I have 2 tickets up for grabs for the upcoming Taste BC event at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Tuesday, January 19th for the first person to correctly complete the challenge inside.

1) How much money has Liberty Wine Merchants Taste BC raised for the BC Children’s Hospital’s Oak Tree Clinic since its inception in 2008?

2) Name all seven Liberty Wine Merchants store locations.

3) Correctly name all 3 restaurants in the following pictures.

(Read “A Visit to the Comox Valley Pt 1“)

What would it take to get me to pack up my family and travel 5 solid hours by boat and van to a fairly remote town overrun by wealthy Albertans and military personnel? Good food. And beer.

When I told people that I was headed to the Comox Valley for a visit and asked for dining recommendations, Locals in Downtown Courtenay, was an overwhelming favourite. This lovely restaurant, Chef Ronald St. Pierre’s first, is an elegant and sincere expression of what fresh and honest food is all about. The name says it all. As their menu states, the whole concept revolves around local food from the “heart of the island”. The walls are adorned with framed photographs of the local producers who supply the restaurant daily, making a visual and viseral reconnect with the food on the plate.All the dishes we sampled that day were simply prepared, extraordinarily fresh, and an absolute joy to eat. This place is a definite must for anyone visiting Courtenay and wanting to experience the bounty of the region.^ Trio of Cheeseburger $14 ~ Courtenay Hereford Farms trio of beef burgers served with Qualicum Cheesework Raclette chees, Blue Claire cheese and Okanagan pure goat cheese.^ Quackery Duck Salad $14 ~ warm slow cooked duck leg confit served on mesclun greens with roasted cashews and grapes, baked goat cheese croutini and local wild berry dressing with a glass of Beaufort Vineyard’s 2007 Merlot, $9.^ Chef Ronald St. Pierre working in his kitchen.Next up, a visit to Natural Pastures Cheese Company to pick up some fine wedges and wheels for our travels.  I was keen to try some of the famous Mozzarella di Bufala made from water buffalo milk from Fairburn Farm in Duncan, but we were told that it quickly sells out and none was available. So we settled for some of the award-winning Comox Brie. Poor us.^ The Comox Brie won the World Championship Gold Medal, in the 27th biennial Contest (WCC) in 2008, a first for Western Canada. Serious kick ass cheese.On our last day in the valley, we visited Brambles Market, one of Canada’s first grocery stores to offer 100% locally grown and produced products, from fruits and vegetables to meat, fish, baked goods, condiments and spices. The store, owned and operated by long-time Courtenay residents, Jim and Angeline Street, the market offers a unique and rewarding shopping experience. For example, the corn above was delivered moments before I took this picture and was still warm from the morning sun. And for anyone who knows and loves corn, the fresher the better. Sweetest corn ever!Most of the goods in Brambles are drawn from many of the 440+ farms in the Comox region, directly supporting the regional economy. And what I found especially remarkable was that much of their product was not only of a better quality, being delivered farm direct, but also being sold at a better price than the larger Thrifty’s grocery store up the street.^ There is even a friendly butcher on site for custom cuts of meat. Pork shoulder anyone?Needing to re-fuel, we made our way to the Atlas Cafe for our next meal. Very popular with the locals, the place reminds me a bit of the Waazubee Cafe on Commercial Drive with their funky decor and eclectic menu. When we arrived, it was quite lively and packed for the lunch rush.Luckily, we had a reservation and we were seated after only a short wait, by-passing the forming line at the door. Considering all the hustle and buzz, I was impressed with how the staff kept everything flowing at a good clip and I was especially glad to see some local craft beer on tap. My first taste of the delicious Red House Ale got me primed and excited for our next and final stop: Surgenor’s Brewery.Nestled amongst the trees, tucked away in a quiet residential neighborhood, lies Comox’s first brewery. The brainchild and namesake of Bob Surgenor, a former commercial electrical contractor, the brewery currently produces two very accesible yet full-flavoured beers: Red House Ale (an Irish red ale), and Steam Donkey Lager (named after the steam powered engine widely used in logging operations in the region during the late 1800’s). The beers, a runaway success since their introduction into the market less than 6 months ago, have been making their way onto many draft beer lists all over Vancouver Island (and on tap at the Alibi Room!) and can also be found in bottles at select BC Liquor outlets and private liquor stores.

