A local (Irish) Christmas Dinner

Chaberton Winery

Hopcott's Meats

Who doesn't love Christmas? Even people from outside of the traditional Christmas areas (Europe and North America) embrace the season of gluttony giving! And what says giving better than being giving of your time, your space and your self.

Because, really, isn't that the whole idea?

And in my family Christmas has evolved as a tradition of making time to invite friends and family to the house:  fresh cedar boughs by the fireplace, the tree-trimming a celebrated afternoon to itself, the outside lights warm, inviting - without the post-modern garishness of a Chevy Chase Père Noël debacle. It's the only month of the year that sees Roger Whitaker, Bing Crosby and Alvin and the Chipmunks music played on a daily basis. My step-mom makes the most insanely decadent, melt-in-your-mouth, fattening-beyond-belief-but-who-cares? shortbread cookies. My Dad and I make menus requiring days of slavish labor in the kitchen with more than a few trips down to the basement to grab a bottle of this or that... it's the time of year when we celebrate the simple pleasure of being together with a decent meal and some good wine.

Now I've reached that point of my life where my parents and I are separated by long distance (a thousand kilometers or 700 miles) and a mountain range. Driving to their house just isn't the option it once was; what with a precocious 3 year old and her rapscallion 9-month old brother and so this Dad needs to do what my Dad did for me: I have to learn to create Christmas for myself.

Not an easy task. Or is it?

My friend Jenn Hopcott-Foxley invited me down to Hopcott's Meats the other day; something I never pass up on. I packed Clare (Thing #1) in the car and off we whisked along country roads and meandering dusty trails; the foothills to the north already cloaked in cotton-capes of fluffy wonder and the blustery clouds above promising more to come. And as we parked I could hear the query from the backseat "Daddy where are the donkeys?!". Hopcott's, you see, keeps a cute pen beside the store where little ones can pet the little ones and my daughter has been brave more than once - screwing up her courage enough to hand a carrot to the furry fellows.

Inside the store Jenn responded to Clare's question with due gravity and announced that the donkeys needed to visit their friends, the cows, in the barn and would be staying  until it warmed up enough for them to come back to the store. Clare stated imperially that "that's a very smart idea". I'm sure Jenn was much relieved.

And as Jenn and I discussed the upcoming "feast-ivites" of Christmas I spoke about how many Irish families (ours at least) were much more likely to serve roast beef than turkey - and thus this article was conceived. The entirety of this meal comes from Hopcott's and I'm proud that it showcases the brilliant quality fruit, vegetables and meat that are available not from within 100 miles - but much closer! And then I thought of my friends at Domaine de Chaberton winery in Langley (now Chaberton Estate) and realized that they were the perfect fit for a #Local Christmas Dinner (Irish-style).

This is a simple meal that I would be proud to share with any chef-colleague or picky relative; the ingredients speak for themselves. 

Baron of Beef (medium-rare) and natural beef jus

creamed leeks with Boursin cheese

steamed carrot "jewels", baby red potato and organic Swiss Chard

oven roast parsnip and baby turban squash

"petite salade" of roast beet, hothouse cherry tomato and organic peashoots

To me the key to this, and indeed any, meal is utilizing different cooking techniques to create differing flavors, colors, textures and aromas. Never forget that we eat with our eyes before we ever taste~! If the plate doesn't look amazing then we're bound to pre-determine that it "just-isn't-up-to-snuff".  Here are my tricks to making these stunning local components shine:

try searing the beef first, then adding veggies to the roasting pan

   1. Baron of beef is packed with tons of flavor but is a very lean cut! This means that over-cooking, even just a bit, will give you a dry roast. Go back to the basics: let your roast come up to room temperature before cooking, sear it well and then roast it "low-and-slow" which, for me, means about 290F until the internal temperature reaches 140F. Remember: when in doubt, cook your roast for less than you think it needs and rest it for longer! This roast was about 3-4 pounds and was 90 minutes cooking time, 30 minutes resting.

   2. When I make my creamed leeks I wilt them at least 30 minutes in chicken stock - they continue to soak up that rich, buttery flavor and only then do I add the cream and turn the burner down to it's lowest setting. Boursin is added just moments before serving to prevent scorching.

