The BC Bullfrog - Pest or tasty treat?

In Cambodia, I was presented frogs legs in a black sauce, they were succulent. Kind of like chicken, I remember, but better. The dish was called, Ung Kep Char Kreoung, made with onion, garlic, peppers, lemon grass and oyster sauce, it left me drooling for more. I've decided, I want to find some, cook 'em and serve 'em in a hot, florescent lit room just to recreate the experience fully. So, where do you get frogs legs in Vancouver? I'm on a mission to find out. Pied a Terre on Cambie used to serve them and got them shipped from Quebec. Seems a long way to go when we have an invasive species of Bullfrog right here in the Lower Mainland. Our big, mean BC bullfrogs are responsible for eating a lot of our native species of frogs to near extinction. However, over harvesting of frogs to supply France and Asia's demand for them has caused a major decline in frog populations in general. Luckily for frogs, no one seems to like them much in Canada, so far. Most commercial frogs legs come from China or India from farms and apparently lack the desirable 'muddy' or 'earthy' flavour of wild frogs. So, I'd love to get me some wild bullfrog, yeee-haw. I'll keep you posted on what I find out... any froggy info would be greatly appreciated. Currently, it seems our infinitely wise BC government deems it illegal to catch bullfrogs under the BC Wildlife Act.

Confused in the Aisles - How to choose a great Balsamic

A good, aged, traditional balsamic vinegar is like the blood of the Gods. Combine that with ripe, sweet strawberries and you have IT. Yes, IT, the thing you've been waiting for all your life. I ate two portions of angel food cake with balsamic at last nights secret supper club and skipped dinner.



Okay, here's a bit of a rant about "the blood of the Gods" as you can find it in Vancouver. It is really hard to pick balsamic at the grocery store unless you know what you are looking for. Just because it says Modena on the bottle doesn't mean it's going to taste good. Look for Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena to find traditionally aged balsamic which will naturally be more expensive and WAY better quality. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for. It takes 3-50 years of age to make a proper balsamic and it must be aged in several types of wood casks.
Check the ingredient list if there are no artificial flavours/colours or sugar added, then you are getting closer to God.


My favourite balsamic is made by Venturi-Schulze on Vancouver Island of all places. Giordano Venturi is originally from Modena, Italy. He prides himself on making the only real balsamic in BC. It's $50 a bottle and can be ordered online (delivered right to your door). You may be scared off by the price, but the fact is that it's so flavour packed that you use way less of it. Their balsamic is rated as the top 100 things you should taste before you die by Vancouver Magazine. I for one, believe them.

Go for a Forage: Wild foods near Vancouver...

Elder flowers
Miner's Lettuce

Cleavers

Sweet Cicely

Watercress

Spring has pounced upon us, even though the warmth seems to have left us, lately. All sorts of tasty snacks are growing out of the ground. Wandering the forests and meadows of the Lower Mainland there are a few rules you should follow if you are interested in some unusual eats.

1. Take note of the water sources surrounding your planty prey. Watercress, for example, is very nutritious and grows near running water. It also absorbs toxins quite readily. So, if a stream has pollutants in it (near a non-organic farm for example) the plants may not be safe to eat. Unless you'd welcome the growth of a third eye.
2. Take plant cuttings, try not to disturb the roots, that way the crop will be replenished.
3. Be sure of what you are eating. Buy a plant book like Plants of Coastal BC (Pojar/MacKinnon) to help with identification.
4. Don't harvest near the road or sidewalks, unless you like dog pee and car gunk in your food.
5. Harvest with the seasons. Generally... spring = new shoots, spring/summer = flowers/fruit, fall/winter = fruits/nuts/roots

Plants to look for around now (May); licorice fern (sweet cicely), watercress, miners lettuce, silver dollars, cattails, sorel, cleavers, stinging nettles (taste like spinach, but harvest with gloves and steam before eating), blackberry leaves

BC Spot Prawns made glorious!!

Rhubbarb, apple salsa...sliced tomatoes, prawns rubbed with cilantro salt and olive oil. Now Barbeque! The season is upon us.
On the menu at Swallow Tail secret Supper Club.

BC wild musrhooms - Chantrelle, Bolete, Pine? Why should you care?

Wild Mushroom Taste Test... go!
Ever smell your mushrooms? I'm not being crass, I'm serious. Those, white mushrooms that everyone buys at the store... smell them. Then, buy a shitake mushroom or a chantrelle, fresh or dried. Now, that's a mushroom. Here are some tasting notes of BC wild mushrooms that I got from Skookum Harvest Wild Foods, hand picked on Vancouver Island. I'm making a wild mushroom pate for the BC Wilds & Wine event coming up.

Porcini (King Bolete) From Price Smart on Kingsway St.
Aroma - musty, burnt sugar, meaty, horse Palate - buttery, mild

Porcini (King Bolete) From Skookum
Aroma - caramel, tar (in a good way) Palate - earthy, meaty, butter... powerful

Chantrelles
Aroma - sweet herbs, caramel, hay, strong and beautiful Palate - savoury, meaty, cloves, lemon flowers

Pine
Aroma - honeycomb toffee Palate - hay, buttery, mild

All Dried from skookum harvest unless listed otherwise...

Just because it says it's "Organic" doesn't mean it is...

