Quench October 2018

OCTOBER 2018

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MAV CHEFS

2018

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ADAMO TO COME

OCTOBER 2018 18 ADAPTING SEAN WOOD

HAS NOVA SCOTIA’S TIDAL BAY APPELLATION REACHED A TIPPING POINT?

35 AWAKENING

CHRISTINE SISMONDO PA’ LANTE! NOTHING CAN HOLD PUERTO RICO DOWN.

40

16 | WHERE SCIENCE MEETS VINE GILLES BOIS The search for a disease-resistant grape was on.

How di he do it?

21 | MAVERICK CHEFS 2018 AMANDA SIDDALL

RISING

TOD STEWART REGIONAL SAKE STYLES ARE NOW DOMINATING THE CONVERSATION.

22 Stéphanie Audet, Montreal 24 Todd Perrin, St. John’s, Newfoundland 26 Mitchell Bates, Toronto 28 Steven Brochu, Beaumont, Alberta

30 | STRENGTH IN DIVERSITY TIM PAWSEY BC is stuck between two Pinots.

38 | REDEFINING MOMENT MICHAELA MORRIS The changing face of Marsala.

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BACK OF THE BOOK 42 | YOU HAD ME AT PUMPKIN SPICE NANCY JOHNSON

EDITOR’S NOTE

It’s fall. It’s everywhere. Take advantage of it.

44 | BUYING GUIDE The best wine, beer and spirits from around the world, critiqued by our expert tasting panel.

64 | PRIVATIZATION OR BUST GURVINDER BHATIA Is Alberta getting privitization all wrong?

66 | I’M MOVING ON UP TONY ASPLER Everyone needs a change in scenery from time to time.

JOIN US IN THE CONVERSATION

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4 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

I SALIVATE EVERY TIME THIS ISSUE ROLLS AROUND. AS WE COMB THROUGH ALL THE SUGGESTIONS FROM WRITERS AND EDITORS AS TO WHICH CHEFS TO INCLUDE IN THE MAVERICK CHEFS ISSUE, I CAN’T HELP BUT THINK OF FOOD. Of course, this

makes me think of my greatest meal ever ... which prompts an internal battle as to when, exactly, that actually was.

Great meals suggest great company. Now I keep the most amazing company, but the meals I seem to remember the most are those quiet conversations with chefs in the back of their restaurants as they walk me through their process or simply introduce me to the kitchen.

One of those meals came about in the most roundabout way. We recently had the chance to visit British Columbia thanks to the Vancouver International Wine Festival. Our creative director and I had some extra time and decided to travel to the somewhat secluded Galiano Island. There we met with past Mav Chef Jesse McCleery at Pilgrimme Restaurant. Our Mav Chefs get a lot of praise and fanfare when the list comes out, and I was anxious to see how Jesse was dealing with this and all his other accolades.

He opened the kitchen up for us and walked us through his process sourcing locally, highlighting ingredients while not drowning them in technique.

At the end of our stay, we sat down with his staff at their pre-service dinner and talked about how they got there and where they were going.

Meals tend to open up conversations — creating intimacy with strangers. We are all together sharing.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget that meal. Simple and subdued, it reminded me that being a maverick isn’t always about being big.

XAD TM

Crafting 100% Nova Scotia wines that reflect our maritime climate and coastal terroir.

BLOMIDON IN FOLDER www.blomidonwine.ca

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WWW.QUENCH.ME EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Aldo Parise editor@quench.me WINE EDITOR

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TASTERS

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WHAT IS THE GREATEST MEAL YOU EVER HAD?

The greatest meals are those made by my husband. He’s a great cook who caters to my simple tastes. I’m spoiled to get so many good ones!

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CONTRIBUTORS

Tim Pawsey (a.k.a. The Hired Belly) is a much-travelled food and wine critic. He writes, tweets and shoots for the North Shore News and Vancouver Courier. In 2012, Tim was honoured to be inducted as a “Friend of the Industry” into the BCRFA Hall of Fame. Taste with him vicariously at www.hiredbelly.com and follow him at www.rebelmouse.com/hiredbelly.

WHAT IS THE GREATEST MEAL YOU EVER HAD?

An all-Champagne dinner in Reims where every course, from lobster bisque to duck a l’orange and even the dégustation des fromages, was paired with vintage Charles Heidsieck and others, proving that, indeed, there is a Champagne for every occasion …

Printed in Canada on 10% POST-CONSUMER RECYCLED FIBRES.

OCTOBER 2018 7

UMAMI LISA HOEKSTRA

THIS IS BUGGING ME If you ask anyone what they think about eating bugs, you’d expect to get an “ick”. However, according to Jarrod Goldin, president of Entomo Farms, North America’s largest human-grade edible insect farm, that’s not actually the typical response.

“I think the idea of this ick factor is hyperbolic,” says Goldin. “A lot of people care about the planet and care about their health. They’re looking for solutions and if it’s something unusual and not what they’re culturally used to, they’re not automatically turned off.”

South African-born Goldin and his brothers, Darren and Ryan, are the minds behind Entomo Farms. The Norwood, Ontario-based farm raises crickets and mealworms, some of which are transformed into powder, while others are roasted and sold whole, as crunchy snacks.

They started the project because Goldin was looking for a venture the three could do together. His brothers, both entrepre8 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

neurs, owned a business raising insects for the reptile, bait and fishing trades. “We’ve always had a very strong affinity for the planet and sustainability,” Goldin mentions.

Nutrition has always been of great interest to Goldin. A chiropractor by trade, he has witnessed the disjointed relationship between health and food in North America. “In North America we’ve basically ended up with this bifurcated issue of obesity on the left and anorexia on the right with few people in the middle who are well adjusted. But I think there’s a massive paradigm shift on us and that’s changing.”

In the future, Goldin hopes that everyone will have a shaker of cricket powder as part of their kitchen essentials, sitting right there beside the salt and the pepper. “Whatever dish you’re making, whenever meal you’re making, you’re going to add a little bit of cricket powder the same way you would add a pinch of salt or a pinch of sugar.”

As for that ick factor that everyone likes to assume is the normal response to eating crickets, it’s not something that has held Goldin and his brothers back. “We drove the value proposition of health, sustainability and yummy-ness,” he explains.

“If it were only whole, big fat roasted insects that people have to eat, then we probably wouldn’t have the business we have. But the idea that we create this very ubiquitous powder … is really what’s changed the game.” ×

NEW

PREMIUM SAKE

XAD

SAKE IN FOLDER

Easy to drink, Manga sakeis a high quality Junmai.

Originating from the brithplace of sake in Japan and produced by a famous and highly respected japanese sake brewery dating from the 19th century Meiji era.

XAD

ARABELLA IN FOLDER

LAZY MIXOLOGIST CHRISTINE SISMONDO

ACID TRIP REMEMBER THE BAD OLD DAYS OF POWDERED-LIME BAR MIX? If not, consider yourself lucky. In the 1980s and ‘90s, just

about every juicy cocktail, be it a daiquiri, margarita, gin rickey or Tom Collins, started out with a bag of green powder — a less-than-artisanal blend of sugar, sodium, artificial flavour, green colour and citric acid. All bartenders had to do was add water and shake to produce a week’s supply of slightly glowing green “juice.”

Craft cocktail bartenders in the first decade of the new millennium put an end to all that by investing in juicers and promoting a fresh-is-best mentality. In a surprising new development, however, a new crop of bartenders is questioning the virtues of fresh juice and starting to experiment with acid. This time around, though, bartenders assure us it will be better. No day-glo lime bar mix. Promise.

“In the 1980s and 1990s, it was sold by big companies who added colour, bad artificial flavours and a lot of sugar to deal with the mouthfeel problem of straight citric acid,” says Nick Kennedy, co-owner of Toronto’s Civil Liberties. “Citric acid can be really hard on the palate, but you can easily fix that just by adding an essential oil.”

Kennedy builds his sour mix by starting with an oleo-saccharum — an antique punch base revered for its ability to release intense fruit flavours in drinks — that’s dead simple to make × VISIT WWW.QUENCH.ME/MIXED/ FOR MORE DRINK RECIPES

(recipe below). To that, Kennedy adds his signature “LSD mix,” a blend of citric, tartaric, malic and lactic acids, each of which adds a particular flavour profile to the cocktail base. Says Kennedy: “At that point, it’s really hard to distinguish it from fresh lime juice, because it’s got all the acids and all the oils your mouth is looking for.”

So why even bother? If you’re thinking convenience, you’re mostly wrong, since the chief virtues of the acids are stability and precision.

Fresh is great, but bartenders grow frustrated over finnicky recipes failing when seasonal changes in produce lead to sweeter or more acidic citrus. Home bartenders might shrug this off, since consistency is less important for home entertaining than in a bar that charges $16 per drink, but Kennedy argues it might make even more sense for a home enthusiast, since home users typically face more problems with spoilage than high-volume bars.

“One of the most common questions I get is how we get such great shelf-life off our housemade mixers,” he says. “In a lot of cases, it’s making use of these acids.”

Kennedy’s favourite acid-juice is orange since it solves another age-old bartender problem, namely that fresh OJ can easily overwhelm a cocktail. That’s why we don’t see as many craft cocktails with an orange juice base — a problem that acids fix. Here’s his solution for the legendary but not actually very tasty Blood and Sand cocktail, beginning with the oleo-saccharum base.

BLOOD AND SAND (AND ACID)

3/4 3/4 3/4 3/4

oz Monkey Shoulder blended Scottish whisky oz Heering Cherry liqueur oz Sweet Vermouth oz Orange Acid Mix*

Add all ingredients to an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake well. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a Luxardo cherry and an orange twist.

*ORANGE ACID MIX

5 2 1/2 1 1/4 1 1/4 100

g citric acid g malic acid g lactic acid g tartaric acid g fresh orange juice

Mix all ingredients together and bottle in a sterile vessel. Kennedy notes that the orange acid formula works better with fresh juice than oleo-saccharum, which he uses to make sour mix. × OCTOBER 2018 11

THINGS LISA HOEKSTRA

TAKEN BY THE BARREL Dillon’s is a small batch distillery in Beamsville, Ontario that is producing a line of spirits to complement their already successful gin. For Dillon’s Rye Whisky, they use local grains and barrels (all Canadian, all Ontario) — this fact alone makes you want to support them, especially with the #buylocal trend increasing in popularity. However, the rye whisky itself is not quite where experienced whisky drinkers want their tipple to be.

On the nose, there was a little sweet citrus, but it was mostly dominated by alcohol. The flavour hits full force on the tip of the tongue - it’s sweet and smooth, with standard Rye Whisky flavours of caramel and vanilla. The sweetness isn’t artificial, like other Canadian whiskies. It’s a very subtle sweetness that belies the all natural ingredients.

It then slides past the mid-palate with little to no fan fare and hits hard on the finish. Long, drawn out and harsh, this is a whisky for adventurous drinkers who like to try new things and want to taste what Ontario has to offer. It’s an on-the-rocks sipper. Unfortunately, as it stands right now, it’s a bit too high in alcohol to be a real treat.

Every batch Dillon’s produces improves though; we anticipate that they will release a quality Rye Whisky in the future, so keep trying their bottles to experience the development first hand.

DILLON’S RYE WHISKY / $40 12 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

LAGER THAN LIFE ROBIN LEBLANC

CHEERS TO (NEAR) BEER WALK THROUGH ANY GROCERY STORE AND EVENTUALLY YOU’LL FIND YOURSELF IN THE “SPECIALTY DRINKS” AISLE. Among the malt sodas

and cans of coconut water, you’ll most certainly find the non-alcoholic section and chances are good that it will have been picked clean. Non-alcoholic options, it turns out, are vastly popular.

And why wouldn’t they be? While originally kicking off in popularity during Prohibition, non-alcoholic beer (0.5% ABV or under) has a lot of fans, from pregnant women and people with medical situations that prohibit alcohol to folks who don’t partake for religious reasons.

While many may scoff at even considering the non-alcoholic option, it needs to be said that our society’s drinking culture is so prominent that many feel alienated for simply not being able to drink; they want to join in on the fun with their friends without crossing the line.

Unfortunately, most of the mainstream options out there are pretty terrible, brewed mostly by the big brewers and often resembling something along the

lines of carbonated water. With that kind of quality, it’s no wonder that non-alcoholic beer gets a bad rap.

Thankfully, it’s not all bad. While less readily available in stores, many renowned German breweries, such as Erdinger, Weihenstephaner and Krombacher, have put their centuries of brewing experience to good use by making some fantastic non-alcoholic versions of their beers. The most commonly found are Krombacher Pils, featuring a beautiful grain aroma and a nice dry finish; and Erdinger Alkoholfrei, which is on par with their exceptional wheat beers. Both are personal favourites of mine and do a fantastic job of being both refreshing and destroying any misconceptions about NA beer.

For the more hard to find options there is a Canadian site, PremiumNearBeer.com, which has offered a wide selection of non-alcoholic beer and wine since 2013. The site’s founder, Ted Fleming, a beer lover who suddenly became unable to drink after a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease, has made it his mission to remove

the stigma surrounding non-alcoholic beverages and proudly sets out to help customers up their game as non-drinkers or attentive hosts.

It should be said however that Fleming does more than just sell other people’s non-alcoholic brands — he actually has his own. Partake Brewing went through an extensive development phase, even appearing on the hit show Dragon’s Den, scoring a $300K deal with Manjit Minhas. Her experience as co-founder of Minhas Breweries & Distillery in Calgary helped make the dream into a reality.

Currently the two beers available from Partake are the IPA and Pale Ale, both at 0.3% ABV and using a low-alcohol brewing process instead of an extraction-style one. Perhaps the best thing about these two beers is the hop character. In fact, I daresay they make the best use of quality hops I’ve seen in a non-alcoholic beer, coming through marvellously in the aroma and taste.

So if you’re looking for quality beers during a dry month, you’re covered. × OCTOBER 2018 13

TBY BRIE DEMA

RAFAEL PALACIOS LOURO GODELLO 2016, VALDERRORAS, SPAIN ($33)

UP AND COMING When I say Spanish wine, what do you think of?

Do you picture the traditional oak-forward Tempranillo blends from Rioja?

Those aged and age-worthy, sturdy reds that speak of sweet and savoury dried red fruit, earth, and leather? Or perhaps the similarly mature white Riojas made from Viura grapes; complex, but with a noted oxidation? These styles of wine remind us of tradition and culture, but they don’t necessarily reflect the shift in the modern palate towards fruit and freshness. This is where the new generation of Spanish winemakers find themselves - how to embrace their tradition and yet move with the times.

There is a whole lot to love about the lively wines of up-and-coming young winemakers like Daniel Landi, Rafael Palacios and the Envinate gang of four, who work with native Spanish grapes, but whose wines are anything but traditional.

14 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

Born into winemaking at his well-known family estate in Rioja, Rafael branched out to the little known region of Valderroras and began working with an old, forgotten vineyard of the near extinct white grape Godello. The result is a concentrated, firm, zippy white with aromas of pear, peach and orchard blossoms.

There is incredible depth on the palate, with a lees creaminess complementing the bright acidity, and just a touch of almond from the use of large neutral oak barrel.

ENVINATE LOUSAS VIÑA DE ALDEA MENCIA 2016, RIBEIRA SACRA, SPAIN ($35)

Envinate (translates to ‘Wine Yourself’) is a team of four young winemakers that graduated from enology school and shared the common goal of crafting low intervention, terroir expressive wines.

This Mencia is a blend of multiple old vine parcels and shows aromas of dense cherry, red plum fruit, flint, and a precise balance of freshness, firm tannin and moderate alcohol (12.5%). The flavours carry on for a long, fresh finish.

DANIEL GÓMEZ JIMÉNEZ LANDI LAS UVAS DE LA IRA GARNACHA 2016, MÉNTRIDA, SPAIN ($42)

Shifting the family farm from selling bulk grapes to organic and biodynamic viticulture, Dani is a part of the movement to reinvent Garnacha. The sites he works with are all high elevation on poor, vine challenging soils, and the wine reflects this with depth and concentration, though with an elegance I didn’t realize Garnacha was capable of. Ripe and fresh red berries, rustic herbs, white pepper and a dusty earth note. The palate gives way to a lightness, a fresh redcurrant fruit character with a rich plum and savoury rosemary flavour, and a not shy 14% of alcohol. Dense but transparent all at once. ×

BON VIVANT PETER ROCKWELL

ILLUSTRATION: MATT DALEY/SHINYPLIERS.COM

Why should I care about what glass I drink beer from?

Well, we’re not talking global warming, so you can care as much or as little as your beer-loving heart desires. After all, your favourite suds come in a receptacle designed for easy access. Just, as my mother always nagged, watch your front teeth if you’re indulging right out of the bottle.

That said, we have undoubtedly entered a period of beer drinking where a glass is a necessity and just any glass doesn’t seem to cut it anymore. Now, before you start blaming hipsters for hijacking yet another of life’s simple pleasures, the idea of pairing a specific brew with a glass designed to show off its nuances is nothing new.

In mainland Europe, bars and pubs take their beer very seriously, pouring their brews into a variety of glasses moulded to project the aroma and slosh out every flavour element. The Belgians took things to near religious levels by incorporating × ASK YOUR QUESTIONS AT BONVIVANT @ QUENCH.ME

a fancy cleaning process for their glassware accompanied by a no-nonsense service regimen that is performed with military precision no matter what watering hole you find yourself seated in.

Here in Canada, we’ve typically followed the direction of our British counterparts, preferring a simple Imperial pint glass. They’re easy to store and simple to clean so it was a no brainer that they became the unofficial beer conveyance system for locals across the country.

But times they are a-changin’.

The current craft beer craze that’s sweeping into every city, town and village across the nation has brought with it a re-evaluation of both what and how we drink when it comes to beer.

Before you cart off your current collection to Value Village and start investing in pricey, stylistically correct glasses, there are a couple that are versatile enough to show off a wide variety of beers. With its tubby bowl and tapered mouth, the Belgian tulip-shaped glass is a funkier take on the classic snifter. It’s become the go-to for many artisan breweries. Built for boozy and bitter India Pale Ales, it brings out the subtleties in any beer.

Blame it on my history with wine, but my favourite all-purpose glass is the Teku goblet. Invented in Italy, it plops an enhanced version of the tulip on top of a tall stem. Like a wine glass, it keeps your hot paws away from the cold brew while allowing for some sweet swirling action to help release those hidden aromatics.

No matter what style you choose, having some glassware for your beer is sure to enhance your beer-drinking experience. × OCTOBER 2018 15

WHERE SCIENCE MEETS VINE

by Gilles Bois

CLIMATE CHANGE AND RECENT CONSUMER TRENDS POSE A DOUBLE CHALLENGE TO VINE GROWERS. First,

global warming raises the alcohol level in wine when consumers prefer lighter wines, which are viewed as fresher and easier to drink. Second, extreme weather conditions (heatwaves and frost, or droughts followed by heavy rains and hail) are more common than ever before, which multiplies the risk of damages, diseases and pest invasions in the vineyard. Molds, such as mildew and oidium, are a constant threat. The traditional response to such ailments is chemical treatments, but their impact on human health and concerns for the environment are a rising preoccupa16 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

tion. Furthermore, organic, vegan and biodynamic wines, increasingly in demand, simply don’t use these chemicals.

Solutions are not easy to find, but there is hope for certain aspects of the problem, namely when it comes to molds.

Some grape varieties have a natural resistance to those diseases but unfortunately they are not members of the Vitis vinifera family. In this age of genomics, research is being done to identify the genetic material that may be responsible for this resistance and to inject it into the Vitis vinifera genome. So far, the results have been rather disappointing: not only was the resistance only partial, but it also diminished with each growing season. Something is miss-

ing, so scientists continue to look at interactions among different genes that are not yet fully understood.

Fortunately, another approach has been slowly brewing in the background and is now starting to show very promising results. As a bonus, it can also help with addressing a major problem climate change poses to wine grapes.

Around 40 years ago, a researcher at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique’s Pech Rouge lab in France’s Midi region quietly undertook a project to develop naturally resistant vines. His name was Alain Bouquet and he unfortunately died in 2009 before his results received widespread notoriety.

The story begins with a grape variety that has a strong natural resistance to both mildew and oidium, Muscadine (of the Vitis rotundifolia family, therefore not vinifera). At the beginning of the last century, curious experimenters were playing around with it, without really understanding from where the resistance was comes. One of the experiments involved crossing it with Malaga seedling, a Vitis vinifera variety from Spain. The resulting new grape was of course only 50 percent vinifera, so it was left aside, but the resistance to both diseases was intact.

Decades later, Bouquet took interest in those experiments and had his first stroke of genius: the resistance being intact in the new grape was a sign that the

might ask? In families, most siblings have a unique personality — with different talents, strengths and weaknesses — even if they come from the same parents. The same goes for vines, each child vine was slightly different from the next and the resulting wines were also different. Separate vinification allowed Bouquet to evaluate them individually, and only the most promising ones were retained for the important next step. As the resistance to disease was always present, thanks to its dominant nature, he could concentrate on qualities like lower alcohol potential and better taste. The selected vines were then multiplied through grafting to prepare for the next cycle, which started with a fresh backcrossing.

THE SEARCH FOR A DISEASE-RESISTANT GRAPE WAS ON, AND HOPES WERE HIGH. HOW DID HE DO IT?

gene responsible for it was a dominant one, which means it will always express itself when present. He then had a second idea: this unique quality opened the door to a long process of improvement based on something called backcrossing. This technique involves crossing a hybrid variety with one of its parents, or an another genetically similar variety, to produce offspring with more genetic similarity to the parent than the hybrid. The search for a disease-resistant grape was on, and hopes were high. How did he do it?

In his lab, Bouquet fertilized the flowers of the 50 percent vinifera grape with pollen from Cabernet Sauvignon (which is 100 percent vinifera), producing offspring grapes that were 75 percent vinifera. At maturity, the seeds from those berries were removed and planted in soil.

Each “child” vine was then left to grow until it produced enough fruit to make wine, which takes a minimum of 4 to 5 years. The grapes of each of those vines were harvested and vinified separately in very small tanks. Why separately, you

Over the years, and until his death in 2009, Alain Bouquet went through six more such cycles, each time increasing the vinifera proportion of the new generation. His breedings involved Grenache, Merlot, Sémillon, Riesling and more.

Starting with the fourth generation, some of the wines were judged to be of sufficient commercial quality. Thinking that more progress was possible, he continued his work. Today, his followers are still pursuing the project at Pech Rouge. The vinifera content of the latest generation is estimated at 99.2 percent. The time has come to move on to the next phase: out of the laboratory and into the field.

To this end, growers are now invited to lend a portion of their vineyards for planting the new varieties to learn more about how they perform in different soils and microclimates. At present, close to 12 hectares have been planted in the Midi.

The objective is to reach 100 hectares in three to four years. These plots are being carefully watched and their wines will be evaluated by experts, year after year. ×

This fascinating story was recounted at a conference held during the latest edition of Terroirs et Millésimes en Languedoc, an annual gathering of wine professionals in Carcassone, France, organized by the Conseil Interprofessionnel des vins du Languedoc.