  3. When steaming veggies, remember that you can always put them back in for a few more minutes - but you can't "un-steam them". Check, check and re-check if you need to! And when I'm cooking for a large group I always cook in batches and put the cooked ones in a large ceramic bowl close to the stove wrapped in cling-film. Never overload your steamer or you'll end up with uneven cooking.

the baby-turban squash

4. Ever have woody parsnips in the winter? Try cutting the core out of them! The outsides can be lovely creamy goodness even if the center isn't. And baby turban squash is a great conversation piece... my wife couldn't believe it was more than decoration ;)

  5. Even in the middle of winter the local hothouses are growing delicious vegetables and fruit. This salad looks far more beautiful than I would have imagined considering it took less than 5 minutes to prep! And the diversity of flavors makes this a winner with the kids as much as the adults.

And, to me, no celebration is complete without a glass or three of wine. The dedicated team at Chaberton Estates has been putting their hearts and souls into crafting elegance from BC fruit and the results are nothing less than spectacular. Remember it was just this spring that Chaberton won first place in the #WTCRightBank (Wine Tasting Circle: Right Banks of the World tasting) with 92+points for their AC50 beating some absolute premier wineries. 

And so I was proud to serve this Siegerrebe which I knew would be brilliant with the creamed leeks and steamed veggies and the CabSauv (Cabernet Sauvignon) which is the natural pairing for beef. If you aren't familiar with Siegerrebe then you're in good company because I didn't know very much about the varietal either. It turns out to be fairly obscure and only has about 100 HA planted in all of Germany which is where it's from. Certainly the New World producers have crafted surprising greatness from a grape that most seasoned journalists are dismissive of. I'll let my notes speak for themselves on what I consider to be one of the best value aromatic white wines I had in 2014.

As for the CabSauv, there's not much I can say that hasn't been said before except for this: BC does not grow CabSauv well, with a few exceptions. In an area larger than France we grow less of this bold grape than some of the smallest regions in the world. But! But in those tiny pockets of the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys, when the conditions are right and winemakers are using the utmost skill: something special can happen. This is a beautiful example of CabSauv and a great representation of that "something special".

2013 Reserve Siegerrebe 

Fraser Valley VQA

$17.95 CAD, 89 points Stunning Value

... the best part of this wine is the worst part of this wine: it's highly addictive nature! I am not a lover of sugary, ripe-fruit wines; I prefer the austere or the masculine: Big, Bold Bordeaux is my "thang" as it were. So, when I opened this bottle, I had thought that I was opening it for my wife. Well she's in bed and I'm pouring the last of it into my empty glass as I write  because it's just that darned good. Ripe exotic aromas of jasmine and apple-pears, grilled pineapple and lychee, mango and guava... a veritable Fijian fruit salad of exuberance. Pair that with exquisitely crafted full lemon-drop-candy acid and a concentration of flavors that far outweigh the negligible price and you have #StunningValue and then some. This was gorgeous with the creamed leeks (expected) but the real treat was how well it paired with roast beets: a new favorite for me!

Chaberton Estates Reserve CabSauv: great value

2011 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Okanagan Valley DVA

$23.75 CAD, 89 points Great Value

... I actually don't have to look that far to find a $20-something Cab-Sauv (blend) that's been aged for 3 years before release; examples abound from Spain, Portugal, Chile... anywhere one might find viticulture en-masse for the past few centuries. But from British Columbia?! Ok - a beast of a different nature, I grant you. I had no idea the price when I made my notes: observing the rich aromas of bramble-berries (blackberries/blueberry/Saskatoon/black currant), musk and cedar... the perky medium+acid which showcases a professional medium+chewy tannin structure and very good concentration. No, I just made my notes and made the mental note that it reminded me quite a bit of a Cru Bourgeois Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux. That's a compliment by-the-way :). Well if you want Bordeaux, buy Bordeaux, but if you want #GreatValue - look no further... one would be hard-pressed to find this quality from that (or any) region for a similar price.

*****

dinner for the 9-month old

And so the lesson for me this December is that creating my own Christmas isn't nearly as daunting as I had thought it would be; I put the appropriate music on, we decorated the house with lights and tinsel and I took fresh, local, seasonal ingredients and treated them with the respect they deserve. We sat 'round the table, just the four  of us, and gave thanks for the richness in our lives and savored not only the meal, but the precious time we have together.

And so from my family - to yours - we wish the very best of the Holiday Season!