I read this in City Food Magazine and it struck a cord:

"Truth: In a recent poll conducted by Angus Reid, more than half of Canadians surveyed (57 percent) said they were concerned that the organic products they purchased might not truly be organic. To address this issue, the Canadian Government recently implemented a new Organic Products Regulation which includes the Canada Organic Logo. The logo guarantees that products contain at least 95 per cent organic ingredients."

1. But what does the Canadian Organic logo really mean? It's like an onion skin the more you dig into the facts...

The Canada Organic label states that these substances or procedures are forbidden:

• All materials and products produced from genetic engineering.
• Synthetic pesticides, wood preservatives or other pesticides, except as specified in CAN/CGSB-32.31.
• Fertilizer or composted plant and animal material that contains a prohibited substance.
• Sewage sludge used as a soil amendment.
• Synthetic growth regulators.

That's all well and good, but how many farms are actually subject to surprise inspections to verify compliance? Yes, there are surprise inspections by the Certified Organic Association of BC. Unfortunately, we accept US organic products . In the US, where there are only about 15 inspectors for the whole country, the brand isn't guaranteed to be reliable. Also, with 85% of organic food in Canada being imported, it makes it even harder to judge what to buy at the bloody grocery store. Though, (if you have to and can afford it) you may as well buy organic. You can usually taste the difference.

2. Free range vs Organic labels
Well, it seems that free range, doesn't have any legal requirements. So, unless you've gone to the farm and watched them running about, the chickens could be trapped inside and have the same awful conditions as a factory farm.

Any poultry or livestock labeled 'organic' in BC have legal requirements that must be met. For example, 6 hours a day access to the outside and inspectors that actually check the facilities regularly. So, if you have a heart, go organic instead of free range for your chicken or eggs.

In the end, it all comes down to getting to know your farmers. Sorry folks, I know it's more work. It can be fun and easy though, just go down to your neighbourhood farmers market. This is where you will be guaranteed to find products labelled properly, because the community of farmers polices each other rigorously. Or, Vancouverites, if you don't mind shopping online. Try NowBC Organic Co-op, you can buy whatever you like and it's all organic and local (unless labelled otherwise on the site). List of Farmers Markets in BC.

References:
CBC article on organic regulations
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Consumers Association Article on Organics
http://liberationbc.org/issues/organic
USDA organic label info
Article on USDA organic scandal

Get involved in your community farms:
Growing Chefs - Projects in Urban Agriculture for Children
Farm Folk City Folk

Taste - A Celebration of BC Wine & Cuisine

Press Release – Vancouver Wine Event

TASTE
A Celebration of BC Cuisine & Wine

The Food & Wine
The event is called Taste and it aims to pair local farmers, grocers, cheesemakers up with BC's boutique wineries to create an evening of sensory harmony. It's a blind wine tasting to encourage you to step away from the baggage of your preconceptions of grape and producer and simply experience the wine. Food pairings will seek to enhance each category of wine; crisp, elegant, aromatic, smooth or spicy. From sherry, huckleberry truffles to chantrelle mushroom ravioli to lovely handmade cheese by BC Foodies; you will be treated to the bounty of BC ingredients.

BC wineries involved include Blue Mountain, Wild Goose, Le Vieux Pin, La Stella with more to come.

BC ingredients will be provided by Skookum Harvest Wild Foods, BC Foodie(cheese) and Now BC Organic Food Co-op with more to come. BC Foodies will pair their specialty cheeses with each of the wine categories.

Our Charity
All proceeds from the event are going to support a very worthy cause. Mount Pleasant Elementery School has had it's funding cut, Taste is being organized to fill in some of the financial gap left after these cuts. Colleen Browning is our representative from the school and can tell you more about the specifics if you would like.

Date – Friday, Dec 4, 2009
Time – 7pm to 12pm
Location – Lark Clothing Store, 2315 Main Street, Vancouver
Tickets - $40 - RSVP
Charity Beneficiary – Mount Pleasant Elementary School
Contact – email TasteEvent@gmail.com Tel @ Lark 604-879-9965

Associated Businesses
Swallow Tail Culinary Tours
The Garden ParTy Catering
Lark Clothing Store
Browning & Co
The Flower Factory
Foodie BC - Cheesemakers
Skookum Harvest Wild Foods
Now BC Organic Co-op

To purchase tickets contact TasteEvent@gmail.com or visit Lark Clothing Store or The Flower Factory

For more information contact Lark 604-879-9965

Robin Kort
Owner
Swallow Tail Tours

Southern Okanagan Wine snuggles up to Burgundy

Here are my tasting notes for my recent Southern Okanagan wine trip. It blew me away as usual, one of my favourite wine regions in the world and cheaper than most BC wines by a few bucks. The region is similar to Burgundy in it's focus on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but with much more diversity due to the hot microclimates this desert region affords. Excellent merlot, pinot gris, meritgae and syrah are produced with gusto. A few stand out bottles of Gewurztraminer and a stunning sauvingnon blanc by Le Vieux Pin amazed me. Generally, I would say that they should leave the riesling to the Northern Okanagans cooler climate.

Below is a list of the shining stars of my collection from this trip. If you are going on a trip to this region (and I would recommend you do), hit these wineries for sure, especially, as you can't buy most of them anywhere except at the winery.

A note on 'facing' and soil- wineries gather grapes from different plots throughout the Okanagan, but their 'house grapes' would follow the facing I have listed. Soil types listed are general, specific sites will vary.