The conference concluded with a tasting of 16 wines from the last three generations — six whites, three rosés and seven reds. The grapes still have obscure names like 3347 431 and 3176-21-11. However, real names will be given before production starts on a commercial basis. The quality was definitely there. Some of the whites had better acidity and were therefore more fresh; some reds were more tannic than others, but always with good balance and drinkability.

The aromas varied from fruity and citrusy to floral and mineral, much like the wines we taste every day. Two of the whites had an alcoholic potential below 11 percent, a sign that the grapes are producing less sugar, a plus as the climate gets warmer. So we may soon have to thank Alain Bouquet for the wine we drink.

OCTOBER 2018 17

ADAPTING

by Sean Wood

This year marks the eighth release of the signature Nova Scotia Tidal Bay appellation wines. The now well-established success of this concept, unique in Canada, has rested on the creation of strict new grape-growing and winemaking standards, and the creation of an independent tasting panel, which must pass all wines that wish to bear the Tidal Bay designation.

18 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

WINEMAKER JÜRG STUTZ FROM DOMAINE DE GRAND PRÉ

These wines are designed to exemplify the unique qualities of Nova Scotia’s distinctive terroir. Characterized by moderate alcohol and a lighter, food-friendly style, they pair exceptionally well with shellfish and other delicate sea foods. Tidal Bay wines are well suited to emerging trends favouring lighter wines and continue to grow in popularity, both in Canada and overseas.

As a member of the Independent Tasting Panel since the appellation was brought into being eight years ago, I have been struck by both improving quality and also how consistently the wines have reflected the crispness and lively, fruity freshness of the appellation character. Over the last several years, Nova Scotia, as elsewhere, has experienced generally warmer climate conditions. Given the changing climatic conditions, I wondered what the winemakers might be doing to successfully adapt. To find out, I recently canvassed several Tidal Bay producers.

Simon Rafuse, winemaker at Blomidon Estate Winery, had this to say: “We have had a run of warmer vintages the past few years. It’s pushed us towards earlier picking for the Tidal Bay. This was a conscious decision to ensure we continue to make the style of Tidal Bay we like best: crisp, drier, citrus-y and zippy.”

Ben Swetnam of Avondale Sky Winery echoed the same thoughts. He noted: “Since the launch of Tidal Bay with the 2010 vintage, we have had unusually warm harvests. From 2010 to 2017, only 2014 and 2011 could be described as typical or cool vintages. The rest have been quite warm.

“As a result, we’ve been gradually increasing the percentage of later-ripening varieties in our Tidal Bay blend. We planted 2.5 acres of Vidal to be able to increase the proportion of that higher-acid, later-ripening variety compared to L’Acadie Blanc, which ripens much earlier with lower acidity.

“We’re also exploring newer varieties to include in our Tidal Bay blend. We have agreements with new growers who have planted Frontenac Blanc and Gris, which help to balance the

lower-acid L’Acadie. We are also increasing our own plantings of vinifera with the potential to add some Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc to the blend.”

Gina Haverstock of Gaspereau Vineyards also confirmed the perception of a warming trend. Like her colleagues, she singled out 2017 as a year requiring special adaptation: “I toned back on the aromatic component (New York Muscat) in our 2017 Tidal Bay. This is because the Vidal and Ortega were very expressive and aromatic — even more so, I would argue, than previously.

This is of course due to a beautiful 2017 season. We went from 12 percent Muscat in our 2016 Tidal Bay to only 8 percent in the 2017 without giving up any aromatics in the overall blend.”

Haverstock also pointed out that warmer conditions were enabling better results with lower residual sweetness. In 2017, she stated: “I was able to draw back a bit on the residual sugar. In other words, the acid/sweetness balance that I strive to achieve every year in our Tidal Bay was reached at a lower residual sugar level due to a lower acidity in the blend.”

Jurg Stütz of Domaine de Gand Pré reported making a similar adjustment to tone down the aromatic Muscat in his blend and “bring out more of the finesse and delicate flavours of the other varieties.” John McLarty, owner and winemaker at Planters Ridge, stated that with riper grapes coming in, he had to keep a close eye on things to avoid exceeding permitted alcohol levels.

He was not as concerned about dropping acidity, though, as he uses high components of both Frontenac Gris and Blanc, which have naturally higher acidity.

One way or another, all the winemakers I contacted have been making conscious adjustments to address warming conditions. Unfortunately, there may be an ironic twist to this story.

Early this June, Nova Scotia was hit by a couple of wicked frosts.

While it is still too early to be definitive, the 2018 vintage may present a very different picture.

OCTOBER 2018 19

Since moderate alcohol is one of the most important defining factors in the appellation character of these wines, the alcohol content has been included in the description of each wine.

AVONDALE SKY 2017, 9.6% ($22)

Very pale green in colour, this one opens on the nose with aromatic grapefruit and green herbal notes followed by mellower scents of stone fruit. Crisp sensations on the palate are like biting into a combination of white peach and green apple, evolving to a touch of citrus backed by signature Nova Scotia mineral and vibrant acidity on the delicately off-dry finish.

PLANTERS RIDGE 2017, 11% ($21)

A blend of five varieties: l’Acadie, Frontenac Blanc, Frontenac Gris, Seyval Blanc and New York Muscat, this very pale green wine presents subtle white blossom scents with notes of fresh orchard fruit.

Smooth and supple on the palate, it offers citrus, green apple and crisp stone fruit flavours, finishing with stony mineral and signature mouth-cleansing acidity.

BENJAMIN BRIDGE 2017, 10% ($22)

Very pale appearance, with delicate floral and yellow fruit scents, and a faint but discernible herbal overtone. Very crisp entry on the palate, with grapefruit and green apple flavours, firm mineral and mouth-puckering acidity.

DOMAINE DE GRAND PRÉ 2017, 11% ($20)

Light green/straw in colour showing beguiling floral scents evincing rose petal perfume together with notes of ripe stone fruit. Green orchard fruit and stone fruit flavours show up in the mouth with apricot notes kicking on the back palate, supported by stony mineral grip and incisive acidity. A luscious, deftly balanced, harmonious wine.

MERCATOR VINEYARDS 2017, ESTATE GROWN, WOLFVILLE, 11% ($25)

GASPEREAU VINEYARDS 2017, 11% ($22)

LUCKETT VINEYARDS 2017, 11% ($22)

The four varieties making up this blend are Seyval Blanc, Vidal, Ortega and New York Muscat. Crystal clear light green in colour, showing refined floral scents with subtle rose petal perfume and background yellow fruit. Flavours of green apple and stone fruit combine in the mouth with prickly zest and chalky mineral sensations. Finishes with a delicate touch of sweetness deftly balanced by crisp acidity and drying minerality.

Composed of four varieties: l’Acadie, Ortega, Seyval Blanc and Traminette. This one opens with fragrant fruit blossoms, green apple and minty herbal scents. Complex citrus, green apple and stone fruit flavours manifest themselves on the palate, with supple white peach and stony mineral lingering on the crisply refreshing finish.

This is Luckett’s best Tidal Bay to date.

A blend of Vidal, l’Acadie Blanc and Petite Milo, this version reveals citrus and orchard fruit scents with a whiff of green herb. Green fruit dominates on the palate with Sauvignon-like gooseberry and secondary sappy green apple, an agreeable lick of mineral and bracingly refreshing acidity. A well-balanced, food-friendly style.

LIGHTFOOT & WOLFVILLE 2017, 10.5% ($22) AVONDALE SKY

Pale straw colour, opening with lemon citrus, orchard fruit, subdued floral scent and a faint whiff of herb. Very crisp citrus and green apple, with drying mineral and a touch of peach on the crisply acidic finish. A leaner, food-friendly style, finishing just a touch off-dry.

SAINTE-FAMILLE 2017, 11% ($20)

Made from a blend of estate-grown Geisenheim 318, l’Acadie, Riesling, Seyval Blanc, Siegfried and Muscat, this wine opens with grapefruit, green orchard fruit and a light whiff of green herb on the nose. Clean citrus and sappy green apple flavours are backed by gravelly mineral and bright signature acidity. Green fruit notes linger on the finish.

JOST VINEYARDS 2017, 11% ($20)

Fragrant scents of fruit blossoms, ripe stone fruit and tropical fruit evolve to crisp lemon citrus and white peach flavours, supported by characteristic zesty acidity and drying mineral grip in the mouth.

Finishing with the merest hint of residual sweetness, this is a deftly balanced wine to serve as an aperitif or to pair with hors d’oeuvres and lighter sea foods.

BLOMIDON ESTATE WINERY 2017, 10.6% ($22)

The blend here is l’Acadie Blanc, Seyval Blanc and New York Muscat. Opens rather shyly on the nose though revealing delicate floral and stone fruit scents. Shifts on the palate to apple and lime citrus flavours with stony mineral and saliva-inducing acidity. A touch of crunchy white peach chimes in on the finish. × 20 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

MAVERICK CHEFS

by Amanda Siddall

2018 Each year, Quench sets out in search of Canada’s culinary visionaries, those chefs who are leading the charge of what’s fresh and exciting from coast to coast. This year’s Maverick Chefs are four innovators focused on incorporating sustainability into everything they do — from planning to creating to planting to cooking.

Cooking sustainably is no easy feat; it has its own set of unique challenges, which these Mavericks navigate. However, it does result in a host of positive benefits for our bodies, our communities and our environment. We spoke to Steven Brochu in Beaumont, Alberta, Mitchell Bates in Toronto, Stéphanie Audet in Montreal, and Todd Perrin in St. John’s, Newfoundland, to learn more about what sustainable cooking means to them and how this impacts every recipe they create. They shared the ups and downs (and every lesson in between), highlighting why they deserve to be called Maverick Chefs.

OCTOBER 2018 21

STÉPHANIE AUDET LOV MONTREAL, QUEBEC

Audet never imagined she would become a chef. Her career began by chance when she pursued a dream of moving to Tofino, British Columbia, in 2006. She took a job in a hotel kitchen; her curiosity to learn from the cooks combined with her natural skills allowed her to move up quickly. She decided to take another leap and move to Hawaii, where she started her own restaurant working with raw and botanical ingredients native to the islands. Audet’s passion for travel and food fostered in her the importance of sustainability and local cooking. She’s strived to incorporate these sustainable practices in all her creations ever since.

FAVOURITE LOCAL INGREDIENT TO WORK WITH? I would have to say miso. We work with this amazing miso company from the Eastern Townships in Quebec called Aliments Massawippi. It’s world class! They are a lovely couple who have been doing this for years and years out of their home. They are making a very high-quality product. It enhances everything. It’s an umami flavour from the fermentation that enhances vegetable cuisine. It’s nice to have that because sometimes you find this umami taste in meat, fish or cheese. I love to cook with miso.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE NEXT BIG TREND IN CANADIAN CUISINE? Farm-to-table or garden-to-table has been around for a long time, but we wanted the recipes to be more transformed. Before, if you cooked a zucchini, you had to really do a bunch of techniques and stuff to it. I feel like the next trend will be accepting the raw product and discovering it for what it is. For example, you may be served a fresh cucumber that was picked today and the cucumber isn’t too transformed before it ends up on the plate. That way you keep the authenticity. I think people are becoming more open to that.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE DISH TO EAT? Am I allowed to say soup? I adore soup, all types of soup. Soup is like a love letter: it’s comforting. Take, for example, a hearty homemade soup or creamy potage. I could eat it for the rest of my life and not be bored. Even in the hot summer weather, cold soups are amazing. Hot and spicy is actually helping your body 22 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

stay cool in the summer. When you eat something spicy, your body is working to cool down your temperature. It’s like your own personal AC system. At the restaurant in the summer, we do a lot of different types of gazpacho, such as cold asparagus and fennel soup, tomato-melon and more. The customers seem to love it.

Gazpacho can be very creative.

WHAT’S YOUR COOKING MANTRA? The philosophy I have always had since my first job is to put positive energy into the food. Food is definitely able to absorb and diffuse it afterwards. When my staff and I are cooking, I am always trying to have good emotions. I’ve witnessed it before where you’ve just gotten into a fight with someone and you’re cooking while angry. It provides rage and sadness to the eater. I’ve felt it before eating at other restaurants, too. When I don’t feel good, I prefer not to create a recipe or cook right at that moment. I usually get some air to try to feel better before starting again.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE LOOKING TO PURSUE A CAREER IN THE CULINARY ARTS? Never think you will stop learning. There’s always something to learn. I’ve met people in my career who thought they were better than others; I’m disappointed when I meet someone who is like that because I wouldn’t approach work like that. It’s like music: if someone picked up an instrument and was naturally good at it versus someone else who studied music for a decade, it doesn’t mean that they both can’t learn from each other. Keep in mind PHOTOS: PATRICIA BROCHU PHOTOGRAPHE

YOUNG COCONUT CEVICHE

that there’s always something to learn and always another experience around the corner to teach you something.

WHAT AREAS OF VEGANISM DO YOU WANT TO EXPLORE OR INCORPORATE NEXT? I’m slowly introducing fermented food at LOV. We have kimchi, one fermented carrot dish and miso, obviously, on the menu. But there’s so much to learn from fermented foods and their uses. I think we should have a little bit of fermented food every day in our diets. Not everybody who knows what it is will be comfortable eating it. I’d like to have more on the menu but I don’t think I can add too much more. If I put some on each plate, people may be disappointed, but every time I create a new recipe, I am wondering how I can put something living in there. Sometimes it doesn’t work out; it’s a work in progress.

400 g young coconut meat, fresh and cleaned

1/4 cup coconut milk

80 ml lime juice Zest of 1 lime

60 g tri-colour radishes

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

20 g cancha corn

4 g fleur de sel

40 g goji berries dried

1 tsp Aleppo pepper

4-5 g cilantro microgreens 1. Cut the young coconut meat into strips. Add the coconut milk, lime juice and zest. Salt to taste. Thinly slice the radishes with a mandoline.

2. In a saucepan with a bit of oil, pop the cancha like you would popcorn. Salt and set aside.

3. Soak the goji berries in water and a splash of lime juice, put aside. Divide the coconut among 4 plates and garnish each plate with goji berries, radish slices, Aleppo pepper, popped cancha and fleur de sel.

4. Finish the dish by adding cilantro sprouts on top.

WHAT PLANT-BASED MEATLESS ALTERNATIVES ARE TRENDING IN 2018?

We really want to focus on lupini beans. They are very rich in protein and, if we are looking for a high-protein-based alternative to meat, this is a new one. Lupini beans are not as well known in Canada, more in the northern European countries like Germany.

They’re really tasty and we are importing a bunch to work with.

The trend of doing a steak that looks like a steak but it’s not — that’s not for us. We want to find a less-transformed alternative: a high-protein, plant-based version. I have seen more lupini options popping up at cooking shows, too.

OCTOBER 2018 23

TODD PERRIN MALLARD COTTAGE QUIDI VIDI VILLAGE, ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND

Perrin, who went to cooking school in Prince Edward Island, has crisscrossed the country learning new techniques and trends, and discovering his identity as a chef over the years. He even became a local celebrity when he appeared on Top Chef Canada, for the same reason he does most things: he thought it’d be a great time — and it was. Ten years ago, Perrin decided to focus his efforts on good-for-you, homegrown fare and put down roots in his home of Newfoundland. When the cottage finally came up for sale, Perrin (alongside Kim Doyle and Stephen Lee) jumped at the opportunity to purchase it. The trio restored the village treasure, turning it into a National Historic Site of Canada. In 2013, Mallard Cottage welcomed its first guests into its home-away-from-home to dine on local wild game and seafood, garden-fresh produce and quality, sustainable cuisine.

WHY IS SUSTAINABLE COOKING SO IMPORTANT TO YOU? It sounds like a cheeky answer, but it’s really important for all of us that we have access to quality products for as long as we can and to treat things properly in a sustainable way. Frankly, it’s good for the planet and makes better food if you have things that are sourced in a proper way, that’s ethically treated, and is sustainable in the long term. It’s partly the way that we want to see the world and partly because it makes the restaurant better. It’s a good business decision as much as it is a social one.

FAVOURITE LOCAL INGREDIENT TO WORK WITH? For me, when you’re in Newfoundland and Labrador, cod fish is really the reason we’re all here. A good fresh piece of cod is a beautiful thing. When you do get your hands on it, it’s a real special thing. But I like to work with anything you can grow in the backyard. It’s even hard for us to get that and we’re a stone’s throw from the ocean. When cod fishing season is underway, we’re more able to get fish caught a few hours, certainly up to a day, because we’re close to the source. Our restaurant is focused 24 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

on local products, so really whatever shows up at the backdoor is put on the menu. We change the menu almost every day. Sometimes you never know what’s going to show up.

WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS OF A CONSTANTLY CHANGING MENU? I don’t think there’s many cons, to be honest with you. The pros are that it keeps it interesting for your customers, and also for your cooks and the people that work there. It usually means you have the best ingredients possible; you don’t have something that’s just sitting on your menu, where maybe you don’t sell it for a couple of days. The cons are probably that in the beginning when you start to cook that way, you have to get all the cooks up to speed with the idea that there’s no menu and that it changes every day. But once you get into it, it’s actually easier I find than writing the menu before finding the products. When you are in Newfoundland, and St. John’s where we are, we have a lot of challenges to get certain products. Setting your menu and then trying to find your ingredients is really a backwards way to approach it.

PHOTOS: ALEXI HOBBS

ROASTED RED POTATO SALAD

2 lb red potatoes, large diced 2 carrots, julienned or grated 1/4 head green cabbage, julienned or grated Bunch of kale, de-stemmed, chopped and wilted

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar Tabasco, to taste Salt and pepper, to taste Chopped chives, for garnishing 1. Toss the diced potatoes in oil and roast at 425˚F until tender (about 30 minutes).

2. Cool the potatoes and then combine with carrots, cabbage and kale in a large bowl.

3. Mix together the mayonnaise, cider vinegar and Tabasco in a small bowl.

4. Pour the dressing overtop the potato salad, then mix well and season to taste.

5. Chill for 2 hours, then serve sprinkled with chives as a garnish.

ARE THERE ANY MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE NEWFOUNDLAND FOOD SCENE? The biggest one is probably that everything we eat is run through the deep fryer. We have the fish and chip culture, which is a strong one, but there’s a lot more to Newfoundland food than fish and chips or salt beef and cabbage. In the past 10 to 15 years, we’ve seen a big change, more focused on a more culinary approach to the ingredients found in Newfoundland and Labrador.

WHAT DISH ON YOUR MENU WOULD BE BEST COMPLEMENTED WITH SOME PREMIUM NEWFOUNDLAND SCREECH? That’s a really good question! Screech is not a favourite of mine but it’s quite a sweet rum. I would suggest you drink it with a dessert at the end of the meal. You could pair it with a strong vanilla ice cream and gingerbread, and that wouldn’t be a bad way to go.

WHAT’S YOUR COOKING MANTRA? We try to look at the whole thing as an experience for the guests and the people who are working here. Our mantra has been to make people feel like they are coming to our house for dinner. It’s a quality meal that is enjoyed with friends and family, with smiling happy faces, and a good soundtrack. We concentrate and care a lot about our food but at the same time, we just try to support people’s evenings. From the server that greets them at the door to the wine or beer that they are drinking to the food – the whole thing. My overall mantra is that we always try to get better in every facet of the experience. That’s what motivates me to keep going.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE LOOKING TO PURSUE A CAREER IN THE CULINARY ARTS? You have to treat it as a life. Cooking in a commercial kitchen is not a great job — it’s a good career if you find the right place — but rather it’s an amazing life. You have to treat it that way and look at it as the thing that you are and not the thing that you do. Otherwise, it’s too hard. You have to be committed in a way that you don’t have to be with some other types of work. That’s why you see cooking schools turning out lots of kids, and then two years later, 90 percent of them aren’t in the industry any more. Knowing that’s what you want to do and be committed to it, that’s what you have to do in order to survive.

YOU’VE SPOKEN OF THE CHALLENGES THAT EXIST IN BEING ON TOP CHEF CANADA. IS THERE ANOTHER COOKING SHOW OUT THERE THAT YOU’D WANT TO BE ON? At this point in my career, I’m pretty focused on growing our restaurant and working on some other things. I’ve had my 15 minutes of fame on a couple of TV shows, so I think I’ll call it a day for that stuff.

OCTOBER 2018 25

MITCHELL BATES GREY GARDENS TORONTO, ONTARIO

Bates learned a lot by working in big cities throughout his 14-year cooking career. Originally from Washington, he moved to New York City to get his degree in culinary arts, and the Big Apple did not disappoint. Bates stayed to work in the city for several years, soaking up new culinary experiences and opportunities. Most notably, he cooked at the Michelin-starred restaurant Momofuku Ko, where he rose through the ranks, and eventually, he took an opportunity to work as a chef of Momofuku Shoto in Toronto.

It was around that time that Bates was approached by his future-restaurant partner, Jen Agg, to see if he’d be interested in collaborating. Bates said yes, taking on the brand new role of partner, on top of chef. Bates and Agg opened Grey Gardens in March 2016 in Toronto’s hip Kensington Market neighbourhood. The wine bar serves up “New North American” cuisine, as they describe it. While the menu touches upon a wide variety of tastes, one thing is certain: sustainable cooking practices are applied as much as possible to each dish. Bates, who views sustainability more as an expectation than a trend, focuses on buying local produce, using ocean wild seafood, and reducing waste for every recipe he creates.

26 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

WHAT ELEMENTS OF SUSTAINABLE COOKING DID YOU TAKE FROM YOUR TIME AT MOMOFUKU? It was pretty much a similar philosophy. They use a lot of local produce and companies that dealt with local farmers. Meat was also from the area.

WHAT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE ASSOCIATED WITH SUSTAINABLE COOKING? You just have to be aware and plan for it.

WHAT’S YOUR PROCESS FOR SOURCING LOCAL WHEN WORKING IN AN URBAN LANDSCAPE? Luckily in Toronto, there are a lot of companies that have that goal of sustainability as well. I wouldn’t say it’s too difficult to source local ingredients, as such. Initially finding those companies might have taken a little research, but once you have a network, it is a little easier.

HOW IMPORTANT IS LOCALLY SOURCED WINE FOR GREY GARDENS? While I’m not involved in the wine purchasing, I believe all the wine is from Ontario. We even had one from Nova Scotia for a while.

GRILLED MACKEREL WITH SALSA VERDE AND DAIKON

YOUR CO-OWNER JEN AGG WAS VOCAL ON TWITTER ABOUT SOME OF TOP TRENDS FOR 2017 IN FOOD AND COOKING (INCLUDING LOCAVORES AND SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD). DO YOU THINK SUSTAINABLE COOKING IS THE NEW NORM INSTEAD OF A TREND? I wouldn’t say it’s a trend at this point. More and more people are turning their focus to that. Even if restaurants aren’t 100% sustainable, there’s at least a certain percentage they are. I think people have come to expect it when they go out to eat. In a modern type of restaurant, I would expect it too.

