sunday’s Vintner’s Brunch. Richmond wine agent, Richard Carras founded it 27 years ago as a way to add another dimension to what was simply a wine tasting festival. The brunch is now the most popular event.
For two and half hours, food and wine lovers were treated to 18 culinary delights by local chefs, each one matched with a delicious wine. And while the cuisine and the vino were the highlights, the stunning view of the North Shore Mountains from the Vancouver Convention Centre and the jazzy swinging sounds from Rueben Gurr’s Stolen Moments made the brunch a feast for all your senses.
Although a panel of judges, led by gourmand Tim Pawsey, revealed their top choices, my favourites lay elsewhere.
I simply loved the pairing of Cibo Trattoria with a Chianti Reserva. Chef Faizal Kassam created a rustic Sicilian duck leg with Marsala, chocolate, orange and rosemary crespelle, the Italian equivalent of a crepe. Sicily is at the crossroads of Africa and Europe and this delicious dish reflected the variety of food and flavours the traders brought to the island.
The Ruffino Riserva Ducale Oro Chianti Classico Riserva 2009 ($50), a classic from Tuscany, was simply amazing with the dish. It revealed savoury flavours, with hints of violet and cherry and spice to complement the chocolate and orange in the duck. Smooth, rich and elegant.
My second favourite was from the Fish House in Stanley Park accompanied by one of B.C.’s best reds. Executive chef Curtis Demyon created a wild boar and blueberry sausage, brioche French toast, maple peppercorn sauce, and cinnamon basil. This was hearty and delicious brunch fare!
And to complement the boar and brioche, we were dazzled by the Painted Rock Estate Grown Syrah 2012 ($40). As B.C. Wine Guru, John Schreiner said, “This is one of those rich wines that seem to fold their arms around you as soon as you put a nose in the glass.”
A heavenly bouquet of black, blue, and red fruits greeted my nose and the same variety fruits kissed my lips. This stellar red had such depth of flavour, with smooth tannins and flavours of black pepper and terroir.
My third pick was an Aussie bubbly with a seafood salad created by the chef de cuisine at the Vancouver Convention Centre. Chef Mark Massicotte presented weathervane scallop, prawn and coconut milk dumpling, crispy vegetables, and cilantro oil. A refreshing salad with a hint of Thailand.
To pair with this I savoured the Wolf Blass Gold Label Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2008 Brut ($30) from South Australia. This dry, sparkling wine had a wonderful Pinot bouquet: scents of strawberry and beetroot. The Chardonnay added the lemon fragrance. A lovely creamy texture from the five years of bottle age on the lees, along with minerality and fresh acidity to go with the fruit, and a charming long finish. That was one heck of a brilliant bubbly to match the scrumptious seafood salad.
Eric Hanson is retired teacher and wine educator
