Dining in wine country
One of the spin-offs from the Okanagan's ever blossoming wine culture is the parallel maturing of the region's cuisine.
Time was -- not that long ago -- when you had to travel the length of the Okanagan in search of decent food. However, these days, good and sometimes great dining can be found at every turn. As it did in the Lower Mainland, the rise of B.C. wines is helping to forge an identifiable regional cuisine.
Case in point, Mission Hill, where winery chef Michael Allemeier and his team is turning out some of the most detail driven dishes -- and smartest wine pairings -- we've encountered anywhere at home or abroad.
It's also no coincidence that winemaker John Simes makes some of the valley's most food friendly wines, with a house style somewhat more restrained than others -- some might say more old world inclined.
Mission Hill proprietor Anthony von Mandl has long been an admirer of the late Robert Mondavi, so it comes as no surprise that the Okanagan icon has taken a leaf out of Copia's book by planting an organic kitchen garden behind the winery. Here herbs and fruits are arranged in a varietally-friendly fashion, which makes it a whole lot easier for chefs to figure out which ingredients to pair with a given wine -- before they taste the dish.
In the Sauvignon Blanc section, for instance, the likes of parsley, green beans, melon and gooseberry all figure large, while cherry, raspberry, strawberry and sage are found amongst the Pinot Noir bed offerings. Rosemary, thyme, blackcurrant, fennel and beets can be picked in the Syrah/Shiraz section; and rosemary, blackberry and dill populate the Merlot bed.
Maybe your garden isn't quite so varied (and likely doesn't have the luxury of a full-time gardener). However, even a small wine garden at home along these lines could prove quite entertaining, educational, and tasty.
Standouts from our chefs' tasting, prepared by Terrace chef Matthew Batey, included a delicious kuri squash and hazelnut velouté with Simes' mouth filling and well balanced French oaked '06 Reserve Chardonnay (BCLS $19.99); perfectly textured, marinated diver scallop with Reserve Riesling '07; short rib shepherd's pie with the plummy '06 Reserve Merlot (BCLS $18.88); and anise-braised pork belly with apple and celeriac sauce with the gentle cherry and spice notes of '06 Reserve Pinot Noir.
Mission Hill's kitchen may be the valley's most wine savvy. However, unless von Mandl has a change of heart and finds it a winter home, the open-air Terrace will remain a summer only space. That's a pity. But if the notion of truly smart wine pairings appeals, check it out come spring.