WHAT’S YOUR COOKING MANTRA? At this point, I aim for function over fashion. I try to make everything taste good. If it doesn’t look that great, I’m not too concerned. Tasty is the number one goal. Sometimes you eat things and it doesn’t have much taste, so tasty is first and foremost.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES IN TRANSITIONING INTO A ROLE OF PARTNER ON TOP OF CHEF? It’s more to worry about. A lot of times, you have to take yourself out of the physical responsibility of doing it. Before you would do it, and all that other stuff was taken care of by someone else.

Now your responsibilities have to expand and you have to take care of more. It’s multifaceted rather than sticking all your energy into one area of it.

1 fillet Spanish mackerel 30 g salt 1 l water

1. Clean mackerel and brine for 30 minutes in salt and water. Remove from brine.

2. Grill in a hot pan, skin side down until cooked through.

3. Season with nice shoyu and lemon juice.

Garnish with the Salsa Verde.

SALSA VERDE 500

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g tomatillo bunch scallion red onion poblano peppers garlic cloves Lime juice g fish sauce bunch cilantro g ground cumin g ground white pepper g salt

Dice all the vegetables and grill in a 375˚F oven for 20 minutes. Remove and let cool. Put all the ingredients in the food processor and pulse till thick.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT AMERICAN FAST FOOD (WHICH SEEMS LIKE A COMPLETELY 180 FROM THE OFFERINGS YOU’RE KNOWN FOR)?

It’s just something I grew up with. Consistency of it and the novelty of it are what I enjoy most.

FAVOURITE LOCAL INGREDIENT TO WORK WITH? Peppers and chilies at the end of the summer.

OCTOBER 2018 27

STEVEN BROCHU CHARTIER BEAUMONT, ALBERTA

Edmonton-born Brochu started his career by moving to Vancouver prior to the Olympics to work the British Columbia food scene, including at a steakhouse, a few hotels and even a fishing lodge. With this experience under his belt, Brochu took a break to rediscover his goals and taught English as a Second Language in Taiwan.

Time off helped him realize that what he really wanted was to pursue cooking on his own terms. He returned to Edmonton in search of the perfect fit, and came across a Kickstarter for Chartier. When the owners Sylvia and Darren Cheverie saw how Brochu’s cooking philosophies were entrenched in community, local cuisine and fresh ingredients, they knew they had found the missing part of their team.

CHICKEN OR EGG: ARE YOU A CHEF TURNED COOK OR COOK TURNED CHEF? I’m a cook turned pastry chef! When I first joined Chartier, the owners sent me to the San Francisco Baking Institute to learn how to make sourdough and immerse myself in bread. I started the baking program at Chartier but was able to pass it off to some very talented people who came on board. We’ve enabled them to create some really cool products for us. I’m very proud to have them operating in our kitchen. So, I guess, I’m a chicken with eggs!

WHAT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE ASSOCIATED WITH SUSTAINABLE COOKING? One of the challenges we face is finding a supplier or suppliers that can provide us with a consistent product that matches our static menu. We do change our menu with the seasons, but when we meet a new supplier, we need to have that conversation: can 28 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

you keep up with our volume? The last thing we want, which goes against sustainable cooking, is to get involved with a farmer and purchase all their pigs in a season. We don’t want that. We want other people to utilize these products and experiences.

WHAT DO YOU GROW IN YOUR CHARTIER GARDEN? We’re growing a ton of really cool things in there, like basil, thyme, rosemary, purple cabbage, pea varieties, beans, carrots, leeks, raspberries and snapdragons. It’s like a handyman with a great tool belt. We have an amazing tool belt around us in having the garden. We might say, “You know what this dish needs? Some fresh sage!” And then one of the cooks says, “I’ll be right back!” and, within 10 minutes, we have fresh sage in our restaurant. If we have a massive growth in herbs in a season, we’re preserving them in salt, such as sage salt. It’s a really old way of preserving herbs, but it helps us elevate our own cooking. Some people dis-

TOURTIÈRE À MAMMA

miss what a herb can be, but they add so much background flavour. Plus, through our preserving system, we’ll be able to highlight our garden even in the winter.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE DISH ON THE MENU TO EAT? One of my favourite things to do if I’m hungry is to grab our housemade sourdough. I’m going to slap on some blue cheese, pickled red onions and maybe a couple bits of bacon. I’m going to go sit in the cooler where it’s cold, sit on a milk crate, and check out some of our local sports teams. It’s not glamourous but it’s a really nice moment for me. It’s a little bit of “me time” with a little bit of fuel.

WHAT’S YOUR COOKING MANTRA? I started saying this quote: “We are a five-star restaurant in a fivestar town.” The first time I heard that, it was Christmas time, and my family and I were listening to the Vinyl Café. Stuart McLean was telling the story about Dave and the turkey. He had to get the turkey cooked quickly for Christmas, and he asked the local hotel if they had a restaurant with a special oven to speed the process and the concierge says, “Of course, sir. We’re a five-star restaurant in a five-star town. We can do anything you want.” I loved that and it has stuck with me.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE LOOKING TO PURSUE A CAREER IN THE CULINARY ARTS? I just recently spoke at a career day at a junior high school. For young people still in school, what I would say is take your time.

Food isn’t going to go anywhere. The restaurant scene isn’t going to change. You’re not going to miss out on anything. Enjoy building your friendships and having experiences, because you are not going to have a chance when you graduate culinary school or get into a kitchen full-time. Once you get there, get ready to work and listen, and say “yes” to a lot of experiences that are going to happen to you for the next eight to 10 years. It’s going to be hard. Surround yourself in your personal life with people who understand that; people who understand why you can’t go to the lake this weekend because you have to work. I am very fortunate that I have a lot of those people in my life. The other side is when you do go into a kitchen full-time, make sure you’re comfortable.

Ask questions of your chef, ask questions about the restaurant.

Be open and honest with yourself. If you get put into a situation where you’re going to hate cooking, then you’ll hate cooking.

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tbsp unsalted butter lb ground pork lb ground bison tsp cinnamon tsp ground cloves tsp allspice tsp thyme tsp rosemary whole yellow onions, chopped garlic cloves, chopped button mushrooms, sliced cup potato, grated tsp maple syrup cup dry white wine l veal stock lb duck confit, pulled Chilled pie dough

1. Heat the butter in a pan and sauté the ground pork and bison. Cook the meat until halfway done and then set aside in a bowl.

2. Add the spices, onions and garlic to the pan. Your kitchen should smell like Christmas!

3. Continue to cook over medium heat the until onions turn golden brown, then add the mushrooms.

4. Sweat the mushrooms until they have lost most of their liquid, then add the grated potato and maple syrup.

5. Deglaze the pan with white wine, then add the veal stock and bring to a simmer.

6. Return the partially cooked bison and pork to the pan along with the duck confit and continue to cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Season to taste.

7. Remove the mix from the heat and let cool.

TOURTIÈRE ASSEMBLY

1. Divide the chilled dough in two. Roll out each piece of pie dough until 1/6 inch thick.

2. Place one piece of dough overtop a greased deepdish pie plate.

3. Fill the pie plate with tourtière mix. (Note: a 6-inch pie plate requires approximately 8 oz mix) 4. Seal with the second piece of dough.

5. Crumple the edges and cut 3 or 5 air vents in the top.

6. Brush with an egg wash and bake at 350˚F until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes (or 60 to 75 minutes if tourtière is frozen).

For bonus recipes from Chef Brochu and full interviews of all the chefs, visit quench.me/mavericks/ × OCTOBER 2018 29

STRENGTH IN DIVERSITY

by Tim Pawsey

A funny thing happened at this year’s preview of Bloom, the BC Wine Institute’s spring release tasting: more than a few media were impressed by a mini flight of Pinot Blanc. There’s nothing new in that, of course. Good BC Pinot Blanc has been around forever. But what was noteworthy was that the inclusion of these wines, and the quality they displayed, offered one more hint of a possible Pinot Blanc revival.

In what way? You may well ask. The answer lies, at least to some degree, in two not unrelated words: Pinot Gris. Some of us can remember when there were barely more than a baker’s dozen wineries in the Okanagan Valley. And recall that, prior to the 1988 pull-out, Pinot Blanc was the most widely planted white vinifera.

While a few (Blue Mountain, in particular) smartly held on to their Pinot Blanc vines, most — seduced by the heady, almost unimaginable prospect (for the time) of competing with California and Australia — heard the marketers’ siren song, pulled them out and duly planted Chardonnay.

Then, in true fickle wine market style, when the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) movement hit, the focus groups went looking elsewhere. Pinot Gris was on the rise. So, it seemed like a good idea. Apparently it was. That variety is now the province’s most widely planted white vinifera, outstripping even Chardonnay.

Pinot Gris has been good to BC. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Essentially, just about anyone in the province it seems, wherever they are — from the Cowichan to Creston and Lillooet — can regularly ripen Pinot Gris. Moreover, consumers have no problem pronouncing its 30 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

name — a factor not to be overlooked. BC Pinot Gris can be truly appealing: wafting with orchard aromas and fruit driven, with a sometimes mineral and citrus toned palate and a whisper of acidity, it can easily be a pleasant seafood or grilled chicken match. In short, this grape Gris is decidedly adaptable — and ubiquitous.

However, there’s also that Italian twist, whereby marketers have decided that regardless of whether a wine leans more towards Alsace than Italy, Pinot Grigio is eminently more sexy sounding.

In doing so, they discovered that even if a wine isn’t particularly crisp and dry, who cares? Giving it an Italian accent just does wonders for sales. It’s no understatement to suggest that BC is awash in Pinot Gris, which (with a few noteworthy exceptions) tends to be made in a somewhat predictable style with a tendency to elude the qualities of either of its origins — and rarely defines the Okanagan.

PINOT BLANC REDUX?

As for Pinot Blanc, a small but determined cadre of producers, including Haywire, Clos du Soleil, Hester Creek and, of course, Blue Mountain (which has always been a stalwart), is helping to revive its fortunes with PHOTO: STEVEN EVANS

FORT BERENS ESTATE WINERY

OCTOBER 2018 31

ARROWLEAF CELLARS BACCHUS 2017, OKANAGAN CENTRE ($19)

Sourced from old estate vines and from east Kelowna vineyards. Upfront floral, citrus and stone fruit notes followed by a luscious and ripe but well-balanced, gently zesty and grapefruit-toned palate with a lingering citrus and slightly herbaceous end.

BARTIER BROS. PINOT GRIS 2017, BLACK SAGE BENCH, OKANAGAN VALLEY ($22)

From a gently sloped, granite and limestone, west-facing vineyard on the lower side of Black Sage Road. Lifted orchard-fruit aromas and tropical notes precede a keenly focused and structured palate of citrus and apple with a hint of honey supported by mineral undertones and a lingering, zesty close.

BLUE GROUSE ORTEGA 2017, COWICHAN VALLEY ($21)

The Island’s flagship white variety (a cross between Siegerrebe and Müller-Thurgau) comes from 25-year-old estate plantings. All stainless-steel fermented, with extended lees contact, yielding a generous mouthfeel preceded by floral and citrus notes through a structured, juicy palate of orange and grapefruit with mineral hints through a zesty end.

CLOS DU SOLEIL PINOT BLANC 2017, SIMILKAMEEN VALLEY ($27)

From Middle Bench in Keremeos. Whole-cluster pressed and all stainless-steel fermented, with some lees contact to add texture. White flower, pear and citrus aromas precede juicy layers of apple and citrus before a lengthy, crisp but elegant close with mineral hints and a touch of spice.

CULMINA UNICUS 2017, OKANAGAN VALLEY ($27)

The Okanagan’s original, first planting of Grüner Veltliner, established in one of the region’s highest altitude vineyards, continues to evolve with decidedly “terrassen” quality. Aromas of citrus and stone fruit precede a grapefruit- and mineral-toned palate, with a distinctive sniff of white pepper becoming more apparent.

FORT BERENS PINOT GRIS 2017, LILLOOET ($18)

Tropical top, fresh pineapple and citrus hints announce a luscious, quite plush but well-structured palate with good acidity. Orange- and mango-toned palate with a clean, stony edge and lingering, fresh finish.

HAYWIRE NARRATIVE PINOT BLANC 2017, OKANAGAN VALLEY ($23)

Concrete fermented and aged in concrete for eight months. Aromas of apple and melon precede a quite creamy, textured palate, lifted by melon and tropical flavours with slightly steely edge and a hint of minerality. Well balanced, crisp acidity through a dry finish.

HESTER CREEK ESTATE PINOT BLANC 2017, GOLDEN MILE BENCH ($16)

Some fruit from old vines dating back to the 1970s. Stainless-steel fermented. Stone fruit, orchard and pear notes up front before a well-balanced palate of apple, peach and nectarine with definite mineral, a touch of spice and a lengthy, clean finish.

QUAILS’ GATE CHENIN BLANC 2017, WESTBANK, OKANAGAN VALLEY ($20)

From 20-year-old estate vines. Aromas of citrus, sage and orchard fruits precede a textured palate of apple and pear wrapped in juicy acidity with mineral undertones and gentle, creamy notes through a lengthy end. Good aging potential.

ROCKY CREEK TLC 2017, COWICHAN VALLEY ($22)

A blend of Madeleine Sylvaner, Viognier, Albariño, Siegerrebe and Ortega yields upfront floral and orchard fruits with tropical undertones before a mouth-filling, luscious palate of apple, peach and pineapple through a clean finish.

THE VIEW EHRENFELSER 2017, EAST KELOWNA ($20)

Floral and mineral notes up front, followed by refreshing apple, peach and citrus notes with a lively, well-textured and zesty mid-palate through a clean end.

FITZPATRICK EHRENFELSER THE UNWINDER 2017 ($20)

SEA STAR SIEGEREBBE 2017, PENDER ISLAND, GULF ISLANDS ($22)

The Fitzpatrick family maintains the roots of their Okanagan story with this varietally precise interpretation. Lifted floral orchard and stone fruits up front, before a refreshing, tropical palate of apricot, peach and guava through a clean close.

From Clam Bay Farm. Lifted floral notes, a touch of rose petal (likely from the Gewürz cross) plus citrus and spice, followed by a well-structured, expressive palate of tropical, grapefruit and peach with a lengthy finish.

32 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

HEIDI NOBLE, OWNER AND EXECUTIVE WINEMAKER OF JOIEFARM WINERY

wines that increasingly deserve attention.

Pinot Blanc’s higher acidity lends itself to the Okanagan in particular, if not elsewhere. While some winemakers are adept at adding heft to Pinot Gris with neutral oak, Pinot Blanc’s more generous character appears to lend itself to better use of oak.

Former Tinhorn Creek CEO and consultant Sandra Oldfield notes: “Over two decades ago, when we were deciding what to plant in the South Okanagan, Pinot Blanc was often hard to tell the difference from Chardonnay. With Chardonnay having better name recognition, we went that route.

Now, with Chardonnay styles becoming bigger, rounder and oaky, it is time to look at Pinot Blanc again. Its fruit profile is richer than that of Pinot Gris and it could find a great niche in BC as a dry, fruity, yet full-bodied white wine. If it were today, I’d seriously consider planting Blanc over Gris.”

Why seek a signature grape? Perhaps driven by a classic Canadian inferiority complex, in the last few years there’s been an informal push to define certain grape varieties as quintessentially BC. This mantra appears to define a need to identify the “hang your hat on…” kind of vinifera, in the same way that other regions do. A few contenders have surfaced, though Pinot Gris isn’t often mentioned. Plus, even when the variety was selected for the 2017 Judgment of BC, the enthusiasm among the judges was palpably muted.

But it seems the true question surrounding identity is this: How could it be possible to have just one or two definitive varieties from such a wide range of regions and sub-appellations that offer so many differing climates and terrains?

At just 4,152 hectares (10,260 acres) in total, British Columbia isn’t like other wine-producing areas around the world that cover thousands of hectares. Canada’s westernmost province doesn’t grow oceans of Sauvignon Blanc or Malbec that it needs to sell to satisfy booming export markets. In fact, BC barely has enough wine to export in the first place. Although the little it does send beyond our borders continues to make waves and often surprises first-time tasters.

BC’s challenge is that it does quite a few things well. Too many for some who suggest that it makes the province a “jack of all trades and master of none.” But standards have risen considerably in recent years, especially given the significant influx of winemaking expertise and viticultural know-how from the world over. In some ways, BC’s blessing may well be that it suffers from an embarrassment of riches.

Setting aside smaller plantings, say, under 100 acres, BC focuses on no less than seven principal white varieties: Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc and Viognier. Of note is that, while Pinot

Gris and Chardonnay have remained relatively static in the last decade, there’s been considerable growth of both Riesling and Gewürztraminer.

Wine geeks and chefs were always strong supporters of Riesling, but it took a generation of consumers scarred by Johannesburg Riesling to move on before the current surge in popularity could set in. Now — thanks in part to being noticed by the likes of Riesling messiah (and Planet Wine author) Stuart Pigott — there’s been a definite shift to crisper, more acid-driven BC styles. Led by widely acclaimed wines from the likes of Tantalus and Synchromesh, Pigott calls them “blade-runners.”

AN AROMATIC RENAISSANCE

In the early days of BC’s wine revolution, in the 1990s, the biggest selling BC white wine in local liquor stores was Sumac Ridge Gewürztraminer. No doubt its perfumed character and juicy, off-dry style appealed to the public palate of the time. A few years on, however, Gewürz’s fortunes appear to have fallen on harder times. Sumac lost its pre-eminence and the variety was eclipsed by Chardonnay and, yes, Pinot Gris. However, with the influx of Asian flavours, as well as the increasing sophistication of regional cuisine, Gewürz apOCTOBER 2018 33

WINEMAKER AT CLOS DU SOLEIL WINERY, MICHAEL CLARK

pears to be enjoying a renaissance, hence the increase in plantings. Remarkably, though, it’s still not taken as seriously as it could be. Although, here again, there are signs that this BC variety is also gaining the respect it deserves.

The first winemaker to elevate the variety to the next level was JoieFarm’s Heidi Noble, who has shown what can be achieved with her top-tier En Famille series. Quails’ Gate winemaker Nikki Callaway (who recently moved to Naramata’s Laughing Stock) fine-tuned the program to highlight specific older blocks. In addition to the popular “regular” bottling that mirrors an “Okanagan style,” a far more aromatic and intensely fruited Gewürz — and definite nod to Alsace — comes from the winery’s home Orchard Block, planted in 1989. Callaway also produced, among others, the single-vineyard BMV Riesling, which she whole cluster-pressed and fermented with wild yeast in neutral oak. An interesting twist, the wine is also offered as an homage to “the Okanagan’s first age-worthy Riesling,” which was made by Jordan & Ste-Michelle using fruit from the same vineyard.

Quails’ Gate is also well into a major expansion with its 2016 purchase of part of the Stewart Brothers Nurseries, across the lake above Kelowna’s Mission District. Extensive plantings are underway at the rate of about 40 acres a year, with a 34 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

total of 160 acres planned. While the majority of vines are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, it’s interesting to note the inclusion of many Quails’ Gate varieties that were the foundation of the early industry, including Chasselas, Chenin Blanc and Gewürztraminer. No doubt these are, in part, to increase volume for the winery’s white blend. But they might also free up more fruit from older blocks in the home estate Westbank vineyards. Plans call for a gravity-fed winery to be built on the new vineyard, which enjoys panoramic views of Lake Okanagan and Kelowna.

A WEALTH OF OPPORTUNITY

Overall, both in the Okanagan and elsewhere, a group of lesser known white varieties includes small plantings of Albariño, Auxerrois, Ehrenfelser, Siegerrebe, Bacchus, Ortega, Muscat, Roussanne, Sémillon and others. Several varieties (though by no means all) are the legacy of the Becker and Duncan Projects in the 1970s and ’80s, which laid the foundation for the modern BC wine industry. While their acreages appear insignificant, in the right hands they often produce very good results. And should not be overlooked.

In fact, some more innovative winemakers have turned these grapes into mainstays, as evidenced by: Terravis-

ta Vineyards (Roussanne, Verdelet, Albariño), Stag’s Hollow Winery (Albariño, Vidal, Muscat), Culmina Family Estate Winery (Grüner Veltliner), Gray Monk Estate Winery (Ehrenfelser, Kerner, Pinot Auxerrois, Siegerebbe), JoieFarm (Muscat) and Bartier Brothers (Muscat, Sémillon), among others. Arguably Dr. Becker’s closest collaborator, Gray Monk, in particular, strived to establish almost all of those early-ripening Germanics, as founders George and Trudy Heiss felt them to be ideally suited to the Okanagan. Almost half a century on, despite the challenges of a warming climate, and a tendency by the literati to not take off-dry wines seriously, they’ve been proven right. The same can be said for Gehringer Brothers, whose plantings tell a similar story. Hopefully, Gray Monk’s new owners will not only respect but also nurture that heritage.

While there may, indeed, be valid market-driven arguments for identifying one or two varieties within a region, or even several neighbouring regions, an equally strong, opposing point of view is also valid. As BC moves from adolescence into maturity as a wine region, its winemakers are really only just beginning to discover the rewards of longer established plantings, including those lesser known varieties. Perhaps, only now unearthing the potential of what those pioneers envisaged. ×

Between tiki, tropical blender drinks and the many yo-ho-ho jokes on #TalkLikeAPirate day, rum is almost certainly the most fun spirit. Generally speaking, that’s a good thing, since it makes it approachable. The flip side of all that fun, though, is that rum lacks a certain gravitas and, unlike whisky or cognac, it has an uphill battle when it wants to be taken seriously.

AWAKENING

by Christine Sismondo

That might change, though, thanks to the efforts of a wide range of distillers trying to renovate rum’s image. One organization working overtime, for example, is the West Indies Rum and Spirit Producers’ Association, which has a program called the Authentic Caribbean Rum (ACR) “Marque” — a designation that tells the consumer that the spirit in question has been produced in accordance with all the regional standards. It’s a little like a DOC in wine, in that it ties region and production methods together, although it has a wide area, with members in Barbados, Belize, Haiti, St. Lucia, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, as well as a half-dozen other countries. Noticeably absent, however, is Puerto Rico, which is home to Bacardi, the biggest rum producer in the world. I decided I should head to San Juan to find out why it’s sitting this one out.

Of course, if you’ve given much thought to Puerto Rico lately, it’s probably because you’ve followed the destructive path of Maria, the monster hurricane responsible for an estimated five thousand fatalities and severe hardships for almost every single one of the over three million inhabitants who saw their homes levelled and the economy stalled while enduring months of power outages.

OCTOBER 2018 35

WESLEY CULLEN

When I visited — seven months after Maria — a few areas still hadn’t had power restored. The last neighbourhood in San Juan, the capital, had only been fixed two weeks earlier. Despite that, in Old San Juan and Condado Beach, where most tourists wind up, everything is open for business, including my top two attractions, namely, Barrachina (a bustling tourist trap that claims to be the birthplace of the Piña Colada) and La Factoria, an impossibly cool Old Town bar that has been named to The World’s 50 Best Bars list, thanks to its world-class craft cocktails.

