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.