Vancouver Magazine, January/February 2019

J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 9

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THE WINE ISSUE

13 Sommeliers.

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© 2018 Volvo Car Canada Ltd, 9130 Leslie St., Suite 101, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 0B9. Always remember to wear your seat belt.

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Sometimes the moments that never happen, matter the most Some say safety is about innovation. Like when we came up with the three-point seat belt in the 1950s. Or the rearward-facing child seat in the 70s. Some say it’s about technology. Like the system we introduced in the early 2000s that can help you detect vehicles in the blind spot.

Or when we presented our first car with automatic braking technology in 2008. The truth is, both innovation and technology have taken us to where we are today. But we have always been driven by something else. Everything we do starts with people. So when it comes to safety, we think about everyone in and around the car. Because when you stop focusing on technology and start thinking about people, you realize that our responsibility isn’t just about the moment when an accident is about to happen. It’s about all the future moments that can happen, because the accident didn’t. That’s why we build cars for people. Who care about other people.

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COVER ILLUSTRATION: JENNIFER TAPIAS DERCH

VA N M AG . C O M

JA N UA R Y/ F E B R UA R Y 2 0 1 9 // VO LU M E 5 2 // N U M B E R 1

FE ATURE

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The Ultimate Vancouver Wine-Buying Guide What’s the best rosé to sneakily drink at the beach? Which German red will impress my fatherin-law? How do I win the office gift exchange?

We’ve got questions and the city’s sommeliers have answers, serving up the best bottles for every situation.

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COVER ILLUSTRATION: JENNIFER TAPIAS DERCH

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City

43

13 At Issue Is the city’s real estate bender finally over?

And will Vancouver ever get an NBA team to call its own again?

46

43 On the Rise Adam Lin-Bungag blurs gender lines with his fluid fashion design.

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48

12 The Numbers Adding up Vancouverites’ new year’s resolutions.

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Culture 44 Hot Take Cozy up with not-sobasic winter staples.

45 Lucy Loves Going wild for leopardprint everything.

16 What It’s Like To...

A first-person account from the bottom of an avalanche.

45

18 City Informer Just how hard is it to get a liquor license in this town?

50

46 Culture Picks Unicorns, puppets, hot indie bands and more must-do events for the weeks ahead.

48 The Dish Next-level onion rings and a stout you’ll actually want to keep drinking.

50 Reviews Now that the hype has cooled: where does Gastown’s Coquille stand?

54 Sometime in Vancouver Photographer Grant Harder captures a slice of city life.

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ED NOTE

thanks to our publishing schedule, we here at VanMag get to experience the New Year a good month ahead of time—our New Year’s resolutions kicked into effect as of December, when we sent this issue off to the printer.

For us, that means a little self-improvement in a couple of areas. To start, for each issue in 2019, we’re doubling down on the beautiful, tangible nature of print to showcase the work of two artists. The first, Spanish illustrator Jennifer Tapias Derch, will create a collectible series of artworks, one for each of our covers this year. Some of you might remember the gorgeous illustration of Canuck the Crow she designed for our “25 Reasons to Love Vancouver” issue in November 2017, and we’re thrilled to make a year-long commitment to showcasing her work.

And we’re also closing each issue with great photography: we’ve commissioned award-winning photographer Grant Harder to capture this city at different times of day throughout the year. For his first photo, featured on our new back page, “Sometime in Vancouver,” he spent time in his own neighbourhood. He’s lived in Strathcona for nearly a decade and has seen the great swaths of change that have come through Chinatown in that time—along with the spaces that have remained the same, like the storefront barbecue spot he photographed for this issue.

On the November day he took that photograph, early winter sunsets had Harder in darkness by late afternoon—to catch the perfect shot, Harder knows how to wait. “I’ll quite often frame up a photo and wait for things to happen in that frame,” he explains. “I don’t force myself into situations. I’m patient, and I try to wait for those moments. For this one, there’s something about his body positioning, leaning into the window. If he’s in more of a static position, it changes everything. Instead, this feels very much like a moment.”

Many of you share your own Vancouver moments with us over on Instagram (hashtag your posts with #vanmagram, and we’ll share them with the rest of the city, too). It is, after all, one of the most beautiful spots on earth, and we’re happy to be able to shine a spotlight on it, and the artists that celebrate it, too, each month here at Vancouver magazine.

Follow me on Instagram!

Anicka Quin

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editorial director

aquin @ canadawide . com

@ aniqua

A A M M

Sales Manager Gabriella Sepúlveda Knuth Account Managers Trish Almeida, Judy Johnson, James Southam, Nicholas Stanley Online Coordinator Theresa Tran Production Manager Kristina Borys Advertising Designer Amanda Siegmann Marketing Manager Kaitlyn Lush Marketing Coordinator Christine Beyleveldt Sales Email gsepulveda@canadawide.com

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National Media Sales Representation Senior Account Manager Ian Lederer, 647-281-4488 Email ilederer@canadawide.com U.S. Sales Representation, Hayes Media Sales Lesley Hayes, 602-432-4868 lesley@hayesmediasales.com

Suite 230, 4321 Still Creek Drive, Burnaby, B.C. V5C 6S7 Tel 604-299-7311 Fax 604-299-9188 Chairman & CEO Peter Legge, OBC, LLD (HON) President Samantha Legge, MBA Senior VP of Integration Brad Liski VP of Content Marketing Ryan McKenzie VP of Digital Kevin Hinton VP of Sales Rebecca Legge (on leave) VP of HR/Admin Joy Ginete-Cockle VP of Finance Sonia Roxburgh Executive Creative Director Rick Thibert Director of Editorial Michael McCullough Director of Production Kim McLane Director of Circulation Tracy McRitchie Director of Sales Brianne Harper Marketing Lead Chris Hinton Systems Administrator Brian Fakhraie Accounting Terri Mason, Eileen Gajowski Circulation Katie Gajowski, Kelly Kalirai, Lori North, Rhiannon Jones Executive Assistant to Peter Legge Heather Vince

VANCOUVER MAGAZINE is published 6 times a year by Canada Wide Media Limited, Suite 230, 4321 Still Creek Drive, Burnaby, B.C. V5C 6S7. Phone 604299-7311; Fax 604-299-9188. Copyright 20198. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the publisher’s written permission. Not responsible for unsolicited editorial material. Privacy Policy: On occasion, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened organizations whose product or service might interest you. If you prefer that we not share your name and address (postal and/or email), you can easily remove your name from our mailing lists by reaching us at any of the listed contact points. You can review our complete Privacy Policy at Vanmag.com. Indexed in the Canadian Magazine Index by Micromedia Ltd. and also in the Canadian Periodical Index. International standard serial no.

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He ca Ca Bu PORTRAIT: EVA AN KHERA J; ST YLING BY LUISA RINO, MAKEUP BY MEL ANIE NEUFELD; CLOTHING COURTESY HOLT RENFREW, HOLTRENFREW.COM

Getting a Jump on Our Resolutions

Publisher Peter Legge Editorial Director Anicka Quin Creative Director Cathy Mullaly Executive Editor Stacey McLachlan Food Editor Neal McLennan Associate Art Director Jenny Reed Style Editor Lucy Lau Associate Editor Nathan Caddell Videographer Mark Philps Contributing Editors Frances Bula, Amanda Ross Editorial Interns Daniela Becerril, Ali Horodje Editorial Email mail@vanmag.com

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AirCanada

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AIR CANADA’S NORTH AMERICA BUSINESS CLASS MAKES WORK TRAVEL FEEL MORE LIKE A VACATION. Being well taken care of when travelling for work is great. Actually, it’s awesome.

The good news is that Air Canada takes its premium travel experience very seriously and has thought of pretty much everything.

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Here’s some of what you can expect when flying Air Canada’s North America Business Class.

WHEN AIRPORT PASSAGE IS SEAMLESS AND STRESS-FREE Stressed about making your flight because you’re flying at peak travel time? Don’t be. Air Canada offers priority check-in to all Business Class travellers, so you can board at your own pace.

Meanwhile, the airline’s team of specially trained premium agents (your very own A-Team) are on hand to deal with any questions or concerns, meaning you’re well taken care of from the second you step into the airport. Air Canada even puts priority tags on your luggage to make sure it’s first out of the carousel when you get to your destination.

EXCLUSIVE LOUNGES OUTFITTED WITH EVERYTHING YOU NEED You’ll find Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges across North America, which offer travellers a muchwelcomed oasis from the hustle and bustle of the airport. Inside, there’s a variety of seating options for relaxing with a coffee, plus there’s complimentary Wi-Fi, on-the-house snacks

and drinks, along with a wide selection of digital newspapers and magazines to browse through while you wait for your flight.

CLOUD 9 SEATS Fretting about the kind of seat you’ll be allocated?

Don’t. Blurring the lines between airplane and living room, every North America Business Class seat is perfectly comfy and located in a coveted window or aisle position, with more legroom than you’ll know what to do with. Head and footrests adjust to your preference, and you’ll find a dedicated seat-back touch screen TV, along with a blanket, pillow and premium earbuds all at the ready. In-flight Wi-Fi means you can work on your laptop, tablet and phone from the plane without interruption throughout the entire flight.

MOUTHWATERING MENUS Did you know food actually tastes different at 20,000 feet? For example, palates have a harder time tasting both salty and sweet. Air Canada has tailored its delectable internationallyinspired rotating menus to make sure every flavour sings—think melt-in-yourmouth beef tenderloin with creamy Porto sauce, red skin potato and kale puree, or salmon fillet with lemon butter sauce, zucchini and broccoli, just some of the dining options available on select North America Business Class routes.

A SOMMELIER-CURATED WINE LIST To complement the range of international-inspired food options, Air Canada’s award-winning sommelier, Véronique Rivest has curated a concise list of outstanding wines to pair with your meal and in-flight movie.

Depending on when you are traveling, you may see classics like Bordeaux, Rioja and Chianti on the seasonal rotating wine list, but Rivest also wanted to encourage exploration by introducing wines from Austria and Greece. Of course, Canadian wines are also on rotation.

What you won’t see on the wine list: wines heavy in alcohol or very rich in tannins, which can leave passengers feeling tired.

All of Rivest’s selections are chosen to elevate the in-flight experience, making your flight even more enjoyable and relaxing.