Just west of San Juan, in the oceanside town of Cataño, is the Bacardi distillery. The massive plant was spared a lot of the worst of Maria, but it did suffer some damage. The carbon dioxide recovery plant is still not back up and running, and the plant lost a roof off a warehouse, plus about 150 trees. Across the island, the loss of trees — and foliage — was one of the most shocking things to many who witnessed the immediate aftermath of Maria, since the hurricane actually ripped just about every leaf off every tree on the island. It looked barren and bleak, and had a startling effect.

“In my neighbourhood, this graffiti started appearing in a bunch of places after Maria, ‘detras de los arboles, vive 36 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

mucha gente’,” says Casa Bacardi’s General Manager, Wesley Cullen. “It means ‘behind the trees live a lot of people’, and, after the hurricane, we couldn’t pretend we didn’t see them anymore.”

As Cullen was telling me this, several other Bacardi workers started nodding, confirming the importance of the slogan.

It wasn’t really about the foliage, which has grown back, or the trees, which can be re-planted, but, rather, about the people who lived in poverty in the hills. Maria exposed a lot of deep-rooted, hidden social and political problems in Puerto Rico, which were suddenly much harder to ignore.

In the aftermath, both Bacardi and Don Q (the other big distiller on the island) were major players in emergency response efforts. Bacardi turned a warehouse into a shelter where people could also access food, clean water and medical treatment. In Ponce, on the other side of the island, Don Q converted a hotel it owned into a meal-delivery headquarters and, as it became clear that the tourist trade was not coming back any time soon, established a placement program to help the island’s unemployed service industry workers, using its vast network to get them jobs in the United States.

Long term, though, Maria has been something of a wake-up call to Puerto

Ricans, including its distilleries, which are now re-doubling their efforts at sustainability, community and transparency. While I was there, Cullen showed me where the trees that once protected the edge of the property from coastal erosion used to be and how they’re going to try to improve on that by working with plant specialists to transform the area into a certified conservation site.

Some of this good citizenship was already in the works before Maria. Bacardi, for example, got its first wake-up call 10 years earlier, when it was fined by the Environmental Protection Agency for water pollution. Since then, it’s been working to clean up its practices and image, with its extraordinarily successful #NoStraw campaign, aimed at reducing plastic use in bars.

The new move towards transparency can arguably be seen in its rum, too, with this year’s launch of Cuatro and Diez, new aged rums with clear labels that spell out exactly when these fourand 10-year old rums were put in the barrel. Since the 10-year-old is already well received, with many fans appreciating its coffee and cigar qualities, Bacardi hopes others will follow and that its classification system — roughly modelled after tequila’s blanco, reposa-

do and añejo — will be adopted by rum producers around the world who want to join in the transparency movement.

This new system comes mainly in reaction to the solera aging system, a controversial Latin American rum-blending practice that many rum geeks consider to be a cheat, since the number on the label of a solera bottle refers to the oldest rum in the blend, not the youngest.

Consumers see a big “21” on the label and assume it’s 21-year-old rum, but, in any one bottle, there might only be a few drops of rum that was actually distilled back in the 1990s.

SOME, THOUGH, DEFEND SOLERA AS A TRADITIONAL METHOD ADAPTED FROM THE SPANISH SHERRY INDUSTRY, which is especially important to Puer-

to Rican rum since the island’s colonists largely came from Andalucía, where sherry is made. Jaiker Soto Bravo, for example, the master blender at Destileria Serrallés (where Don Q is made), defends the practice with one caveat, namely, it must be used responsibly and in the spirit of the aging process in Spain’s sherry triangle.

“Solera was created in Spain for sherry and we use the same arrangement with the levels as they do in Jerez but adapted for the rum,” says Bravo, who is referring to the practice of stacking barrels three or four rows high and rotating fractions of liquid between barrels. “So, when I need to formulate my Gran Añejo premium, I need to remove rum from the solera level (the lowest) and this volume is replaced with some from the row above. And the top row of barrels is filled with aged rum.”

In addition to using well-aged rum at the outset of the solera — and not newmake spirit — Bravo doesn’t drain the whole barrel, but follows the Spanish method of only moving a fraction of the liquid down to the next row of barrels.

He’s frank about the fact that he uses this process to speed up the aging and points out that’s an important thing in a tropical country where the Angel’s Share can be up around eight percent in the first couple of years.

The Don Q method is quite different from the alleged practices of some distilleries in Central and South America, where many industry experts suspect that low-quality, new-make spirit is being

blended with tiny amounts of aged rum.

After that, blenders add in boatloads of sugar and caramel colour to disguise the roughness of the new-make. And, because there are no nutritional labels on liquor bottles in Canada and the United States, consumers generally have no idea that there’s any added sugar in some spirits, let alone how much.

Fortunately, we have the Internet. And Scandinavian state alcohol stores publish the results of their lab tests, including sugar levels, which in some cases, is shocking.

Many premium rums contain between 20 and 30 grams per litre. At least one rum available in Denmark contains almost 100 g/l. You can do your own rum research on Finland’s Alko and Sweden’s Systembolaget websites or at www.drecon.dk, a site maintained by a rum enthusiast in Denmark.

Don Q doesn’t add any sugar — ever.

The results are spectacular in the premium expressions, which are dry and elegant, with notes of vanilla, spice, butterscotch and chocolate derived from time spent in American oak — the same way a whisky develops character in the aging process. Over at Bacardi, though, they do. They’re open about their “dosage” practice, which master blender José Gómez says is minimal (under 10 g/l in the new aged Cuatro and Diez) and defends as a tradition similar to Cognac making, where a little sugar is often added to brandy to ensure flavour consistency.

To sum up then, on this one island alone, the two largest distilleries have wildly different ideas about what defines a traditional Puerto Rican rum — and which practices need to be stopped. It’s hard to imagine this feud being resolved any time soon, on this island, or, indeed, in the worldwide category, which is populated with untold regional differences and many distillers working to establish universal standards so that the premium expressions will finally be taken seriously.

While we wait for that to happen, those of us who already understand the beauty of a well-aged, dry rum likely have no choice but to get to know the lay of the land, the regional differences, how to navigate Scandinavian liquor board websites and how to carefully read labels.

Doing so might not sound as much fun as a Piña Colada, but rum education has its own rewards. Seriously. ×

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“This is a wine you can bite,” declares Cantine Florio’s oenologist, Tommaso Maggio, as he draws some 1939 Marsala directly from the cask.

“It’s almost like jam.” Nearly 80 years old, this Marsala was born at the start of the World War II.

REDEFINING MOMENT

by Michaela Morris

I take a sip. Indeed, it is thick and unctuous. Decades of aging in wooden barrels have resulted in a slow evaporation of water, concentrating the dry extract to give the wine its unequivocal chewiness. The heady combination of salty bouillon, walnut, tea, dates and tobacco gives intrigue and balance, making it taste less sweet than its 120 grams/litre of sugar. The finish lingers with spices and burnt caramel. Maggio estimates a bottle would sell for 600 Euros. This is not the Marsala you casually pour into a classic veal sauce.

I savour the precious drops as the tour of Florio’s massive cellar continues. Six million litres of Marsala age in barrels of all sizes. Though much of the early reserves were lost during World War II bombings, stocks go as far back as the 1939 I am drinking.

Established by Vincenzo Florio in 1833, Florio is the largest producer of Marsala today. The company was sold in 1920 and remained under the ownership of Cinzano until 1988 when it was purchased by the Reina family of the Disaronno empire. Despite changing hands, the Florio brand has lived through Marsala’s highs and lows, and the new regime is among those trying to restore dignity to this fortified wine.

Named after the port town in Sicily’s far western territory of Trapani, Marsala was conceived in 1773 by English trader John Woodhouse. He added grape spirit to the local wine to make it stable for long voyages, much like Sherry, Port and Madeira. In its early days, Marsala equalled the best of these.

38 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

Alas, quality started declining following World War II. At its nadir, the wines were made from high-yielding, poor-quality grapes and shortcuts were adopted to give colour and sweetness.

To add insult to injury, Marsala houses started making “special” bottlings with flavourings like egg, chocolate and nuts, cinching Marsala’s reputation as a cooking wine. Mercifully, regulations were tightened in 1984 banning this practice. Nonetheless, the sins of the past still haunt Marsala today and its reputation has not completely recovered.

Further confusion around the region is surely fuelled by the huge variety of styles. Colour is just one of the ways in which Marsala is categorized. Traditionally, it was made exclusively with white grapes — the local Grillo, Inzolia and Catarratto.

Oro (golden) is crafted from any proportion of these, though Grillo is the most highly regarded. “It can reach [a] high level of ripeness while retaining acidity,” explains Maggio. Rubino (ruby) is based on red varieties like Nero d’Avola and Nerello Mascalese. Finally, Ambra is made from white varieties but gets its amber colour from the addition of mosto cotto. This cooked grape must, which is required for Ambra but prohibited in both Oro and Rubino, is also used as a sweetener but can also impart a detracting bitterness.

Typically thought to be a sweet wine exclusively, Marsala also ranges in sugar content. Secco, meaning “dry,” is somewhat of a misnomer, as it indicates wines containing up to 40

g/l. However, the best do actually taste dry and are particularly delicious as an aperitivo with briny fare like olives, anchovies and salted nuts.

Semisecco is between 40 and 100 g/l and can make a great companion for cheese. Finally, dolce is over 100 g/l — sweet enough to handle desserts.

Crucial to Marsala’s identity is aging: the longer the wine remains in wood the more marked its captivatingly nutty, oxidative character will be. It was originally aged in perpetuum: a portion of wine was withdrawn drawn from the cask and replaced with newer wine, making for a continuous blending of younger and older wine. This solera-like process is not required, though, and is typically only used for the most premium Marsala. Minimum aging duration is designated on the label with straightforward mainstream offerings typically falling into the Fine (one year) and Superiore (two years) categories.

Superiore Riserva, Vergine and Vergine Stravecchio refer to a minimum of four, five and 10 years, respectively, but the finest examples are aged even longer. Furthermore, Vergine must be secco and cannot be made with mosto cotto.

Marsala production is dominated by big houses like Florio and Pellegrino. Both make a range of products — everything from entry-level Fine suitable for adding to your zabaglione, to limited quantities of long-aged, vintage-dated Marsala. Boutique producers are rare and represented notably by Marco De Bartoli, who was the first to fight against Marsala’s demise. While De Bortoli passed away at the age of 66 in 2011, his three children carry on crafting exemplary Marsala. The lineup includes an unfortified wine called Vecchio Samperi that harks back to the pre-Woodhouse era, though it cannot be called Marsala as modern-day regulations require fortification.

Truly, it is at the top end where Marsala has a chance to make a comeback. For this very reason, the University of Palermo is examining how to reposition Marsala with a particular focus on the Vergine category. As Marsala emerges from the kitchen cupboard, its appeal will remain niche but adventurous drinkers will be rewarded with sun-kissed fruit, a salty tang and an aged nuttiness evoking Sicily’s long and fascinating past. ×

RENATO, SEBASTIANO AND GIUSEPPINA DE BARTOLI

FLORIO TERRE ARSE 2002, MARSALA DOC VERGINE ($40/500 ML)

Meaning “scorched earth,” the Terre Arse is made exclusively from Grillo and aged 8 years.

Truly dry and assertively firm, it offers salted caramel, almond brittle and a slightly smoky, iodine note. Give it a slight chill.

MARCO DE BARTOLI 1987, MARSALA DOC SUPERIORE RISERVA ($120/500 ML)

Aged for more than 20 years in a combination of oak and chestnut barrels, this extraordinary Semisecco totals a mere 6,000 bottles.

Creamy and concentrated without being heavy, it is moreish and nutty with a long nougat finish.

OCTOBER 2018 39

RISING

by Tod Stewart

It’s one of the hottest drinks shows in town. Literally. This is the seventh year Kampai Toronto has been staged by the Sake Institute of Ontario (SIO) and, similar to every year I can recall, it’s wilting hot outside. Luckily, the cool brick walls of the Fermenting Cellar in the city’s Distillery District and the (functioning, thank god) AC, are keeping the attendees and exhibitors — and sakes — cool enough to show their best.

That Kampai Toronto has been more or less a sold-out event every year attests to the burgeoning interest in Japan’s national drink (now produced elsewhere, including British Columbia and Ontario). Indeed, Kampai Toronto allows sake newbies and aficionados alike to get a firsthand taste of what the category is currently offering. Let’s just say that the sake industry is working diligently to quash stereotypes and preconceived notions, expand its audience and further refine one of the world’s most refined drinks.

I’d heard from many an industry insider that there’s a new breed of younger sake master brewers (toji) who are explor40 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

ing some new directions, but I had never been clear on exactly what these directions were. To get the lowdown, I asked sake expert (and my usual go-to for all things sake) Michael Tremblay to elaborate on the evolution of Japan’s brewers and the contributions made by the country’s toji guilds.

“Toji guilds came about during the Edo period, from rice growers who had time to brew sake in the winter months when they had nothing much else to do,” Tremblay explains. “Some would travel to other prefectures for work and bring back the techniques used by other toji. These guilds passed down the history and teachings from generation to generation.”

The new generation still relies, to an extent, on handed-down tradition, but they have more in their brewing arsenal.

“With the younger generations, brewers that are being groomed to take over the family brewery for example, many of them are going to university and getting formal training in sake making,” Tremblay reveals. “Some even go on to do graduate degrees in molecular biology and study yeast strains and other brewing minutia. So, this younger generation — not all but many — are entering sake making from an academic standpoint.

They have also travelled much more than the toji they will replace … visiting

wine-making regions like Napa or Burgundy, and coming back with ideas.”

Younger toji at breweries like Kojima Sohonten are developing new fermentation tanks that are inert. Firms like Kuheiji and Matsumoto are employing new wooden rice steamers. Others are trying bottle pasteurization with the cap on so the sake absorbs a little CO2, adding a refreshing spritz to the final product. And some are tipping their hats to the wine industry, printing rice harvest vintage dates on bottles.

“More and more are also trying to grow rice again, something that was outlawed after World War II for breweries and where the rules have finally changed that allow them to,” says Tremblay. “And a big one for me: brewers are more open to working with one another, critiquing and learning from each other.”

Besides rice, yeast — perhaps the most significant contributor to the flavour — is another component that is going through something of an evolution.

“Prefectures such as Shizuoka have yeast strains to thank for their regional style and for putting them on the sake map, winning all kinds of sake competitions in the 1980s,” Tremblay remarks.

“Other prefectures like Kyoto are working on new yeasts that can work well with Iwai, Kyoto’s heirloom sake rice that is being revived at the moment. Hiroshima is another prefecture actively working on new yeast strains.”

TREMBLAY MENTIONS “REGIONAL STYLES,” WHICH IS PERHAPS ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE SAKE WORLD. A pre-

show seminar at Kampai Toronto — led

by Tremblay — admirably demonstrated the stylistic differences between sakes brewed in prefectures including Nigata, Kyoto, Gifu and Hiroshima, among others. Tremblay notes that most sake-producing regions that are choosing to emphasize their uniqueness are doing so via a distinguishing logo on their bottles. “This is really cool,” he enthuses, adding that this logo typically means all components are local.

Yet striving to source all ingredients from a specific area is not without its complications. The water, rice and yeast used in sake production can — and often are — sourced from parts of the country that may be a significant distance from the actual brewery.

“One of the big cons of a regional focus is that the best rice in the world for brewing premium sake, Yamada Nishiki, is predominantly grown in the southern part of Japan in places like Hyogo, Osaka and Fukuoka,” Tremblay admits. “So even in Yamagata, where there is a strong regional focus, almost every brewer is purchasing Yamada Nishiki from Hyogo, which is the premier region for the best Yamada Nishiki, to make top-quality sake. So, regionality works here, but since rice can be purchased in other parts of the country, there will always be sake made using ingredients from another prefecture. With that said, I think what’s really cool is that many prefectures are continuously trying to breed a new strain of rice that works in their climate and is as good as Yamada Nishiki. In addition, almost every prefecture in Japan has a sake rice that is indigenous to that region.”

That Tremblay singles out Yamagata as having a strong regional focus isn’t coincidental. Earlier in the year, I attended yet another Tremblay-led seminar hosted by the Independent Wine Education Guild (IWEG). The night focused solely on the sakes brewed in the Yamagata region. What makes Yamagata worthy of such focus?

Writing for Sake Today, Haruo Matsuzaki argues that it, “… would not be an exaggeration to say that from the 1980s, Yamagata as a whole established itself at the very forefront of sake trends.” He cites the usual culprits: younger brewers with new ideas who were willing to work together, new strains of yeast and the development of new rice strains (think Dewa Sansan, Dewa no Sato, and Yuki Megami).

“What are the general characteristics of Yamagata sake? It is light and delicate, as is the sake of the whole Tohoku region. It also exhibits even character, having been brewed with rice mainly from the same region, and furthermore enjoys a refined quality. Yamagata’s is a

well-developed style of sake that is likely a combination of the effects of balanced flavours and aromas that arise from the use of Yamagata Kobo yeast, as well as the prefecture’s determined efforts to produce sake that would garner attention in bigger markets all over the country,” Matsuzaki concludes.

In any case, Yamagata was the first sake prefecture to be recognized with a Geographical Indication (GI) from the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2016. The sakes we tasted ranged from the fragrant, floral Eiko Fuji “Ban Ryu” Honjozo, to the slightly funkier Dewanoyuki Kimoto Junmai (Kimoto being an ancient fermentation technique that leads to an earthier profile), to the intensely complex Yamagata Masamune “1898” Kimoto Junmai. Even though all nine samples were from the same prefecture, they were all distinct — and impeccably crafted.

Yet it’s not just within the sake-brewing community where things are evolving.

From her perch aloft the Aburi Restaurant Canada empire, sake specialist Miki Ellis has a bird’s-eye view of the change in consumer appreciation of sake. I chatted with her at a pop-up food and sake pairing at Miku Toronto (one of two Miku establishments in the Aburi fold).

When asked if she’s noticed a change in consumer attitudes towards sake, she responds, “Absolutely. Over the past five years there’s been a huge increase in consumer knowledge.” She notes that old preconceptions have faded substantially, and that her customers are becoming more experimental. “They understand that chilled sake is a legitimate — and often better — serving temperature, and they more often opt for top-quality daiginjo-grade bottles.”

Ellis also sides with Tremblay (and practically everyone else I spoke to) when it comes to the importance of regionality.

“Japan is incredible when it comes to regionality in general, and this is especially important when it comes to producers of all food and drink, including sake.”

All well and good. But I still couldn’t help walking away from all this wondering, “does regional actually mean better?” I guess this is up to me (and you) to decide. × OCTOBER 2018 41

BOUQUET GARNI NANCY JOHNSON

PUMPKIN SPICE

3 2 2 1 1/2

tbsp ground cinnamon tsp ground ginger tsp ground nutmeg tsp ground allspice tsp ground cloves

In a small bowl, mix spices. Store in a jar in the cupboard. Add to pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin spice latte and more. Much, much and infinitely much more.

CINNAMON AND SUGAR GLAZED PECANS

These sweet pecans make a great snack or a lovely hostess gift when packed in a pretty tin. Scatter them over a salad of mixed greens, dried cranberries and blue cheese or use as a topping for mashed sweet potatoes or roasted butternut squash.

YOU HAD ME AT PUMPKIN SPICE As nights grow longer and leaves drift gently from the trees, there is, without a doubt, no escaping autumn’s Return of Pumpkin Spice.

Originally an aromatic blend meant for pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice quite simply overtakes all in fall, becoming the ubiquitous star of just about every food I hold near and dear: lattes and kombucha; butter, chocolate and cream cheese; breakfast cereal, bagels and protein powder; snacky-time nuts, chips and pretzels; savoury sausages, meat loaf and salsa; liqueurs, ales and my beloved please-don’t-mess-with-it vodka.

Not to be out-spiced by the food industry, various other companies have jumped onto the pumpkin spice bandwagon with deodorants, essential oils, fire logs, incense, room sprays, candles, colognes and soaps. I am certain some day in the very near future my local petrol station will offer a choice of regular, premium and pumpkin spice gasoline.

Since it is impossible to avoid, I’m getting into the spirit of the season by making my own pumpkin spice mélange, which, I have to admit, is pretty darn good. And since I’m stocking up on cozy autumn spices, I’ll make the following recipes to deplete my stock before spring.

42 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

1 1 450 1 1 3/4

egg white tbsp water g pecan halves cup white sugar tsp ground cinnamon tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 250˚F. 2. Using an electric mixer, in a large mixing bowl, beat egg white and water until foamy. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together sugar, salt and cinnamon.

3. Add pecans to egg white mixture, gently mixing with a rubber spatula to coat. Transfer pecans to sugar mixture and, using the spatula, gently mix to coat.

4. Spread pecans in a single layer on 2 baking sheets that have been covered with parchment paper or foil. Bake at 250˚F for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool.

MATCH: Serve with Champagne.

TURKEY À LA KING SERVES 4

Use leftover Thanksgiving turkey to make this dish, which includes directions for making a roux, a classic thickening agent for sauces and soups. Nutmeg is a great flavour booster for cream or cheese sauces. I always add a pinch or two to my Mornay sauce mac and cheese.

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tbsp butter tbsp olive oil cups mushrooms, chopped shallots, peeled and minced sweet red pepper, seeded and minced cup flour cups chicken broth cup dry sherry tsp ground nutmeg tsp dried thyme leaves

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1/2 cup heavy cream 4 cups turkey or chicken, cooked, cut into bite-sized cubes 1 cup frozen peas

1. In a large skillet, melt butter with olive oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until softened and golden brown. Add shallots and peppers. Cook, stirring, until shallots and peppers soften.

2. Make roux: Stir in flour to coat mushroom mixture. Cook, stirring, until bubbly and flour has lost its raw aroma, about 5 minutes.

3. Add broth and sherry. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add nutmeg, thyme, heavy cream, turkey and peas.

4. Simmer until turkey is heated through, about 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

5. Great over toasted, buttered French bread or freshly baked buttermilk biscuits.

MATCH: Uncork a Chardonnay and celebrate good friends and good food.

ROASTED JERK CHICKEN SERVES 4

Allspice is the berry of an evergreen tree, native to South America and the West Indies. An essential ingredient in Caribbean cuisine, ground allspice is popular as a sweet baking ingredient in North America. It also lends a unique flavour to savoury Cincinnati Chili. You can purchase allspice whole or ground. If you prefer jerk chicken uber-hot, add a few spoonfuls of minced fresh scotch bonnet pepper to the rub instead of the cayenne pepper, which I have added here very weakly, because I’m a chicken when it comes to hot flavours.

