Article & photos by Lenora A. Hayman.
The Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival from March 28-April 3, 2011 had something for everyone, with 62 events showcasing 177 wineries from 15 countries.
This year wines from Spain took centre stage and the Global Focus was the fortified wines of Sherry, Port and Madeira.
Joey Bentall One at 507 Burrard St.opened the week with Chef Jason Koningen’s team offering a pairing of Spanish and Fortified wines with tapas in their long bar and wine room. On the wall behind the bar was an Enomatic wine- tasting machine that held 2 dozen different bottles that electronically dispensed 1oz, 3oz and 5oz pours of wine. The remaining wine in the bottle does not spoil for 30 days.
The Telmo Rodriguez “Basa” Vino Blanco, Rueda 2009, a white wine with grapefruit and green apple overtones, paired well with the Entrefino sheep’s milk Manchego cheese which was nutty and buttery.
A luncheon at Coast Restaurant on 1054 Alberni St. was hosted by Maria Martinez-Sierra, the head winemaker at Spain’s Bodegas Montecillo winery, owned by the Osborne family in Rioja, the province and autonomous community of Northern Spain and one of Spain’s most famous wine producing areas. Maria Martinez-Sierra uses only Tempranillo grapes and only when the quality is good enough. Hence not every year.
Chef Dennis Peckham paired a rib-eye wrapped Ahi Tuna Israeli cous cous, piquillo peppers, roasted tomato and braised artichoke with the deep red Montecillo Reserva 2006. It’s aged 18 months in French oak with cherry and citrus peel flavours. Five wines were poured to compare the subtlety with the roasted lamb loin ragout of Nova Scotia lobster, potato gnocchi, glazed carrots and lamb jus. The Montecillo Gran Reserva Seleccion Especial 1981 had been aged 42 months in Bordeaux-style French oak casks giving it concentrated flavours of blackberries, licorice and woodnotes. However the Montecillo Gran Reserva Seleccion Especial 1975 was aged 48 months in the French oak casks, and was a deep-brick red colour, smooth, silky and intense and will be $143.95 a bottle when listed in BC! The beauty of the wine festival is we are able to taste wines not yet available in BC!
In the evening at Joe Fortes Restaurant Roof Bar at 777 Thurlow, Michael Martini, a 3rd generation family winemaker for Louis M. Martini Winery, hosted the Iconic California Cabernet Sauvignon Louis M. Martini Winemaker dinner. Originally from Italy, Louis M. Martini built his Napa winery in 1953, near the end of prohibition. His son, Louis P Martini became a winemaker in 1954, followed by Michael in 1977. Although the Gallo family of winemakers bought the winery in 2002, the winery continues under the guidance of the Martini family. The Louis M. Martini Vineyards include Ghost Pines Vineyard in Chiles Valley, Monte Rosso in Sonoma Valley and Del Rio Vineyard near Healdsburg, California.
The 2007 Ghost Pines Chardonnay with the baked apple, pear and lemon accent paired well with the canapés of oysters, Dungeness crab, prawns and scallops.
With our smoked sockeye salmon, mushroom vin blanc and sweet pea ravioli, we tried both the 2008 Louis M.Martini Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon with soft tannins, cherry and blackberry, and the 2007 Louis M. Martini Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with velvety tannins and jammy flavours of ripe plum and bing cherries, proving that red wines can be paired with fish.
The earthiness of the 2008 Louis M. Martini Gnarly Vine Zinfandel with black raspberry cloves and spice flavours and the 2006 Louis M. Martini Monte Rosso Cabernet Sauvignon with flavours of plum and dried fruit, both paired nicely with the braised lamb cheek, braised kale, tomato and chives.
Although the International Tasting at the Vancouver Convention Centre, East, was on for 3 evenings, I attended Thursday night only, so it was impossible to “do the whole room”. I, therefore, headed directly to the “Don’t be Mortified about Fortified” and “Sherry Caseta Tasting Stations”. to try the Sherries, Ports and Madeiras, fortified with a touch of natural brandy. After fermentation, brandy is added to enhance and preserve the sherry. Sherry is the anglicized distortion of the name Jerez. My Bodegas Alvear Fino Sherry produced from the Pedro Ximenez grape was light straw in colour, nutty with zesty tannins.
With Ports, the spirit is added while the sugars are being converted into alcohol and thus halts the fermentation process, resulting in a sweet wine, high in alcohol. The Ports were red, golden and tawny. The Taylor Fladgate Late Bottled Vintage Port 2003 with its intense, dark cherry and black fruit aromas and soft tannins is lovely to sip in the evening.
Madeira is named after the Portuguese island of Madeira. Maderisation, is the process of heating Madeira to caramelize the sugars in the wine. The Blandy’s Madeira 10-year-old Malmsey, with its T-cap closure, so you don’t need a corkscrew to open it, had concentrated caramel, nutty and honeyed flavours. All would have paired beautifully with a slice of Prince William and Kate’s wedding cake!
I also stopped at the booth of Sara Norman and Tilman Hainle’s organic Working Horse Winery from Peachland to sip their new Tilman Ice”Lavender” Pinot Noir 2007. The infusion with organic lavender gave the honey and caramel flavours an exotic and calming note. The beautiful, glass-stoppered, elegant, bottle had its lavender coloured label attached with a string, making it easier to remove and return the bottle with its wooden box for the $5.00 refund.
Fortunately Canada now imports Fermin’s Iberico ham from the forests of Southwestern Spain, known as Dehesa. The Iberico pig, a descendent of the wild boar, known as Pata Negra or Black Hoof still roams freely and eats acorns and plants giving the flesh a wonderful rich, nutty flavour. Derek Bendig and Michael Ikaczuk demonstrated the carving of a shoulder, liberally marbled, giving the ham extra tenderness.
My week culminated with the Vibrant Influence dinner at Jean-Georges in the Shangri-la Hotel paired with the Napa Valley California Trefethen family wines. Peter Luthi is the winemaker and Jon Ruel, Director of Viticulture. Loren Trefethen, told us, the Trefethen Family Vineyards are certified Napa Green. They use soy-based biodiesel fuel to reduce fossil fuel emissions and dependence on foreign oil, and practice natural pest control with barn owls and bat boxes. In 1979 and 1980, their 1976 Chardonnay was chosen “Best Chardonnay” in the world at the World Wine Olympics in Paris.
Our Trefethen 2008 Chardonnay with notes of golden apple, lemongrass and ginger and aged in French oak had a nice affinity with the ranched Blue Fin Tuna sushi.
The blackcurrants, sweet herbs and pepper spice of the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon was perfect with my grilled lamb chop.
What a treat to be offered the 2004″Halo” Cabernet Sauvignon, their flagship wine named after the children, Hailey and Loren. Lovely aromas of blackberries, bay leaves and toasted marzipan, paired beautifully with our triple crème brie, raclette and blackberry compote.
The 2007 “Late Harvest” Riesling was exquisitely sweet due to the grapes developing botrytis cinerea, the “noble rot” and then picked 2 months after the Dry Riesling. Yes this “Heaven in a Glass” concluded a wonderful wine festival week.