Many thanks to Jenn at Hopcott's for the fine fixings I used to create this lavish feast and to the exemplary team at Chaberton Estates for the sample bottles. As always you can find more recipes, free wine reviews, and my notes on premium distillates and cigars on:

dinner for the adults

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Bridlewood Estate Winery, Paso Robles, CA

BRIDLEWOOD ESTATE WINERY

Paso Robles, California

the town of Monterey in northern Central Coast AVA

Santa Barbara in November is a place of magic; where long beaches kiss the ocean under blankets of undulating sheep's-wool-fog and dew hangs heavy on every early morning branch. This was where I took my wife, pre-kids, for a little getaway that included just the right balance of mimosas for breakfast, Chardonnay for lunch and Syrah for dinner. In that stillness before Californians start their hustle and bustle I would sit on the balcony and be lulled by the murmur of pulsing surf only a few hundred feet away.

That siren's-call has been luring people to the shores of Central Coast AVA (which stretches from Santa Cruz just north of Monterey all the way to Santa Barbara in the south) for centuries. The Spanish missionaries in the 1700's, the Gold Rush in the 1800's and these days it must be called the "Grape Rush" with so many new faces in the wine industry here!

In few parts of California is this more apparent than Paso Robles AVA; having grown from about 5 wineries in 1980 to 20 in the early 1990's to over 200 in 2014. And 2014 was a big year for these wineries: having gone through the (slightly) controversial subdividing into 11 sub-AVAs. This was a move that at once gave credence to the thought that Paso Robles carries an incredibly diverse array of soil compositions, slope/aspects, rainfall and flora. Hard to believe that this could be realized in only three decades when Burgundy took centuries to come to the same conclusions about their region. Burgundy: that archetype of classification for wine-regions, is only 3 times larger then Paso Robles AVA and yet has 9 times as many sub-regions (known as AOC in France). Yet remember; we know that wine has been produced in Burgundy for about 2000 years and in Paso Robles for maybe 200. 

Well done Paso Robles! Though many of the successful winemakers here have found more victories with Rhone varietals than Burgundy, in this instance Cabernet Sauvignon has found a home. While the Napa fans will (most likely) say that this is too light for their tastes it reminds me of cool, or classic as the Bordelais would say, vintage Bordeaux. And indeed, swirling this in my glass as I write, the term "Cru Bourgeois" springs to mind the moment I smell and sip. 

People are what make the story...this is San Francisco in November

I wish that this could have been an article to enlighten about the team hard at work at Bridlewood but, alas, I cannot. For all of my research I couldn't find any real information about who the winemaker is, who the vineyard manager is or what was the inspiration behind creating this visually stunning winery. A shame Gallo Family Vineyards; we consumers are looking for more than just a good bottle of wine for a decent price! This is the "Golden Age" of wine and there are more choices for us than ever before.

We're looking to be inspired!

Inspiration comes, in most instances, from people. Tell us the who! Share with us about the hard-working people who are crafting your products. They deserve to have their stories told and we yearn to hear them. For surely the people who crafted this wine, with it's dimensions, it's finesse and generous palate - surely those people have a story to share.

2012 Cabernet Sauvignon

88+ points, Very Good Value

$19 CAD in BC

$10-$14 USD in USA

... this wine shows impressive skill for it's modest price; generously layered aromas carry rich tones of red and dark berries, warm scrub-brush and impressive dark floral notes such as irises and peonies with a hint of tomato leaf... the palate is ultra-crisp and clean! Certainly not what one would expect from such an incredibly hot growing zone, this wine is full of life and fresh fresh fresh! Perky full- acid carry flavors of young raspberry and cherry and fine/chewy tannin. The only thing missing for the Bordeaux-lovers in the audience would be that graphite-minerality but I imagine these are still young vines and are more then capable of giving more to the wine in successive vintages. FOOD PAIRING would be simple for me: play the wine off local cuisine! I love Mexican food in places like San Luis Obispo or Pismo Beach or Santa Ynez... and I'm told by friends that even Mexicans consider it some of the most authentic Mexican food around. I'm partial to a great Carne Asada myself; the heavy char flavors, the smokiness, the grilled jalapeno sets everything perfectly and the bright berry tones in the wine will give this terrific balance. If this isn't close-by, try venison! Wild game always works well with wine that conveys flavors like blueberry and dark cherry which this wine has.

the coastline by Paso Robles AVA

Many thanks to Gallo for the generous sample bottles: I hope that I get to share your story of Who as well as What. As always you can find more recipes, free wine reviews and my notes on premium distillates and cigars on:

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Grilled Ribeye meets CabSauv

The passion at Hopcott’s meats ( http://www.hopcottmeats.ca/ ) is nothing short of inspirational: this is what ribeye steak is supposed to be! And yet I hear time and time again from people that $15 on a steak is “just silly” and spending an extra $1/lb for free range/antibiotic free ground beef is “wasting money”. Well I’m pretty sure that a lot of the reasons we should all be investing in local butchers is not getting out there and so I knew I had to write an article on:

“Why should you spend the money?“

You and I both know that some grocery store in your neighborhood is selling striploin steaks this week: 4 for $12 or something similar. Great deal right? Who doesn’t like getting more for less? But then there’s the crux: are you really getting more?