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tbsp dark brown sugar tsp ground allspice tsp ground cinnamon tsp ground ginger tsp ground nutmeg tsp dried thyme tsp salt tsp pepper Pinch cayenne pepper Juice of 2 limes cup soy sauce kg bone-in chicken thighs fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into cubes

1. In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, thyme, salt and pepper. Add chicken, tossing to coat.

Transfer chicken to roasting pan and refrigerate 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 350˚F. 3. Pour lime juice and soy sauce over chicken. Roast chicken, uncovered, about 40 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 170˚F. MATCH: Serve with fresh pineapple and an IPA or pale ale.

OSSO BUCCO SERVES 4

I like this Milanese specialty because it includes a bouquet garni, which is the name of this column. A bouquet garni is simply a bunch of fresh and dried herbs, bundled into cheesecloth that is then secured with kitchen string. Some Osso Bucco recipes call for a gremolata garnish — a fresh mix of lemon zest, garlic and parsley — and you may certainly use it here. However, orange zest is a surprising and refreshing alternative. This recipe calls for two whole cloves. The buds of an evergreen tree, whole cloves add an exotic and welcome dash of umami to this dish. To use the remaining cloves, stud a ham with whole cloves before baking or add whole cloves to rice while it cooks. Whole cloves also add a mysterious note to mulled cider, hot chocolate and chai tea.

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sprigs fresh rosemary sprigs fresh thyme bay leaf whole cloves whole veal shanks Salt and pepper, to taste cup flour cup olive oil onion, chopped carrot, chopped stalk celery, chopped cloves garlic, crushed tbsp tomato paste cup dry white wine cups chicken broth, or as needed tbsp orange zest

1. Make a bouquet garni: Place rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and cloves in cheesecloth and tie with kitchen string.

2. Pat veal shanks dry with paper towels. Wrap kitchen string around each shank to keep them intact while cooking. Season with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour.

3. In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add veal shanks to pan and brown on all sides. Remove and set aside.

4. In the same Dutch oven, add onion, carrot, celery and garlic.

Sauté until vegetables are softened. Add tomato paste, stirring to coat vegetables.

5. Return veal to Dutch oven. Add wine and cook until wine is reduced by half. Add bouquet garni and 3 cups chicken broth.

6. Reduce heat to low, cover pan and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Turn veal every 30 minutes, adding broth as needed.

7. To serve, remove and discard bouquet garni. Transfer veal to a platter, remove string and pour juices over all. Garnish with orange zest.

MATCH: This is a dish where Barolo works well. You may also try my favourite wine — Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Maybe even try a mulled wine. × OCTOBER 2018 43

BUYING GUIDE All wines listed are recommended by our experienced panel of tasters. Each wine is rated based on its varietal character, representation of style and/or region, balance and price-quality ratio.

Readers should assess these, and all wines, using the same criteria. Browse our experts’ tasting notes to find the wines that may appeal to your taste or pique your interest to try something new.

Afterall, one of the best parts about wine is the discovery. The prices listed are suggested retail prices and will likely vary from province to province. A large number of these wines can be purchased across Canada, so check with your local liquor board or private wine store for availability.

Our tasters are Tony Aspler, Gurvinder Bhatia, Tod Stewart, Evan Saviolidis, Rick VanSickle, Ron Liteplo, Sean Wood, Gilles Bois, Crystal Luxmore, Tara Luxmore, Treve Ring, Tim Pawsey, Silvana Lau, Craig Pinhey and Jonathan Smithe. *Available through private import and wine clubs

SPARKLING ZUCCHETTO PROSECCO 2015, DOCG VALDOBBIADENE, ITALY ($19)

Unusually, the yeast lees in this bottle-fermented bubbly were not disgorged, but rather left in the bottle.

The result is a cloudy, pale gold wine with lots of tiny bubbles. Nose of bread dough, orange, apricot and bananas. On the palate, it is sour, tasting of yeast and lemon with a bitter apple-peel finish.

Not everyone’s cup of tea. (RL)* VIENI CLASSIC BRUT 2013, NIAGARA, ONTARIO ($20)

Made in the charmat method, this blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier has a nose of baked apple, pear, pie crust and brioche notes. There are lovely toasty notes on the palate but it still maintains freshness through the finish to go with flavours of bin apple, pear and citrus. (RV) 44 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

PIERRE SPARR CRÉMANT D’ALSACE BRUT RÉSERVE NV, ALSACE, FRANCE ($20)

This non-vintage bubbly has a minerally, white peach nose with citrus notes; light to medium-bodied, it tastes like crab apples with fresh, balancing acidity. (TA)

SANTA MARIA LA PALMA SPUMANTE ARAGOSTA BRUT NV, SARDINIA, ITALY ($23)

Aromas of pear and pineapple, warm crusty bread, bright and fresh with soft bubbles, lightly salty and juicy acidity on the finish. 100% Vermentino. Ideal with fried sardines. (GB) SANTA MARIA LA PALMA SPUMANTE ARAGOSTA ROSÉ BRUT NV, SARDINIA, ITALY ($23)

Pale pink with aromas and flavours of strawberry, cherry, citrus and fresh flowers, creamy texture, finishing dry, clean and fresh. Excellent with grilled shellfish. (GB) CUDDY BY TAWSE SPARK RIESLING NV, TWENTY MILE BENCH, ONTARIO ($25)

Mature and ready to drink with apple,

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TAWSE REDFOOT VINEYARD PINOT GRIS 2017, LINCOLN LAKESHORE ($28) TREE AND STONE FRUIT ARE AT THE CORE OF THIS SOMEWHAT LIGHTER GRIS. ADD IN NUANCES OF FLOWERS, SMOKE, SPICE AND BANANA, AND YOU HAVE AN EASY-DRINKING, FOOD-VERSATILE WHITE. DRY WITH A CRISP PERSONALITY AND HINTS OF MINERALITY FINALIZE EVERYTHING. TBY EVAN SAVIOLIDIS

lemon, pear and yeasty/toasty aromas.

There is a light sweetness that is off-set by the crisp acidity. Pair with shrimp tacos or warm goat cheese salad. (ES)

mouth, with background citrus supported by firm mineral and vibrant acidity.

Lightly creamy texture contrasts with drying mineral on the finish. (SW)

SELLA & MOSCA ALGHERO TORBATO SPUMANTE BRUT 2017, SARDINIA, ITALY ($25)

ANGELS GATE ARCHANGEL SPARKLING CHARDONNAY NV, ONTARIO ($29)

Fresh with floral aromas and hints of citrus and baked bread, savoury and salty with a creamy texture, lively bubbles and an appealing quaffability. Torbato was essentially a forgotten grape and this winery is considered its greatest champion. Sella & Mosca are also going to introduce a traditional method, no dosage Torbato, which is not yet ready for release, but I experienced a preview tasting and the sparkling showed much of the same character as the charmat method, but with more complexity, yeastiness and length. (GB) DOMAINE DE GRAND PRÉ CHAMPLAIN TRADITIONAL METHOD NV, NOVA SCOTIA ($28)

Shows lively persistent mousse in the glass with gentle floral and green fruit scents accented by a splash of vanilla.

Flavours of green apple dominate in the

This sparkler won a silver medal at this year’s Ontario Wine Awards. Straw coloured with an active mousse of tiny bubbles, wafts of citrus, apple and green melon rise from the glass; medium-bodied on the palate, flavours of green apple and lemon fill the mouth. (TA) TOWNSHIP 7 SEVEN STARS CUVÉE 2015, OKANAGAN VALLEY, BRITISH COLUMBIA ($30)

A traditional method sparkling wine made from 100% Chardonnay. A fine stream of bubbles in the glass with persistent mousse. Lifted notes of fresh apple, citrus and brioche before a generous, creamy mouthfeel with good structure, grapefruit and lemon hints, through a textured close. (TP) DOMAINE CHANDON ROSÉ NV, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES ($33)

Pale pink peach hue, this traditional

method fizz of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier is frothy and fresh in the mouth, kissed with wild strawberry, cherry and pretty pink florals. The palate is creamy and the dosage is ample, making this an easy and friendly pour for most palates. (TR) HENRY OF PELHAM CUVÉE CATHARINE CARTE BLANCHE ESTATE BLANC DE BLANC 2013, NIAGARA, ONTARIO ($45)

Henry of Pelham’s top sparkler made from estate Chardonnay is barrel fermented (20% of the Chardonnay fruit) and then sits on the lees for 5 years before being disgorged. It is always one of Niagara’s top bubbles with an enticing nose of lemon chiffon, fresh-squeezed lime, Chantilly cream, vanilla toast, brioche, fresh-baked bread and baked apple pie. It has a vibrant, energetic feel on the palate with bright citrus and elegant apple notes that work well with the leesy/baked bread and brioche accents through the long, freshening finish. (RV) SUMMERHILL CIPES BLANC DE BLANC 2012, OKANAGAN VALLEY, BRITISH COLUMBIA ($46)

This 100% Chardonnay sparkler is pale OCTOBER 2018 45

BUYING GUIDE straw in colour with an active mousse and a minerally nose of apples and brioche. It’s light-bodied, dry on the palate, with a suggestion of toast, honey, apple and a light note of white blossoms. Long, lemony finish. (TA)

SINGLETREE GRÜNER VELTLINER 2017, FRASER VALLEY ($17)

Citrus and honey notes upfront followed by an intensely fruity, clean, bright palate of lemon lime with a touch of minerality wrapped in juicy acidity through a zesty close. (TP)

WHITE $20 AND UNDER

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ARGENTINA CATENA ZAPATA HIGH MOUNTAIN VINES CHARDONNAY 2016, MENDOZA ($18)

Lemon citrus and subtle buttery aromas yield to elegant varietal lemon citrus flavour on the palate supported by drying mineral and clean, refreshing acidity.

Finishes with a lick of butterscotch and a splash of vanilla. (SW)

CANADA CHÂTEAU DES CHARMES SAUVIGNON BLANC 2017, ONTARIO ($16)

Grassy green plum and green apple nose, it’s medium-bodied, crisply dry with grapefruit and green plum flavours and fresh citrus acidity. It’s got an intriguing touch of bitterness on the end taste to give added interest. (TA) CHÂTEAU DES CHARMES ALIGOTÉ 2017, NIAGARA ($16)

The nose shows vivid quince, sea shells, 46 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

citrus and apple notes. It’s racy/zippy on the palate with refreshing notes of pear, melon, apple and saline minerality through a crisp finish. (RV)

CEDARCREEK GEWÜRTZRAMINER 2017, OKANAGAN VALLEY ($19)

From old vines in Kelowna’s Mission District. Aromas of white flower, pear, lychee and rose petal, followed by a juicy, well-balanced tropical-toned palate, underpinned by fresh acidity, a little ginger spice, some savoury notes and a hint of mineral with a clean finish. Added texture from 1/3 being barrel aged. (TP) TOWNSHIP 7 7 BLANC 2017, OKANAGAN VALLEY ($19)

MONTE CREEK RIESLING 2017, BRITISH COLUMBIA ($17)

A blend of Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Riesling and Muscat yields a pleasant off-dry sipper with rose petal and tropical notes upfront before a fruity, peach, lychee and pear-toned palate with gentle acidity and a touch of sweetness that suggests a spicy pairing would go well. (TP)

BLUE GROUSE BACCHUS 2017, COWICHAN VALLEY ($19)

ROCKY CREEK PINOT GRIS 2017, COWICHAN VALLEY, VANCOUVER ISLAND ($20)

Aromas of green apple with a hint of petrol, followed by an apple-toned palate with firm acidity and good length.

Mouthwatering freshness, with apple and a touch of citrus in the finish. Promises to develop nicely. (TP)

Made from 25-year-old estate vines, cool fermented with extended lees contact.

Very pale pink tinge in the glass, vibrant aromas of orchard, stone fruit and subtle floral notes followed by a generous but elegant palate of pink grapefruit, quince and citrus, wrapped in juicy acidity with a lingering, zesty finish. (TP) CAVE SPRING ESTATE CHARDONNAY 2016, ONTARIO ($19)

Made in Burgundian style but unmistakably Niagara, this flavourful Chardonnay is straw coloured with a green tint. The nose is apple with oak spice and touch of the forest floor. Medium-bodied and dry, you will experience flavours of apple and pineapple with well-integrated oak and balancing acidity. (TA)

Firm salmon in the glass from 16 hours on skins, aromas of orchard fruits and tropical notes followed by peach, grapefruit and green apple skin with a hint of minerality, underpinned by firm acidity that softens in the glass. (TP)

FRANCE DOMAINE DES SANSONNETS 2015, AOC POUILLY-FUISSÉ ($20)

Clear deep gold. Nose of Granny Smith apple, pineapple, lemon and a bit of oak.

Full-bodied, tastes of apple, ripe banana, peach and apricot. Lots of fruit but well-balanced. A classy Burgundy for the price. Drink over the next year. (RL)*

ARTHUR METZ RIESLING 2016, VIN D’ALSACE AOP ($20)

Opens with delicately scented spring flowers with characteristic Riesling lemon citrus, incisive mineral and petrol notes on the nose. Medium weight in the mouth with crisp citrus and green fruit, mineral and well-balanced acidity with a touch of kiwi fruit on the finish. Solid, food-friendly Alsatian style. (SW)

GERMANY WEINGUT TINA PFAFFMANN T. NO. 9 RIESLING TROCKEN 2016, PFALZ ($20)

Pale straw colour with a hint of lime, this tasty Riesling offers a minerally, green peach nose overlaid with a note of honey; light to medium-bodied, dry, with floral, green apple and green melon flavours; a beautifully balanced wine. (TA)

ash texture that lingers, bringing additional interest. Snappy, intriguing now, this will continue to honey with time, adding secondary and tertiary complexities to this easy charmer. (TR)

fruit. Citrus flavours resurface on the palate, showing delicately ripe grapefruit and well-modulated acidity in a refined, medium weight style. A charming wine for the money. Godello is a grape that deserves to be better known. (SW)

BARONE DI VALFORTE PASSERINA 2016, IGP COLLI APRUTINI, ABRUZZO ($18)

Native to southern Marche/northern Abruzzo, this grape was near extinction before a handful of producers resurrected it. This Passerino is grown on north facing (cooler) sandy soils, approximately 100 m above sea level. Meadow grasses, quince and ripe white peach are slicked with a firm coat of lees and lifted with white pepper to a spiced, lightly bitter finish. This is a touch loose and watery on the mid palate. I would love to see this under screw cap rather than a short plastic cork. (TR)

RECOMMENDED AUSTRIA WEINGUT WINZER KREMS GRÜNER VELTLINER 13 2017, NIEDERÖSTERREICH ($13)

The LCBO’s only general list Grüner is a fabulous value and a solid introduction to the varietal if you have yet to experience it. White peach, honey, green apple, lime, white pepper, mineral and celery notes. Refreshing, dry and very good length. (ES)

MONTEMISIO OFFIDA PECORINO 2016, MARCHE ($18)

ITALY SIBILIANA ROCENO GRILLO 2016, IGP TERRA SICILIANE ($12)

Clear medium-deep gold with a touch of green. Medium nose of melon, peach and apricot and a drop of lemon juice. Medium-bodied, tasting of lemon and apricot with a fitting bite of acidity. Delicious accompanying smoked trout with arugula and grilled fennel. Drink up. (RL)* TRUFFLE HUNTER LEDA ARNEIS 2016, DOC LANGHE ($17)

Clear medium gold. Robust nose of yeast, pineapple, gooseberry, tea, a hint of sherry. On the palate, there are ripe pear flavours with herbal (coriander?) notes and a long slightly bitter finish. A versatile food wine, enjoyable with a Caprese salad and arugula pizza. Drink now. (RL)* BARONE DI VAL FORTE PECORINO 2016, IGP COLLI APRUTINI, ABRUZZO ($18)

This Pecorino is grown on north facing (cooler) calcareous laced soils in Piomba and Colle Sale, and from 150-350 m.

Light honeysuckle, quince, pine nuts, Asian pear, apricot fuzz in this structured white, hedged with smoked/broken stone and lifted with a bright spire of acidity to a savoury finish. There’s a slight sandy/

The trending white wine in Italy these days is Pecorino (which is also the name of a cheese). Pale straw in colour, it has a spicy bouquet of peach with oak notes; medium-bodied with a smoky, floral, peach flavour, it finishes on a delightful note of lilacs. (TA)

PORTUGAL VINDIMEIRO BRANCO 2016, DOC DOURO ($14)

Blend of four indigenous varietals.

Clear medium gold. Complex nose of cantaloupe, sharp pineapple, apple and cinnamon. Full-bodied with the spice and complexity of a Gewürz crossed with the body and fruit of a Viognier. Flavours of honey, pear, peach and rich apple seasoned with a dash of lime and some walnut bitterness. Terrific value. Will last another year. (RL)*

SPAIN ALVAREZ DE TOLEDO LUIS VARELA GODELLO 2016, BIERZO DO ($15)

Grown in the heart of the Godello grape growing region, this shows fragrant soft floral scents with notes of refined citrus

CHILE CONCHA Y TORO TRIO RESERVA CHARDONNAY/PINOT BLANC/PINOT GRIGIO 2015 ($17)

This “Trio” of grapes creates a harmonious, attractively balanced blend showing lively citrus, tropical fruit and stony mineral notes, finishing with agreeably refreshing acidity. Very pleasant as an aperitif or will pair flexibly with seafood and other lighter dishes. (SW)

CANADA HENRY OF PELHAM RIESLING 2017, NIAGARA ($15)

Lithe, this Riesling is off-dry with lemon, lime, mineral and hints of white peach floating around. Light-bodied and ready to drink, so chill and serve alongside perch or sole. (ES)

FRANCE VIGNOBLES PAUL MAS VERMENTINO 2016, PAYS D’OC IGP ($15)

Scents of pear with subdued floral and mineral notes yield to apple and pear flavours delivered in a clean, well-balanced, OCTOBER 2018 47

BUYING GUIDE medium weight package. Pair with shellfish, lighter seafood and picnic fare. (SW) MOUTON CADET BLANC 2016, BORDEAUX ($15)

Light straw in colour with an earthy, minerally citrus nose augmented by forest floor notes; medium bodied, dry, with lemon, cut grass and grapefruit flavours. (TA) JARDIN EN FLEURS VOUVRAY 2017, AC VOUVRAY, LOIRE VALLEY ($20)

White florals, white honey and wet rocks lead this approachable, just off-dry Vouvray, kept in stainless to brighten and sharpen Chenin’s characteristic acidity.

Acids are on full display here, pulling the candied lemon, medicinal white cherry, pear gummies sweetness that slows down the palate along to a snappy finish. A bit sweet and sour; chill well. (TR)

SOUTH AFRICA RUSTENBERG SAUVIGNON BLANC 2017, SIMONSBERG-STELLENBOSCH ($14)

Mellow green fruit with discernible gooseberry and grassy herbal scents on the nose. Generously ripe green and citrus fruit emerge on the palate, with solid mineral grip and pleasantly refreshing acidity. (SW)

SPAIN PIQUERAS WILD FERMENTED VERDEJO ORGANIC WINE 2016, ALMANSA DO ($15)

Night-harvested and subsequently fermented in large Allier oak casks with several months on the fine lees, this wine 48 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

shows interesting complexity on the nose, with yellow fruit, floral and mellow, honeyed overtones. Contrasting exotic green fruit emerges on the palate with subtle mellow oak influence, lightly honeyed overtones and dry, minerally finish. (SW)

$20.01 TO $35

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AUSTRALIA ALPHA BOX & DICE GOLDEN MULLET FURY SEMILLON/VIOGNIER 2015, MCLAREN VALE ($24)

The Semillon and Viognier, which come off a shared plot of sand over clay at McLaren Vale’s Connor’s Farm, were co-fermented and spent 10 days on the skins together before inoculation and fermentation. Not common kin, these two grapes are working on the like-complements-like theory. Semillon’s honeyed waxy richness is blended into Viognier’s floral lush richness, resulting in a wine that is — well — super rich, waxy and floral. BUT, and it’s a big but, this comes with the orange-wine texture that comes from 10 days on the skins.

Post ferment, this spent 18 months in oak, 70% neutral. A pierce of tangerine oil strides forward of medicinal orange, lemon pith, quince paste, ample earthy lees, white pepper, heaps of spices. They call this wine “the mullet.” You’re either all in, or out. With this wine, I’ve gone back and forth over an evening of tasting; I do not believe in the faux-mullet.

This could use a sharper focus in future but is drinking well now with airtime and an evening of tasting ahead. (TR)

CANADA ORGANIZED CRIME PINOT GRIS 2017, NIAGARA ($21)

It shows a light copper colour in the glass with aromas of grapefruit, citrus, apple skin, melon and cantaloupe. The flavours are ripe and range from melon, apple and grapefruit to subtle spice notes with racy acidity to keep it fresh through the finish.

Good job here. (RV) TAWSE SKETCHES OF NIAGARA CHARDONNAY 2014, NIAGARA ($22)

From year to year, the Chardonnay is always top quality. Made from estate and purchased grapes and fermented via natural yeasts, it was then aged in 20% new oak. Pear, apple, peach, honey, cream, vanilla and spice all play nice together. A fresh finish bodes well for pairing against scallops and crab. (ES) SUMMERHILL ORGANIC RIESLING 2017, OKANAGAN VALLEY ($25)

From certified organic vineyards in West Kelowna and Oliver. Cold stopped fermentation in stainless steel. Upfront citrus and stone fruit notes with a tropical hint announcing a luscious, fresh, pure fruit palate of peach nectarine and guava. (TP) AVONDALE SKY RIESLING 2017, NOVA SCOTIA ($25)

Floral aromatics and penetrating citrus reveal solid Riesling varietal character. The impression is confirmed by intense lemon and mineral grip, and bright acidity on the palate.

This wine will develop more complexity over the next several years and perhaps longer. (SW)

100% Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley

THE Cab to put on your table, period.

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CHARLES SMITH IN FOLDER “ �

Classic Cabernet Sauvignon. Currant, blackberry, cigar box with touches of chocolate, cedar and pencil lead. Full avored & just so damn good.

I should raise the price.