Surgenor’s is the first BC brewery to use  aluminum bottles. This technology, a hybrid between a bottle and a can, has a few distinct advantages over the traditional glass bottles. It is lightweight and it doesn’t break, which saves money on fuel costs and prevents breakage during bottling and transport. As it is opaque, it also prevents the dreaded “skunking”, a foul taste that emerges when beer is exposed to light (ding dong, hello Corona, what’s that smell?).

And that my friends, was my first taste of Vancouver Island’s Comox Valley. In a few words, brilliant, vibrant and inspiring. And if it wasn’t for all those rich Albertans who have already bought up most of the place with their piles of oil money, driving real estate prices into the ionosphere, I might have been packing up my family for a move already. Oh well, it still is a nice place to visit. ~ PK

Recently, I attended a rare vertical tasting of the famed and highly-coveted Black Hills Nota Bene at Au Petit Chavignol. This single vineyard Bordeaux-style blend (cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc), since its first vintage in 1999, has gained an enviable loyal following that has made it one of the hardest big BC reds to find on wine store shelves. Even after a gradual but rather hefty price increase over the years since its first release (1999 sold for $28 and the 2007 sells for $52-58), the 2007 Note Bene still easily sold out in less than an hour of its release. Luckily, some bottles can be found at select retailers if you look in the right place: here.

This sold out event, charmingly hosted by David Lancelot of Marquis Wine Cellars and Allison Spurrell of les amis du FROMAGE, started nicely with a few goat and cow cheeses from Spain and France being presented with an olive tapenade and paired with a glass of 2007 Alibi, Black Hills Loire Valley-inspired Sauvignon/Semillion blend, a vibrant and sophisticated white wine that is developing a following of its own.

Once comfortably seated, we were staring at six lovely smelling vintages of Nota Bene from 2002-2007, which were accompanied by a selection of hard and soft cheeses from France (Berger de Lozere, Le Coutances, Saint Nectaire, Moulis Cremier, Laguiole), Italy (Piave) and Salt Spring Island (White Grace).

After a long session of sniffing, swirling, admiring and tasting of each vintage year, the two burning questions remained: is it worth the money? Does it live up to the cult-like hype?

When I asked Black Hills winemaker, Graham Pierce, what made the Nota Bene such an overnight sensation in the BC wine world? He credits much of the runaway success of the wine, that “the winery spent no money on marketing…” to the “the original and long-standing commitment the owners made to producing the highest quality wine possible and letting it speak for itself.” Essentially, credible word of mouth from restaurateurs, sommeliers and local wine critics spread an excitement that created a huge demand for their limited-production estate grown wine; they are now operating at full capacity and produce around 4000 cases of Nota Bene in a good year.

To answer the questions, it really is a matter of perspective. It certainly is among the best BC produced red wines that I have tasted, but rarely do I find myself in a position ready and willing to spend $50 on any wine, never mind one that is as hard to find as Waldo.

However, when a bottle was gifted to me recently from a generous friend who surprisingly wasn’t overly impressed with the wine, a quick and joyous smile erupted on my face giving me another tiny addictive glimpse of the irrational joy of collecting fine wines. “Yes! I have one bottle of the 2006 Nota Bene,” I thought to myself, genuinely excited, even though I vowed on the spot not to open it for another 4 to 5 years. Not many things in my life elicit this kind of bizarre, yet pleasurable response, so let’s just say I look forward to the dinner I finally share and drink it with very select family and or friends…or maybe just my dear wife who’ll probably let me drink most of it. ~ PK

Here are the Nota Bene tasting and production notes:

Nota Bene 2002
48% cabernet sauvignon
37% merlot
15% cabernet franc
14.5% alcohol

2200 cases produced.

“Starts slow and unfurls into pronounced cassis-liqueur, black cherry and cigar boxed aromas followed by spicy plum. Full bodied with silky tannins and long finish.”