Air Canada prides itself on a commitment to the very best in service, and its 2018 Skytrax Best Airline in North America and Best Business Class in North America awards come as no surprise.

Flying Air Canada’s North America Business Class is as seamless and enjoyable as the most unforgettable vacation travel experience, anticipating your needs and delivering on expectations.

So next time you’re planning business trip—add a little pleasure. You won’t regret it.

Visit AirCanada.com to book your next trip.

Created by the Vancouver magazine advertising department in partnership with Air Canada

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H O U S I N G H I T S / G R IZ Z LY D I S C OV E R Y / L I Q U O R L E S S O N S

VA N M AG .C O M/C I T Y

City

The Bender’s Over, Vancouver

Prices are plummeting, taxes are up and the foreign money has run dry. Are the crazy times finished in the city’s real estate market? by

Kerry Gold

illustration by

Graham Roumieu

every good party reaches that stage where the bottles are empty, the one really drunk guy just won’t go home, and the reality of the morning’s looming cleanup has started to sink in.

That pretty much sums up Vancouver’s housing situation for 2019, which is looking a lot like the aftermath of a prolonged frenzy, during which some people made a fortune while affordability for the average income-earner tanked. The party raged from about 2012 to 2016 in the detached house market. And the condo market picked up steam from late 2016 to early 2018, with average downtown condos spiking at $1,124 per square foot last January. And then, by summer, everything went quiet.

Inventory started climbing and sales started dropping. Detached house sales sunk some 32 percent in October 2018, to 146 houses, making it the third worst October on record, according to realtor Steve Saretsky, writer of the Saretsky Report.

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City AT I S S U E Sales of condo units in Vancouver proper dropped 28 percent, the lowest since 2012. As of the fall of 2018, prices were just starting to follow, with $1-million price drops in West Vancouver properties becoming routine. Throughout Vancouver, sellers were slashing prices by several hundred thousand dollars.

“Price adjustments generally lag sales volumes by about two years,” says Saretsky. That’s because sellers need to get their heads around the fact that those astronomical prices have passed them by. “As sales drop, inventory begins to rise and the market adjusts to the changes.”

Saretsky says there are outside influences adding to Vancouver’s own changing market. “There is tightening of global liquidity as interest rates move higher and central banks remove stimulus. This is affecting interest rate-sensitive assets, such as real estate, across the world.”

Kevin Skipworth at Dexter Associates says the high-end detached mar-

ket was hit hard first. “We have seen prices come off 15 to 20 percent in the prime market for detached homes.

The sales volumes have come off quite dramatically,” he said in an email.

“While some sellers are willing to sell at the lower prices, some are holding tight and not coming on the market.

Buying opportunities are there, and some buyers are jumping on properties that have come off the highs.”

Considering that Vancouver has a median household income of $65,327, according to 2016 Statistics Canada data, the market was clearly driven by a combination of foreign money and speculative buying. At the peak, some developers set up sales centres in Singapore and Hong Kong, attempting to lure investors. However, in the third quarter of 2018, real estate marketing giant Knight Frank released its Prime Global Cities Index report, which ranked Vancouver at the very bottom of a list of 43 cities.

In terms of luxury properties, prices had dropped by 11.2 percent in Van-

Only 1/4 of British Columbians make new year’s resolutions

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couver. Other cities feeling affordability pressures hadn’t seen the same drop-off in the high end. San Francisco held strong at fourth place and Toronto took seventh. What happened, Vancouver?

The report cited the “raft of [tax] measures introduced in February’s budget” by the NDP government, including an increased foreign buyer tax of 20 percent as the culprit. The province’s speculation and vacancy tax, which will tax foreign owners at two percent beginning in 2019, and the city’s new onepercent empty homes tax are also curtailing any speculative profits. “We are going to be down for many years,” says long-time west-side realtor Bryan Yan. Yan also cites the requirement for buyers to pass the new “stress test,” which is their ability to service a mortgage of two percent more than that offered by their lender, or the Bank of Canada’s five-year fixed rate of 5.34 percent (as of November). “The market is in a corrective phase, and that’s exposing the weakness in our economy,” he says, referring to the low household incomes that can’t afford house prices.

“With all these taxes, and the lack of foreign money coming in, prices for more expensive properties are going to drop more than 10 percent.

Anything currently under $1 million will drop five percent,” he forecasts.

“That’s why I’m telling all my clients not to buy until the 2019 assessments come out. They will be lower, and all price reductions will come after that.”

If you do have to sell then, do it as soon as you can, he advises.

Realtor Ian Watt, who specializes in downtown condos, sees an even steeper drop—about 30 to 40 percent for 2019.

“We have to come back down to earth,” he says. “Real estate in Vancouver is always going to go up a couple percent every year because we have no land and a lot of people moving to the city. But condos went up 93 percent in 36 months, so it’s got to go back down to where a two to three percent gain will make sense. That’s normal growth.”

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City AT I S S U E

Ball Has Life?

Eighteen years after the Vancouver Grizzlies were shipped to Memphis, there’s momentum in the city on the possible return of the NBA. by

Nathan Caddell

it was a moment that was easily missed and soon forgotten. During the closing statements of the first Vancouver mayoral debate, Fred Harding, a former West Vancouver police officer and candidate with Vancouver 1st, declared that, if elected, he would bring the NBA back to Vancouver.

The pronouncement was met with a handful of guffaws and a general sense of “Sure you will, bud,” but Harding pressed on, convinced that the return of professional basketball to Vancouver is plausible.

Harding would eventually come sixth in the election. But his pledge to bring professional basketball back to Vancouver—the Grizzlies operated from 1995 to 2001 in General Motors Place (since changed to Rogers Arena) before moving to Memphis due to a lack of revenue, among other factors—isn’t without its supporters.

Indeed, a couple of weeks later, two events on consecutive nights would seem to indicate that perhaps Harding wasn’t so off base.

The first saw the return of the NBA to Vancouver, if only for one night. The Toronto Raptors played the Portland Trail Blazers at a packed-to-the-rafters Rogers Arena on September 29, the first contest for newly minted Raptor Kawhi Leonard.

While the Canucks routinely fill the barn, it’s fair to say that it had been a while since Rogers felt the kind of buzz that was delivered that night.

The enthusiastic turnout makes it clear that there’s a large contingent of Vancouver sports fans who feel unrepresented by the current options in the market, a point that was further hammered home by another sold-out event the next evening, this one at the Vancouver Playhouse.

A Grizzlies fan for life, 30-yearold Vancouverite Kat Jayme turned to filmmaking after her dreams of pro basketball didn’t work out. Her Finding Big Country—about life after the sport for the Grizzlies’ first-ever draft pick, Bryant “Big Country” Reeves—debuted at the Vancouver Film Festival to a theatre stuffed with teal-covered fans (the team’s oh-so-1997 colour scheme of choice).

After a post-screening standing ovation, the filmmaker hosted a Q&A in which she expressed the need to see professional basketball return to the city. “We’re starting a movement and we’re going to bring the Grizzlies back,” exclaimed Jayme, who has announced plans to do another documentary on the team.

Finding Big Country rode a wave of momentum after its debut, adding an extra screening after the first two sold out (the third did as well), and winning the festival’s People’s Choice Award.

So the fan base appears to be there. Whether the demographic will remain underserved is another question.

The Aquilini Investment Group, which owns the Vancouver Canucks (and Rogers Arena), has recently expanded its sport offerings, which could suggest similar moves in the future.

The company purchased the Vancouver Stealth lacrosse team this past summer (moving the team from Langley to Rogers and rebranding it as the Vancouver Warriors) and, in an October interview with Sportsnet

It’s obvious because we’ve got a building, it’s plug and play.

We still have the hoops. We still have the floor.

Everything’s there.

The locker room and everything is there.

650, managing director Francesco Aquilini was asked whether an NBA team was on his radar as well.

“There have been some discussions on it,” Aquilini said. “It’s obvious because we’ve got a building, it’s plug and play. We still have the hoops.

We still have the floor. Everything’s there. The locker room and everything is there. We’ve discussed it.”

But he also added that the current price of an NBA franchise is rather off-putting: “Right now the entry cost is prohibitive, because it’s up to two billion [dollars]. Five years ago it was like $300 million, $350 million.”

Forbes estimated in 2017 that the Canucks, one of the NHL’s most popular franchises, bring in revenue of about $156 million (U.S.) a year. A year later, the publication approximated that the average NBA team rakes in around $246 million (U.S.).

The Canadian Elite Basketball League, formed in 2017, and its Fraser Valley Bandits— who call the Abbotsford Centre home—will bring the sport to B.C. in May. It’s a start, and if the team is able to draw crowds to Vancouver’s suburbs, it would only bode well for a potential NBA return.

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When you’re cat skiing, you ski in a group. A guide goes first, then the guests. Then another guide—the tail gunner—goes last.

We were near the end of the day and had been mostly skiing in the trees because the avalanche risk was high, but by the end of the run the trees had thinned out and there was only a series of chutes in front How I survived an avalanche. of us. The front guide went first and it was fine, and a bunch of other

by Clarke Ross skiers followed after him. When it was my turn to go, I heard the skiers i’m the youngest of three kids and yelling at me to “go left,” so I took a we were a skiing family, which means neighbouring chute that was only 25 feet away.

I was on skis by the time I was five, I dropped in, and I very clearly which was back in the early 1980s. remember thinking that it looked A few years ago I had a job like just about the most perfect run whose perks included occasionally I had ever seen. And then all hell getting invited on pricey business broke loose. boondoggles, which is how I found I took two turns, and immediately myself enjoying a day of cat skiing the ground was moving below me, just outside Golden, B.C.

Encased in Concrete

throwing me instantly off balance.

People always say you’re supposed to try to swim out of the snow and I may have tried to do that, but all I remember was pure panic.

The closest thing I can compare it to is the disorienting effect you get when a wave slams you when you’re surfing and you’re tossed around and have no idea which way is up—except it lasts a lot longer.

After I came to the rest, only the top of my head and my right hand were sticking out, which was extremely fortunate. The tail gunner was there almost immediately. The speed of the snow actually melts it a bit as it’s moving, and then it comes to a stop with such force that it truly

DANIEL STEWART

City W H AT I T F E E L S L I K E

I took two turns, and immediately the ground was moving below me, throwing me instantly off balance.