The Golden Mile Region
Soil - underlain by glacial fluvial sand and gravel, and alluvial fan deposits
Slope Facing - East
-Road 13-
2008 Chardonnay - Solid fruit, very fresh with a nice spicy finish from the finessed oak aging $20
2007 Jackpot Chardonnay - This is a big chardonnay, buttery as hell with balanced acidity, minerality and spice finish $35
2007 Pinot Noir - Cherry pie nose with characteristic pencil shavings, mouth full of delicate currents $23 great buy
2007 Jackson Pinot Noir - Same as above but bigger, more spicy and smooth. $35
2006 Fifth Element - Fine Bordeaux style wine, excellent value for the complexity. $36 & worth it
Syrah - generally high quality syrah with an earthy old world complexity
-Fairview Cellars- - sold out and closed, darn it

The Black Sage Bench
Soil - underlain by glacial fluvial sand and gravel, and alluvial fan deposits
Slope Facing - West
-Burrowing Owl-
2008 Pinot Gris - Light patio sipper with full fruit flavours; apple, pear with honeysuckle to boot. $25
2007 Merlot - A mouthful of earth and spice balanced on a handful of blackberries, caramel finish and light spice makes this one ready to drink. $30
-Le Vieux Pin-
2008 Sauvignon Blanc - Stunningly bold lychee & rose petal nose is reminiscent of a gewurtztraminer. Palette displays a balanced acidity delivering tropical fruit and a surprising minerality. Definitely stood apart from the rest in the valley. $35
2008 Petit Sigma Syrah Rose - A truly unique rose. Strawberries and spice dominates this lovely dry wine. $20

Osoyoos Lake Region
Soil - underlain by glacial fluvial sand and gravel, and alluvial fan deposits
Slope Facing - West, except for LaStella which is East facing
-Twisted Tree-
One of the most interesting South Okanagan Wineries, they edge their wines towards Spain and the Rhone Valley in France.
2008 Viognier Roussanne - Floral nose followed by a mineral grapefruit finish, really well done Rhone style wine. $20
Syrah - Bouquet of cinnamon, mild pepper, spice and a distinctive Okanagan sage note. Very buttery palette of current, spice and bitter lemon. Tannins are greenish and present, body is medium.
2007 Six Vines - Cassis, blackberry, cherry and dried herb aromas. The palate is broad and sweet showing cherry and cocoa flavors. The tannins are well integrated and fairly soft. The finish is long and smooth.
-Nk Mip- (pronounced Inkimip)
Very affordable, good quality wines in general, lacked the finish of the other wineries in the region.
2007 Pinot Noir - Black pepper, current and earth on the nose. Palette finds light cedar and cherry. Short finish, med+ acid. Amazing value. $20
2006 Merlot - Big fruity wine. Caramel, white pepper and strawberry nose. Green med+ tannins coat the mouth with a cedar brush. Plum and bitter lemon finish.
2006 Syrah - Full red berry, plum and jam notes with cedar box and cracked pepper to create an intriguing balance. Chewy tannins linger on the palate and harmonize with a soft, vanilla finish.
-La Stella-
This was a new find (only a year old) and the sister winery to Le Vieux Pin, showcasing more Italian style wines. They were bit high price straight out of the gate, but good quality and worth a try.
2008 Vivace, Pinot Grigio - Full nose of grapefruit and lychee; apple, flinty, lemon on the palette. A fine wine, but not worth $25
2008 Lastellina Merlot Rosato - Strawberries with a nice mineral bite to the finish. Again, a fine wine, but should be a few dollars cheaper. $25
2006 Allegreto Merlot - Smooth vanilla, blackberry and a dash of cloves on the nose. Mouth of current, cedar and a calming vanilla finish. Slightly green tannins give the wine a nice edge. $38 and worth it

Okanagan Falls Region - I think I'm in love.
Soil - underlain primarily by glacial lake silt
Slope Facing - Mostly West
-Blue Mountain-
This is the pinnacle winery of the Southern Okanagan in my book, and they are very affordable for the quality level. They baby their grapes from start to finish; all vines are solely from their own property. If you love French style wines; gorgeous pinot noir, lovely traditional method sparkling wine, make an appointment and go for a tasting at Blue Mountain.
Brut - Finessed, characteristic pear, almond nose, slight brioche. Palette is tart and refreshing with a lovely toasty finish. $24 !!! This is an amazing price.
2007 Pinot Gris - Light nose of pear followed by a subtle palette of pears and lemons. Lovely minerality, great patio wine. $21
2007 Pinot Noir - This is a classic Pinot. Berry fruit like currents and new strawberries are balanced wisely with notes like pencil shavings, vanilla and a good bout of earth. Excellent value Pinot Noir at $25
-Wild Goose-
If you want a good, dry riesling in the Southern Okanagan, this is your place. This winery is solid across the board, pinot gris to merlot to port style.
2008 Autumn gold - Great fresh and fruity sip some on their licensed patio.$19
2008 Gewurztraminer - Classic dry gewurztraminer with its intense lychee nose with a honeysuckle, apple palette. $19
2008 Pinot Gris - Fruit forward peach, great summer wine. $19
2007 Merlot - Nose of light spice and full berries with an interesting nutty note. Take a sip and you are met with black currents and vanilla, balanced acidity. Loved it at $20
2007 Merlot Reserve - Same as above merlot but more finessed and more plum like fruit. $25
2008 Black Brant - Mouthful of cassis, deep chocolate nose and a smokey finish. We have a WINNER! Especially at $20
-Noble Ridge-
Another favourite winery, you couldn't go wrong with buying any of their wines.
2007 Chardonnay - Siver medal winner in Burgundy, France for the Chardonnay du Monde competition, and rightly so. Crisp and fine with a strong minerality. Amazingly priced at $21
Kings Ransom - This one gave my head a shake; it was almost Spanish in style. Earth and spice dominated with lovely cherry, plum fruit. Smokey, tobacco, current finish, med+ tannins. Outstanding and very age worthy (5yrs min). $65

Fruit Wines Friend or Foe?

