Discoveries At Taste Victoria

By: John Schreiner

Discoveries at Taste - Victoria's Festival of Food and Wine

 

Photo: Rocky Creek's Mark and Linda Holford at Taste

One of the major Okanagan wineries chose to sit out Taste – Victoria’s Festival of Food and Wine because winery officials thought the turnout for last year’s Taste (the first) was a bit lukewarm.

I have news: this year’s turnout was better and, from my observation, the 33 British Columbia wineries attending were happy with the response. In fact, Vivianne Hanson, one of owners of Seven Stones Winery, a rising star in the Similkameen, was ecstatic at how consumers were responding to the Seven Stones wines.

Numerous Okanagan and Similkameen wineries were at Taste for the first time. For some, it may have been the first time that they were showing wines in Victoria.

Of course, it is a reflection of the times. The number of wineries in British Columbia has tripled in the last decade. Getting and keeping market share is a lot harder than it once was.

The winery I was most surprised (and pleased) to see there was Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars. In the 1990s, this was the Okanagan’s original cult winery. Fans clamoured for Blue Mountain wines, which usually sold out in days or weeks of release.

These days, Blue Mountain wines no longer sell out in a blink. The wines are as good as ever but there is a growing list of competing cult wineries. So Blue Mountain is showing up a more festivals, doing some winemaker dinners and offering wine for sale in private wine stores.

Sitting out events like Taste may not be an option.

The 33 producers at Thursday evening’s public tasting included two Vancouver Island cideries, Victoria Gin and Artisan SakeMaker at Granville Island. These 33 had tables throughout Victoria’s Crystal Gardens, intermingled with food stations from some of the city’s best restaurants. Crystal Gardens is spacious enough that there seemed no serious overcrowding in front of winery or restaurant tables. Even so, it was not possible to visit everyone in the time available.

I did my best. Here are notes on some of the more notable wines.

Alderlea Vineyards 2007 Merlot ($28). There is only one way to ripen Merlot on Vancouver Island and that is to start it growing each spring under a plastic tent. Alderlea’s Roger Dosman was one of the earliest of island producers to tent. The result is a big, generous, plummy wine. 88-90

Alderlea Vineyards 2007 Matrix ($28). This is the new name for Fusion. An Argentinean winery, Zuccardi, has a big volume brand called FuZion but had neglected to trademark it in Canada. So they bought Alderlea’s trademark and Alderlea rebranded its wine as Matrix. This red is made from Cabernet Foch, one of the crosses from Valentin Blattner in Switzerland. The flavour is closer to Cabernet than to Foch, with dramatic aromas of herbs and spices. It tastes of red plum and currants and has piquant acidity. It is a new taste profile among B.C. wines. 88.

Alderlea Vineyards 2009 Bacchus ($16). The spicy aromatics of Bacchus can be over the top sometimes – but not here. This is complex wine with tangy orange peel and spice flavours, none of which will overpower food. 89.

Alderlea Vineyards 2006 Pinot Noir Reserve ($32). The wine begins with aromas of plums and black cherries which carry through to the flavours. The texture is classically silky but the wine has the structure to age for another several years. 89.

Blue Mountain Vineyards & Cellars 2008 Pinot Blanc ($18). The wine is crisp and disciplined, with fresh, clean tastes of citrus and green apples. 88.

Blue Mountain Vineyards & Cellars 2008 Pinot Gris ($21). An attractive fresh, crisp white with flavours of pears and citrus and a hint anise on the finish. 89-90.

Blue Mountain Vineyards & Cellars 2008 Pinot Noir ($25). Since opening in 1992, this winery has been a leader in Okanagan Pinot Noirs. This is a delicious wine, full of fruit flavours, with a velvet texture and an elegant, finessed finish. 90.

Jackson-Triggs 2007 SunRock Shiraz ($34.99). This winery offers three different Shiraz wines and at least one Shiraz-Cabernet blend and all are good. But this single vineyard Shiraz really stands out – a bold, ripe wine with rich spicy fruit flavours recalling a Christmas pudding. 92.

Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery 2009 Unwooded Chardonnay ($15). It would be great to have a few bottles of this chilled for whenever the thirst hits. It has fresh, tangy citrus and peach flavours and the vivacity you get from New Zealand whites. 87.

Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery 2007 Summit Pinot Noir ($20). This wine, which has a silky texture and aromas and flavours of strawberry, delivers great value in a budget-priced Pinot. 88.