- Charles Smith

BUYING GUIDE MONTE CREEK RANCH CHARDONNAY RESERVE 2016, THOMPSON VALLEY ($25)

This wild-fermented Chardonnay has a lovely nose of spiced apple, creamy pear and toasted vanilla oak spices. It’s elegant and poised on the palate with quince fruit that’s nicely spiced through a finessed and vibrant finish. (RV) PLANTERS RIDGE CHARDONNAY 2016, ANNAPOLIS VALLEY ($25)

Pale and very clear in the glass, with lively fresh floral and citrus fruit on the nose and citrus, green apple with nutty, buttery flavours in the mouth. Finishes with signature Nova Scotia firm mineral grip, rather forward acidity, hazelnut and lingering toasty notes. (SW) WINEMAKER’S CUT SAUVIGNON BLANC 2017, SOUTH OKANAGAN ($25)

Cold soaked and stainless steel fermented with 20% in Slovakian oak for added heft. Tropical and citrus notes upfront with some mineral hints, followed by a well-balanced palate, supported by good acidity, with fresh fruit flavours of lemon and gooseberry through a fresh, clean finish. (TP) HENRY OF PELHAM RIESLING SPECK FAMILY RESERVE RIESLING 2016, SHORT HILLS BENCH ($25)

The perception here is of a dry wine with layers of yellow apple, lemon, honey, pineapple and white flowers. Acidity and minerality carry the finale, making for a perfect match with Alsatian Choucroute Garnie or schnitzel. (ES) FLAT ROCK CELLARS THE RUSTY SHED CHARDONNAY 2016, NIAGARA ($27)

This has a concentrated nose of creamy 50 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

apple and pear with lemon and spice accents. It is rich and creamy on the palate with quince and citrus notes, flinty minerality, lovely texture and a vibrant, fresh finish. (RV)

this wine is on the palate considering the heat that summer and fall. The flavours of rich apple and pear with citrus accents are intense but well integrated with just the right amount of spice and mineral notes through the vibrant finish. (RV)

STRATUS WEATHER REPORT CHARDONNAY 2016, ONTARIO ($28)

Yellow straw in colour with a spicy tangerine nose augmented by oak and forest floor notes; medium-bodied, dry, elegant, great texture with rich pineapple and tangerine flavours. Great length. (TA) CLOS DU SOLEIL CAPELLA 2016, SIMILKAMEEN VALLEY ($28)

Flagship blend of Sauvignon Blanc (80%) sourced from Similkameen with Semillon (20%) from Oliver. A judicious use of oak sees 55% fermented in French oak and the balance fermented in stainless steel barrel. Upfront citrus and lime with tropical undertones followed by a layered palate of lemon lime, grapefruit and guava with generous mouthfeel, subtle oak and a touch of minerality. (TP) 16 MILE CELLAR CIVILITY CHARDONNAY 2014, NIAGARA ($30)

Such a gorgeous and penetrating nose of poached pear, apple, lemon, flinty minerality and subtle oak spices. It is rich and creamy on the palate with juicy orchard fruits, toasted vanilla and layered through a long, clean and fresh finish. (RV) ROSEHALL RUN JCR ROSEHALL VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2016, PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY ($35)

This JCR bottling of Chardonnay has a highly mineralized and complex nose of apple, vanilla toast, river rock, pear and integrated spice notes. Incredible how fresh

FRANCE DOMAINE PERRAUD MÂCON VILLAGES 2016, BURGUNDY ($23)

Bright straw in colour with a slightly reductive spicy Mirabel plum and citrus nose and barnyard notes; medium-bodied, dry, apple, green pineapple and lemon flavours with a fresh, acidic finish. (TA) DOMAINE DES HUARDS PURE CHEVERNY 2016, LOIRE VALLEY ($24)

Pale yellow. Fresh and expressive nose with apple/pear notes and a hint of lanolin revealing the presence of Chardonnay blended with Sauvignon Blanc. Light body, very fresh fruity taste, perfectly dry with a mineral edge that gives it structure. Ready now. (GBQc) WILLIAM FÈVRE CHAMPS ROYAUX CHABLIS 2016, BURGUNDY ($27)

One of the most consistent white Burgundies vintage to vintage. Bright straw in colour with a minerally, green apple and citrus bouquet; medium-bodied, dry and crisp. Fresh and lively on the palate with a lemony, green apple flavour and a long finish. (TA) CHÂTEAU DE RIQUEWIHR SCHOENENBOURG RIESLING 2012, ALSACE GRAND CRU ($30)

Very pale. Typical, mineral nose with petrol notes and citrus in an elegant

mix. Traces of carbonic gas enlighten the attack marked by a vivid acidity.

Light fruity taste in the mid palate followed by a beautifully long ample finish.

Drink or hold. (GBQc)

Chenin’s hallmark acidity helps keeps this big wine taut and will aid its time in the cellar. (TR)

SPAIN CHÂTEAU DE LA ROULERIE COTEAUX DU LAYON 2015, AC COTEAUX DU LAYON, LOIRE VALLEY ($30)

Botrytised Chenin from hillside clay and gravels was aged in oak casks for 1 year, yielding this off-dry wine. Honeysuckle, beeswax, ripe pear, riper quince, with evident botrytis savouriness throughout. The waxy palate easily carries the ripe weight through the lingering, white pepper spiced finish. Let this warm up to cellar temperature (and beyond) to fully enjoy. An unsuspecting, lovely partner to creamy blue cheeses, or crème brûlée. (TR)

ITALY SELLA & MOSCA TERRE BIANCHE CUVEE 161 TORBATO 2017, SARDINIA ($30)

Salty, minerally, fresh and delicious with savoury herbs, acacia blossoms, citrus fruit, lovely texture and a bright finish. The 2016 was also tasted and showed even more citrus, saltiness and was quite intense and penetrating. In the hands of this winery, Torbato is definitely a grape variety that more wine drinkers need to discover. (GB)

CORAL DO MAR ALBARIÑO 2016, RIAS BAIXAS DO ($21)

Vibrant gold/straw colour in the glass, with bright aromatic floral and citrus expression with a hint of tropical fruit.

Opens on the palate with fresh lemon and lime citrus flavours braced by mineral grip and crisply fresh acidity. Works well with oysters on the half shell as well as other shellfish and simply prepared white fish dishes. (SW)

UNITED STATES ETUDE LYRIC CHARDONNAY 2015, SANTA BARBARA COUNTY ($35)

Generously ripe lemon citrus and secondary tropical fruit with subtle spicy and buttery notes on the nose. Rounded lemon citrus flavours, hints of pineapple and a trace of banana with good weight in the mouth, finishing with rich butter notes balanced by refreshingly bright acidity. (SW)

RECOMMENDED CANADA

FRANCE LOUIS LATOUR CHARDONNAY 2015, BOURGOGNE AC ($25)

First tasted a year ago, this wine has mellowed slightly but without losing too much freshness. Opens with fresh citrus on the nose with the same theme carrying through on the medium weight palate. It is smoothly textured with good overall balance and a clean fresh finish. A wellmade, straightforward wine. (SW)

ITALY TREXENTA SANT’EFIS NASCO DI CAGLIARI 2016, SARDINIA ($25)

Herbal aromas, mint, menthol and white balsamic. Tropical fruit notes, slightly oily texture with soft acidity.

The herbal character is quite concentrated. Pairs as well with whitefish as it does with roast pork. (GB) AUDARYA NURAGUS DI CAGLIARI 2017, SARDINIA ($30)

Clean, fresh and quite lemony. Mineral, lightly herbal, soft acidity, bright salinity and a juicy, lingering finish. Sardinia is rich in native grape varieties and Nuragus is another that is gaining greater prominence on the island, though very little is currently exported. (GB)

OVER $35

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

SOUTH AFRICA BELLINGHAM THE BERNARD SERIES OLD VINE CHENIN BLANC 2016, WO COASTAL REGION ($24)

Chenin was sourced from Agter-Paarl, Durbanville and Bottelary Hills for this tribute series wine, named for the winery’s founder. The dry 2016 vintage concentrated fruit and flavours in this granitic-soiled, old bush vine (averaging 45 years). White, already low yielding and ripe fruited. Whole bunch pressed, this spent 1 year in French wood (half new) with regular batônnage. Heady white peach, lush pear, fynbos honeysuckle is seasoned with big wood spicing and based by a creamy, rich palate.

TAWSE LIMESTONE RIDGE NORTH RIESLING 2016, TWENTY MILE BENCH ($26)

Mineral, lime, bergamot, peach, honey and hints of jasmine encompass the vibrant acidity. Off-dry with fine length. (ES) LIGHTFOOT & WOLFVILLE VINEYARDS TERROIR SERIES RIESLING 2016, ANNAPOLIS VALLEY ($28)

Hand-picked from small lots in the Organic Estate vineyard, this pale straw-coloured wine offers aromatic intensity with floral and bright lemon citrus scents leading the way for crisp Riesling varietal lemon citrus flavour, lean stony mineral, focused acidity and a pure, crisp finish. (SW)

AUSTRIA DOMÄNE WACHAU RIESLING SMARAGD KELLERBERG 2017, WACHAU ($40)

An overt, dry Riesling with sweet peach, pineapple, melon, honey and flowers.

There is a deep minerality and spice on the palate, all supported by a beam of freshness. Excellent quality. (ES) DOMÄNE WACHAU GRÜNER VELTLINER SMARAGD AXPOINT 2017, WACHAU ($40)

Full-bodied, this Grüner sings with peach, grapefruit, sweet apple, honey and banana aromas. Much of the same is found on the palate, where it is joined by

OCTOBER 2018 51

BUYING GUIDE green notes, minerality and spice. Echoes long. Drink or hold. (ES)

CANADA CHARLES BAKER PICONE VINEYARD RIESLING 2015, ONTARIO ($37)

Bright straw in colour with a lime tint. A nose of grapefruit and honey with a floral grace note and already developing petrol aromas; light bodied, off-dry, honey and grapefruit flavours with fresh, lemony acidity and a lovely mouthfeel. (TA)

FRANCE DOMAINE ROLET L’ÉTOILE CHARDONNAY 2015, AC L’ÉTOILE, JURA ($38)

Domaine Rolet was founded in the 1940s and has remained family run ever since.

With 58 hectares of vines in Arbois, Côte du Jura and L’Etoile, they are the second largest wine growing estate in Jura, working only with estate fruit. Unlike many Jura whites, L’Etoile Chardonnay was fermented in barrique, where it aged for over a year. There is a swell of flint and wood upon opening, yielding to allow the crisp and mineral white to emerge. Tight white fruit, white florals, light hazelnuts, meadow grass, dried green apples and a hum of stones, this is reminiscent of Chablis (their soils are similarly studded with marine fossils). Amplify the slight earthiness woven through here with brown buttered scallops or potent Gruyère. (TR) PIERRES ROUSSES VOUVRAY 2015, AC VOUVRAY, LOIRE VALLEY ($44)

This wine is made by the son of founders/owners Catherine and Pierre 52 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

Brenton, organic champions who farm 11 hectares of vines just east of Bourgueil in the village of Restigné. Their eldest 20-something son Paul has joined the generations and made this singular Chenin from the tiny lieu-dit of Pierre Rousses in Vouvray, named for the red rocks covering the surface of the limestone undercover. Give this ample airtime to allow the exceptional layers of crushed stone, earthy pear, wild clover, key lime, honeysuckle, white pepper, ample crushed sea salts, to emerge and pulse along the confidently lackadaisical palate. After native fermentation in 1- to 2-year-old barrique, this ages in barrique for 7 months, sans MLF. (TR) LE SOULA NO 15 LA MACÉRATION DU SOULA, IGP CÔTES CATALANES, ROUSSILLON ($54)

One of Southern France’s most exciting natural and biodynamic wineries, overseen by winemaker Gérard Gauby, who found these abandoned vines in the late 1990s. This extended-skin contact blend of Vermentino and Macabeo is from 20-to-24-year-old vines on decomposed granite and gneiss, around 500 m altitude in the Fenouillèdes region (the French word for fennel). This is macerated on skins for 15 days before pressing and native fermented, spending a year in oak before bottling unfined and unfiltered. A dusky orange hue, this firm wine is edgy with tangerine pith, bergamot and, aptly, wild fennel. There’s a lovely wisp of citrus oil perfumes and a heightened, almost nervous acidity to lift, but this wine is led and structured through the grippy tannins. Haunting mineral salts and a wild scrubby mint linger on the lingering finish. (TR)

GERMANY WEINGUT AM STEIN 2016, WÜRZBURGER SILVANER TROCKEN VDP PRÄDIKATSWEIN ($34)

Opens with subtle apple, pear and delicate floral scent, evolving to zesty yellow orchard fruit together with sappy apple flavours on the palate. Supported by gravelly mineral and lively acidity, this is a fine example of Frankenwein, which takes the Silvaner grape to its highest level of expression. (SW)

ROSÉ MONTE CREEK ROSÉ 2017, BRITISH COLUMBIA ($15)

Made from 100% Marquette grown on the estate, east of Kamloops. Medium to dark salmon colour in the glass, with a rhubarb, apple and strawberry nose, followed by a red-fruited palate supported by juicy acidity with a lingering, fruity finish. (TP) VIGNOBLES JEANJEAN LE PIVE GRIS 2017, IGP SABLE DE CAMARGUE, LANGUEDOC, FRANCE ($15)

Pale salmon pink. Fresh fruity nose of crushed strawberry, light candy notes.

Soft on the palate, tender acidity, clean fruity taste and a pleasantly round finish.

Enjoy now. Good buy. (GBQc)

J. BOUCHON RESERVA ROSÉ 2017, MAULE VALLEY, CHILE ($16)

This rosé is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Pais, the indigenous grape of Chile. This is from Maule, in the dry

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ALPHA IN FOLDER “

Discover unique unique Discover tasting memories memories tasting from aa distinctive distinctive from ecosystem ecosystem

” Angelos Iatridis

Angelos Iatridis OWNER AND WINEMAKER OWNER AND WINEMAKER

2ndKm. Km.Amyndeon-Ag. Amyndeon-Ag.Panteleimon, Panteleimon,53200 53200 Amyndeon, Amyndeon, Greece - E-mail: info@alpha-estate.com 2nd info@alpha-estate.com--www.alpha-estate.com www.alpha-estate.com

BUYING GUIDE MILL STREET BREWERY ORGANIC COBBLESTONE STOUT NITRO STOUT ($3/440 ML) COBBLESTONE STOUT HAS GONE ORGANIC. MADE WITH A MIX OF ORGANIC PALE MALT FROM THE PRAIRIES AND ORGANIC ROASTED MALT FROM THE UK, THE STOUT HAS ROASTED COFFEE AND SUBTLE VANILLA BEAN FLAVOUR WITH LOW ASTRINGENCY. THE MOUTHFEEL IS LUSCIOUS AND VELVETY WITH SOFT CARBONATION. TRY IT WITH SAINT AGUR, A BLUE CHEESE WITH A TANGY BITE. TBY TARA LUXMORE

coastal area of Mingre, 45 km from the ocean and granitic soils around 200 m.

After a cool maceration, this fermented and spent time in stainless to preserve fresh, crisp, marine influenced fruit.

Tight raspberry, white cherry is infiltrated with dried herbs and tightened with grapefruit pith, adding a nice slick of grip to this dry, fresh rosé, kissed with raspberries on the end. Lovely choice for food, a welcome show of less-is-more and great value. (TR) REMY PANNIER ROSÉ D’ANJOU 2017, LOIRE, FRANCE ($16)

Pale pink in colour with a bluish tint, this wine has a nose of pomegranate and redcurrants. Its medium-bodied, dry, pomegranate flavour is carried on lemony acidity with just a touch of residual sugar on the finish. (TA) VILLA WOLF PINOT NOIR ROSÉ 2016, PFALZ, GERMANY ($18)

Villa Wolf is Ernst Loosen’s affordable, 54 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

traditional Pfalz varietal line, combining estate fruit with contract growers.

This fruity Pinot Noir rosé illustrates the Pfalz’s warmness, though holds the bright acidity and direction of a purpose-picked rosé. The 4-6 hour maceration keeps the colour pale. This was macerated and aged for a short time in stainless on lees (no MLF) to preserve freshness. Like typical Pfalz Riesling, this carries a bump of RS (10.5 g/l) that sweetens wild strawberry jam, perfumed cherries, red apple, lime and pink grapefruit pith. Acidity keeps this juicy and bright, finishing with a dusting of stone and cinnamon. Lovely style showing that off dry can still equal electricity. I hope BC is paying attention. (TR) TAWSE SKETCHES OF NIAGARA ROSÉ 2017, NIAGARA, ONTARIO ($18)

A heavy reliance on Pinot Noir (85%) has created a medium pink colour with an orange tinge and flavours of cherry, strawberry, herbs, spice and red flowers.

On the dry side, so pair with tuna poke or salmon tartare. (ES) HOWLING BLUFF ROSÉ 2017, NARAMATA BENCH ($20)

Made from 100% Pinot Noir from Three Mile Creek and Acta Vineyards. Pretty medium rose salmon in the glass, vibrant red fruit on the nose followed by full fruited strawberry and raspberry notes, juicy and well structured with generous mouthfeel and good length with a touch of pepper spice in the close. (TP) CASTELLO MONACI KREOS NEGROAMARO ROSATO 2017, IGT SALENTO, PUGLIA, ITALY ($23)

Bright and shining medium blush hue, this rustic and authentically-styled fuller-bodied saignée Negroamaro rosé is from the dry gravelly limestone and clay soils of Apulia. Earthy raspberry, cherry and strawberry jam make the middle, while orange-laced acidity and stony minerality brighten and season. Dry,

bright and lengthy — and a welcome 13 degrees — this is a worthy pour for your best cioppino or grilled pork chops. (TR) DOMAINE DE LA ROSIÈRE ROSÉ 2017, JONGIEUX, AC SAVOIE, FRANCE ($23)

Nice to see the new (current) vintage on our shelves already of this likeable Savoie rosé, an expression of Gamay from limestone and clay. Also happy to see that the 2017 is back to the balanced loveliness of the 2015, with its lean, salted, fresh, herbal allure. A short time on skins lends the pale, pretty hue, while a slight time on lees comforts the palate. Lovely, elegant expression that could make a regular nightly experience at your dinner table (as it will mine). (TR) SANTA MARGHERITA STILL ROSÉ 2017, DOC RIVERA DEL GARDA CLASSICO CHIARETTO, TRENTINOALTO-ADIGE, ITALY ($27)

This is a brand new wine from a wellknown winery and in a bottle shape many of you will recognize from their rosé fizz.

This, however, is still. Pale orange-peach hue and pretty much dry, with orange, pear butter, raspberry and a fine riff of spice on the medium-bodied (13 degrees) palate. Groppello, Barbera, Sangiovese and Marzemino from Lake Garda are partially crushed and partially macerated, with the each part fermented and aged separately in stainless for a few months on lees before the final blend. Though shorter on the finish, this is quite an elegant show and a welcome mature move from this classic Italian. (TR) LA PROMENADE CÔTES DE PROVENCE ROSÉ 2017, AC CÔTES DE PROVENCE, FRANCE ($30)

Deep salmon hued, this dry Côtes de Provence is a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Cinsault. Grapes came from numerous clay and limestone studded plots in the heart of the Var, clustered within the communes of Cabasse sur Issole and Flassans sur Issole. Gently pressed, cool and in stainless (the typical Provencal formula), this is juicy, bright cherry, pomegranate, raspberry and orange on a crunchy frame. The attack is a bit punchy and the finish short, though is a worthy, refreshing pour this summer.

Try with lightly spiced curry or aioli dipped seafood. (TR)

CANADA MONTE CREEK PINOT NOIR 2016, BRITISH COLUMBIA ($20)

Showing aromas of strawberry, cherry and earthy notes before a palate of darker berry flavours and forest floor notes with a touch of savoury and a gently spicy finish. Excellent value. (TP)

RED $20 AND UNDER

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

RECOMMENDED

ARGENTINA CANADA SUSANA BALBO SIGNATURE MALBEC 2015, UCO VALLEY ($20)

Susana Balbo was Argentina’s first female winemaker. Opaque purple in colour, her wine has earthy, black fruits on the nose, which is both spicy and slightly reductive.

It’s medium to full-bodied with savoury but fruity plum and black cherry flavours, and a mocha chocolate note on a firm finish with lively acidity. (TA)

RED HOUSE WINE CO. CABERNET SHIRAZ 2017, NIAGARA ($14)

From the good folks at Henry of Pelham comes this well-priced and easy-drinking blend. Cassis, raspberry, pepper, leather, oregano and hickory all find a home in this medium-bodied red. Tannins are smooth and there is lovely length. (ES) CHÂTEAU DES CHARMES CABERNET/ MERLOT 2016, NIAGARA ($16)

AUSTRALIA BERTON VINEYARDS HEAD OVER HEELS SHIRAZ 2015 ($15)

Clear deep garnet. Medium nose of red berries, rhubarb and smoky oak seasoned with a bit of black pepper and also a hint of barnyard. On the palate, the blueberry and cherry fruit are so rich it would taste sweet but for the nicely balancing acidity.

A decent everyday Aussie Shiraz at a good price. Ready to drink now. (RL)* D’ARENBERG D’ARRY’S ORIGINAL SHIRAZ/ GRENACHE 2014, MCLAREN VALE ($20)

Dense purple in colour with a spicy, black fruit and vanilla oak bouquet; full-bodied, dry, firmly structured, chunky mouthfeel with lively acidity and a firm tannic finish. (TA)

JIM BARRY THE COVER DRIVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2014, COONAWARRA ($20)

Deep ruby in colour with a cedary, blackcurrant nose with an oaky note; medium-bodied, dry, well-extracted blackcurrant and elderberry flavours carried on fresh acidity to a firm finish of resolved tannins. (TA)

This is a real bargain for such a beautiful wine. It’s a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon (both 40%) and the rest Merlot from the fabulous 2016 vintage for Bordeaux varieties. It has an explosive nose of black cherries, raspberries, bramble, currants and light spice.

It’s medium-bodied on the palate, but still has the stuffing to cellar for 3+ years.

It features a range of ripe red fruits, a touch of anise, well integrated spice and pretty decent tannic structure through a long(ish) finish. (RV) CAVE SPRING CABERNET FRANC 2016, NIAGARA ($18)

Cave’s workhorse Cab Franc is a super solid offering with blackcurrant, raspberry, roasted herbs, cherry and purple flowers. Grill up some mild Italian sausage or dry rubbed ribs and head right to town.

Drink or hold. (ES) FOREIGN AFFAIR THE CONSPIRACY 2016, NIAGARA ($20)

FA’s take on a Ripasso wine features cassis, plum, raspberry, tobacco, graphite, cocoa and vanilla. Medium plus body with lots of fine tannins and very good length.

OCTOBER 2018 55

BUYING GUIDE Drink over the next 5 years. A blend of Cabernet Franc (62%), Cabernet Sauvignon (25%) and Merlot (13%). (ES)

CHILE CONO SUR RESERVA PINOT NOIR 2015, VALLE DE SAN ANTONIO ($16)

Dark fruit led by black cherry with pungent earthy and smoky notes and a touch of minty green herb give way to black cherry and raspberry flavours with lively acidity and light tannic grip on the finish. (SW) CASA SILVA RESERVA CUVÉE COLCHAGUA PINOT NOIR 2015, COLCHAGUA VALLEY ($17)

Opens with scents of black cherry, raspberry, fine spice and a whiff of dried herb. Black cherry and raspberry flavours play through on the palate with velvety tannins, though slightly aggressive acidity. Finishes with a splash of dark chocolate. (SW) VIÑA TARAPACÁ GRAN RESERVA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2015, MAIPO VALLEY ($18)

Dense purple in colour, the wine has a cedary, blackcurrant bouquet with vanilla oak notes. It’s medium to full-bodied, with a richly-extracted blackcurrant flavour, firmly structured with lively acidity and a herb-tinged finish. (TA)

FRANCE CANET OAK RESERVE MERLOT/CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2015, IGP PAYS D’OC ($14)

Clear medium to deep garnet. Medium 56 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

intensity with nose of blackberry morphing to raisins with vanilla oak in the background. Soft and warm, the oak was applied with a light touch over plums and cherries. Went well with a New York strip grilled with Montreal spice.