Most of the time, I hate fruit wines, especially from BC. Sickly sweet and bursting with a bubblegum flavour profile, most adults run screaming from fruit focused tasting rooms. But North Americans love their sugar, so grandma can't get enough of the shit which leaves some of the worst wineries still alive.

However, there are two excellent exceptions to this dark truth. I will now extol the virtues of both...

Kermode Wild Berry Winery near Mission, BC, consistently impresses me with it's unique and thought provoking wines. All Kermode wines are made from fruit that is painstakingly picked in the wilds of BC. You will find no peach or cherry liquid atrocities here to remind you of gobstoppers and lollipops. The nectar that they produce are typically unlike anything you've tried before.

Sitka Mountain Ash is a native BC berry that once transformed into wine makes a perfect pair for any BBQ. With its smokey, orange notes, it edges towards a bouquet you would find in a good whiskey.

Himalayan Blackberry Port is a recognizable taste with a lovely balanced acidity to even out the sweetness of the fruit.

Salmonberry wine(orange) is my latest favourite, nothing reminds me more of BC than these distinctive, delicately floral and refreshing berries. Amazing as an aperitif or drunk by the glass in a park under the watchful gaze of the sun.

Kana Sprieszl runs the tasting room and is a delight to chat to about the families forays into the BC wilderness. I encourage you to go for a tasting and treat your palette to a new flavour experience. Do it as part of a circle farm tour for some weekend fun... (link is below)


The second exception is Elephant Island Orchard Winery on the Naramata Bench in the Okanagan. If you go to the Bench, make sure you end with this winery. Instead of the usually overcrowded wine bar for your tasting, they will serve you with a smile on their lovely orchard patio.

The two hottest numbers on my list from Elephant Island are...

Stellaport (NV 2008) is their famous Spanish, Port style wine done in the Solera barrel aging system which, basically, means that the final flavour profile has a good balance of cherry and characteristics like chocolate introduced from the French oak barrel aging. Pairs well with stinky, soft cheeses. Drink it if you can find it anywhere.

Crab Apple Dessert Wine is amazing with a stinky cheese like Poplar Groves, Tiger Blue. It's sweet, crisp apple start finishes with a lovely tartness.

Chance your palette and sample a few of these beauties. For the truly terrified, make sure and try the suggested pairing and it may change your mind.

Kermode Wild Berry Wines:
8457 River Road South
Dewdney, British Columbia
Canada

info@kermodewildberry.com

Phone- 604-814-3222
Tasting Room & Wine Sales
Open: 12-6 pm daily

Elephant Island Orchard Winery:
http://www.elephantislandwine.com/

http://www.circlefarmtour.com/index.php?page_id=29

What I bought on the Bench.... Naramata, BC wines

The Naramata Bench August 2009
Zipping along the winding Naramata Bench Road in the Okanagan with the desert, summer sun on your face and a commanding view of Lake Okanagan is good enough on it's own. Add to that stopping by one of the many fabulous wineries of this distinctive grape growing region and you have a perfect afternoon of sipping and zipping.

Best picks at the wineries...

Poplar Grove:
Expensive but well worth the cost...
Was so excited about the Merlot 2007 that I bought a case, this is an ager with distinctive Okanagan blackberry & sage grass notes. The Cab Franc is stunning, but prohibitively expensive.
Merlot 2005 - $29
Merlot 2007 - $25
Cab Franc 2005 - $39

Nichol Vineyard:
Excellent value but there were only 12 bottles left, grab the next vintage sight unseen. Tobacco, pencil shaving, very fruit forward, full of cherries, solid acidity.
Pinot Noir - $27

Laughing Stock:
Good quality, Chardonnay is a great value. Portfolio is overpriced, but yummy as heaven.
Chardonnay -$23
Portfolio(Meritage) - $34

Black Widow:
A nice light summer sipper; good acidity, floral notes on the nose and a flinty mouthful to follow.
Didn't like anything else in their tasting room, but this one was a great find.
Pinot Gris 2008 - $20

Therapy:
If you want a big, bold red for a treat, this is it. Predominantly, Cabernet Sauvignon, you are greeted by cherry, clove, butter, vanilla and pepper notes.
Amazing and worth the price. If you're at the bench, buy a bottle, because in Vancouver you can only buy this at Firefly winery for $49, ouch.
Super Ego (Meritage) 2007 - $37

Lang Vineyards:
Great buy, stunning acidity, great fruit and pungent minerality.
Riesling Farm Reserve - $17

Why is BC red wine so bloody expensive?

As of 2009, there is no question in my mind that BC produces some of the most interesting, high quality bottles of wine the world has to offer from red to white. However, I constantly feel a little swindled when buying BC wine, specifically reds. Our whites are comparible in price to the world stage, but try and get a red Bordeaux blend (Meritage) for under $25, it's nearly impossible. There is no such thing as good, cheap, red BC table wine, but are BC wines overpriced or are they worth their weight?