Nota Bene 2003
46% cabernet sauvignon
34% merlot
20% cabernet franc
14.5% alcohol

2400 cases produced

“Fruit aromas of plums and black cherries under a layer of gamey, earthy tobacco notes, mingled with herbal olive notes. Balanced, with smooth muscular structure and a long, plush finish.”

Nota Bene 2004
46% cabernet sauvignon
36% merlot
18% cabernet franc
14.6% alcohol

2800 cases produced

“Aromas of kirsch cherry, herbs, tobacco and light toast, frame a vibrant structure that yields flavours of santa rosa plums echoing through a smooth round finish.”

Nota Bene 2005
43% cabernet sauvignon
37% merlot
20% cabernet franc
14.6% alcohol

2900 cases produced

“Focused aromas of crushed black fruit, black olive, tobacco, cedar with some shaded dusky spice. Elegant with fine tannins and cherry flavours lingering gently on a harmonious finish.”

Nota Bene 2006
47% cabernet sauvignon
37% merlot
16% cabernet franc
14.7% alcohol

3300 cases produced

“Applealing for it’s layers of dark fruit with a hint of spice, olives, and cedar on the nose. Full bodied and balanced with silky velvety tannins and a great lengthy finish.”

Nota Bene 2007
46% cabernet sauvignon
39% merlot
15% cabernet franc
14.7% alcohol

3900 cases produced

“Generous rich aromas of black cherry and plum followed by earth, spiciness and mocha. Rich, full bodied palate with great balance and lengthy smooth finish.”

This past Saturday afternoon gave a large room full of wine and cheese nerds an excellent excuse to gather.  VinoCamp & CheeseCamp 2009 , a new kind of social media conference “designed for people interested in technology, wine and cheese” was, by all accounts I was exposed to, a huge success. I did hear someone say that the only thing missing was “nudity”. Hmm, note for next year?

It appeared that most attendees were thrilled to be encouraged to tweet, blog, video blog, and photograph the event, and did they ever!

The day started off with keynote speaker Dr. Donna Senese (UBC Okanagan) talking about the Okanagan wine country having the allure that it does. It was an interesting start, but I couldn’t help be violently thrown back into my university days of lecture halls and overhead projected dates and maps and such, surrounded by others furiously taking notes as our instructor spoke. But, we were on UBC campus after all.

Then the group split, some going to VinoCamp and others across the hall to CheeseCamp. Now, my previous sensitivity to all things dairy would typically have made me grab the first available seat in VinoCamp, but in the past few months the tides have changed and I’ve found a few cow and sheep milk cheeses that are delicious and don’t seem to result in anything but a pure enjoyment of the food. CheeseCamp here I come!

The first talk at CheeseCamp was given by Sebastian le Goff ( Uva Wine Bar and Cibo) and Anthony Nicalo (Inevitable Table), and turned out to be a great choice as there was both wine and cheese.

We started by tasting a cheese that looked somewhat familiar to what one would typically see at a super budget catered event, or a cocktail party put on by someone who is not a foodie; in other words it was mass-produced, pretty much tasted like eating a rubber band, and was all ’round gross.

This was paired with a wine that was a perfect match to the cheese: boring, and poured into a label-less bottle to protect so as to not offend anyone. I couldn’t help but wonder why we were tasting gross wines and rubbery cheeses? Oh, because the pairings to follow were all pristine examples of amazing wines with delicious cheeses, if nothing more than to illustrate the plainness of what we started with. Brilliant!

The day continued on with a talk from Jonah Benton of Benton Brothers Fine Cheese on “Cheese & Terroir: How place affects cheesemaking”. I had no idea all cheese starts out with the same ingredients – milk, salt and rennet, yet there are so many crazy differences in the cheeses out there, largely due to the influences from where it’s made.

Sampled were Brie de Meaux, France (Ile-de-France), Comté Marcel Petite, France (Franche- Comté) and Bleu d’Auvergne, France (Auvergne).

By mid afternoon I was in a happy state of cheese drunk, with several pages of chicken scratch notes I am still trying to translate. I determined that Comté is my new favorite cheese, that a light pinot is so delicious when served chilled, and to never accept cheese served cold. Well done, VinoCamp & Cheese Camp organizers, well done. ~ Jackie Connelly

* Go here for the full list of what was poured and tasted for both Vino and Cheese Camps.