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DANIEL STEWART

is like being encased in concrete.

When you hear about people being able to dig an air hole…that wasn’t what I was dealing with. I literally couldn’t move a muscle.

My group started to use their hands and shovels to dig me out. It took about two minutes and even when my body was 95 percent clear, I still couldn’t move my arm at all because the snow was a solid mass.

I think I was in shock, but I remember someone asking me if I could ski down on my own and I said yes. I recall not being able to click my left heel into my binding, so one of the guides clicked it in for me. It turns out the reason I couldn’t apply any downward pressure is that the fall had completely severed my Achilles tendon. It evidently just rolls up like a blind when it’s cut like this.

But I was so full of adrenalin, I actually skied down to the cat with it, which, in retrospect, was a very bad idea.

I actually thought I was going to ski the next day, but when I woke up and couldn’t walk down the stairs, I knew something wasn’t right.

I ultimately had my leg in a hard cast for three months and a walking cast for a few months after that.

As soon as I got the cast off, I was back to skiing—I just love it too much to let the freak accident keep me away. I take my son up to Whistler every Saturday and last year for my 40th birthday I went heli-skiing with some friends. I still think about the avalanche when I’m in the backcountry and look up at a massive cornice of snow—but then I think about how much I love skiing powder and how great it is to avoid the lift lines, and the feeling of fear goes away.

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A NEW YORK ITALIAN STEAKHOUSE

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W W W. C P R I M E . C A

The Chef and Owner, Chi Le, welcomes you!

Chi Restaurant is a contemporary restaurant with personal attention that draws from the rich culinary experience of MasterChef Chi Le. Since opening in 2016, Chi Restaurant has received the best Asian Restaurant Award. Seasonal and local ingredients are combined with French and Chinese technique and flavors to create a truly unique Vietnamese experience. Their delicious vegetarian and vegan dishes are not to be missed!

An elegant restaurant, Chi can accommodate a wide variety of events, birthday parties, corporate functions, fundraiser galas, buy out dinners and more…With special events, Chef Chi Le can create a tasting menu with a carefully curated, up to 8-course degustation with carefully selected wines. Call or email in advance to reserve your private party or special event.

Please join us for Dine Out™ from January 18 to February 3, 2019 for our $35 course menu.

1935 West 4th Ave, Vancouver 604-336-3010 • info@chirestaurantbar.com •

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C OV E R STORY

WINE The Ultimate Vancouver

BUYING GUIDE

We’re literally surrounded by wine in Vancouver.

There’s the Okanagan (and the Fraser Valley) to the east, the Island(s) to the west, Washington to the south and even Lillooet due sorth. So we cornered a baker’s dozen of top Vancouver sommeliers and peppered them with questions until they gave up the goods and the bottle you need for any given situation. by

Neal McLennan | illustrations by Kelly Sutherland

THESE VANCOUVER SOMMS SHARE THEIR PICKS...

KATIE BERLINGUETTE Sonora Resort

SHANE TAYLOR CinCin

JILL SPOOR Fairmont

JASON YAMASAKI Joey

SEBASTIEN LE GOFF Cactus Club

COLIN ROSS Tuc Craft Kitchen

KELCIE JONES Chambar

LISA COOK Savio Volpe

KIERAN FANNING Pepino’s

MIREILLE SAUVÉ Wine Umbrella

SAM JONNERY Gotham

MATTHEW LANDRY Stable House Bistro

IORI KATAOKA Yuwa

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wi F R E th E ay h TI Va ot nc e CK o l b ET W hil u v e s er oo H up o pli t e k es las ls .c in t o g

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WINE ISSUE

T ng

THE ULTIMATE VANCOUVER WINE BU YING GUIDE

KIERAN FANNING’S PICKS

Domaine BonnetHuteau “La Tarcière” Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie 2016 ($26). No trip to the beach is complete without muscadet. It already tastes like the ocean, so when it’s paired with the sea air you’re left with the beautiful citrus, minerality and orchard fruit of this dense singlevineyard wine. —KF

SCENARIO #1

YOU AND YOUR PALS are heading to the beach and are

bringing a few contraband bottles because you are civilized people— but there’s always a chance they’ll be seized by some overzealous bylaw officer. What two bottles for $50 do you get?

LISA COOK ALSO CHOSE THIS WINE

Jean-Paul Brun Terres Dorées “L’Ancien” Beaujolais 2016 ($25), as it’s impossible to stop drinking, juicy yet dry and can be drunk—and enjoyed (albeit not fully)—from the bottle.

Need I say more?—KF Monte del Fra Bardolino ($18) and Paltrinieri Lambrusco di Sorbara ($22).

Start with the cheerful Bardolino, preferably with the Freybe cold cuts you got from Safeway.

Once that’s done and the afternoon sun is starting to cook, switch to the lambrusco: a dry, fruity, rosé-like

sparkling wine that begs to be consumed straight from the bottle.—ML Two bottles of the same Tiberio Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo ($23). In order to avoid getting busted, you can decant wines directly into an Ocean Spray bottle, because

it’s the same colour as cranberry juice.—KJ Not that I would ever do such a thing, but, hypothetically speaking, if I were ever to go against the laws of British Columbia, I would most certainly have to steer my sights toward aromatic wines with

zippy acidity: Laurenz und Sophie Singing Grüner Veltliner ($24) and Schloss Reinhartshausen Rheingau Riesling ($23). Why these two?

Because they taste great even out of plastic cups and go swimmingly with most picnic fare.—MS

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a

You want something with a screw top in case you forget your

corkscrew because you’re thinking about the 5-0. Marisco “The Ned” Marlborough Pinot Noir 2015 ($21) and Dog Point Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2017 ($32).—ST

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THE ULTIMATE VANCOUVER WINE BU YING GUIDE

K ATIE SAYS:

SCENARIO #2

YOU’RE HEADING OUT EARLY FOR A SKI DAY and

Blue Mountain Brut Reserve 2010 ($40) is a tasty traditional-method sparkling and one of my favorite go-tos.

A bottle of bubbles is always welcome at a dinner party, especially if it’s already chilled when you get there.

then straight to a friend’s house for dinner, so the bottle of wine you’re bringing is going to have to stay in the cold car all day long.

What do you choose?

MATTHEW LANDRY ALSO CHOSE THIS WINE

Mathieu and Camille Lapierre Morgon ($45)—I love this wine, and it is especially delicious with a little chill on it. Fresh and juicy with a hint of spice.—LC

Medici Ermete “Concerto” Lambrusco ($20)— this dry, grippy, frothy red is warming and cozy at any temperature.—JY

Luzada Rias Baixas Albarino 2017 ($18), because it’s going to be perfectly chilled, and all that salinity and pear flavour is going to make your mouth water!—ST

The Clos Floridene Graves Blanc 2015 ($40).

Bordeaux whites are highly underrated—such a great value for so much flavour and complexity. It will be at the perfect temperature in the car by the time I’m done skiing.—SL

I am consistently blown away by the calibre of this wine and its friendliness with food. It is searingly dry, however, so make sure to serve in regular wineglasses—not flutes, to fully appreciate its aroma and flavour intensity.

Quinta da Murta Bucelas Brut Nature 2014 ($28).—KF

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SCENARIO #3

SCENARIO #4

YOU AND YOUR BOSS are entertaining

YOU’RE MEETING YOUR future

clients after a big day. The clients are likely— but not for sure—picking up the tab. What under $100 bottle do you order for the table?

father-in-law for the first time. Your partner says he’s “really” into wine. What under $40 bottle do you bring to dinner?

Quinta da Murta Bucelas Brut Nature ($28)—it’s important to assert dominance when meeting new people. Don’t bring the usual suspects; knock him off his game with this esoteric Portuguese sparkling. He’s on your turf now as you wax poetic about the “unheralded gems of Portugal’s lesserknown DOCs.”—ML

Domini Veneti Verjago Valpolicella ($100) from Italy.

Great wine, big and juicy, from Veneto.—SJ

Christian Moreau “Vaillons” Chablis 1er Cru ($54), because after a big day, we need to quench and refresh with the mouth-watering minerals of a pristine Chablis.—JY

Stags’ Leap The Investor 2014 ($73): the price is reasonable, the quality is great, and the subtle messaging is perfect for your business deal.—CR

Ridge “Monte Bello” Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 ($97) is my favourite single-vineyard California cabernet at the price; this storied producer and wine will never fail to impress— even in difficult vintages.—KF

Borgogno “No Name” Langhe Nebbiolo ($40). The grapes are sourced from a cru Barolo site, but since the word isn’t on the label, it’s only $40 at BC Liquor Stores.

Cool and a good story.—KJ Fontodi Chianti Classico ($38): pure, authentic Tuscan reds always thrill, impress and are meant for every dinner. Especially the ones with fathers-in-law.—JY

MIRIELLE SAUVÉ ALSO CHOSE THIS WINE

Alvaro Palacios Petalos ($38) is a mencia from Bierzo—trending, and such a great producer and yummy wine. Father-in-law should know that Alvaro Palacios was crowned Decanter Man of the Year for 2015.—IK Isole e Olena Chianti Classico 2015 ($38) is a little bit lighter and more delicate in style than your average “father-in-law wine”—but in this case, I’d rather bring a bottle that represents the wines I love than try to guess a stranger’s taste.—KF

If I’m entertaining clients on behalf of my boss, then I’m going Canadian for sure—but I want to pick something they’ve probably never heard of. Benjamin Bridge Brut ($48) from Nova Scotia is both Canadian and delicious; it’s the finesse of Champagne paired with the terroir of Canada.

Pretty skookum, if you ask me!—MS

Italian wines have such incredible value, and you don’t need to spend much to have something stunning, like Produttori del Barbaresco Nebbiolo di Langhe 2016 ($28).