I'll start with the rant, skip this paragraph if you are already fuming about the issue. The climate, soil and heart is here in British Columbia to produce outstanding and truly unique wines, and the producers do, consistently. But the wineries are killing the average consumer with their prices, mostly, because the in BC, we don't seem to mind being shafted. (80% of BC wine is sold to British Columbians. Near 50% of all wine purchased by British Columbians is BC wine). We are so supportive of local products that our collective nationalistic soul ends up kicking us squarely in the pocket book. All I really want is to enjoy our wines more often; and not to have to think about whether I can afford it or not. I want to pick up a good bottle of $9 BC wine the way I would pick up a six pack of beer for a BBQ. Canadians are so proud of not being like Americans, but look across the border, my countrymen...look, someone in Seattle is picking up a $6 bottle of good wine at the GROCERY STORE!!! Again, what's wrong with us! Wine is not a luxury item, talk to an Italian and they'll tell you, it's a beverage essential to a good life and proper enjoyment of a meal.

Okay, I'll take a deep breath now and digress to the facts I've learned. There are a few things to be said about the reality of our over-priced wine plight.


Taxes & Markups: This is the clincher. When you buy wine at a BCLC or a private liquor store, most of the tax you pay on wine is hidden. If it wasn't you would be screaming bloody murder, at 117% tax there would be line ups of people at City Hall demanding that Victoria stop robbing us blind. The higher priced wines are marked up less (there is a cap), so if you want to beat the system this is the way to go.

The Monopoly: Of BC vintners CAN charge high prices so why wouldn't they. We have grown accustomed to being ravaged by the government through BCLC, so we'll pay $20 for a $12 bottle as long as it's local. Honestly, they are being screwed as much as us if they dare sell their products through BCLC. The government takes more than half of the profit from they vines they've slaved over. This is why many excellent wineries avoid selling at the liquor store which make them inaccessable to most of the population. The Black Hills and Blue Mountains are unavailable to the public, except to purchase online or drink a glass in select restaurants. There is one possible benefit to our penchant to buy high, BC's boutique wineries can make a profit and stay small if they sell through their winery only. It may allow them to stay focused on quality instead of quantity. However, quality frequently does not = price in BC wine. On a recent tour of the Naramata Bench, even crappy wineres felt bold enough to price near $20. BC does produce some amazing wine that is worth the cost though in the $20-30 range (I've listed a few below if you want to experiment).

A note about red wine production: Reds are more expensive to produce than whites, because of the aging component. Time costs and so does oak. As well, in a cool climate like that of BC, vines are less prolific. Spain is able to offer killer red at low prices because the vines grow easily and don't have seasons where they lack the sun to ripen the grapes. This is definitely a factor in our lack of a decent red table wine in the $10 range.

Land: Our current BC vine acreage doesn't come anywhere near California's, so this definitely has an effect on the price that our little vintners can offer a bottle for if you understand the economy of scale. Our land value is high which ups the price of the finished product, but I would be bold enough to say that our land value is similar to that in California which takes this data off the table for this arguement.

Labour: "It IS hard to find good help these days," this is another factor. Our high labour costs contribute to our wine price problem.

What many wineries don't seem to get is that there is a profit to be made in bringing the price of good BC table wine down. Many of my friends who love wine, but aren't in the income bracket to afford $20 bottles every week are forced to turn to Argentina, Spain and Chile to comfort them in these harsh financial times. They are a huge part of the market that are mostly ignored by BC vintners out of fear that it will plunge their high priced wines into oblivion. Calona Vineyards(Sovereign Opal), Peller Estate, Jackson Triggs (Shiraz) and Sandhill have a few quality bottles that dip their toes into the $15 range, but mostly these are made with cheaper out of province grapes.

To date, there is no incentive for BC wineries to give us an affordable $10 red table wine. At least, our whites can be purchased from BCLC in the $15 range at a good quality level, my only complaint being that the government mark up at 117% is an insult to our hard working wineries. BC unquestionably produces some excellent value for quality reds in the $25-30 range, mostly merlot or pinot noir. A good, red BC table wine in the $10 range, I have been unable to find. As I see it, the major solution to this matter is to lobby the government to stop stealing from us and our vintners at our liquor stores. It is unacceptable that they take such a huge cut of the wine pie. This is greed with a dash of prohibition mentality, and it's a sad state of affairs.

Okay, now it's time to do something about it. If you drink BC wine and want to make it more affordable, check out "free the wine" at...
http://www.freethewine.ca/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9&Itemid=9

Excellent Value for Cost BC wines:
Cedar Creek - Chardonnay $19, Nichol Vineyards - Pinot Noir $27, Averill Creek - Pinot Noir $28, Poplar Grove - Pinot Gris $22, Road 13 - Chenin Blanc $19, Osoyoss Larose/Petales - Meritage $25

If you have any fact corrections for me to check, please comment on this article below.
Sources:
http://winelaw.ca/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21&Itemid=1
http://www.planitbc.com/Articles/article0228-BCwineprices.html
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article977511.ece
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/wine+drinkers+price+conscious+look+quality/1772421/story.html