Muse Winery 2007 Grande Dame Rouge ($34.90). This blend of five Bordeaux varietals is from a Vancouver Island winery that makes wines both from island grapes and, in the case of its Big Red, from Okanagan grapes. This wine has a deep colour and flavours of spice, plum, currants and chocolate, with long, ripe tannins. 89.

Peller Estates 2008 Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($19.99). This may be the best budget-priced Cabernet in B.C., with flavours of currants and spice and with long ripe tannins, giving it body and the potential for aging a few years. 88.

Peller Estates 2008 Family Series Merlot ($14.49). Here is screaming good value, a generous, soft-textured Merlot with blackberry and blueberry flavours. 88,

Rocky Creek Winery 2008 Pinot Noir ($21.90). In a tough vintage, winemaker Mark Holford concentrated the fruit flavours and the colour by bleeding off some juice for rosé. This is a clean, fresh Pinot Noir with hints of raspberry. 87.

Salt Spring Vineyards 2009 Blattner White ($N.A.). This wine is so new that the winery has not yet come up with a proprietary name. It is a blend of Petit Milo and Epicure, two white varieties created by Swiss breeder Valentin Blattner. These are early-ripening varieties. In last year’s summer the winery was surprised by how fast the grapes ripened. The outcome is a lovely honeyed wine with enough acidity still to have a tangy finish. A conversation piece and there are only 100 cases. 88.

Salt Spring Vineyards Karma 2007 ($34.90). A traditional sparkling wine made with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the current release has spent 18 months in bottle. The next release of this same vintage is due in about six months. The strategy is to monitor the impact of aging on the wine’s acidity. This release is dry and steely and crisp. 87.

Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse Wild English 2008 ($12 for a half litre). The product gets its name from the fact that juice of English cider apples was fermented with natural yeast. The tangy apple flavours and the spine of light tannins give this dry cider a clean, refreshing finish. 90

Seven Stones 2008 Pinot Noir ($28). Another attractive velvet-texture red with notes of strawberry and cherry. The finish of this delicious wine lingers and lingers. 88-90.

Seven Stones 2008 Row 128 Merlot ($25). Owner and winemaker George Hanson says this Merlot grows in a part of his vineyard that has an almost spiritual ambiance to it. You can imagine how he treats the grapes. This juicy Merlot has bright fruit flavours of cherry and plum with a hint of spice, likely from 18 months the wine was in barrel. 90.

Starling Lane Celebration N.V. ($N.A.) Made in the traditional Champagne style, this is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The latter variety gives the wine a hint of colour and fruity flavours. In a blind tasting you might mistake this for Champagne, with its toasty notes, its fruit, its fine bubbles and its long, long finish. This is sold out at the winery but the next release is due this fall. 90.

Therapy Vineyards 2008 Chardonnay ($N.A.). This is a classic barrel-aged Chardonnay, with complex flavours of citrus, butterscotch and cloves. 89-90.

Therapy Vineyards 2007 Freud’s Ego ($16). Great value, this delicious wine has gobs of black cherry and currant flavours, with ripe tannins. A terrific Bordeaux blend at this price. 90.

Venturi Schulze Vineyards 2009 Millefiori ($23). This pristine and focussed aromatic white, a blend of Ortega and Siegerrebe, has a lovely aroma of tropical flowers and fruits, leading to vivid flavours of tropical fruits. The finish is crisp and refreshing. 90. The winery also offers a barrel-aged wine, Terracotta 2009 (also 90), from the same two grapes. Winemaker Giordano Venturi said he wanted to make a wine like an old-fashioned Burgundy. I think he succeeded.

Venturi Schulze Vineyards Brut Naturel 2007 ($32). The elegant and dry sparkling wine is made in the traditional Champagne method, spending enough time in the bottle on yeast less to acquire a classic bready aroma. The flavours are delicately fruity. The fine bubbles give the wine a creamy texture, even though the finish is crisp. 88.

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Orofino Vineyards Releases '09 Pinot Noir, '08 Gamay

In one of those, "Be sure to get it while the gettin's good," kind of times,Orofino Vineyards, Similkameen's popular Strawbale-constructed winery and host of the upcoming 1.6 mile farm-to-table dinner, just released their limited production Pinot Noir and Gamay vintages.

2008 Pinot Noir

 1 00% estate-grown Pinot Noir from our 10 and 20 year old vines. This voluptuous wine has spent 16 months in the best french oak barrels. Rich dark fruit on the nose with a hint of smoke and spice. The palate shows nice black cherry and strawberry notes with classic floral and earthy complexities. This wine is built for food and will pair well with a variety of foods. Think duck or mushroom dishes. It is ready to drink now but will reward those who can hide it in the cellar for a year or two.