On the one hand you’ve got bargain steaks at your grocer: cheap, probably not trimmed very well but you and I can handle that… probably more gristle/sinew/tendon then we would like as well, but we’re willing to swallow that *(pun intended). But what about the nutritional value? When you consume grass-fed beef, you increase your:

• Better Saturated Fat Profile
• Better Polyunsaturated Fat Profile
• More Antioxidants

*(many thanks to http://www.scienceofnaturalhealth.com/grass-fed-beef-nutrition.html)

What is your family’s health worth?

I take a look at the world around me and it doesn’t take a scientist to tell me that fresh beef from my own town is going to be better for me then something frozen for 6 months, then thawed, from Uruguay or Texas. I like the fact that when I walk into Hopcott’s, I can shake hands with the people that raised the cattle that is going on my table. I let my daughter eat beef jerky and pepperoni. Why? Because I know the people that make it, fresh every week. No additives. No preservatives… like when I was a kid growing up on the Prairies.

And so when people ask me how I can pay $10 or more for a single steak I just shake my head. When was the last time you bought a steak at a restaurant?? You know you aren’t getting any decent steak for $10 anywhere and if you go upscale? Try Las Vegas my friends – $60 and $80 steaks are the norm there. Now go back to Hopcott’s and ask them how much ribeye you get for $80 and start smiling!

But how do I, a chef with over 25 years’ experience, cook a steak like this? There are some basic rules that I, and most quality chefs, follow.

1. let the meat come to room temperature before grilling; this allows the muscle to relax and creates a more tender steak

2. ensure your grill is HOT; you want to sear the outside of the steak as quickly as possible to keep those lovely juices inside the steak and not on the bottom of your grill. 500C minimum for searing

3. cook your steak less than you think you need to, then let it rest longer than you think it needs; never forget residual heat in the steak will continue to cook it… I bring mine just to medium-rare, rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then serve and they are usually just a shade under medium

Now when I was prepping for this article I actually starting second guessing myself and so asked my friend, Mike Lindsay, who is Hopcott’s head butcher his thoughts on the subject. This is a guy who has a profound respect for beef; hard not to when you actually visit the animals as they’re growing up and look them in the eyes. This was the man I needed to show me a new trick or two when it comes to the barbeque. His thoughts on grilling great ribeyes??

“A little olive oil, some salt… maybe a pinch of pepper. Maybe.”

Bravo my friend – couldn’t have said it any better myself. Oh sure, you can fancy it up by finishing the steak with a little compound butter *(infused) such as roasted garlic, French thyme or my favorite Boursin infused butter… damn, it’s better than hollandaise! But  when you’ve got great components, try letting them speak for themselves.

This dinner we had to celebrate the sunshine had virtually no seasonings at all: the steak is just olive oil/salt/pepper, the beets are au naturel, the potatoes just a hint of butter, the carrots a light fireweed honey glaze and the salad is just lemon and olive oil. All of this is from Hopcott’s, because you know they have a fantastic produce selection now as well, and all from within 30 miles or so of my house.  Such concentration of flavors! All that was left for me was to choose the wine and I had a couple of beauties I’ld been saving for just such an occasion: a bottle each of Argentinian and Napa Cab-Sauv. They complement the steak in different ways and are both excellent values in any market.

Tomero Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012

by Bodega VistAlba (http://blendsinc.com/tomero)

90+ points, Excellent Value

*MERITS 1-HOUR DECANT FOR BEST RESULTS

… young, this CabSauv is a babe in the woods and will seriously benefit from another 2-3 years in the cellar. That being said, it was a treat that I knew was going to pair brilliantly with grilled ribeye steak. The thing to remember with Argentinian Cabs, personally, is that they are truly designed to go with food, and this is a perfect example. Ultra-ripe dark currant, black raspberry and dark floral aromas swirl through the glass *(think irises and dark roses). When you take your first sip, razor sharp full acid seems to bite at your lips creating a brilliant frame for full, finely-textured tannin and a symbiotic balance for the richness of slightly fatty grilled meat. This is a classic interpretation of what Bordeaux’s (arguably) greatest varietal can do in the South American land of cowboys, steaks and bold wine. Drink now, or hold for a decade plus, this wine can be enjoyed 2014-2025.