I think the choice of nebbiolo brings sophistication to the experience, and this choice would also be understated enough to show discretion in price point.—JS

For the white, a great Loire wine that’s easy to pair with different types of food, like Pascal Cotat Sancerre La Grande Côte 2015 ($63); for red, Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, Stags’ Leap District 2014 ($100).—SL

Tenuta Sette Ponti “Crognolo” ($40) is the second label of Oreno, and this wine hits all the notes of a big Super Tuscan while retaining the beauty and finesse of the sangiovese grape.—LC Künstler Rheingau Pinot Noir 2014 ($40)—if he’s really into wine he will geek out over this killer German red!—ST

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SCENARIO #5

SCENARIO #6

YOU’RE WORKING AT A RESTAURANT

YOU’RE GOING TO A DINNER PARTY and the host has tasked you

when your boss tells you that the owner of a famous Bordeaux chateau is coming for dinner and hears B.C.’s wine is surprisingly good. What do you serve her?

with picking up a case of wine. Your budget is $300, and when you ask what the menu is, all he’ll say is “curry.”

What bottles do you choose?

LISA COOK CHOSE THE CULMINA, TOO!

Similkameen Collective Consensus ($60). One of the better Bordeaux blends in B.C.—SJ

Riesling. The Bordelais do not love being challenged by outsiders, so I’m sidestepping the issue completely and picking Tantalus Old Vines Riesling ($31).—KJ

Painted Rock Cabernet Franc 2015 ($40) and Culmina Hypothesis 2014 ($46).

Both are wonderful portrayals of Bordeaux from exceptional B.C. producers.—CR

Blue Mountain Blanc de Blancs Reserve 2010 ($40)—the 2008 vintage of this wine stands out as possibly the single greatest B.C. wine I’ve tasted.

Some very skilled grape-growing and winemaking go into this every year, and the patience shown in its release is a rarity in our market. Long live B.C. bub!—KF

I wouldn’t try to compete with Bordeaux by showing anything from B.C. made from Bordeaux varieties.

Rather, I’d present her with a wine that showcases our unique terroir in a way that will knock her socks off: Carson Pinot Noir ($35) from the Naramata Bench is my go-to wine for showoff purposes.—MS

SHANE TAYLOR ALSO CHOSE THIS WINE

I’d shuffle around the cellar for my last bottle of Osoyoos Larose “Le Grand Vin” 2007 (current release, $48). Like a notable Bordeaux, this wine needs time and will absolutely reward your patience. It will offer that owner of a famous Bordeaux chateau a few hints of the familiar flavours and a few new notes to taste.—JY

A case of Dr. Loosen Riesling ($18). Riesling and spicy food: a match made in heaven!—SJ Seven bottles of Tantalus Pinot Noir 2016 ($28), one of the best-value, consistently delicious B.C. light reds—for those at the party who will insist on drinking red. And five bottles of Leitz “Dragon Stone” Riesling Rheingau 2016 ($19)—this stellar and obscenely good-value off-dry riesling is a classic, easy go-to match for spicy, difficult foods that balk at most wine pairings. Sweet like a grape, not like a Twinkie.—KF I’m going to assume we’ll have a few different kinds of curry. So, three bottles of Balthasar Ress “Hattenheimer Schützenhaus” Riesling Kabinett ($25) so all the spicy curries can work their heat with the juicy off-dry notes of this classic.

Three bottles of Argiolas Costamolino Vermentino ($19) so all the aromatic, limey, herbal and curry leaf dishes can come here to elevate the fresh herbal notes.

Three bottles of d’Arenberg “d’Arry’s Original” Shiraz/ Grenache ($22), as the lamb curries with a bit of heat love the red-toned McLaren Vale style. Three bottles of Undurraga “Sibaris” Pinot Noir ($16.50); chill this a bit, and the silky layers of this quenching pinot noir are a match for vindaloo. And two bottles of Fernet-Branca ($29), because when you’re finished this mighty feast, you’re going to want to digest properly.—JY Buy a case of Charles Smith “Kung Fu Girl” Riesling 2015 ($18). You’ll have money left over for Pepto-Bismol if you are unsure of your host’s culinary talents. The riesling will have lower alcohol, residual sugar and acidity to temper the heartiest of curries.—ST

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WINE ISSUE

THE ULTIMATE VANCOUVER WINE BU YING GUIDE

SCENARIO #7

A FRIEND HAS COBBLED $75 TOGETHER and wants to

buy his five-year-old niece a bottle of wine that will be showing well on her 19th birthday. What do you recommend?

KICK-ASS CHOICES FROM THE GREAT 2015 VINTAGE IN BORDEAUX Château La Cabanne Pomerol ($75)—IK Château Climens Sauternes ($75)—ST Château Carbonnieux ($75)—SJ Château Potensac ($60)—SG

Villa Bucci Verdicchio Classico Riserva ($65).

Bucci is the undisputed king of the verdicchio grape, and I recently had the opportunity to taste several bottles of this wine from the mid1990s. Unicorn tears.—KJ

Trimbach “Cuvée Frédéric Émile” 2008 ($77)—a cheat! One of the truly great white wines of the world— the fact that this is still under $100 at the current rate of wine commodification is absurd to me. I once asked

an internationally renowned riesling producer, “When should I drink this?” The reply? “Before you die.”—KF Barolo is a great bet that stands the test of time and rewards patience, so

Cagliero Ravera 2012 ($65). He’d also be my favourite uncle if he doubled his budget and stashed away a bottle of Aldo Conterno Barolo “Bussia” 2013 ($139—and worth every penny).—MS

Good-vintage port still remains one of the best values out there, and given its fortified nature, it’ll last 30 years, let alone 13. Also, chances are a 19-year-old will appreciate the sweetness when the time comes to open it. Taylor Fladgate Quinta de Vargellas 2015 ($76).—ML

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WINE ISSUE

THE ULTIMATE VANCOUVER WINE BU YING GUIDE

I’m so old that I had to look up Wes Anderson.

Ormarine Picpoul de Pinet ($17) from the Languedoc region of France will wow the hipsters as a white, while Cusumano Nero d’Avola ($16) from Sicily will rock the red.—MS

SCENARIO #8

YOUR HIPSTER FRIENDS are getting married in a hall in

East Van. The theme, as always, is Wes Anderson. And they’re both snobs and broke, and you’re in charge of choosing a red and a white for the reception. You must stay under $17 but not be a sellout.

JASON YAMASAKI + KIERAN FANNING ALSO CHOSE THIS WINE

Renacer Punto Final Malbec ($15) and Callia Alta Torrontes ($13).

Argentina is one of the better values out there.—SJ The only drinks I remember in Wes Anderson films were

Campari and Caesars, but barring that, Summerhill Pyramid Winery Alive comes in both red and white and is vegan and organic.

I’m slightly over budget at $18.49 a bottle, but I feel like Stephen Cipes (the

very on-brand proprietor of the winery) could probably officiate the ceremony and we might be even.—KJ There is so much incredible value to be found in Portugal and Spain. Quinta do

Ameal Vinho Verde ($17) is an exceptional white—very youthful, floral with citrus notes. Rafael Cambra “Soplo” Garnacha ($16) is bright with notes of red fruit, dusty earth and vibrant acidity.—LC

The Bargain Hipster Champ Campo de Borja Borsao Garnacha ($15)

Sebastien Le Goff

Iori Kataoka

Jason Yamasaki

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SCENARIO #9

SCENARIO #10

YOUR IN-LAWS ARE VISITING

from Alberta, and all they ever do is complain about how expensive B.C. wine is. The wife drinks Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc; the husband, Meiomi. What do you serve?

Terravista Fandango ($25)—this aromatic blend of verdejo and albarino is the right call for the wife; she’ll be charmed by the upfront stone fruit and dry finish. As for the husband, some people just can’t be helped.—ML

For her: Fairview Cellars Sauvignon Blanc ($27), if you can find it.

For him, Quails’ Gate Pinot Noir 2016 ($27).—CR As Meiomi doesn’t tend to represent pinot noir very well, I would instead serve a gamay.

It’s juicier and closer in style to the very fruity, deeply coloured Meiomi. I really like Orofino’s Gamay from the Similkameen Valley ($25). I think B.C. makes delicious pinot blanc, and Skaha Vineyard Pinot

IN 2016 KIM CRAWFORD BECAME THE FIRST NZ WINERY TO SURPASS 1,000,000 CASES A YEAR IN PRODUCTION

Blanc (under $20) is aromatic, refreshing and mostly dry: all the things people love about Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc.—KJ

A WORK ACQUAINTANCE HAS

heard that there’s money to be made investing in wine. You tell her that it’s not that simple, but she won’t relent. What $100 bottle of wine has the best chance of appreciating in the next 10 years?

Les Pagodes de Cos 2015 ($100). Second wine of Cos d’Estournel.—SJ

Taylor Fladgate, Quinta de Vargellas 2015 ($76), but it’s difficult to make $$$ in B.C.—SL

Not much for that price—however, any second label for grand cru Bordeaux would be a great start. La Dame de Montrose 2015 ($90) is exceptional value in an exceptional vintage.—JS

Château HautBatailley Pauillac 2015 ($90) is a good vintage that will improve with age. It got 94 points from James Suckling.—IK And. . .

La Frenz Sauvignon Blanc 2017 ($20), which is like B.C. meets New Zealand sauvignon blanc. And for the husband, SpearHead Pinot Noir 2016 ($25).—ST

Lock and Worth Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon 2017 ($20).

Another killer vintage from a producer who continues to grow and improve. While this may be

a little off the beaten path, it’s well worth the conversion it takes!

And Howling Bluff “Acta Vineyard” Pinot Noir 2014 ($25). They’ve been moving toward a more

moderate and fruit-focused style. A pleasant woodiness is still present in this richer style to satisfy the Meiomi drinker in all of us, at a much better price point.—KF

Bordeaux will give you the best chance if you make an astute purchase. I think Château Haut-Batailley 2015 will give you a chance to grow your investment. It is a fifth growth with some room to grow.—ST

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SCENARIO #11

SCENARIO #12

IT’S THE OFFICE WHITE ELEPHANT GIFT EXCHANGE.

YOU’RE INVITED TO A WINE CLUB

The limit is $15, there’s a random BCLDB a block away and you have 10 minutes.

Borsao Garnacha ($15) from Spain. Great value, and grenache is hot right now.—SJ

where all the deep-pocketed members spend lavishly on Bordeaux and California.

They’re having a blind tasting of cabs— what bottle of wine do you bring to blow them away . . . for under $60?

This situation feels uncomfortably familiar.