Drink now. (RL)* CHÂTEAU D’AIGUEVILLE CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES 2016, RHÔNE ($16)

The Côtes du Rhône-Villages appellation offers some of the best value in full-bodied dry red wines. This blend of Grenache and Syrah weighs in at a hefty 15% alcohol so expect a board-shouldered wine that’s ideal for your barbecued steaks and ribs. Dense purple-violet in colour, it offers a floral, spicy, blackberry nose with notes of licorice and tobacco; full on the palate, its richly extracted black plum flavour has a spicy, cinnamon finish carried on fresh acidity. (TA)

BOUCHARD PÈRE & FILS BOURGOGNE PINOT NOIR 2015, BURGUNDY ($20)

A good introduction to the delights of red Burgundy. Ruby in colour offering a raspberry bouquet with light notes of violets and oak spice; medium-bodied, dry, red plum and raspberry flavours excite the palate ending with a firm tannic finish. (TA)

ITALY CANALETTO PRIMITIVO 2014, PUGLIA IGT ($13)

Lively full-scented spicy plum with a pinch of herb make way for dark plum and cherry flavours with peppery spice and lively acidity. A full-flavoured, easy to like wine and fine value for money.

Pair with spicy red meats, grills, burgers and the like. (SW)

GEORGES VIGOUROUX PIGMENTUM 2015, APPELLATION CAHORS PROTEGÉE ($17)

TOMMASI POGGIO AL TUFO ROMPICOLLO 2015, ROSSO TOSCANA IGT ($17)

Generous dark plum with cinnamon and a whiff of clove lead the way for concentrated black plum flavours encased in dry tannic grip with still aggressive youthful acidity. There is plenty of fruit and overall structure to develop over the next few years. At this price, it is worth laying down. (SW)

The Poggio al Tufo property is owned by the Tommasi family. Here, indigenous Tuscan grapes are aged in large oak casks to produce a bright, spicy red fruitled wine, with red cherry most prominently featured. Spicy, lightly sweet red cherry and plum flavours are just the right side of jammy. Finishes with lightly firm tannic grip. (SW)

CHÂTEAU PUYNARD 2014, AOC CÔTES DE BORDEAUX ($17)

PRUNOTTO MOMPERTONE MONFERRATO ROSSO 2014, TUSCANY ($19)

Clear deep garnet. Faint nose of cassis, cherry, blackberry with a little wood.

Light-bodied but tastes bigger than the bouquet promises, with sour cherry fruit and a long woody finish. Tannins are just adequate, drink now. (RL)*

Medium ruby. Expressive nose of red fruits, floral notes and discreet oak. Medium-bodied at most, fresh and supple with gentle tannins fully wrapped. Nice volume in the mid palate and a good balance throughout. Ready to drink. (GBQc)

SOUTH AFRICA KWV ROODEBERG 2015, WESTERN CAPE ($13)

The Paarl Roodeberg label, it seems, has been around forever. The wine, though, has significantly evolved to suit modern tastes. Gone is the sooty smelling style of yesterday, replaced by a wine showing clean, fresh berry fruit on the nose and lively red and dark fruit, leavened with a deft touch of oak on the palate.

Great value! (SW)

SPAIN BODEGAS VOLVER PASO A PASO 2015, CASTILLA LA MANCHA ($17)

Ruby purplish. Seductive nose of red and black fruits, subtle oak. Full-bodied yet fresh with supple tannins well wrapped in fruit. Good balance overall. Drink this great buy within a year. (GBQc)

UNITED STATES CAMBRIDGE & SUNSET CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2014 ($16)

Clear medium-deep garnet. Medium nose of cassis, dates and chocolate, with a light coat of varnish. Medium-bodied, soft and easy-drinking with lots of dark berry fruit. Already too old and soft for a steak, try it soon with roast beef. (RL)*

$20.01 TO $35

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ARGENTINA FAMILIA ZUCCARDI Q TEMPRANILLO 2014, SANTA ROSA ($22)

Black pepper filters through the nose of this Santa Rosa Tempranillo, selected from older vines, seasoning deep blue plum, mulberry, violets, black raspberry, pipe tobacco. Under the alluring berry fruit there’s a dusky, spicy and brooding charcoal spicing to a lingering, textural finish. This has a natural intrinsic freshness to lift the sun-ripened weight easily to a bright and brisk

fuller red. Native fermented in concrete vats plus a soft extraction and 20-25 days maceration reflects the winery’s dedication to their wines, and this grape, in a foreign land. (TR) FAMILIA ZUCCARDI TITO 2015, ALTAMIRA, UCO VALLEY ($35)

From a single site in Uco Valley’s Paraje Altamira, this Malbec (plus 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and Ancellotta) was grown at 1,100 m on alluvial/calcareous laced soils. After native ferment, this sat on skins for 20 days before transfer to concrete and barrels for MLF and a rest prior to bottling. Perfumed and flush with purple florals, blueberries, blue plums, blackberries. The medium-bodied, tight palate is scratchy with texture and studded with stones. Tannins are gritty and acidity is edgy; all in check with the bright fruit and weight (a welcome 13.6 degrees) of this new wave Argentine red. (TR)

AUSTRALIA GEOFF HARDY HAND CRAFTED LAGREIN 2014, LIMESTONE COAST, SOUTH AUSTRALIA ($29)

Opaquely deep plum red. Medium-intensity bright cherry bouquet, also some black pepper and meaty aromas and oak vanilla. Full-bodied and concentrated, tasting of ripe plums and cherries with good acidity and a spicy finish. Can stand up to Italian-style tomato sauces. Will improve for another year or two. (RL)*

AUSTRIA CLAUS PREISINGER BLAUFRÄNKISCH 2016, NEUSIEDLERSEE ($24)

This juicy Blaufränkisch was fermented in stainless and matured in old, large format barrels on lees for 6 months before bottling. Black raspberry, redcurrants and black cherry are sharpened with cranberry acidity and weighted with balsamic. At once both juicy and chiselled, the acidity here wins out, driving this compact, tight red to a pointed, astringent finish. (TR)

CANADA VIENI CABERNET FRANC PRIVATE RESERVE 2012, NIAGARA ($23)

A beautifully matured Cabernet Franc that is showing quite well right now with a ripe and expressive nose of savoury/ smoky red and dark fruits, and loaded with spice and dried herbs. The succulent fruit on the palate is held together by smooth, ripe tannins and a complex array of spices and herbs. (RV) HENRY OF PELHAM SPECK FAMILY RESERVE BACO NOIR 2016, ONTARIO ($25)

Dense purple in colour with a smoky, spicy, blackberry bouquet enhanced by vanilla oak notes. Medium-bodied, dry, fruity, sandalwood and black fruit flavours. Lovely mouthfeel and great balance. (TA) CEDARCREEK MERITAGE 2015, OKANAGAN VALLEY ($25)

A blend of Malbec (38%), Merlot (37%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%) and Cabernet Franc (5%) sourced from the south Okanagan. Upfront blue and red berries with vanilla undertones before a plush and plummy, mulberry and blueberry toned palate with a touch of herbaceousness wrapped in firm but approachable tannins. (TP) TOWNSHIP 7 CABERNET 2017, OKANAGAN VALLEY ($28)

Inaugural blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from vineyards throughout the South Okanagan. Aged in French and American oak for 18 months. Aromas of red and black fruit with toasty notes before a plush palate of mulberry, plum and black cherry with easy tannins and a hint of spice through the close. (TP) HESTER CREEK RESERVE CABERNET FRANC 2015, GOLDEN MILE BENCH ($29)

Made with 50-year-old vines, some of the oldest vinifera in the Okanagan, in one of the best of recent vintages. Aromas of plum, raisin, cassis and earthy notes precede a juicy, luscious red-berried entry of blackberry, raspberry and mulberry with a pleasing savoury, herbal edge, strucOCTOBER 2018 57

BUYING GUIDE MONTE CREEK HANDS UP RED 2016, BRITISH COLUMBIA ($17) FROM THOMPSON VALLEY, EAST OF KAMLOOPS. BLEND OF 82% MERLOT WITH 8% MARQUETTE, 8% FRONTENAC NOIR AND 2% CABERNET SAUVIGNON. DARK BERRY AROMAS WITH SOME EARTHY NOTES ON THE NOSE PRECEDE A WELL-BALANCED, JUICY PALATE WRAPPED IN GOOD ACIDITY WITH DARK CHERRY, PLUM AND A TOUCH OF SAVOURY AND MINERAL UNDERTONE WITH SOME SPICY PEPPER NOTES. TBY TIM PAWSEY

tured but integrated tannins and clove spice through the mid palate to a lengthy close. (TP) LAUGHING STOCK BLIND TRUST 2016, OKANAGAN VALLEY ($29)

Upfront raspberry, cherry and herbal notes precede a seductive, plush palate of dark cherries, redcurrant and spice, with lingering pepper notes through the mid palate and finish. Excellent structure and slightly grippy tannins suggest plenty of aging potential but also drinking very well now. (TP) WINEMAKER’S CUT SYRAH 2016, SOUTH OKANAGAN ($32)

A medium-bodied, full-fruited Syrah from Deadman Lake, a lower site on the western side of the valley, south of Oliver.

Lifted black fruit and wild herb notes on the nose followed by a ripe fruit-driven entry with excellent fruit acid balance, some spice and anise notes with good structure supported by fresh acidity and lingering black pepper notes. (TP) 58 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

HOWLING BLUFF THREE MILE CREEK PINOT NOIR 2015, NARAMATA BENCH ($35)

Aromas of wild strawberry, raspberry and dusty earthy notes before an elegant, structured palate defined by juicy acidity with silky tannins and a pleasing savoury backbone, with cherry, strawberry, spice and clove hints through a lingering close. (TP)

notes with earthy hints precede a structured and well-balanced palate of pure fruit with a touch of spice, wrapped in mouth watering, juicy acidity with well integrated, approachable tannins from judicious new and used oak, through a lengthy finish. (TP)

CHILE 16 MILE CELLAR INCIVILITY PINOT NOIR 2014, NIAGARA ($35)

There is an enticing perfumed note on the nose that draws you into the glass then black cherries, some darker fruits, earthiness and integrated spices. It’s like silk on the palate with wonderful fruit penetration, depth of flavour, complexity, spice accents and energy through a finessed finish. (RV) HOWLING BLUFF ACTA VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 2015, NARAMATA BENCH ($35)

From a stony, west facing slope on Naramata Bench, once an ancient lakeshore.

Lifted red berries, strawberry and cherry

ERRAZURIZ ACONCAGUA ALTO CARMENÈRE 2015, ACONCAGUA VALLEY ($22)

Dense purple-ruby in colour, it has a cedary, blackcurrant leaf nose with vanilla oak note. Medium- to full-bodied, its juicy blackcurrant and plum flavours fill the mouth finishing on firm but not aggressive tannins. (TA)

FRANCE PIERRE-MARIE CHERMETTE BROUILLY 2016, BEAUJOLAIS, BURGUNDY ($27)

Purplish. Intense fruity nose of black-

berry and dark cherry with light earthy notes. Medium body, supple texture, juicy mid-palate with soft tannins and a delicious ripe, fruity taste. Finishes full on more chewy fruit. Enjoy now, it won’t get any better. (GBQc)

satisfying wine, drinking well now with food but will be better with another 2 to 3 years in the cellar. (SW)

DIDIER ERKER 1ER CRU LES BOIS CHEVAUX GIVRY, BURGUNDY ($31)

STERLING MERLOT 2014, NAPA VALLEY ($35)

Light to medium ruby. Fine Pinot Noir nose of raspberry, earthy and oaky notes, hints of spice and fruit stones.

Medium-bodied at most, the powdery tannins fill the soft texture with a very fine graininess, leading to a balanced fruity finish of good length. Drink or hold 3 to 5 years. (GBQc)

UNITED STATES

Dense purple in colour with a cedary, smoky plum and vanilla oak nose.

Full-bodied, dry, plum and black cherry flavours with a note of cinnamon on the finish. Don’t be afraid to bundle up and fire up the BBQ. (TA)

RECOMMENDED

ALPHA BOX & DICE REBEL REBEL MONTEPULCIANO 2016, LANGHORNE CREEK, FLEURIEU PENINSULA ($33)

Striking labels and memorable wine — all the more so if you recognize that this Montepulciano is not (gasp) from Abruzzo but from its tiny expat homeland in Oz. This was sourced from Kim Bolton Vineyards in Langhorne Creek, Fleurieu Peninsula, and is full of fresh cherries, tayberries, mulberries with an active undercurrent of worn leather and soft pepper. Tannins are soft and the mouthfeel is broody, much like the label. Peppery spices build on the finish. For current drinking and I’d take it with grilled veg. (TR)

MANOIR DE MERCEY MERCUREY CHÂTEAUBEAU 2015, BURGUNDY ($32)

The combination of 60-year-old vines and the warmth of the 2015 vintage have created a Pinot Noir with punch. Cherry, raspberry, strawberry, undergrowth, spice and hints of vanilla are in play. Try with duck rillettes or terrines. (ES)

ITALY DIEVOLE CHIANTI CLASSICO 2014, TUSCANY ($23)

A charming and straight forward CC with sour cherry, strawberry, plum, humus and tobacco leaf. Fresh acidity and mild tannins mean that pasta and pizza will work well with this red. (ES) VILLA ANTINORI CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA 2013, TUSCANY ($30)

Full ruby colour. Oaky nose over ripe red berries, a floral touch. Supple and soft on the palate with a firm backbone of finely grained tannins, barely rough on the tongue. The finish is energized by noticeable acidity, tight and fully dry.

Drink or wait. (GBQc) GOSTOLAI NEPENTE DI ULIANA 2011, CANNONAU DI SARDEGNA DOC ($31)

Complex, developed vinosity on the nose reveals great depth of fruit, spice and discreet oak influence. Full-bodied and full-flavoured in the mouth, showing red and dark fruit with fine spice, solid structure and good overall balance. A powerful,

ARGENTINA FAMILIA ZUCCARDI Q MALBEC 2016, PARAJE ALTAMIRA AND VISTA FLORES, UCO VALLEY ($28)

Decant this or open in advance, as it has a wave of reduction that is helped with airtime. From high altitude (980-1100 m) sites in Uco Valley’s Paraje Altamira and Vista Flores, this Malbec is soft and generous on the palate, native fermented and spent 20 days on skins before concrete and oak aging. Deep purple/blue hued, this potent wine pulls fresh figs, ripe blueberries, blue plums, on a soft, cushioned palate.

There’s a nice detailing to the structure, though the overall feel is soft. Tannins are smoothed and nubby, and acidity is moderate, making this an easy choice for someone looking for a well-made Uco Malbec. (TR)

AUSTRALIA PIRRAMIMMA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2015, MCLAREN VALE ($30)

Sweet and ripe red fruit is covered by milk and dark chocolate in this potent McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon. Pipe tobacco and waves of green herbs thread the palate, while overly gritty tannins house the smoothed, full palate to the grippy and tight finish. Drink now with red meats. (TR)

CHILE MONTES ALPHA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2015, CENTRAL VALLEY ($24)

Thick on the palate with juicy blackberry, blackcurrant, inky plum, smoked meats, pipe tobacco, dried violets and dried desert scrub herbs. This bold Cabernet Sauvignon is much more refined in 2015 than in previous vintages, with the wood fading more into the background and the alcohol fieriness capped at a respectable 14 degrees.

Cab Sauv from Rapel and Colchagua Valleys, plus 10% Merlot, go into this powerful red, one that 55% spent in French wood (1st, 2nd, 3rd use) for a year prior to bottling. Tannins are big and grippy but softened, while cedar and mint scent the briefer finish. Well done to freshen and modernize this compact red. (TR)

FRANCE CHÂTEAU PEYROS GREENWICH 43N 2010, MADIRAN, SOUTHWEST ($30)

Beautiful nose of blackberries, a floral grace note and pastry from the well dosed oak. The powerful tannins of the Tannat grape are in evidence here; they make the mid-palate a bit harsh and dry but there is future as the balance is otherwise good with plenty of fruity extract. This one needs time. (GBQc) OCTOBER 2018 59

BUYING GUIDE DOMAINE LANGLOIS-CHATEAU SAUMUR 2016, AC SAUMUR, LOIRE VALLEY ($33)

The domaine has been actively growing vines and producing wines from their clay/chalk soils since 1885. The Chenin in this cuvee, which comes from Bron and St-Florent in Saumur, was fermented cold and matured on fine lees for 4 months in barrel, with regular battonage. Lime sherbet leads, giving this a sharp, acerbic edge from the start — even more than Chenin normally carries. Lemon/lime, white cherry, yogurt, verbena and greengage carry a Chenin waxy weight (and a bump of RS) but green apple tartness and stony, tight texture. Not pretty, but distinctive. Asparagus omelette, arugula salad or sardines on toast are looking for this. (TR)

ITALY AUDARYA MONICA DI SARDEGNA 2017, SARDINIA ($30)

Light and fresh with bright acidity, soft and juicy texture and a great drinkability. Serve chilled to highlight the wine’s freshness and serve with suckling pig, grilled octopus and seafood soup with a tomato base. (GB)

OVER $35

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AUSTRIA GUT OGGAU ATANASIUS 2015, BERGLAND OSTERREICH ($50)

Gut Oggau is one of the exciting dar60 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

lings of the natural wine movement.

Based in the small town of Oggau in Burgenland, Austria, the project was started by Eduard and Stephanie Tscheppe in 2007. The couple took over a 17th century winery that had been abandoned for 20 years, renovated it (including its 200-year-old screw press) and renewed the vineyards, which had benefitted from two decades of a chemical-free life. They practice biodynamically and are Demeter certified. Each of their small-lot wines have a distinct personality, so they’ve come up with an entire family tree of intertwining stories and characters, faced with striking label sketches by local artist Jung von Matt. The labels depict the human face of each wine and, remarkably, each ages and matures with each vintage. Atanasius is one of the children, a generation of wines meant to be lighter, fun and fresh. His is a blend of gravels and limestone, single plot and field blend 35-year-old Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch, fermented in large-format old wood where it remained on skins for 3 weeks. Post ferment, the wine stays in the same vessels for 1 year with no sulphur until bottling unfined and unfiltered. Tight herbal raspberry, plum, blackcurrants on a finely dusty palate, lined with worn leather and housed with light gritty tannins. There’s a perfumed wild raspberry that clings onto the drying finish.

Honest, chillable, chuggable. (TR) GUT OGGAU JOSEPHINE 2013, BERGLAND OSTERREICH ($67)

Josephine is an unconventional woman of the more mature generation, Timotheus’s second wife and Winifred’s

stepmother. This is a blend of 35-yearold, lower south facing gravel-sloping Blaufränkish and Roesler, fermented in used 500, 1,000 and 1,500 litre barrels before 8 months’ quiet rest in 500 litre barrels. The wine is bottled unfined, unfiltered and with zero addition of sulfur. Deeper hued and darker fruited, with brooding mulberry, sweet cassis, spicing and cracked cloves.

Though the palate is mouthfilling, it has a lift and impression of brightness.

There is some forest floor and earthy funk lingering beneath the berry fruit.

Tannins are fine, firm and secondary.

Contemplative and serious, while easy to drink. (TR)

CANADA TAWSE QUARRY ROAD VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 2015, VINEMOUNT RIDGE ($36)

Farmed biodynamically, this Pinot Noir reveals aromas of cherry cola, raspberry, wet earth, spice and vanilla. Mid-weight with a vibrant minerality on the taste buds and long lasting. (ES) LAUGHING STOCK SYRAH 2016, OKANAGAN VALLEY ($36)

From the winery’s Osoyoos estate, this Côte-Rôtie salute was co-fermented with 5% Viognier. Upfront, lifted dusty red and black fruit with vanilla notes before a mocha toned palate, underpinned by approachable, well integrated tannins, with cassis, dark plum and peppery notes through the close. (TP) CULMINA MALBEC 2015, OKANAGAN ($39)

This is the first single-varietal Malbec

that Culmina has made at the Golden Mile Bench estate. It has rich aromatics of black currants, blackberries, plums, graphite and a range of elegant oak spices. The juicy and ripe fruits hold up well against the structured tannins, showing depth as well as smoke, anise, black and red currants, oak spices with good length and cellaring potential. (RV)

generous on the palate with the full spectrum of dark, ripe fruits, structured tannins, earth, dark chocolate and baking spices. (RV)

CULMINA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2015, OKANAGAN ($39)

This wine used to be a blend from several vineyards but it is now sourced exclusively from young vines of the Tignanello estate. Full ruby, it exhibits a complex nose of cherry and other ripe red fruits with integrated oak. Medium to full-bodied, with a full, fleshy and round mid palate, it is already approachable but will last 10 years. (GBQc)

A dark and dense drop in the glass and then impressive aromas of blackberries, blackcurrants, elegant oak spices and loamy, earthy accents. It is ripe and simply stunning on the palate with a range of currants, anise and blackberry fruit, a firm bed of tannins, elegant spices and plenty of complexity and depth through a long finish. (RV) HENRY OF PELHAM SPECK FAMILY RESERVE CABERNET/MERLOT 2012, ONTARIO ($40)

Deep ruby in colour with a mature rim; cedary, blackberry and blackcurrant nose lifted with oak spice. Medium-bodied, dry, richly extracted black fruit flavours with a note of cinnamon on the finish.

Well-balanced and still youthful. (TA) ROSEHALL RUN JCR ROSEHALL VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 2016, PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY ($40)

Such a beautiful nose of fresh crushed cherries, rhubarb, raspberry, bramble, minerals and perfectly harmonic spice notes. It has bright and penetrating red fruits and wood spice on the palate and shows depth, complexity and concentration through the finish, yet maintains freshness to the end. You can cellar this lovely Pinot for 3+ years. (RV) ORGANIZED CRIME THE DOWNLOAD 2012, NIAGARA ($45)

The blend is nearly half Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot, Merlot and Cabernet Franc with a portion of the fruit dried in used tobacco kilns. It has a “wow” nose of deep, rich black currants, plums, cassis, anise, sweet tobacco and cocoa, punctuated by rich oak barrel spices. It is ripe and

ITALY MARCHESE ANTINORI TENUTA TIGNANELLO CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA 2013, TUSCANY ($40)

ARGIOLAS CANNONAU DI SARDEGNA RISERVA SENES 2014, SARDINIA ($40)

Loads of bright red fruit and spice on the nose that carry through on the palate with fresh herbs, a hint of well integrated oak, balanced, medium-bodied but full flavoured and a long, lingering finish. A versatile food wine that is elegant enough to pair with salmon and structured enough for roast meats. (GB) PRUNOTTO BARBARESCO 2014, PIEDMONT ($40)

Light ruby. The nose is discreet but shows complexity in its delicate fruity notes, subtle oak and hints of tar. Firm on the palate, full-bodied — even powerful. The tannins are not too aggressive and in balance with the fruity extract. Nice long finish. Will hold many years. (GBQc) PRUNOTTO COSTAMIOLE BARBERA D’ASTI 2013, PIEDMONT ($46)

Full ruby. Inviting nose, the red fruits notes filling the glass are hard to resist.