200 cases produced

2009 Gamay

100% Gamay grown from a small vineyard a stone's throw away from our winery. We crushed and fermented the grapes in a small fermenter, then aged it for just 4 months in 1 year old french oak. The result is a bright and deliciously fruity red with a hint of black pepper and a supporting touch of oak. This is not Bordeaux! Super versatile with food and sure to be a great summer wine. Try it with barbequed pork tenderloin or a savory salad with some walnuts or almonds thrown in. Don't think about it too much. Just enjoy it!!! We only produced 60 cases and this will sell out very quickly so act fast!!  It will be available in our tasting room July 9th if there is any remaining! 

60 cases produced

 

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Rock Creek Trading Post Organic Coffee

Rock Creek Trading Post, about 35 miles East of Osoyoos, is the first – and practically only – contemporary coffee shop you'll find "in" Osoyoos. If you're visiting or on holiday from somewhere like Vancouver or Seattle and accustomed to finding a coffee shop where you can grab a flavorful cup o'joe, a relaxing mug of hot tea, an organic pastry or gluten-free snack and check your emails, you'll have to drive to Rock Creek to do so.

And when you get there, you'll be glad you did. Follow your nose, literally, and you'll find it. The roasting coffee beans, an aromatic activity they do daily on the front porch of the Trading Post, leads you straight to the steaming cup of coffee that either Denise or Kent will brew up for you on the spot.

The Rock Creek Trading Post, sits right in the cross-hairs of this blink-and-you'll-miss-it little town that is quintessential “old hippies” B.C. Funny thing is, it's one of the best coffee shops, if not the best coffee shop, you'll find in the Okanagan. Owners Denise and Kent Blaker are former goat farmers who love to travel and have cultivated a firm belief in Fair Trade. “We were farmers. We know what it's like to be on the front lines and doing all the work and receiving the least amount for it,” explains Denise when she talks about how she and her husband Kent came to the practice of serving only Fair Trade coffee.

Fair Trade also means you get a better bean. “We saw 2-3 year old kids sorting beans. They would sort the yellow, green and red beans from a blanket harvest,” explains Kent, describing one of his and Denise's trips to Guatemala. “The Fair Trade co-ops wait and only harvest the ripe beans.” Which means that only the ripe beans are picked. This, ultimately, is what gives you the better cup of coffee.

The open patio of the Rock Creek Trading Post invites you to set yourself down at the picnic table, next to the coffee roaster, and plug in your laptop. They charge a – minimal – fee for internet use. The lunch crowd gets fairly busy, especially on a Saturday when people coming and going between Kelowna and Osoyoos stop en route for a fresh-made bowl of soup, Denise's handmade hummus and Pita plate or her guacamole, salsa and chips and fresh fruit smoothies. They use local and organic ingredients whenever possible, though they do admit that sometimes in the winter that can be a challenge.

So many of us these days are gluten-intolerant, so you'll be pleased to see that many of the Trading Post's pastries are made with gluten-free ingredients and they even sell things like coconut flour and hemp seed flour. Denise's carrot cake is a local favorite, likely because she laces the cream cheese frosting with just the right amount of fresh lemon juice, to give it that tart-and-sweet balance.

You'll see the garden just off to the side of the patio. Denise maintains it simply for the love of gardening. “If someone is off to a wedding or in a pinch to bring a loved one flowers, I may sell them some of my flowers, but really, the garden is mostly just for my own enjoyment,” she says.

They don't regret giving up farming. In fact, they've let their fields revert to their natural state, allowing nature to reclaim its land on their former goat farm. What Kent and Denise enjoy doing now is traveling to South America in the winters and during the beautiful British Columbia summers, preparing top-quality foods that are good for you and enjoyable to eat for their regular customers who come into the Rock Creek Trading Post for breakfast and lunch...And brewing the freshest, most aromatic cup of coffee you'll find that side of the Okanagan.

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Laughing Along The Bench

May long weekend was one of those where the sun cooperated with the clouds and both were in harmonic concert with the calendar. Which is to say, May long weekend was spectacular for wine tasting afternoons.

The Naramata Bench always invites,...perhaps it's the lake views, the easy meandering route - in via one road, out via the same road - or, just maybe, it's the wines themselves that consistently beckon.