I’m making a beeline for the Spain section and grabbing Campo de Borja Borsao Garnacha for $15. Labels definitely matter in ruthless trading-andstealing gift exchanges, and this bottle has a cool one.—KJ Desperate times call for rosé: Campo Viejo Tempranillo Rosé ($15) from Rioja ought to keep those jingle bells ringing.—MS Sparkling wine from Spain, from the Penedès region: a cava

by Codorniu Brut Clasico ($15).—SL

Haut Château Citran 2009 ($63). One of the best vintages ever.—JS

Girard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2015 ($44).

Great Cali cab sauv.—SL

Painted Rock “Red Icon” 2016 ($55). The fact that it is from B.C. and can go headto-head with Bordeaux and Napa will make their heads explode.—ST

Castello di Ama Chianti Gran Selezione ($54)—Not cab, but Tuscany is reliably always the best ringer to offer the intensity and depth to knock some socks off.—JY

Silver Heights “The Summit” ($63). This will a) stump all possible guesses, and b) astound with deliciousness. Rich, intense and impressively well made—for this estate and for Chinese wine in general.—KF

Hester Creek The Judge 2015 ($50) A Bordeaux blend grown in the Okanagan’s acclaimed Golden Mile region.

This will blow them away with power and finesse—and it’s from our own backyard.—MS

Protea Cabernet Sauvignon ($15).

People love cabernet sauvignon. And people love repurposing wine bottles into stylish flower vases.

Double-gift. You’ll be the hit of the party.—JY Cono Sur Pinot Noir Rosé ($13 for a onelitre bottle). Definitely won’t be regifted!—ST Jaume Serra Cristalino Brut ($14) is one of my favourite traditional method sparkling wines. Slightly toasty with a fine, persistent bubble.—LC Barone Ricasoli Campo Ceni Toscana ($15). Your coworkers will think you overspent and know so much about wine.—CR

Laughing Stock Portfolio 2016 ($50). When we did the fourth annual Judgement of B.C. in October, it beat out some very pricey Napa wines in the blind tasting. If I were feeling particularly brazen, I might even sneak in a bottle of our Chambar x Laughing Stock Project Cabernet Franc, which is technically still a “cab,” right?—KJ

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WINE ISSUE

ROSÉ ALL DAY

THE ULTIMATE VANCOUVER WINE BU YING GUIDE

La Vielle Ferme Rosé ($40) Produced by the Perrin family of the famed Château de Beaucastel. Very crushable, with aromas of red berries and citrus with a fresh acidity.—LC

SCENARIO #13

YOU’RE PLANNING A KAYAK TRIP, and while you want to toast the great outdoors, bottles are a no-no.

What box of wine do you buy?

“CRUSHABLE”:

And…

SOMM-SPEAK FOR REALLY EASY TO DRINK, OFTEN IN LARGE QUANTITIES

A kayak trip means summertime. Let’s go for La Vieille Ferme Rosé from the Côtes du Ventoux in France.—SL And…

Domaine Bousquet “Cameleon” Organic Malbec ($39)—I ordered this wine when chef David Gunawan asked me to find an organic cooking wine for the Farmer’s Apprentice, and I remember being impressed by how good it was! I saw the use of red wine increase drastically after that switch.—KF

Francesco Cirelli Bianco ($25). This is an organic, crisp and citrusy white blend from what is apparently my favourite value region in Italy, Abruzzo.

It should be delicious with oysters if you find some on the beach, but it also works with canned beans.—KJ

Pasqua “Colori d’Italia” Sangiovese di Puglia ($37) is a totally crushable drop of Italian red wine.

No chilling necessary. And a huge winner with your smokies grilled over a beach fire.—JY

La Vielle Ferme Rosé Morning, noon, night, indoors, outdoors… rosé is versatile.—IK

I’ve been known to take to the water with wine in my craft (only where legal, of course), but I prefer cans to boxes—they are single-serve, more versatile, and you can dangle them in the water to keep them cool, so a handful of pinot grigio and zinfandel 250mls ($4.99 each) from Big House should get you through the streams in style.—MS

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WINE ISSUE

THE ULTIMATE VANCOUVER WINE BU YING GUIDE

OVER IT

CAN WE PLEASE STOP SABRING WINE? Did you hear about the new trend sweeping the quaint villages of Burgundy?

People are using their shoes to dislodge the corks in lovely bottles of pinot.

Neal McLennan

actually, you probably didn’t hear it because it’s thankfully not true, but is the above all that different from the legions of people who feel compelled to reach for a hard, straight edge every time a bottle of Champagne is in the vicinity? Yes, I know it has history on its side, but knowing that little creep Napoleon

did it doesn’t make it any better.

There are quite a few practices that I think we’ve quite rightly left in the 1800s. For me, sabring com-

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LOCAL BOTTLES THAT DESERVE TO BE OPENED...

RESPECTFULLY

bines two cardinal sins: waste and being a show-off. True, a talented sommelier can minimize the waste part, but you still need a small flow to be poured out to clear the glass shards. And the show-off part, has anyone ever found a quiet corner of a room to silently sabre a bottle just for themselves? Exactly.

Great sparkling wine is already an occasion. Doubling down on its festivity doesn’t make it twice as fun…it makes it garish.

3 Blue Mountain 2010 R.D., $40

Blue Mountain has made great sparkling for so long that we take them for granted, but this here is $40 for beautiful bubbles aged eight years for your toasty drinking pleasure.

4 Fitz Brut 2015, $33

The Fitzpatrick family are all in on classically made, classically proportioned Champagnestyle bubbles that can stand up to all sorts of yellow labels.

5 Blasted Church OMG 2012, $27

Blasted Church is a large-market brand, but its bubbles are made with real care and use classic pinot noir and chardonnay joined by a zip of pinot blanc, all mellowed by some lovely bottle age.

Free Form Ancient Method 2017, $35

One-hundredpercent organic pinot noir grapes, made with minimal intervention and zero added dosage—the future of Okanagan sparkling may rest in this bottle.

Blue Grouse Paula 2014, $31

Just your usual blend of Müller-Thurgau, ortega and pinot auxerrois gives a lovely floral nose without any cloying sweetness.

Sells out quickly.

ILLUSTRATION: KELLY SUTHERL AND

by

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WINE ISSUE

THE ULTIMATE VANCOUVER WINE BU YING GUIDE

DRINKING THE NEW OREGON TRAIL Undeniably the creative incubator for craft in the United States, Portland and its environs perpetually reinvent themselves—shifting perception and informing opinion on who, why and what is sustainable and of sustenance.

Treve Ring

from fresh-roasted coffee to savoury ice cream, full-flavoured microbrews to secretly foraged mushrooms, superlative pinot noir to superlative pinot gris, Pacific-harvested sea salt and countless other delicious things, this is a place where driving a spell in any direction yields a new bounty. Here’s your road map to figuring which way to point the wheel to dive deep into the area.

NEXUS: PORTLAND An easy straight-and-narrow down the I-5 from Vancouver (or a much faster YVR–PDX flight, or much longer but more scenic Amtrak Cascades ride), and you’re in the pulsing heart of it all, downtown Portland.

Slake that thirst rapidly at one of the city’s 60-plus breweries. Widmer Brothers is one of the largest and oldest, but that doesn’t prevent them from putting out gems in their limited-release level at their brew pub. If bottle-conditioned and

Rum Club

Pelican Brewing

Breakside Brewing

barrel-aged beers are your thing, you need to make it to Hair of the Dog, one of the first in America to specialize in this style—and they currently have 180 oak barrels aging beer from six months to eight years. My favourite place to flight through is at the newer Slabtown location of Breakside Brewing. The airy doubledecker room is as great for peoplewatching as it is for brew pub fare.

Portland’s cocktail scene is, as John Horgan might say, lit, and has been since before bartenders called themselves mixologists. Classics like of the day or evening the Multnomah Whiskey you can park yourself Library, a classy, reso-only at Red Hills Market, booze homage of biblical soon to be one of your proportions, cements the city happy places. Woodas one of the world’s greats. I fired breakfasts and always satisfy my amaro geek Clyde pizzas, fresh-baked scones at Solo Club, a tidy jewel box of Common and freshly pulled salads, a a bar that agrees with my credo that takeaway counter of locally cured bitter makes it better. Bit House Saloon meats and cheeses, plus rotating taps of local will win you over with boozy slushies, fresh microbrews and bottles from the valley will tacos and its brick-hewn splendour, while Rum keep you satiated and satisfied. Oh yeah, and Club will warm the blood with one of the best you can grab many of Oregon’s top bottles from daiquiris you’ll come across in this part of the the shelf for your future picnic. It’s conveniently Americas. La Moule sates my longing for France, located in Dundee, mid-valley, so plan on with lusty plates of mussels and briny platters stopping here numerous times during your visit. of oysters, plus Euro-potency cocktails, many Filled with Portland’s beer and cocktails, now absinthe-touched. You may think you’ve been is your time to drink in what the Willamette does to kitschy bars before, but until you’ve had a best: wine. Of course, pinot noir reigns supreme, volcano-erupting flaming tiki head of Jet Pilot at not surprising considering the proliferation of Hale Pele, you really haven’t lived. Expatriate is volcanic and marine sedimentary soils. I see where you want to find yourself drinking up some chardonnay hot on pinot’s heels, and a thrilling of this city’s Asian flavours in liquid form—the direction for the region. stunning Southeast Asian decor and soundtrack A pilgrimage to the Eyrie Vineyards is a must might entice you to sit and absorb all night. That as much for the historical context (David Lett, said, you can’t go to the city without sitting at the a.k.a. Papa Pinot, pioneered both pinot gris and bar at Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s Clyde Common, or pinot noir in Oregon) as for the exciting direction downstairs in the hidden basement bar, Pépé le that his son, Jason, is taking the winery in the Moko. Home of one of the world’s top bartenders future. Sustainable, terroir-specific, sensitive and founder of the barrel-aged cocktail boom, this wines from melon de Bourgogne, pinot blanc, is a place of must-stop stools. and trousseau will entice as much as their singleblock pinot noirs.