No perceptible oak. Full and fleshy mid palate, juicy, gentle tannins. Without the strong acidity that Barbera often generates. Ready to enjoy, so don’t wait. (GBQc) PRUNOTTO BUSSIA BAROLO 2011, PIEDMONT ($75)

Light ruby with orange rim. Tertiary nose with torrefied notes of tea over delicate red fruits notes. Initially soft,

even silky, the mid palate turns very firm with powerfully tight tannins. Surprisingly, it leaves an overall impression of finesse. (GBQc) LE PIANE MAGGIORINA 2015, PIEDMONT ($100)

Floral violets and grippy, equally determined and nonchalant, welcoming and restrained, this dichotomous wine from Christoph Kensal, who purchased the property in 1998, is alluring. No inputs or outputs other than a touch of sulphur, he makes wines to reflect this special site in northern Piedmont.

This is 40% Nebbiolo, 40% Croatina and 10% other indigenous grapes from 80- to 100-year-old vines trained in the ancient maggiorina system, where three vines are directed upwards in the four points of the compass to form a goblet.

These vines are located on high altitude, volcanic and south sloping vineyards between 400 m and 450 m. Bright purple and blue fruit leads a vibrant, brisk palate, elegant and gossamer in form, and refreshing with white pepper on the finish. Tannins are fine but bamboo firm, housing diaphanous persistence on the mid palate. Lovely elegance and drinking well now, especially with truffled or wild mushroom dishes. (TR) PRUNOTTO BUSSIA VIGNA COLONNELLO BAROLO 2011, PIEDMONT ($191)

Light red, transparent rim. Subtle nose of great finesse, perfumed with hints of tea leaves and tar. Striking in its elegance, the mid palate shows extremely firm but fine tannins, no aggressiveness is to be found.

A telling example of restrained power and a superb expression of the Nebbiolo grape. Great future. (GBQc)

UNITED STATES SEQUOIA GROVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2014, NAPA VALLEY ($70)

Opaque purple in colour with a cedary, blackcurrant nose enhanced with vanilla oak notes. Medium to full-bodied, dry, richly extracted, creamy, plum and blackberry flavours. Firmly structured, velvety mouthfeel with a mocha chocolate note on the finish. (TA)

OCTOBER 2018 61

BUYING GUIDE RECOMMENDED

CABRAL CARÁCTER RESERVA 2015, DOURO DO, PORTUGAL ($16)

ITALY FONTANAFREDDA BAROLO 2013, BAROLO DOCG ($37)

Garnet red in the glass with lightly scented violets, a touch of clove and a pinch of cinnamon. Red berry fruit in the mouth is partially masked by harsh tannins and aggressive acidity typical of relatively young Barolo. Needs 3 to 5 years additional aging. I know you might think red meat but a roasted rabbit dish will also work well. (SW) PRUNOTTO BAROLO 2013, PIEDMONT ($43)

Pale ruby, orange rim. Typical nose of tar and red flowers, only hints of oak. Rather full-bodied but not as much as Nebbiolo can sometimes be, with firm and tight but very finely grained tannins. Compact finish. It should become more expressive over time. (GBQc)

BEFORE & AFTER DINNER CAMPO DA PORTA 2015, DOC DÃO, PORTUGAL ($14)

Clear deep garnet. Layered nose of sweet red raspberries over raisins, over wood. Light-bodied and thin mid-palate, tasting of sour cherries with a short finish. Drink now. (RL)* 62 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

Shows yellow straw colour with notably aromatic floral perfume, yellow tropical fruit showing pineapple and whiff of banana. Lively yellow fruit flavours get added lift from a squeeze of lemon, backed by stony mineral and refreshing acidity.

Offers plenty of characterful flavour and great value. Pair with Mediterranean seafood dishes. (SW) CROFT FINE PALE CREAM SHERRY, SPAIN ($20)

Made from the Palomino grape, this rich sherry shows flavours of almond, apple and spice, delivered in a creamy rich texture with a medium sweet finish. Drink as an aperitif or serve with nuts, biscotti or medium sweet cakes and pastries. (SW)

citrus, spicy and waxy overtones. Lively honeyed citrus flavours give a hint of orange on the medium sweet palate, balanced by brisk acidity and mineral grip.

Complex, honeyed citrus notes persist on the long, clean finish. (SW) ROCKY CREEK WILD BLACKBERRY, VANCOUVER ISLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA ($25/500 ML)

Intoxicating blackberry and slightly herbaceous aromas followed by a full fruited, intensely flavoured palate of juicy blackberry with a distinct earthy edge reminiscent of fresh picked wild blackberries. (TP) CAVES VINICOLE DE HUNAWIHR GEWÜRZTRAMINER VENDANGES TARDIVES 2005, AC ALSACE, FRANCE ($25)

ROMATE FINO SHERRY, JEREZ DO, SPAIN ($20)

Clear light amber. Aromas of bruised apple, lychee, rose petals with caramel and a hint of varnish. Viscous and unctuous on the palate, tasting of caramel apple, honey and maple syrup with just enough acidity to keep it drinkable.

Drinking well now, will last a little longer. (RL)*

GONZALEZ BYASS TIO PEPE EXTRA DRY PALOMINO FINO SHERRY, JEREZ DO, SPAIN ($23)

LAKEVIEW CELLARS GEWÜRZTRAMINER ICEWINE 2014, ONTARIO ($35/200 ML)

AVONDALE SKY MARTOCK LATE HARVEST 2014, ANNAPOLIS VALLEY ($25/500 ML)

SELLA & MOSCA ANGHELU RUJU LIQUOROSO RISERVA 2005, SARDINIA, ITALY ($60)

Bottled under screw cap, this pale gold sherry opens with pungent nutty almond aromas. Classic, bone dry Fino nutty character persists on the fairly light palate with hints of green fruit and subtle oaky/caramel notes on the finish. (SW)

This stylish sherry is a benchmark for popular bone dry Fino, showing nutty and saline notes with subdued green fruit and a suggestion of caramel. Pair with olives, goat cheese, tapas or sushi. (SW)

Shows deep burnished gold colour with developed bouquet offering honeyed

A richly flavoured Icewine. Old gold in colour with a lovely nose of mango and honey. Full-bodied, honeyed peach and mango flavours with great length and just enough acidity to balance the sweetness. (TA)

Made from Cannonau grapes that are

dried for 15 to 20 days and then fortified and aged in casks for an extended period (the 2005 is the current release).

The wine is concentrated and rich, but still fresh and balanced showing dried cherries and figs, as well as wild berry jam with hints of cocoa. Perfect with Sardinian sheep cheese and medium dark chocolate. (GB) KRACHER TBA NO.6 GRAND CUVÉE 2015, BURGENLAND ($75/375 ML)

From Austria’s dessert wine producer par excellence comes this unctuous blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Welschriesling that possesses 240g/l of residual sugar. Layers of fig, nectarine, peach, pineapple, golden apple, cantaloupe and spice just bowl over the senses.

Insane finale. It should age well for 2 decades, if not more. (ES) SELLA & MOSCA ANGHELU RUJU LIQUOROSO RISERVA 1975, SARDINIA, ITALY ($100)

Despite the age, the colour has held extremely well, not differing much from the 2005. Very figgy on the nose, the fruit has mostly been consumed and the alcohol is more prominent on the palate, but leather, tobacco and a touch of nuttiness make this quite appealing.

Pair with a nutty torte. (GB)

IPA category. A rich caramel malt backbone supports the leafy and orange hop notes. Off the Leash IPA is a bright, tangerine-hued ale with a long lasting off-white head. (TL) THE PUBLICAN HOUSE BREWERY PUB HOUSE ALE, ONTARIO ($3/473 ML)

This Peterbourgh Brewery took gold in the highly-competitive Kolsch category at this year’s Canadian Brewing Awards.

The key to pulling off a killer Kolsch is a whisper of fruity flavour — and this beer’s apple peel and nectarine aromas hit the mark, all riding on a lightly honeyed malt body. Light, crisp with a soft round bitterness, make it your first brew of the night. (CL)

BLINDMAN BREWING TRIPHAMMER ROBUST PORTER, ALBERTA ($17/4-PACK)

POMMIES RED SANGRIA, ONTARIO ($3.50/473 ML)

HOMESTEAD SAISON, TROUBLED MONK BREWERY, ALBERTA ($18/6-PACK)

Another delicious cider in the arsenal of Pommies Cider that blends Ontario apples and wine with citrus and berries.

From the get-go, it’s super carbonated in the glass and reveals a riot of red apple, red berries, cherries and a splash of lemon-lime on the nose. It’s all about super ripe red berries on the palate, good spritz, a hint of sweetness and balancing citrus on the finish. A perfect summer berry treat. (RV) GREAT LAKES BREWERY SAISON DUPUMP, ONTARIO ($5/600 ML)

BEER & CIDER WALKERVILLE BREWERY PURITY PILSENER, ONTARIO ($3/473 ML)

This German-style pilsener won a gold medal at the 2018 Canadian Brewing Awards. Crafted in Windsor, Ontario, it is expertly balanced and tastes like the soft inside of a fresh baguette mixed with fresh mint and lemon basil, finishing refreshingly bitter and dry. (CL) HIGH PARK BREWERY OFF THE LEASH IPA, ONTARIO ($3/473 ML)

This IPA just won gold at the Canadian Brewing Awards for the English-style

and fermented with Rouge’s house sour culture. This golden sour ale has a fresh apricot aroma and flavour, racy acidity with a dry mineral finish, and a touch of vanilla from the oak barrels. Pair with vanilla ice cream and peach puree for an easy dessert. (CL)

Pumpkin beers are a divisive beverage in the beer world: you either love them or hate them. Personally, I like sipping a pumpkin beer during the fall months.

Saison Dupump is a Belgian-style saison seasoned with fall spices as well as pumpkin. The spicy, phenolic notes from the yeast really complement the mix of spices in the ale. It finishes dry and the pumpkin flavours are not overdone. If you’re a not a fan of squash in a beer, give this one a try.

You might like it. (TL) ROUGE RIVER BREWERY BARREL AGED APRICOT SOUR, ONTARIO ($12/500 ML)

Jordan Mills, an Advanced Cicerone, brewer and owner of Markham’s Rouge River is quietly making some of the best sour ales and hoppy beers in the country. His Barrel Aged Apricot Sour was aged in steel and oak for 11 months

A warming, rich porter brewed by Blindman Brewing in Lacombe, a small city nestled between the Rockies and the barley fields. Pouring a deep brown with a tan, dense collar of foam. With aromas of brownie batter and roasted blonde coffee beans, the ale is rich and complex, perfect for the colder fall weather. (TL)

Located in Red Deer, Troubled Monk Brewery was founded in 2015 by three brothers with a passion for beer. A Belgian-style saison with vibrant aromas of Hubba Bubba, candied banana and freshly ground cloves. The ale is bubbly and has a medium body. Pair it with rosemary and lemon roasted chicken — the herbal notes will be complementary. (TL) BENCH CREEK BREWING WHITE RAVEN IPA, ALBERTA ($18/4-PACK)

Bright hop aromas like fresh pine needles, orange peel and canned mangos burst out of this IPA from a rural Yellow County brewery. An orange-amber hued ale, the body is fairly full and feels luscious on the palate. The lively and prickly carbonation and big flavour make this beer great to pair with more intense dishes like steak and kidney pie or Irish pork stew. (TL) PARTAKE BREWING PALE ALE, BRITISH COLUMBIA ($49/24-PACK)

My go-to alcohol-free brew! A pleasant grapefruit aroma coupled with just enough bitterness and bright carbonation quenches my thirst for a hop-forward brew without the buzz. There’s a pleasant Nestea-note on the palate. Bonus: it’s only 10 calories, much lower than other beers in the category. Make sure to drink it ice cold though, the flavour falls a bit flat when it’s warm. (TL) OCTOBER 2018 63

FIELD NOTES GURVINDER BHATIA

PRIVATIZATION OR BUST I received an email recently that made me sad, angry and frustrated. It was the list of the 20 top selling wines in Alberta.

I’m not naïve. I knew that the list would (and it did) contain a plethora of the sugar-laden, manufactured soda pop wines flogged by every liquor chain, corner liquor store, pseudo wine shop, banquet facility and most chain (and too many independent) restaurants. The list, though, represents something worse. The list sends a message that Albertans are squandering the benefits of privatization.

Alberta changed its liquor industry in 1993 with both the importation and retailing of alcohol becoming the domain of the private sector. But the list of the top selling wines shows that the selection in Alberta may be no better than in the liquor board dominated provinces across Canada. I don’t blame the consumer for this. Full responsibility is on the shoulders of the wine industry. We are our own worst enemy for perpetuating the sale of these sugar-laden wines that pretend to be dry. It’s not the consumer who asked 64 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

the industry to create Apothic and Bodacious Smooth Red. It is the industry that drives their growth.

As I have written and stated on numerous occasions, the issue is about transparency and quality.

I firmly believe that wine labels should include nutritional information, the amount of residual sugar in particular. While labelling requirements are the domain of the federal government, both the Société des Alcools du Québec (SAQ) and Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) now include information on a wine’s sugar content on their websites.

The significance of this cannot be overstated, particularly with the popularity and proliferation of sweet red wines. Even if we ignore for a moment the discussion of whether these wines serve a valid purpose (personally and professionally, I don’t believe that they do), the issue is about transparency and the consumer

having ready access to accurate information about the wines they are drinking.

With the prevalence of diabetes and obesity in our society, the amount of sugar we consume should be a significant concern.

I have had numerous consumers tell me that if they knew the amount of sugar contained in some of these wines, they would not drink them. Conversely, if the actual sugar content was readily available and consumers still chose to consume these wines, that would be their prerogative. The issue (and I will say it over and over again) is transparency and truth in labelling.

According to European Union standards, a wine is considered dry if it possesses not more than four grams per litre of residual sugar (the equivalent of one teaspoon).

Although liquorconnect.com now includes a category to list sugar content, the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission

(AGLC) has not mandated importers to list sugar levels or even established that the sugar levels must be accurate (i.e., truthful). The sugar content for Apothic Red, for example, is listed as “n/a”. So, I sourced it from the LCBO and SAQ websites.

The top 20 list for Alberta reads like a sugar lover’s dream (or coma inducing nightmare): •• Apothic Red 17 grams/litre of residual sugar •• Bodacious Smooth Red 25 g/l •• Apothic White 19g/l •• Barefoot Moscato 65 g/l •• Yellow Tail Shiraz 10 g/l… and the list goes on.

stone fruits with nice texture on the palate, a crisp, tangy vibrancy and lively acidity on the finish.

We are all more concerned with the origins and ingredients of the food we consume. Shouldn’t that concern extend to the wines we drink?

As an industry, it’s time we took greater responsibility for the wines we offer and recommend to consumers.

As consumers, it’s time we take greater responsibility for the wines we consume and the wine producers we support.

It’s time Albertans truly took advantage of privatization by asking that ALL retail shelves and restaurant wine lists be filled with great quality wines from around the world. Price is not a barrier.

Don’t just do it for your pocket book. Do it for your health (physical, emotional and psychological).

As a point of comparison to the wines listed above, I’ve listed some great value, great quality wines that retail for less than $20 along with the residual sugar levels (sourced either directly from the wineries or from liquor boards that make this information available).

MAROTTI CAMPI ALBIANO VERDICCHIO 2016, MARCHE, ITALY (1.4 G/L; $18)

DON RODOLFO TANNAT 2017, MENDOZA, ARGENTINA (2.25 G/L; $16)

Floral with bright peach, green apple and mineral notes, fresh, fruity and lifted.

Dark and brawny with grippy tannins, lots of blackberry and dark cherry flavours with an intriguing edginess finishing big, but juicy.

LA PLAYA SAUVIGNON BLANC 2017, CURICO, CHILE (4 G/L; $15)

Clean and fresh with lemon, tropical fruit and a refreshing minerality.

TENUTA SANT’ANNA BIANCO DI LISON PRAMAGGIORE 2017, VENETO, ITALY (3.8 G/L; $16)

Bright and floral with melon and fresh herbs on the nose and a hint of blanched almond on the finish. A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Tai.

DON AURELIO VERDEJO 2016, VALDEPEÑAS, SPAIN (4 G/L; $16)

elegant and fresh with a firm backbone and a lingering, slightly earthy finish.

ALTOS LAS HORMIGAS COLONIA LAS LIEBRES BONARDA 2016, MENDOZA, ARGENTINA (1.8 G/L; $18)

Fresh and lively with bright, exuberant fruity flavours of raspberry, red currant and cherry, spice, juicy tannins, earthy minerality and lively acidity on the lifted finish.

PUNTO FINAL MALBEC 2017, MENDOZA, ARGENTINA (2 G/L; $16)

Juicy and bright with red currants, blackberries and plums, pepper and spice and soft tannins.

Tropical fruit, floral and citrus character with a full mid-palate and persistent juicy acidity.

TENUTA SANT’ANNA ROSSO DI LISON PRAMAGGIORE 2016, VENETO, ITALY (3.4 G/L; $16)

EL PETIT BONHOMME BLANCO 2017, RUEDA, SPAIN (2.5 G/L; $17)

Vinous and fresh, juicy acidity, cherries, currants, plums, fresh herbs and a bright finish. A blend of Merlot and Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso.

A fun, fresh quaffer with peach, mango and nectarine flavours, hints of almonds, soft, round texture, a pleasing minerality and a clean finish.

RED NAVARRO LOPEZ OLD VINES TEMPRANILLO PERGOLAS 2014, VALDEPEÑAS, SPAIN (1.8 G/L; $14)

WHITE

Balanced and expressive, offering bright flavours of cherry, vanilla and a hint of earth and spice with a soft texture and lively finish.

PROTEA CHENIN BLANC 2017, COASTAL REGION, SOUTH AFRICA (< 5 G/L; $17)

NAVARRO LOPEZ ROJO TEMPRANILLO 2015, VALDEPEÑAS, SPAIN (3.9 G/L; $15)

Fresh aromas and flavours of citrus and

Intense aromas of red and black fruit,

DE ANGELIS ROSSO PICENO 2016, MARCHE, ITALY (1.8 G/L; $16)

Youthful and fresh with bright cherry aromas and flavours, meaty and smoky, juicy tannins and a pleasing edginess.

EL PETIT BONHOMME 2017, JUMILLA, SPAIN (2.4 G/L; $17)

Rich with cherry, spice, plums, dried herbs; full but soft tannins and balanced. A blend of Monastrell, Garnacha and Syrah.

PROTEA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2017, COASTAL REGION, SOUTH AFRICA (< 5 G/L; $17)

Juicy blackberry and spice with soft, supple tannins and a fruity, bright finish. × OCTOBER 2018 65

AFTER TASTE TONY ASPLER

I’M MOVING ON UP

I LOVE THE SMELL OF CONCRETE IN THE MORNING. This may

be because I’ve always lived in big cities. Born in London, English, I studied at univerisities in Montreal, Cambridge, Mass., and Dublin.

I spent a few months in New York, looking for work in radio, and settled for 42 years in Toronto.

I have always considered myself a Big City boy. The only time in my life — I’m now closing in on 80 — that I have lived in a rural environment was when I spent a year working on a kibbutz in Israel, beginning two weeks after the Six Day War in 1967.

My job was to pick Ogen melons in the pre-dawn hours for shipment that day to markets in Europe. Back-breaking work.

Then I graduated to laying pipes in the orange groves to water the young trees. Apart from that bucolic, super-charged chlorophyll experience, I have always lived among skyscrapers.

Until last October. My wife and I decided then to move out of Toronto. Disenchanted by the overwhelming construction around us (20 condo buildings were being built within a half mile radius of our condo in mid-town Toronto, plus the never-ending construction of the Eglinton Crosstown Metrolinx).

All of which would mean, for the next five years at least, there would be noise, dirt, congestion and insane traffic around us.

The question was, where to move? We could have chosen Prince Edward County, a two-hour drive east of Toronto, and lived next to a winery. We could have gone north of Toronto to cottage country (but there’s too much snow in winter up there and it breaks my heart to see my wife shovel); or we could have moved to the Niagara region where we already had a community of friends in the wine industry.

The decision was easy. We upsized and bought a four-bedroom house in Port Dalhousie, a waterfront suburb in St. 66 MAVERICK CHEFS 2018

Catharines. We moved bag and baggage, the wine cellar and our Wheaten Terrier, Pinot the Wonderdog, an hour and 20 minutes away from Toronto and a million miles away from its noise and bustle. (The house we bought, incidentally, was built some 18 years ago by the mother of my wine writer colleague Chris Waters, who edits Vines magazine — such is the closeness of the wine community here.)

Port Dalhousie, the home of the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, is pronounced ‘duh-LOO-zee’ and not ‘Dal-housie’ as any right-mined person would say it. Apparently the bizarre pronunciation came from the Scottish sailors and ship builders who frequented the area. The locals, who must be embarrassed by the pronunciation, simply call it “Port.”

Now, when I have to travel in to Toronto for wine tastings and other wine events or to record my 680 News wine reviews, I drive by vineyards before I get on the QEW. When I have to drive to and from Toronto, I resent fighting the traffic and am appalled at the parking fees. Walking Toronto’s streets, I now feel like a country bumpkin, staring up at the high-rise towers. In Port, you look at everything from eye level; in Toronto you’re always craning your neck upwards.

Now instead of slipping into a neighbourhood pub for a drink, I visit a local winery; when my wife and I go out to dinner, it’s invariably to one of the many winery restaurants in the Niagara region. And whenever I visit a winery, I always buy a couple of bottles — which means my cellar is looking decidedly VQA Ontario.

It’s quiet here and the people are polite, acknowledging you in the street, waving from their cars. Wonderfully peaceful and rural — and yet, and yet, the CN Tower still beckons … × ILLUSTRATION: FRANCESCO GALLÉ, WWW.FRANCESCOGALLE.COM

XAD

HAVE WE MET?

ARMAGNAC DE MONTAL VSOP “This is delightfully delicate as far as Armagnac goes.

From an excellent producer that’s been around since the 17th century, it’s juicy and redolent of sweet stone fruit, apple, orange peel and brown sugar, with penetrating warmth underscored by baking spices and brown butter.”

MCO TO COME

Beppi Crosariol The Globe and Mail

MEET THE FAMILY

Pictured above 1987, XO, Hors d’Age, 1999 and VS. Also available Blanche d’Armagnac and older vintages starting from 1893. Good taste runs in the family.

Armagnac de Montal

www.mcowines.com

XAD

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