Louis M Martini Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010

www.LouisMartini.com

91 points, Excellent Value

… I never expected this; that I would one day be singing the praises of a mega-producer like Martini. But I must give credit where it’s due and these professionals have crafted an incredibly reasonably priced introduction into “What Is Napa”. From the opening bouquet of warm blackberry/currant compote, wild scrub-brush on the hillside, savory herbs and graphite minerality every aspect to the wine quietly declares its craftsmanship. Medium+ dark raspberry acids are far too well balanced for the good of the consumer who, when testing the wine to judge its quality, quickly finds that he or she has savored half the bottle before dinner is even cooked and guests have arrived. Ultra fine tannin feel chalky, full of dimension, and needing to be chewed a little – making the prospect of grilled meat seem a necessity rather then indulgence. Make no mistake about it, this is one of the great values in California Cab today… full of life, feel free to cellar some if you must though it seems a shame as it’s truly come into it’s own. Enjoy 2014-2019+

Maybe you’re close enough to Pitt Meadows to stop off at Hopcott’s and say hello. They’re mighty friendly folks and you’ll be glad you did. But if you aren’t then maybe you’ll take a moment and Google “local butchers”… these small businesspeople are in the business of providing the very best quality for you that is possible. Not the cheapest food, the best food. And really, aren’t you and your family worth that?

 Many thanks to Hopcott’s meats for the fine victuals, to Patagonia Imports ( www.PatagoniaImports.com ) for the Tomero and to my friend Peter Marshall at Gallo Imports ( http://gallo.com/wine/Canada/Canada.html ) for the fine bottle of Martini Cab.

As always, I look forward to your thoughts, comments and questions. Here, or:

on Twitter @AStudentofWine

on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/TheChefandTheGrape

vistAlba Corte B and C, Argentina

World Malbec Day: 17 April

The ribeye steaks at my favorite butcher, Hopcott Premium Meats (http://www.hopcottmeats.ca/ ), looked fantastic! The kind of marbling and precise trimming that makes me immediately think of firing up the hibachi, pulling the dried hardwood *(applewood, mesquite, whatever is handy) out of the garage and opening a great bottle of Malbec.

And as this week celebrated World Malbec Day, what could be more fitting then the classic Argentinian pairing of Malbec and barbeque? Of course, the Argentinians aren’t the only ones growing it! Malbec, or Cot as it is known in France, has been cultivated for centuries. In fact, it is one of the original varietals for the much-coveted Bordeaux red blend that fetches princely sums of money around the world. These days little of the grape is grown in Bordeaux and one must search rather earnestly to find it there.

But vineyard managers around the globe are checking their own plots of land to ascertain if the dark purple grape can grow in their backyards: California, Australia, Chile and British Columbia are amongst the candidates toying with it at present, to varying levels of success. But to find great value for money, always a focus for me, I find I continually return to Argentina and, especially, the vineyards of vistAlba (http://www.carlospulentawines.com/ )

What can I say about Carlos Pulenta, owner of the winery? Now in his late 60’s, this is a man who has devoted his entire life to the crafting of world-class wines. He is achieving that goal with the passion behind vistAlba and their blends: Corte B and Corte C… both achieving international scores beyond their modest prices. I recently had the great pleasure of interviewing Gustavo Crespo, Managing Director Blends. I asked Gustavo about his relationship with Carlos and what drew him to vistAlba.

KRISTOF

   Gustavo, many thanks for making the time to speak with me today. I know you’re a busy man.

GUSTAVO

     A pleasure.

KRISTOF

   Firstly Gustavo, I know that you were working in London, had a great career… what drew you to leave England and move literally across the world to work with Carlos?

GUSTAVO

     Well I was already working with Carlos’ company but in a completely different division, so it was less of a transition for the company then if they had hired outside of the company. But for me, personally, it was the opportunity to work more closely with Carlos himself. Carlos has a huge personality: so driven, so focused, so passionate. I think that he and I connected on that level and there was a mutual respect.

KRISTOF

   Still: a big change for anyone! London to Argentina.