W E S T WA R D H O Bechkam Estate Vineyard is another winery that pays homage to the far-distant past From Portland it’s a straight shot west one hour while having eyes firmly on the future. At their or so to get to the crux of the Willamette Valley organically farmed estate, pinot noir, pinot gris, and America’s most exciting wines. At any point

RUM CLUB: K ARI YOUNG

by

Bit House Saloon

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LIFE’S TOO SHORT, DRINK GREAT WINE RUM CLUB: K ARI YOUNG

Located on Vancouver’s spectacular North Shore, Okanagan Estate Wine Cellar offers an unparalleled selection of B.C. wines to suit every palate and occasion 1 650 M A R I N E D R I V E , W E S T V A N C O U V E R | O K W I N E C E L L A R . C O M

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HOW DOES A BOTTLE GET FROM FRANCE TO YOUR LOCAL STORE? It’s a journey where many hands and many decision-makers weigh in. by

grenache, vermentino and other vinous friends spend time in amphorae that owner/ ceramicist Andrew Beckham handcrafted and then fired on-site.

Chad Stock and his Minimus Wines are spearheading the future of Oregon wine, working with growers to trial new grape varieties and make wines in a lowinterventionist way. Memorable and distinct labels express the individuality in the bottle. Thrill of a time when schioppettino, mondeuse, furmint, petit arbane, chenin blanc and gamay will be players in the scene.

Lingua Franca is one of the newer wineries in Eola-Amity Hills, and it’s the most impressive newcomer I’ve tasted. Though the spacious, simple winemaking facility may be brand new, the men behind the project, Larry Stone, David Honig and Dominique Lafon, need little introduction in wine circles. Watch for masterful pinot noir and chardonnay from young French winemaker Thomas Savre.

In the land of plenty (of pinots) it’s a thrill to visit Brooks, the picturesque biodynamicfarmed estate that specializes in riesling. At any given time you might be able to taste 20 or so different rieslings, from fizzy to dry to dessert. Plan your visit to include small bites on the patio overlooking the vineyards.

C O A S TA L G O A L S Unlike our rocky coastline, Oregon has a greater expanse of flat, sandy beaches and a great culture of tiny seaside towns dotting the length of the state. I took the mountain pass out of the Willamette and over to friendly Pacific City and the brand-new Headlands Coastal Lodge. Neighbouring Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, the eco-chic lodge offers full ocean views and patios from all suites, a full-service spa and numerous recreational activities. After a refreshing pint at Pelican Brewing Company, I tackled an incredible dune hike up the mega-mountain of sand next door to the resort, slipping and sliding my way to the top and to glorious views up and down the coast for miles. It was easily enough to work up an equally mega-appetite for dinner at Headlands’ Meridian Restaurant, where chef Andrew Garrison serves up boat- and farm-to-plate cuisine alongside a smartly selected wine program.

David Kitai

1. The Winery Our story

begins at the winery, in this case, Domaine Faiveley—a family operation since 1825, with one of the most respected pedigrees in Burgundy. In the past decade their wines, always of very high quality, have been holding up in the hallowed company of famed grand cru producers like Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.

2. The Visit In March 2017, Faiveley’s long-time importer, Trialto, sent Neil Punshon to France. He visited about 12 different suppliers in a one-week trip; at Faiveley, he walked through the vineyards and tasted new vintages from the barrel. He made the trip to show his face at the winery— Burgundian producers are in high demand, and visiting the winery goes a long way in securing an allocation—to learn the stories of each wine, and to see if he could find anything new that might fit the B.C. market.

3. The Wine On that 2017

trip, Punshon found an ideal wine for our market, the Faiveley la Framboisière.

Framboisière is a vineyard site in Mercurey, historically less valuable for the simple, fresh, fruit-forward wines made from its pinot noir. Punshon thought that Faiveley’s Framboisière was a perfect expression of good-value Burgundy, something that’s becoming harder and harder to find.

4. The Paperwork Trialto is already established as Faiveley’s official agent in B.C. If they weren’t before Punshon’s visit, he

would have had to get Faiveley to complete a formal application to the BCLDB, registering Trialto as their sole representative in the province.

Domaine Faiveley la Framboisière retails for $57.

5. The Decision

Once registered, Punshon has a choice: he can bring the wine in as “spec,” for sale to private stores and restaurants, or he can try to get it listed at BC Liquor Stores, where it will have much better exposure. To do that, he needs to get Barb Philip on board with the Framboisière.

6. The Gatekeeper

Philip is a master of wine and the European wine buyer for BC Liquor Stores. She often invites importers to fill a gap on BCL shelves, sending out an invitation for a style of wine at a certain price point. She’ll get samples from the agents and make her decision from there. Importers are also free to send samples unsolicited.

There’s less of a chance she’ll accept them, though, and it’s almost certainly going to take longer before she lets the importer know.

7. The Pitch Punshon

was confident that the Framboisière had the right mixture of acclaim, quality and value, with a compelling enough story to get the wine on the shelf. Philip agreed: when accepting uninvited wines, she looks for “a distinct point of difference, extremely high

point scores, or a wine that is just so delicious we can’t help but offer it to our customers.”

To Philip, the Framboisière “scored very high on the deliciousness criterion.” She placed a purchase order for 180 bottles.

8. Drink Up Purchase order in hand, it’s time to import.

Burgundy’s popularity meant Punshon had to cajole every case he could from the winery, but by February 2018 he had his allocation.

The full shipment arrived in Vancouver in September.

To avoid overheating the wines, he tries to ship in autumn, when Canadian ports like Montreal are cooling down. If he shipped in winter, the wines would have to cross the Panama Canal and risk sitting on a boat languishing in the tropical heat.

BROOKS: JOSH CHANG

Headlands Coastal Lodge

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M A D E I N VA NC O U V E R AWA R DS Vancouver magazine’s 2019 Made in Vancouver Awards spotlight the city’s best homegrown goods, from artisanal hot sauces to handcrafted bags to eco-chic outerwear. This brand new awards program is your chance to share your locally made products with our esteemed judges and our editorial team; winners will be featured in the July/August issue of the magazine.

O U R 2 0 1 9 C AT E G O R I E S I N C L U D E . . .

EN TER N O W AT madeinvancouverawards.com

FOOD Sauces, oils/vinegars; preserves and spreads; sweet and savoury snacks

HOME Tableware; pottery; baskets; textiles; décor; lighting; woodcraft

DRINK Cocktail mixes; shrubs and bitters; spirits; non-alcoholic bevs

BEAUTY Makeup; skincare; haircare; self-care

STYLE Fashion; accessories; jewellery

FITNESS Athletic accessories; outdoor gear WILDCARD Anything else!

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TRAIL

LAKE COUNTRY IS YOUR WINTER WINERY DESTINATION Just 10 minutes from the Kelowna Airpor t, come explore the eight wineries of the Scenic Sip Trail.

BROOKS: JOSH CHANG

Discover the magic of winter in the Okanagan and enjoy your wine touring and tasting without the crowds.

SCENICSIP.CA

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WINE ISSUE

THE ULTIMATE VANCOUVER WINE BU YING GUIDE

ALL HAIL THE CONSULTANT The British Columbia wine industry wouldn’t have had the rapid growth in quality it has witnessed over the last couple of decades if we were just navel-gazing, figuring things out by trial and error. Among the greatest strengths of any winemaker are an open mind, an open palate, and the willingness to heed advice from experts in the field. A solid slate of international consultants have been providing a boost to the evolution of B.C. wine for many years now. Here’s a quintet of global wine stars affecting what’s in your local glass. by

Kurtis Kolt

ALBERTO ANTONINI

PEDRO PARRA

PASCAL CHATONNET

OLIVIER HUMBRECHT

ALAIN SUTRE

I TA L I A N

CHILEAN

FRENCH

FRENCH

FRENCH

With a keen interest in jazz and a cerebral, methodical take on each vineyard site he works with, Antonini has an approach to each project that is more art and romance than cut-and-paste formula. He is a fan of less is more, leaning toward fresh, bright, lively wines of place.

His fingerprints are all over Okanagan Crush Pad’s Haywire and Narrative lines, but do take the opportunity to geek on his Uruguayan deliciousness.

Pretty much the world’s best terroir-whisperer, Parra has dug holes in some of the best vineyards on the planet, jumped into ’em, then got his hands (and everything else) dirty.

If there’s a mineral component to the soils under those vines, he has a way of harnessing it and guiding it from the grape to the bottle to your glass. He was instrumental in Okanagan Crush Pad’s Switchback Vineyard becoming one of B.C.’s most exciting.

Working with wineindustry royalty in some of the most famous regions on the planet, Chatonnet ensures the poshest wines of various legendary estates don’t skip a beat, regardless of vintage. That’s some heavy responsibility.

Château de Beaucastel’s been up and running since 1549; you wouldn’t want to be the one dropping the ball after almost 500 years of brand-building. My guess is the guy doesn’t come cheap, likely a factor for Oculus coming in at $135 at the BCLDB.

We hear Bordeauxbased Sutre’s name often around these parts, and based on his client roster, I’m thinking he’s not exactly into light and delicate wines. Some of our most opulent, polished big guns have his signature on ’em, including Painted Rock’s Syrah 2015 ($40), jam-packed with purple berry fruit, cocoa, bacon fat and pepper.

B.C. CLIENT

B.C. CLIENT

Okanagan Crush Pad

Okanagan Crush Pad

Humbrecht’s already got a full schedule, producing pristine premium wines at his family’s well-regarded Alsatian domaine. Up until now, he hadn’t even done any global consulting, yet the folks behind the upcoming Phantom Creek project managed to coerce him to play in our sandbox to see what he can coax out of local pinot gris and riesling. We haven’t seen any wine from Phantom Creek yet, so try his Domaine ZindHumbrecht Riesling 2016 ($34) to see what he can do.

I N T E R N AT I O N A L PURSUITS

Mission Hill Family Estate

B.C. CLIENT

I N T E R N AT I O N A L PURSUITS

I N T E R N AT I O N A L PURSUITS

Bodega Argento, Argentina Bodega Garzón, Uruguay Seghesio, California Poggiotondo, Italy

Argiano, Italy Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, France Comando G, Spain Clos des Fous, Chile

I N T E R N AT I O N A L PURSUITS

I N T E R N AT I O N A L PURSUIT

Vega Sicilia, Spain Cos d’Estournel, Pas de l’Ane, France Château de Beaucastel, France

Domaine ZindHumbrecht, France

B.C. CLIENTS

Burrowing Owl, Culmina, Painted Rock, Poplar Grove

B.C. CLIENT

Phantom Creek Estates

Domaine Queylus, Ontario Château Gruaud Larose, Château Citran, France

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JANUARY 18 to FEBRUARY 3, 2019

dineoutvancouver.com

PREMIER PARTNER

FESTIVAL PARTNER

PRODUCED BY

™ Trademark of Tourism Vancouver, The Metro Vancouver Convention and Visitors Bureau. ® Aeroplan and the Aeroplan logo are registered trademarks of Aimia Canada Inc.