A quick easy snack of Eggers at The Bench specialty market and cafe' as I started my journey provided fortification for the enjoyably foreseen alcohol consumption. Most days I spit, today I had decided to swirl. There's something grand about being on vacation in wine territory and not the designated driver...

The few outdoor tables at The Bench Market hosted clusters of Gelato lickers and some chowing down on their more substantial wraps and sandwiches. The little specialty cafe' that sits at the doorway to the Naramata Bench is such a fun place to poke around. I love looking through their tray of Naramata Handmade Seeds and imagine what it would be like to plant some Cape Gooseberry, perhaps some Togo Trefle, or even some Gigantesque or Ste. Lucie. All the seeds are “open-pollinated, grown in Naramata by natural chemical-free methods.” At $3.00 per packet, they make great gifts and garden projects. You can also find Okanagan Harvest Cake here. It comes vacuum-packed so you can take this deliciousness home for savoring later if you wish (and if willpower permits).

The Naramata Bench can be as much a treasure treat hunt as it is a wine tasting trail. With this thought, the first stop was in at Poplar Grove where they make, and sell, cheese and wine. The ever popular Poplar Grove boasted a packed tasting counter. The clamor for cheese could be heard even above the soft patter of the wine sippers. Fairly early in the day still, there were only three rounds of their Naramata Bench Blue cheese left. Fortune smiled on me that day as I was handed one of the precious rounds. Seems their 20% off sale on the cheese had precipitated a cheese run throughout the day.

But, first things first, so I made my way through their tasting flight. Outstanding is their Cabernet Franc '06. They hold their wines longer than anyone in the valley and this Cab Franc lives up to its, “Black Forest Cake In A Bottle,” reputation. Ripe, red fruits, silky cocoa. Their Ogopogo label also caught my eye from a design perspective but once you taste their '06 Cab Franc it's kind of hard (sorry!) to remember what came before that. As I worked through my purchases, I was delighted to see that the cheese came out to only $6. That was the deal of the day.

Back out on the main road I saw that the Marichel Vineyards' sign was proclaiming they were open. I had been wanting to stop in for some time, even just to take in the iconic Okanagan Lake views from their patio. Funny, but the definitive pictures you mostly see of the Okanagan are actually of Vaseux Lake and not the Okanagan.

Twice in the course of an afternoon, fortune blessed me as the sun was high overhead and the views from Marichel Vineyards patio were, well, iconic Lake Okanagan. Marichel's exquisitely trimmed vineyards that sit on the “Bench,” or bluff right there delight tribes of quail. It would be easy enough to spend a whole afternoon just watching the quail and their little quail babies weave through the manicured vines and talk to Richard and Elizabeth Roskell, Marichel Vineyard owners and winemakers.

Marichel's '07 Syrah is melt in your mouth good. If Syrah could be a dark chocolate in a bottle, this is it.

Marichel's tasting room is like one you'd find in Argentina. The comfortably-sized room opening up onto the outdoor veranda is furnished with a tasting table, a big wooden picnic table with benches that invites you to have a seat, take a moment, and enjoy the experience of tasting wine. The Roskells were the first on the bench to plant Viognier, so their vines now are 11 years old – and beautiful!

Their property features a gulch on it which serves to divide the acreage into “eight little different vineyard blocks, with different soils even,” explains Elizabeth. She remembers all too well when she and her husband Richard were out auguring the soil with a pickaxe to get the young vines in. She laughs and says that, yes, they are always open, it's just that often they are in the vineyard working. But they enjoy very much meeting and hosting people for tastings; It's just best to call ahead if you want to be sure to be greeted at the gate.

Their Syrah is well worth making the appointment for. Richard has planted six different Syrah blocks, and they expect each to be signature different. As you gaze out their veranda onto the golden afternoon sun-drenched lake you see a lone pine tree on the bluff, that is where they've planted their Sunset Block of Syrah.

On the afternoon I stopped in Elizabeth was pouring Marichel Syrah '07. As she poured the dark berry hued wine into the full, stemless tasting glass I could already see that I was in for a treat. I cupped the glass in the warmth of my hand and swirled the ripe juice to aid its flavor release. I could almost feel it melting in the glass. Elizabeth was telling me how one of her pastimes is baking and that she makes a dark chocolate cake where she soaks the cherries in this Syrah before cooking them in the cake.

Time to taste: Marichel's '07 Syrah is melt in your mouth good. If Syrah could be a dark chocolate in a bottle, this is it. Its nose, ever so slightly brisk, belies the full-bodied maturity of the vintage, hints of leather, a whiff of Autumn leaves. The mouth is full, velvety, smooth, round, well-balanced, specialized, with red fruits and a Godiva dark chocolate finish.