GUSTAVO

      Well yes, but it was the very nature of that change, that challenge, which was the excitement for me. If we don’t challenge ourselves…

KRISTOF

   -Understood. So, new topic: How do you then in this new role of Managing Director try to translate the finesse, concentration and identity of vistAlba wines to over 30 countries?

GUSTAVO

      That’s easy. I don’t! These are wines with such a connection to the land that they speak for themselves. I just make the introductions.

KRISTOF

   Ha – I like that way of explaining it.

GUSTAVO

     And you know, Carlos is really a legend in Argentina, in South America, and throughout the wine world. He comes from a family that is like nobility in wine and each of his brothers has crafted his own place in today’s market. Just having that name behind the label opens many doors.

KRISTOF

   And so what’s the next step for the winery? I know the winery is run in a very sustainable manner but are there plans to take that further now that organics and bio-dynamics are making an impact?

GUSTAVO

      -you took the words out of my mouth. We’re already quite advanced in our process for full organic certification throughout the vineyard. These are practices that we’ve been using since day one – now we need to get the documentation.

KRISTOF

    And this is to get in front of certain consumers or a demographic?

GUSTAVO

     Actually no; in Europe especially being organic when it comes to wine has very little impact on sales. We are doing this because, since the beginning, our goal has been to create “the best expression of the land”. Organics are just a fundamental part of that process: don’t put into the soil what you don’t want in the wine, right?

KRISTOF
Right! All of this sounds like, as I like to put it, a return to a more ancestral type of viticulture.

GUSTAVO

     Absolutely. For Carlos, whose passion and vision are our driving force, organics are a return to how his grandfather and great-grandfather farmed the land. It’s about understanding our place in that ecosystem and respecting it. It’s about tradition, and in Argentina tradition runs deep.

KRISTOF

   Bravo my friend. Thanks so much for making a few minutes for me.

GUSTAVO

   Always a pleasure Kristof – come and visit soon!

THE WINE

1. vistAlba Corte B

2. 51% Malbec, 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Bonarda

3. $29.99 CAD *(BC)

4. 90+ points, EXCELLENT VALUE

5. 91 points Wine Enthusiast

6. *Benefits from 1-hour decant or 1-run through the aerator

7. … no wonder these über-professionals are winning awards around the world! Plush aromas of ripe red berries *(cherries, red currants, young raspberries) are accentuated by deep earth tones, graphite-minerality and a hint of wild herbs growing on the hillside. Energetic acid in the wine craves the touch of fat from fresh grilled carne Asada or just about any premium cut of beef/lamb… fine/chalky tannin will cosy up to that barbeque goodness in the best possible way. A delight with food, you cigar-smokers in the audience will also find it a brilliant pairing with full-bodied Dominican or Cuban tobacco.

2. vistAlba Corte C

3. 76% Malbec, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Bonarda

4. $19.99 CAD *(BC)

5. 90+ points, Great Value

6. 90 points Wine Spectator

7. *No decanting/aeration necessary

8. … by reducing the percentage of Cab-Sauv, the winemaker at vistAlba has created a wine much more plush, velvety in the mouth. Here is a wine that drinks more like a Merlot… the rich red berry flavors of the Malbec are accentuated by a well-focused line of Cab and made generous by the Bonarda. What does this mean for you? For me, this is the wine while I’m cooking… nibble a bite of food, chat with friends, tend the barbeque, drink more wine. Repeat. Excellent balance and structure this wine is a joy to drink on its own. Of course it pairs well with grilled meats, but did you know that wines like this love dark chocolate? Yum~!

THE FOOD

The real genesis behind this article was my craving for terrific grilled food. So let’s not get bogged down with tedious recipes because, at its heart, barbeque (to me) is more about passion then it is about formulas. Find a premium butcher, like Hopcotts, who are using locally sourced, steroid-free, naturally-raised meats. Clean your barbeque before you start using it this spring! There’s nothing worse than a grease fire destroying $100 worth of steaks! Then invite some good friends over, open a few bottles of vistAlba and enjoy the process. Because, really, isn’t that worth celebrating?

So enjoy your meal with great wine and family or friends. Treat yourself, spoil someone else, and above all: savour the moment~! Many thanks to Patagonia Imports *( www.PatagoniaImports.com ) for the brilliant samples!

As always, I look forward to your thoughts, comments and questions. Here, or:

on Twitter @AStudentofWine

on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/TheChefandTheGrape