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Simply inspired, handcrafted fare presented in a relaxed West Coast setting. Sample Chef Anthony Marzo’s seasonal tasting menus or try a little bit of everything with our ARC Boards designed for sharing. Our sensational bar has an amazing selection of local craft beers, world-class wines and garden-toglass cocktails mixed to perfection.

Life is complicated. Good food shouldn’t be.

ARC

900 Canada Place Way 604.691.1818 www.arcdining.com

Nestled in Vancouver’s only Relais & Châteaux property, Bacchus Restaurant & Lounge complements the luxurious Wedgewood Hotel & Spa’s reputation for excellence. Its Executive Chef offers a truly gourmet experience in warm and romantic surroundings with live entertainment. Package includes accommodation, welcome gift, valet parking, and three-course dinner from $329 sgl/dbl occupancy excluding taxes.

BACCHUS RESTAURANT & LOUNGE

845 Hornby Street | 604.608.5319 wedgewoodhotel.com/restaurantlounge/

Reflected in its sumptuous menu offerings, C|Prime uses the finest cuts of local meats, seafood, vegetables and cheeses paired with innovative, rich sauces and salts unlike anything Vancouver diners have tasted in the city.

A New York Italian steakhouse in the heart of downtown Vancouver invites guests to savour otherworldly flavours without leaving home.

C | PRIME

1015 Burrard Street 604.684.3474 cprime.ca

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The Red Thai Curry Prawns are one of many Chef Rob Feenie signature creations on Cactus Club Cafe’s three-course Dine Out™ menu. Cactus Club Cafe’s addictive flavours, stunning restaurant design and awardwinning service guarantee an unparalleled dining experience. Visit any of the 13 participating locations across the Lower Mainland: Coal Harbour, Yaletown, Bentall, English Bay, Robson, Ash, West Broadway (Granville), North Burnaby, Metrotown, Byrne Road, Richmond Centre, Park Royal and North Vancouver.

CACTUS CLUB CAFE cactusclubcafe.com

Chickpea’s the place to be for those who crave delicious plant-based comfort food with a Mediterranean twist. Our innovative dishes are created with love and served by friendly staff in a funky inside meets outside setting. Join us for a life-changing meal and help spread some Chickpeace to the world.

CHICKPEA

4298 Main Street 604-620-0602 ilovechickpea.ca @ilovechickpea

Always pushing the boundaries and celebrating Canadian ingredients and stories, 2019 Dine Out™ will be no different at Edible Canada as they continue to explore food and culture focusing on wild Canadian seafood and game (think of Qualicum Bay Scallops, bone marrow, duck and lobster). A menu that will excite every palate, inspiring those with an adventurous nature.

EDIBLE CANADA

1596 Johnston Street ediblecanada.com

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any Vancouver’s only ‘Tide to Table’ seafood restaurant, Fanny Bay Oyster Bar offers up the freshest shellfish experience for its guests in a casual setting that reflects their Vancouver Island farm vibe. Watch the expert shuckers building your seafood platter on the raw bar or order a unique dish from Chef Chris Andraza’s seasonal menu.

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FANNY BAY OYSTER BAR

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762 Cambie Street 778.379.9510 fannybayoysters.com

Located in the heart of Yaletown, West Oak features a modern yet rustic room, where guests can dine with a view into the open concept kitchen. West Oak’s menu features local produce, fresh and sustainable Oceanwise certified seafood, and locally sourced meat that is organic and naturally raised. West Oak is Vancouver’s go-to spot for fine cuisine and a serene dining experience.

WEST OAK RESTAURANT 1035 Mainland Street 604.629.8808 westoakvancouver.com

Vanishing glass walls reveal spectacular views of the water and Stanley park as you dine off the signature West Coast plates.

Other features include an upper deck patio and outdoor fireplaces.

Open for lunch and dinner daily, brunch on weekends.

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LIFT BAR GRILL VIEW 333 Menchions Mews 604.689.5438 liftbarandgrill.com

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THE TRUMP CHAMPAGNE LOUNGE

604.979.8885 ttcl.vancouver@trumphotels.com

IMAGE CREDIT

Enjoy a handcrafted 3-course meal, curated by Head Chef, Jerome Norton, at the Trump Champagne Lounge for Dine Out™ 2019. The menu features locally grown ingredients, decadent desserts by the renowned Pastry Chef, Fumiko Moreton, and BC wine pairings selected

by Wine Director, Robert Stelmachuk.

Experience what it taste, smells, and feels like to be catered by a team of the best in Vancouver.

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COURTESY OF FOUR SEASONS RESORT AND RESIDENCES WHISTLER

YOU ARE ALRE ADY BE AU TIFUL L U C E AT L U X V E S T R A

E VA L I N A B E AU T Y.C O M C R U E LT Y A N D PA R A B E N F R E E

COMING SOON SPRING 2019

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VA N M AG .C O M/S T Y L E

Culture ON THE RISE

COURTESY OF FOUR SEASONS RESORT AND RESIDENCES WHISTLER

CUTTING EDGE Adam-Lin Bungag describes his decision to pursue fashion as “a happy accident,” but only two years into his career, it’s clear he’s discovered his calling. Founder of made-to-order unisex clothing line Not Dead Yet, the Philippine-born designer crafts brash, voluminous garments using fabrics like PVC and Tyvek that lend his asymmetrical button-ups, drop-crotch trousers and capacious jackets an undeniable edge—one that’s fluid enough for just about anyone to rock. “I don’t think clothing has a gender,” he says. The 23-year-old has presented latex-laden and punk-inspired collections at Vancouver Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week, and recently came out on top in an episode of Stitched, a competitive Choppedlike style series airing on Slice. For Bungag, fashion is more than the production of textiles—it’s an opportunity to explore his queer identity while encouraging the same introspection in others. “A lot of what I do is queer storytelling,” he explains. by

Lucy Lau

photograph by

Lindsay Siu

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Culture T H E H O T TA K E

HOT HOT HEAT

j Balaclavas tend

Winter basics don’t have to be so, well, basic with these welcome, unexpected takes. by Amanda Ross

o The Stella down jacket from Nordic outerwear phenom Peak Performance is a casual oversized coat born from a manufacturing process that’s anything but casual. The European company follows all ethical and responsible practices—with just one scan of the tag, see exactly which farm the down came from. $600, peakperformance.com

to look best on skiers (less so on peeping Toms), but with Scottish heritage brand Robert Mackie’s 100-percent British wool version exclusive to Canada Goose, you can go from ski hill (or back alley) to stylish urban outing with just one roll of the rim. $275, canadagoose.ca

i Lululemon’s new Masons Peak flannel shirt reimagines that quintessential men’s staple, the lumberjack top.

Layer this wrinklefree, fitted version or wear it on its own to stay warm and strapping. $128, lululemon.com

j Get to the bottom of it and put Hunter’s luxury shearling insoles inside all your winter footwear for a cozy, warm approach. $30, hunterboots.ca

j These boots were made for walking—and hiking and romping in snow, too. Native’s Jimmy 3.0 Treklites feature a lightweight lug sole and come Vancouver-ready water-resistant. $150, nativeshoes.com

NOW OPEN

Dermapure

3568 W 41st Ave., dermapure.com

k Cult-fave natural-beauty brand Aromatherapy

Associates launches its new anti-aging hydrosol sheet masks just in time for winter weather.

Made with hand-blended essential oils, the face-fitting sheets’ plumping action helps lift and firm skin, as well as moisturize with frankincense, hyaluronic acid and turmeric. $85 for a pack of four, aromatherapyassociatescanada.com

With the arrival of its first Vancouver clinic, Dermapure combines the latest cutting-edge skin rejuvenating technologies thanks in part to its high-wattage team, like west-side fave Dr. Frances Jang. Find a full lineup of skin-care and body treatments, including the Venus Freeze, the most effective way yet to combat cellulite.

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L U C Y LOV E S

p These dress socks’ one-of-a-kind

Culture

abstract print—created by Strathcona Stockings founder Ryley O’Byrne using India ink—will look just as good peeking out above well-worn Docs as they will layered with a pair of chunky heels. $36, strathconastockings.com

k Take a walk on the wild side

with Dash and Albert’s hooked area rug, which, with its plush wool construction and fab all-over pattern, should transform any space into an impromptu runway.

From $338, gildandco.com

j Vancouver’s precipitation-packed forecasts will have you pouncing on cult Danish label Ganni’s raincoat, which features high-contrast details and extralarge pockets for those ever-expanding smartphones. $375, thebay.com

WILDEST DREAMS

Leopard is this season’s ubiquitous, most can’t-betamed print—oh, and a total neutral, if you ask us. by

Lucy Lau

p Designed by the folks in H&M’s

home division, this playful cushion cover—decorated with a more literal interpretation of winter’s most primitive print—will take your sofa from basic to fierce focal point. $14.99, hm.com

k Luxury glass-mosaic producer Bisazza is fond of the dramatic, but its leopard collection may just be the most attentiongrabbing design yet. Incorporate the square tiles into a backsplash or as a decorative accent—in a shower or powder room, for example—for a subtler look.

Price on request, informinteriors.com

m Loungewear gets a luxe

upgrade with these cashmere leopard pants by grungy New York– based brand R13. Pair them with their matching hoodie for maximum impact. $555, rebeccabree.com

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Culture T H E T I C K E T

Of Wine and Unicorns Alyssa Hirose

UNICORN BALL DATE: February 2 VENUE: Imperial Vancouver PRICE: From $22 vancouverpride.ca The Vancouver Pride Society’s Unicorn Ball is back for a third year of glorious sparkling realness. Among all the glitz and glam of this fabulous fundraiser is the Love Bus, a hot-pink LED-lit repurposed school bus patronized by tens of thousands of plastic balls.