I heart Salmon

Wild salmon is a fish that represents my province; I feel patriotic in British Columbia, Canada about a fish, ha. A bald eagle fighting a grizzly bear for a juicy, big salmon, viola, the essence of the west coast. I also feel strongly that it is a mighty tasty treat. If in doubt, proceed to 'Go Fish', a take out stand near Granville Island, and have the salmon wrap. Guaranteed, you will love the pink little buggers too. Until recently, I've enjoyed salmon when ever I pleased, avoiding the farmed stuff, cause it tastes like cat food. In the last year, I've been made aware of the Northwest salmon crisis which stretches from BC to California. Stocks of wild salmon in BC are down 9 million from what they once were. 9 MILLION fish are gone, holy shit, that's a lot of fish. So, because I love salmon, I'm going to do two things; get some information out there about the issue and, sigh, eat less salmon. No more big steaks on the BBQ with lemon, dill and butter for me. Sad times. I know we all usually like to motor on and hope that eventually things will go back to normal if we just whistle loud enough, but realistically, that just doesn't work. Sorry. Though we aren't the main problem in reduced fish numbers if we don't minimize our consumption of them, they will go the way of the east coast cod and be gone forever.

From the New York Times: Dave Bitts, a fisherman based in Eureka in Northern California, sees the variables as simple. “To survive, there are two things a salmon needs,” he said. “To eat. And not to be eaten.”

So what's happening to them?
It's not overfishing this time, there are fishing closures all the way to California. No one seems to know definitively, but scientists are pointing to several factors...

1. Starvation - global climate change - the ocean is a lot warmer so the currents that usually lift salmon food like plankton and krill are off timed. Or some sources say that the temperatures have killed off a lot of plankton... result... less food for our salmon buddies.

2. Can't make it to the sea - We screw with our rivers too much, dams, agriculture diversions of water, pollution, all have a huge impact on salmon.

3. Disease - Farmed salmon in open net systems that allow sea lice to spread to wild salmon populations. The Norwegians and our own governments are to blame. Solution - just don't eat farmed salmon.

Our salmon are a barometer of the health of North America. That seems like a sweeping, patchouli infused statement, but let me explain. Take the Columbia River, together with its two main tributaries, the Snake and the Yakima rivers, it drains into 260,000 square miles in western Canada and the United States(data from source below). This area is equivalent in size to western Europe. All of these lovely waters pass through many logging and agricultural zones on its way out to the Pacific Ocean. Our salmon spawn at the start of these rivers and then travel all the way through our lands to the massive Pacific Ocean. Run off caused by logging filters into our rivers and destroys spawning beds, dams block the salmon run, pesticides from farming drain into the waters and are absorbed by the river life. Everything we do to our water across cultures and borders affects these salmon, our cultural symbol of bounty and life. That's right, big words for big issues. The west coast salmon is a major link in our food chain, stunning creatures like bears, whales and eagles depend on them to live. The equation is bears - salmon = starving bears = badness. Humans are lucky, we are the worlds most amazing omnivors, we can survive without salmon. However, we may be a decisive factor in our own demise through breaking down essential links in our overall food chain.

The simple thing you can do is eat less or no salmon. The more complex thing you can do is research the issue yourself and then eat responsibly.


Amazing article on the salmon crisis...
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FRO/is_n3_v130/ai_19421844/

More excellent sources...
http://www.huffstrategy.com/MediaManager/release/Pure-Salmon-Campaign/17-8-09/Open-letter-to-King-of-Norway-to-stop-the-killing-of-wild-fish-by/1680.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/17/science/earth/17salmon.html?_r=1&fta=y
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=e2a38098-2d36-4070-9b80-ffc4799d319b

British Columbian Cuisine Unveiled

Cuisine \Cui`sine'\: defined as a characteristic manner of preparing food using to local ingredients; national food

You can get all foods in the port city of Vancouver. This is a restaurant culture. Everyone eats out. It’s affordable and some of the finest menus on the planet are just a step away. French, Italian and Asian (Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese) foods dominate, and who wouldn’t want to be dominated by these fabulous cuisines.

So what does this all mean for the persistent question of BC cuisine, do we have one? Is there a consistent style of cooking that would define BC on your plate? First, you have to consider the thousands of immigrants that make up our population. The British and Spanish landed here first, but Chinese, Japanese, Italian, German, Mexican, French, Korean, the list goes on and on, trickled in to form what is now an extremely diverse province. That is a too much ethnic influence to ignore, so a restaurant culture developed from a ‘melting pot’ of these peoples. Our style of cooking is exactly that, ‘a melting pot’, the borrowing of techniques and foods from many countries. I don’t believe you can define our cuisine through style of cooking, so the only other option, if you need a definition while eating some of the freshest most cunningly prepared foods that have graced your plate, is to define it through ingredients.

Locally sourced, fresh, seasonal, this is the palette chefs who wish to serve true BC foods will paint with. Two stand-out examples who have been cooking this way for years come to mind, Raincity Grill, Vancouver and Sooke Harbour House, Vancouver Island. Most other restaurants in Vancouver that serve nouvelle cuisine (a cooking style that seeks to emphasize the natural flavours of foods through application of light sauces etc.) have followed suit. And it’s sooo easy for local chefs with brilliant local seafood like oysters, mussels, scallops, salmon, black cod and Dungeness crab. Local meats range from spring lamb to bison and wild boar. Our growing season runs from spring to fall for fresh produce like sorrel, cherries, asparagus, sweet corn, garlic, chives, squash, apples, peaches, blueberries and hazelnuts. Wildflower honey, mustard, balsamic vinegar, fruit preserves and, of course, the wide range refreshing BC wines are some of the prepared foods to think about. Lots of local foragers help further define our distinctive BC flavours by harvesting wild foods like chantrelles, morels, porcini mushrooms, watercress, miner's lettuce, oregon grape, thimble berry, salmonberry and blackberry. Cheese makers like Moonstruck and Farmhouse Cheeses create mouth watering goat’s cheese and award winning brie. And with a producer penchant for full flavoured organic, sustainable foods, you’ll be laughing all the way to dinner.

