The 38th Annual Vancouver Wine Festival has ended on a high note with 25,000 attendees and participants enjoying wines from 16 different countries, with Italy being in the spotlight.
Among the events I attended, Excitement in a Glass was one of my favourites. Five wine experts chose two wines each to brag about. The only criterion was that the wine had to excite the expert and represent remarkable value. Prices ranged from under $20 to over $200!
Barbara Philip, master of wine and portfolio manager for the BCLDB, began by extolling the virtues of the Medici Ermete Concerto Lambrusco Frizzante DOC ($19.99).
“People love and have confidence in Italian wine because wine is just another great regional food on the table. And I don’t think that there is a wine that typifies that more in all of Italy than Lambrusco,” says Philip.
Indeed, it is juicy, light, slightly fizzy and goes so well with food. “Particularly the dry style of Lambrusco, which is so savoury on the palate and reminiscent of the beautiful balsamic vinegars,” Phillip adds.
Everywhere she went in Emilia-Romano tasting beautiful cured meats, cheese, or pastries, Philip always had Lambrusco, no matter what time of day.
Ermes Scardova, export manager of the winery, says Lambrusco is a perfect match with charcuterie, including the famous Parma prosciutto, mortadella, and salami, or with Parmigiano-Reggiano and pasta, especially spinach or pumpkin tortelli.
A second event was Italy’s Great Wines presented by Dr. Ian D’Agata, an Italian wine writer. He chose an old vines (Vecchie Vigne) Verdicchio dei Casetelli di Jesi Classico produced by Umani Ronchi ($29.99). Alas, one of the downsides of the festival is that some of the stunning wines can’t be easily found in our local stores and this is one of them.
The good news is that a delicious Verdicchio made by the same winery from the same region in Marche is readily available and it is almost half price at $17.99. If you are getting bored with Italian Pinot Grigio, uncork this remarkable white, the Umani Ronchi 2014 CaSal di Serra Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico.
It has a fresh aroma of pear and the dry flavour reminds me of a lemon sorbet with lemon zest. All this, and a creamy texture in the mouth and minerality you usually find in Chablis. I enjoyed it with a broiled salmon topped with a mayo egg white horseradish sauce I discovered in Justin Warner’s The Laws of Cooking and How to Break Them.
Next year, the festival showcases the wines of Canada, perfect for the 150th anniversary of Confederation.
Closer to home, the Rotary Club of Steveston is presenting its 15th Annual Grapes, Hops and Bites on Friday, May 13 at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery in Steveston. Tickets are $60 and are available at grapeshopsandbites.ca. All proceeds go to Rotary community projects.
Eric Hanson is a retired Richmond teacher and wine expert. He can be reached at [email protected].