Beer and cheese pairing is growing in popularity amongst the craft beer crowd and is starting to trickle into the local culinary scene. In Victoria,  Spinnakers has their B.C. Artisan Cheese Taster appetizer course and Ottavio hosted a tasting with Phillips Brewing. Chef Lee Humphries of Vancouver’s FigMint Restaurant has hosted a number of pairings for his popular “On the Wood” series in their lounge, which return on March 13. The Alibi Room and Mount Pleasant Cheese have also explored the affinity of barley and dairy.

In pairing cheese with beer, a general rule of thumb is to start with light beers paired to light-tasting cheeses and progress in both flavour intensity and beer strength. Malty beers go with aged, nutty cheeses, like Gruyère; bitter ones with sharp cheeses, such as aged cheddar; and strong, sweet beers with blue cheeses. When going from pairing to pairing, beer’s carbonation conveniently cleanses the palate.

Recently, Salt Tasting Room held a Québecois beer and cheese tasting in their cellar where General Manager, Kurtis Kolt, is hosting weekly events. While it’s easier to get beer from La Belle Provence than wine, our selection here is still quite limited compared to the numerous craft breweries that have sprung up there.

Local sommelier and beer expert, Chester Carey, led the tasting. He started off the evening with a concise history of beer, beginning with its Fertile Crescent origins, while participants enjoyed a Unibroue Éphémère Pommes. Thereupon we progressed to the pairing of six beers and cheeses in two separate flights of three each. Baguette slices, cornichons, and a selection of olives accompanied the cheeses.

The tasting began with Unibroue Blanche de Chambly and Le Cendrillon — an ash-covered, surface-ripened goat cheese. The two other pairings in the first flight were Unibroue’s triple wheat Don de Dieu with a Le Baluchon and Unibroue Trois Pistoles with Mushroom Oka. I found the latter a particularly good match, with the roasted malt flavours of the ale complementing the dark flavour of the mushrooms.

The second flight consisted of Bergeron Gouda with Unibroue Fin du Monde, Providence Oka & Unibroue Maudite, and Sancy Bleu d’Auvergne with Dieu du Ciel Route des Épices (Spice Route). The latter beer is an intriguing peppercorn rye ale with a bready, malted chocolate taste and a spicy, tingling finish. The Bleu d’Auvergne it was paired with was actually from France because the Quebec bleu that was ordered, didn’t come in that day’s delivery. Zut!

The grand finale to les bières et fromages du Québec was a 5% ABV Dieu du Ciel Rosée d’Hibiscus. This Belgian-style wheat ale, made with the addition of hibiscus flowers, was a light, fragrant dénouement to the flavour climax of bleu and spice. It was certainly a hit with the female participants. One remarked, “…it was unlike anything I had ever tried before, sweet and floral… I’m pretty sure I could drink a six pack of these before noticing that I had forgot to come up for a breath!” Formidable!

~ RG

While we here at home consider an aid package for our ailing automakers, the Italian government is buying 100,000 wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano and donating them to charity to help their struggling cheese producers.

Read the rest of the story here.

(Thanks to Gingerpeachy for sharing this story link in the UD Forum)

This may be one giant leap past sensible, a definite red-lining of the bad cholesterol tachometer, but I must admit my curiosity has just been put on code orange by this little bit of experimental kitchen insanity: “If I Die A Bacon-Related Death, I’d Like It To Be Because Of This“, courtesy of the the very funny folks at Holy Taco.

This bit of commentary had me crying with laughter:

“I don’t know if I can eat this.”  Although, I quickly followed that statement with “I’d like to try and see if I can eat this.”  To which my asshole quickly followed that statement with “I’m telling you right now, we won’t be able to laugh about this later.”

Thanks to Bart for sharing this bit of madness in the UD Forum.

For all you cheese nerds.  Enjoy ~ PK

Vancouverites never had it so good. Between the eclectic dining scene and all the new specialty food shops popping up all over the city, it is easier than ever to find unique, quality food products for entertaining folks with discerning palates. This week’s culinary safari has us hunting for cheese…

Over the years, I have spent countless waking and dreaming hours devoted to the study and love of cheese and we are very fortunate to have several individuals in the city that share that same passion and obsession.