A few moments at Marichal Vineyards and you've carved into memory indelible images of Naramata taste, sight and sunshine.

It's said that laughter is the best therapy, so a must-stop was Laughingstock Vineyards. A table with crazy fun hats was on display to greet tasters. But really crazy hats, and big mirrors, to try them on and see which ones fit. Hats came in varietals like a WWII fighter pilot with goggles, Jimmi Hendrix afro wig, pointed Merlin's hat, Argentine Bolero, a witch's black hat, a chicken-o-your-head hat...and more.

“It's to remind us not to take ourselves too seriously,” stated the lady pouring Laughing Stock's tasting flight, explaining that it's only for special occasions that they put out the hats.

Not to miss in their flight is their Portfolio '07 which is a blend of 56% Merlot 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot. Vines magazine calls it one of Canada's “icon wines.”

Out in mid-June is their Pinot Noir '09. Looking forward to trying it as they did not release a Pinot Noir for '08. Also worth noting is their Syrah, with a Viognier blend, will be out soon. Now that sounds interesting...

Lunch on the patio at Hillside Estate Winery is a Bench landmark. Their new chef began back in April and even simple dishes of steamed mussels in a red sauce with some dipping bread can showcase why it's so great to be alive.

Hillside Estate Winery is one of the only wineries in the Valley to do a Muscat. They are also the only winery in all of Canada to do a Muscat Ottonel. The original owner of Hillside Estate Winery brought her 6 vines of Ottonel over in her backpack from Czechoslovakia. “She probably would have gotten into trouble, had she been caught. But she wasn't, so now we have this beautiful Muscat and thousands of Ottonel vines,” explained the tasting room pourer.

Kathy Malone is their winemaker and I wouldn't leave Hillside without trying their, Muscat Ottonel '09, '07 Reserve Merlot and also their '09 Gewurztraminer. The tasting room at Hillside Estate is always going to be full on weekends, so just hang in and press on 'til it's your turn at the tasting bar. Then dig in and enjoy.

A day of laughter and wine wouldn't be complete without a sojourn at Therapy Vineyards and Guesthouse. Therapy Vineyards' winemaker, Steve Latchford, makes a Malbec that's been getting people talking. He uses grapes grown down in Oliver. On the Naramata Bench, they have 7 acres under cultivation, though the property is so impressive, down there at the end of the Bench, that it's easy to think they have vast more under cultivation. Their Malbec is the first wine in Canada to feature a hockey player on the label. Go figure!

People flock in for the Freudian Sip; Aged eight months in French Oak gives this Chardonnay a strong spine. Their “Pink Freud,” rose' is also a crowd pleaser. Therapy Vineyards is one of the few wineries on the Bench that has a Guesthouse. It's a tough choice between there and the Naramata Heritage Inn And Spa. On a sunny summer weekend, it'll probably just come down to whoever has the first, or last remaining, opening.

 

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Wise Women Say Drink Lavender Wine, And Eat Vancouver!

The central focal point of EAT! Vancouver was, without a doubt, the Food Network Celebrity Cooking Stage where Food Network Canada's superstar Chuck Hughes, Larry Thomas and Chef Rob Feenie dazzled attendees.

The total number of visitors at EAT! this year were 38,972, a whopping 26% increase over last year's attendance.

Even broken down escalators at the new Vancouver Convention Centre could not stop visitors from attending the ever popular EAT! Vancouver Food + Cooking Festival that took place the last weekend in May. EAT! Vancouver, held for the first time at the new Vancouver Convention Centre - West attracted an unprecedented huge crowd.

Event Photos courtesy Eat! Vancouver

Plans to enlarge the floor space are already in the works and exhibitors are encouraged to book their space early for next year's show.

An exhibitor that caught our attention was Wise Woman's Cookery: Food, Sex, Magic and Merriment. Their Strawberry Lavender wine recipe follows:

Strawberry-Lavender Wine

An old world drink of liqueur soaked strawberries and the age-old magic of lavender elevate this wine to a higher level of euphoric bliss, rousing the spirits of everone who partakes. To make this Euphoric Enchantment you’ll need:

Wine – Pinot Gris or White Zinfandal
1/2 cup liqueur infused dried strawberries
2 tablespoons dried lavender

Drop the dried strawberries and lavender into the bottom of your decanter. Fill with wine and cold-infuse in the fridge overnight. This wine is enchanting with or without the strawberries.