If you are searching desperately for true BC cuisine, start by sitting down at Raincity Grill on Denman Street in Vancouver. Order the 100 mile tasting menu with the local BC wines. Close your eyes before each bite, wash down with wine, and then ponder the ingredients, so that you can spearhead the BC cuisine revolution by cooking this way at home.

Riesling made Simple

[REEZ-ling, REES-ling]


Riesling is considered to be one of the world's greatest white-wine varietals and produces some of the very best and long lived white wines with up to a 50 year cellaring potential. The riesling grape's ability to retain its acidity while achieving high sugar levels is what creates wines with considerable aging potential. Riesling is a variety which is highly "terroir-expressive", meaning that the character of Riesling wines is clearly influenced by the wine's place of origin. These wines are delicate but complex and can be characterized by wine descriptors in the fruit category such as honey, apricot, lemons, tropical fruits (banana, pinapple, mango), green apple and peaches. The complexity becomes apparent when the terroir really comes through with notes such as floral, flint, steel, petrol and minerality. Petrol is a character that comes out as the wine ages, and is actually desireable. Riesling is vinified in a variety of styles ranging from DRY to SWEET. The vine is a native of Germany and has been cultivated for thousands of years to best results in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer and Rheingau regions. Mosel Riesling tends to more steely, flint and mineral whereas Rheingau Rieslings are all about tropical fruit. California, Oregon, Washington, New York, Ontario, British Columbia, Australia (Eden and Clare Valley), France (Alsace), Italy (Alto Adige) have extensive plantings of this grape and produce high-quality results.

What is in a Name?

A bottle of riesling is one of the most complex labels you will ever encounter, but as inconceivable as it seems, the Germans do have a system. The German wine classification system is dubbed Qualitatswein or ‘quality wine’ (Qba) similar to France’s Applelation Origin Controlee (AOC). You may also see Qualitatswein mit Pradikat for even more stringent wine making rules (QmP). This system tells you through a rating chart what the sugar levels of the picked grapes were at harvest. The higher the sugar levels the better the wine quality is the general rule of thumb. Note that higher sugar content in the grapes does NOT mean that the end wine will be sweet, just better concentration of flavour from them hanging on the vine longer.

K S A B E T is the acronym I use to remember the quality levels of German wine. Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Eiswine, Trockenbeerenauslese from least to most in measure of must weight or sugar levels (Oe).

In other regions around the world, they have taken to making things harder for Riesling lovers everywhere. California, South Africa, Australia and even in Germany itself have used the word ‘riesling’ on bottles that do not necessarily contain true Riesling. The worst case scenario is in Australia where riesling can mean any white wine! Sylvanner can be mistaken for Riesling in California as they call this varietal by many names such as Franken Riesling or Sonoma Riesling. In Germany, Schwarzriesling is actually a red grape, France’s Pinot Meunier. Mostly, countries have done this to note wines with riesling like qualities. Luckily for us, BC produces some of the best true rieslings I’ve ever tasted and they are labelled… Riesling.

Notes from a recent Riesling tasting:

1. Stoneleigh, Marlborough, NZ, 2007, $17.50
2. Lingenfelder, Pflaz, Germany, 2007, $22
3. Alexandria Nicole, Columbia Valley, WA, Late Harvest Riesling, 2008, $22
4. Gunderloch, Fritz's Riesling, Rheinhessen, Germany, 2007, $17
5. Pikes, Clare Valley, Australia, 2007, $25
6. Hugel, Alsace, France, 2007, $25
7. St.Urbans-Hof, Mosel, Germany, 2007, $20
8. Prinz von Preussen, Rheingau, Germany, 2006, $19
9. Schloss Reinhartshausen, Rheingau, Germany, $20

I should note from this tasting that there was no clear favourite and most bottles were very enjoyable summer sippers. People tended towards the classic German rieslings rather than the more dry and lemony, less complex on the palette New World bottles. Prinz von Preussen, tasted at the end of the night, was by far the best in my mind, finessed stoney, citrus, green apple minerality, if you can ever find a bottle good luck. Fritz's Riesling and Stoneleigh were the best value of the show. St.Urbans-Hof is widely available and rated high for it's strong flinty, green apple palette. Lingenfelder was another favourite, if you want a clear example of a quality Rheingau this is your buy. If you want to try a great BC riesling, Tantalus Old Vine Riesling is A-mazing!

Riesling is one of my favourite all round wines, great with food, great for easy drinking and a nose/palette complexity and price point that forces you to take notice.

The Secrets of Bread... shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Adapted from an article written by Julius Petz.

Truly delicious bread is a rare commodity. Getting the crust crisp and maintaining that soft and dainty center is a difficult artform. My company seeks out local BC sources like Limbert Farm in Agassiz and True Grain Breads on Vancouver Island that make outstanding bread. Bakers like these understand the history of this ancient food source.