First stop. I made my way up to the Benton Brothers Fine Cheese shop in Kerrisdale. Andrew and Jonah Benton, the boys behind the cheese, are reformed academics; mechanical engineers that traded in their textbooks for the trade secrets of small artisanal cheese-makers both local and abroad.  Their focus is on specialty European cheeses, like Cantal Fermier, one of the oldest cheeses in France. Being made from succulent raw cow’s milk, this cheese is the base for the Benton Brothers’ signature home-cooked cheese-filled meal – Aligot (pretty much the most intense mashed potatoes with cheese, garlic and sometimes bacon).

The Brothers also have a wide range of sheep, goat and cow’s milk cheeses, along with locally made confitures, like Lemon Tomato Brio, from Vancouver’s Chef Taryn Wa of “Savoury Chef”, dry-cured Spanish Serrano ham, venison sausages from Oyama meats on Granville Island, and the coarse, chunky “country pâtés” from Quebec City. Besides the home catering with their brilliant “butcher block” food presentations, Benton Brothers is also the cheese supplier for the new Steveston restaurant Gudrun, but no word yet on when those doors will swing open. Until then, both Andrew and Johan continue to drive their cheese education, passion and business and frequently entertain at home with their favourite wedges with friends and family.

Next, I made my way down to Les Amis du Fromage, owned by mother and daughter team Alice and Allison Spurrell. I am excited to learn more about their new wine and cheese joint called Au Petit Chavignol, “… a 40 seat restaurant opening in 2009, next to the Astoria Hotel on East Hastings,” according to manager, Robert Young.

Today, there is a steadily growing list of clients that Les Amis has been supplying. From restaurants, executive clubs and private functions, Les Amis specializes in anything that the “the Vancouver eating public is ready for,” says Robert. “Finally Vancouver has left the cans of ‘Kraft’ parmesan behind; they’re starting to buy the real thing…we have a demand for different cheeses now. People love to try new things; new tourism has helped out too,” he continues.  With a special fridge dedicated to BC cheese, Natural Pastures’ Comox double-cream Camembert, Poplar Grove’s mild Naramata Bench Blue, and that beautiful organic goat cheese from Goat’s Pride in Abbottsford often make it to the register in large quantities.

The newest cheese shop to open, just shy of 6 months old, is Mt. Pleasant Cheese on Cambie St. Owner, Peter Davidson, originally wanted to open a specialty Italian wine shop, but after much research decided that a cheese shop would be a much better choice. Cambie was beginning to come back to life after the 2 years of disruptive construction of Vancouver’s Canada Line. Without a stitch of marketing, the Mt. Pleasant community has welcomed and supported this Canadian-only dairy showroom. Cheeses Riopelle and L’Hercule de Charlevoix (both from Quebec) join a British Columbian favourite, Alpine Gold (Farmhouse at Agassiz), in the display case seducing customers one by one.

Peter’s dedication to Canadian cheese and education sees him hosting and participating in some upcoming events designed to get the locals involved: Wine on the Mountain, sponsored by a number of businesses including Mt. Pleasant Cheese, Whole Foods and Stile Wines; Cheese 101: a free educational event on November 8, hosted by Mt. Pleasant Cheese and Pacific Northwest Cheese Project owner Tami Parr at Pied-à-Terre Bistro – 2 seminars, 1pm & 3pm. For the future, Peter hopes to join up with a local Chef to design a line of “semi-prepared” foods like fondue mix, for customers to easily recreate at home.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from all of this is, it’s that there is no lack of great food products in this city.  When it comes to fine cheese, whether local or imported, our cheese shops are doing most of the hard work for us, so we can just simply eat and enjoy.

Benton Brothers Fine Cheese
2104 W 41st Ave. | Vancouver
(604) 261-5813

Les Amis du Fromage
1752 West 2nd Avenue | Vancouver
(604) 732-4218

Les Amis du Fromage
#518 Park Royal South | West Vancouver
604-925-4218

Mt. Pleasant Cheese
3432 Cambie Street | Vancouver
(604) 875-6363

Story and photos by: Lauren Mote | Urban Diner