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Baboons Go Ape For Grapes

Yes, the World Cup is just days away.  And as you gather with friends to watch the games, you likely will be inspired to do some tastings of the very reputable S. African wines.  After all, their vineyards are some of the oldest under cultivation.

Can't See The VIDEO: Click HERE

A novelty that hasn't been lost on the nation's baboon population!

Taking the notion of "critter" wines to an altogether new level, South African vineyard managers have to outsmart and outmaneuver a pest of the monkey variety...turns out baboons find the sugar and starch of grapes altogether irresistible!  They particularly go in for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.

Here's what's been reported in the popular press:

by: Nastasya Tay  [Johannesburg]

Baboons, it seems, prefer pinot noir. They also like a nice chardonnay. Largely undeterred by electric fences, hundreds of wild baboons in South Africa's prized winelands are feasting on ripe, succulent grapes, forcing winemakers to use noisemakers and rubber snakes to try to drive them off during this harvest season.

"The poor baboons are driven to distraction," said Justin O'Riain, who works in the Baboon Research Unit of the University of Cape Town. "As far as baboons are concerned, the combination of starch and sugar is very attractive – and that's your basic grape."

Growers say the picky primates are partial to sweet pinot noir grapes, adding to the winemakers' woe, for pinot noir sells for more than the average merlot or cabernet sauvignon.

Fauna Dynamics

Wine Spectator's Harvey Steiman has even gone so far as to report that South African vineyards are now training baboons to harvest the grapes. So if you plan on lending a hand during crush, you might just find yourself harvesting side-by-side with a  few brethren baboons...

From Wine Specatator:

It turns out that the baboons are actually being trained to harvest the grapes themselves (the trick is keeping them well-fed so that they don’t do any on-the-job snacking). It’s all part of the latest viticultural movement known as FaunaDynamics, in which human labor is all but eliminated in the vineyard. Zoologists at the San Diego Zoo claim their 100 percent FaunaDynamic teaching vineyard will be online by 2014 (rhesus monkey-directed draft horses have just completed plowing a 4.1-acre parcel). Peregrine falcon nests surround the vineyard to protect it from grape-hungry starlings, and several of the zoo’s primates have been sent to the Cape to learn harvest methods from Stellenbosch’s simians. Not surprisingly, PETA has already announced plans to protest the first harvest.

If you'd like to drink some of the wines made from the grapes the baboons go in for, we suggest starting with these:

Quoin Rock [Excerpted from The Wine Doctor]

The Quoin Rock winery is located in Stellenbosch where the climate is continental (warm and dry summers, cool winters), although Carl van de Merwe was keen to stress that the summer temperatures are hot rather than merely warm. He clearly has no problems with ripeness of fruit, although he has had challenges protecting the sugar-rich fruit from the local baboon population prior to harvest; the marauding monkeys have a habit of responding to the sweet aromas of ripeness with a pillaging of the vineyard. The solution has been to install electric fences to protect the harvest and vines.

There were three wines on show from Quoin Rock, including recent vintages of the estate's Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. The Sauvignon Blanc is mostly fermented in steel, with a minor portion fermented in barrel. The wine is left on its lees for six months before bottling, the intention being to engender a fuller, more creamy mouthfeel. The Chardonnay meanwhile is 100% barrel-fermented, with 30% of the oak new in this vintage. The third wine was a 2004 Syrah.

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Food Paparazzi

As the popularity of food blogging and social networking collide, the World Wide Web is seeing more photos of food from all walks of life. ABC News is currently airing a story called “Food Paparazzi: It’s Their ‘Porn’”, which includes an interview with NYC Food Guy. How did it go? You’ll have to watch the video and see...

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(April 19, 2010)  by Greg Morabito from Eater.com

The LA Times runs a story today on the growing trend of diners taking pictures of food, or as they claim chefs now call these customers, the "Food Paparazzi." Naturally, chefs are both annoyed and flattered by the camera-wielding diners. Grant Achatz, who banned flash photography from Alinea, has been an especially outspoken critic of food photos recently.

Crediting bloggers for buzz, Top Chef Masters' Ludo Lefebvre recently sold out every single reservation at his restaurant Ludo Bites. He's even hosted a private 18-person meal just for bloggers, with a light box to help with photo ops. As Lefebvre puts it, "This is the game we all now play... we cook, we smile -- and the people, they don't eat. They get their cameras."

· Dinner is Theatre As Food Paparazzi Converge [LA Times]

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