Celebrate Pride, experience the bus/ball-pit hybrid and be sure to mind the very strict dress code of all things unicorn.

(Don’t forget: bedazzled is the new black.) With burlesque performances, drag royalty and unicorn-themed eats (god bless the inventor of edible sparkles), this party is one you’ll not soon forget—in part due to glitter’s uncanny ability to stick around for months after you thought you were rid of it.

FEMME SERIES DATE: January 15 to February 16 VENUE: The Cultch PRICE: From $10 thecultch.com Check out this international performance series of badass female-identifying artists, including an all-female reimagining of Much Ado About Nothing

by Vancouver’s own Classic Chic Productions.

Now, Now

Unicorn Ball Vancouver International Wine Festival

Selina Thompson, Push Festival

JFL Northwest

PUSH INTERNATIONAL PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL DATE: January 17 to February 3 VENUE: Multiple Venues PRICE: From $20 pushfestival.ca Celebrate the 15th anniversary of this live performing-arts festival featuring groundbreaking and genre-bending shows, including Maori dancer Victoria Hunt’s seismic solo Copper Promises.

HIPPO CAMPUS WITH NOW, NOW DATE: February 8 VENUE: Imperial Vancouver PRICE: From $25 imperialvancouver.com Radiate coolness by flooding your Insta-story with videos of you shamelessly belting out this indie rock band’s eclectic tunes.

THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND: THE ULTIMATE GOLDEN GIRLS EXPERIENCE DATE: February 13 VENUE: The Vogue Theatre PRICE: From $34 voguetheatre.com Test out our theory that everything is better with puppets at this weirdly specific Golden Girls’ off-Broadway puppet show.

JFL NORTHWEST DATE: February 14 to 23 VENUE: Multiple venues PRICE: From $5 jflnorthwest.com LOL at hilarious celebrities and up-and-coming locals alike at this killer comedy festival, featuring a new three-day block party with music, food trucks and Just for Laughs: Gags on repeat.

VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL WINE FESTIVAL DATE: February 23 to March 3 VENUE: Vancouver Convention Centre PRICE: From $49

vanwinefest.ca Sip and savour at the largest wine festival in the Americas, featuring 160 wineries from around the world and a special focus on California vintners.

BATTLE OF THE BRUSH DATE: February 22 VENUE: Heritage Hall PRICE: From $15 goldenbrushart.com Art and sport become one as teams of local artists go brushto-brush at this live painting competition.

DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE WOMEN’S MEMORIAL MARCH DATE: February 14 VENUE: The Downtown Eastside PRICE: Free womensmemorialmarch .wordpress.com Support, honour and march for the missing and murdered Indigenous and non-Indigenous women of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

NOW, NOW: SAM SAN ROMAN; SELINA THOMPSON: RICHARD DAVENPORT

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NOW, NOW: SAM SAN ROMAN; SELINA THOMPSON: RICHARD DAVENPORT

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Culture R E V I E W S

SHELL SHOCKED

The city couldn′t wait for Coquille to open and solve our seafood woes—but does the Gastown spot deliver on its promise?

Neal McLennan

At restaurants, there are good dilemmas and bad dilemmas. An example of the former: “There are so many good choices, I don’t know what to order.” Of the latter: “My calamari are so overly deep-fried that I can’t pierce the rock-hard crust with my fork—and they are so liberally covered in squeeze-bottle sauce that I can’t pick them up with my fingers.” Guess which one I was presented with on a recent Friday night at Coquille?

Coquille was hyped like few restaurants in recent Vancouver history. The internet couldn’t wait for owners Lee Cooper, Nin Rai and Jack Chen (all of L’Abattoir) to finally solve the city’s nagging lack of a really great, modern seafood restaurant that would be relaxed and well priced. A choice Gastown location (1 Water Street) was secured; design impresarios Glasfurd and Walker undertook an ambitious branding program (right down to the custom dishware); and a smart-looking website went up, advising people that “for parties of six or more, we recommend making reservations at least two weeks in advance.”

But the path that once seemed so sure has been far from smooth.

There have been staffing issues,

Sémillon house white Spicy Marinated Octopus Bouillabaisse

The two starters were so different in both presentation and conception that it’s tough to imagine them coming from the same era, let alone the same kitchen.

Menu design by Glasfurd and Walker

THE DEETS

Coquille Fine Seafood

181 Carrall Street 604-559-6009 coquillefineseafood.com

Co-owner and chef Lee Cooper

Hours: Open daily 11:30 a.m. until late Happy hour, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. until close

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MENU: GL ASFURD AND WALKER/JOHN SHERLOCK

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MENU: GL ASFURD AND WALKER/JOHN SHERLOCK

A Flawless Design by Palladio like any new spot faces these days, but the biggest problem may have been the departure of chef Chen—he still owns a business interest but is no longer active in the kitchen. That might account for the serious lack of consistency. On the night of the impermeable cephalopods, there were moments of absolute clarity: our first dish was an order of smoked yellowfin tuna crudo that came out so quickly after ordering that I immediately feared it had been pre-made and unwrapped, special, just for us.

But in reality, the three slabs of fish were generously portioned, and their firm flesh had been teased with a hit of smoke and supplemented with tamarind in a simple, clean and modern presentation. Excellent, really.

I had initially ordered both the calamari and the fritto misto, but our friendly server returned to the table and pointed out (perhaps in warning, in retrospect) that both were deep fried, so I took the opportunity to sub in the shellfish-and-celeryroot chowder for the latter. This choice turned out to be a rather modestly sized bowl of soup that was everything the calamari was not: it was extravagantly garnished with architectural shards of shredded fried potatoes, and the soup itself had great balance—richness without heaviness. The prawns were perfectly cooked, no small feat in a chowder. The two starters were so different in both presentation and conception that it’s tough to imagine them coming from the same era, let alone the same kitchen.

I had actually visited Coquille during their opening month and had a pleasant meal: the octopus, always a great litmus

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Prepared for Palladio Insertion: Jan & Feb Issue BW ad for Vancouver Sun Due: Dec 13, 2018 4 col x 90 lines (4.046" x 6.429") Rep: Niki Rivero File Name: PAL28048_Palladio_VancouverMag_New-Engagement-Ring_Jan&Feb-issue.ai Dec 7, 2018/Creative

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Culture R E V I E W S The meal ends with a cherry on top.

Literally.

Soft-Serve Sundae

A pretty room designed by David Hepworth

Plane created by consulting rock star Shaun Layton, which showcases a great cocktail for a sweet $10. But when one moves to wine, there’s not a single bottle under $50. So it’s “approachable” in what way? Hats off to the house wine from Nichol—a sémillon and a syrah that are both bristling with energy—but at $63 for either (for a house wine!), you’re starting the conversation in pretty rarefied territory.

The meal ends with a cherry on top. Literally. Soft-serve ice cream with brownies and fudge sauce that has what appears to be a maraschino from a jar placed atop. Is it supposed to be ironic? It’s actually quite good—it’s ice cream, hot fudge and two-bite brownies, after all—but its presentation is straight from the Old Spaghetti Factory up the street. Where it would be half the price. My tally for the evening for two: with tip, $233.54 The result is a place that’s difficult to make heads or tails of—peaks and

valleys of Himalayan proportions.

A few days later, fearing I was being uncharitable, I return for lunch and this time I notice it’s Lee Cooper who’s at the stove, and a sense of consistency seems to have returned. The scallop crudo are again generously portioned, fresh and bright. An almost deconstructed bouillabaisse that’s more plate than bowl immediately wins me over with its high-low: fingers of grilled cheese toast resting side by side with plump shrimp and mussels.

But I wonder if it’s too little, too late. The spot was half full at lunch and, while full on the previous Friday night, it was easy to score a table on a day’s notice—which is not a harbinger of success in this town. Yelpers seem to be in love with the spot, and hopefully that enthusiasm is enough for some level of consistency to take root. But until then, I don’t think it’s necessary to book two weeks in advance.

INTERIOR: EDIBLICIOUS PHOTOGRAPHY

test of a kitchen’s ability and focus, came out perfectly moist with just the right amount of give; however, serving it atop toast didn’t do much to allow the flavour to really shine.

And the hamachi crudo was served in a minimalist presentation with radish and a Thai vinaigrette that was light but not particularly fresh-tasting. I neglected to review it then, on the unwritten local rule that critics are supposed to give a restaurant time to “find its feet” (a concept seemingly imported from Broadway, although plays in preview mode are significantly less expensive than regular-run tickets, a key point restaurants seem to ignore in adopting this idea).

But 10 months later, Jack Chen is gone and the cooking is being done by the already-fully-employed-atL’Abattoir Lee Cooper (although he wasn’t in the kitchen the night I visited) with chef de cuisine Chris Janowski. When it comes time for the mains, first up is a lobster risotto that’s liberally studded with beautiful chunks of lobster meat.

It’s an odd risotto in that it channels freshness over comfort, but if you’re looking for lightness in your risotto (a small minority, one assumes), it’s a hit. And at $28, it’s only $2 more than what Popina charges for a lobster roll served on a cardboard plate and bussed yourself. But then the whipsaw—a large slab of ling cod is aggressively salted, with a sear so thick it almost requires a steak knife to access. And it’s served with what can only be described as briny tartar sauce. Worse, at $31, it’s only $6 less than L’Abattoir’s superior version.

To boot, at Coquille you’ll need to pony up an extra $7 to $9 if you want vegetables with it, which seems odd for a spot that’s supposed to be more casual and affordable.

And things don’t get any clearer with the libations. On the one hand, I started the meal with an on tap Paper

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INTERIOR: EDIBLICIOUS PHOTOGRAPHY

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Culture S O M E T I M E I N VA N C O U V E R

4:30 P.M. KEEFER AND GORE

The glow from the window of a neighbourhood barbecue joint brings a moment of warmth to a dark winter night. photograph by

Grant Harder

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SEE THE SUNSET FROM WHEREVER YOU WANT TO. With the 2019 Subaru Outback, every route can be the scenic route.

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Crispy Tofu Bowl and Tuna Poke Bowl Pairs well with your New Year’s resolution. soy chili tofu or sesame ginger ocean wise™ ahi, jasmine rice, mango, cucumber, avocado, edamame, radish.

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