Wheat has been part of our society for thousands of years, initially transforming our culture from one of the hunter/gatherer to farmer. Initially grains were eaten raw and although nutritious could not have been very enjoyable to eat. However the advent of weaving made the milling of wheat possible. Milling and baking, then as now, were ways to make the eating of grains a more enticing, tasty experience.
With the steel rolling process, grain is chopped up and the nutrient-rich bran and germ are discarded. When stone milling is used instead, it peels grains in a rolling motion and wraps everything up into the resulting flour. This not only results in healthier flour with a distinctly different taste, but has the added benefit for bakers of giving the dough more stretch due to the intact gluten. Several local BC bakers have embraced the process of stone milling in their pursuit of the highest quality organic and handcrafted bread, and these same bakers also pay careful attention to what goes into their finished product. This includes such measures as using certified organic ingredients, buying local, and finding the best wheat for flour. The most common types of wheat used for bread today are hard red winter wheat, hard spring red wheat, soft red winter wheat and hard white winter wheat. True Grain Bread on Vancouver Island dug deep and found another option: Red Fife wheat, heritage wheat with exceptional flavor and baking properties that was saved from extinction by a handful of dedicated growers.

Swallow Tail Tours, my tour business, does extensive research into finding bakeries that takes such measures and really care about the bread they kneed. The mouthwatering result is well worth the effort.

Links:
http://www.truegrain.ca/
http://www.limbertmountainfarm.com/

BC vs Washington Merlot Battle

I'm part of a wine club, I know that sounds super snobby. We meet once a month at a member's house to redden our teeth and liven our spirits. Last month's challenge was to find the best of BC and set them against the best of Washington, both areas reputed world wide to have respectable merlots. If you are ever looking for something to serve with a full flavoured merlot, I made a salmon wellington topped with a merlot reduction and they were consumed rapidly. Here was the line up:

Washington
1. The Hogue(2004) - Signature BCLC(41st Ave) - $14
2. Columbia Crest(2005) - Signature BCLC(41st Ave)- $22
3. Holy Cow(2006) - Brewery Creek Liquor Store - $30

BC
1. Therapy Vineyards(2006) - Firefly - $44
2. Nk Mip Vineyards(2006) - Signature BCLC(41st Ave) - $25
3. Cedar Creek(2006) - Signature BCLC(41st Ave) - $25

We tried two excellent Cab/Merlot blends as well;
1. Super Ego, Therapy Vineyards - BC - Firefly - $44
2. The Hogue(2004) - Washington - Signature BCLC(41st Ave) - $14

Every single one of these wines was really yummy. The interesting thing about Washington merlots is that they pack a surprising punch both in flavour profile and body, moving toward cabernet sauvignon territory. If you are ever in Columbia Valley, Yakima(WA), head for a winery called 2 Mountains and you will experience that bold merlot in spades. BC tends towards more finesse and displays the medium body that is typical of cooler climate viticulture. Therapy vineyards continues to make some of the best BC reds around despite their branding which drives me mad. The pricing on their wines is very prohibitive which is unfortunate. Their super ego, Bordeaux blend, is probably one of my favourite BC reds, buy it for a special occasion.

And now you want to know the winner, if I've kept you reading this long. Well, value for dollar went, hands down, to The Hogue with its chocolate, cherry overtones. It is a new world merlot fit to drink all by itself. But for the best food pairing, Cedar Creek wins the fight, cutting nicely through the rich pastry and buttery salmon with its spicy, cherry oak.

A Selection of Only the Best Cheese

Where do you go to find a mouth watering Canadian cheese? And when you find it, lucky day, what do you drink with it? This was the question I posed to myself a few months back, and in my wanderings I've found a few winners to share with you.
Here is the recipe for success if you live in Vancouver. First, step into the Mount Pleasant Cheese Company on Cambie Street. Second, select any of the following;

1. Mi Careme from Quebec – Bitter, creamy, soft, and nutty with medium saltiness - Drink with a Stout and a hearty laugh.

2. Sauvregine, again, from Quebec - Vancouver Magazine wrote that Hercule(also a cheese at MPC) was one of the top 100 things you must eat before you die. I vote for Sauvregine over Hercule hands down. Soft buttery, salty goodness that is amazing on a good baguette with cherry tomatoes, crushed walnuts, slices of endive and a good balsamic vinegar.

3. Tiger Blue from Poplar Grove Cheese, BC. - A full flavour blue, not sharp, nice and smooth – Pair with clover honey or fortified wine like a Port. If you have any Pipe(Sumac Ridge, Port style wine), please call me and I will happily bring the cheese.

4. Clothbound Cheddar from the tiny little island of Prince Edward off the Atlantic Coast of Canada - This cheese is really interesting as it crumbles into pea sized chunks, crumble it over a prosciutto sandwich with tomato, lettuce and balsamic. Or, it melts nicely into Welsh Rarebit for dipping bread or veggies into. Pair with St.Hubertus, Riesling, the best buy on any white wine in BC at $15.

All of the above are best served on Raincoast Crisps, the best cracker ever made(buy them at Capers). They are very expensive $6.99 a box, but I can find nothing to equal them for being the perfect cracker with any cheese. Another strong suggestion for full cheese enjoyment would be to take your selections to the beach and enjoy them with a hot friend.

http://www.mountpleasantcheese.com/

update: Sauvregine cheese isn't sold at Mount Plesant Cheese anymore, you can buy it at Whole Foods or Capers though.