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B.C. winemakers are crafting greatness
The Chef and the Grape
By Chef Kristof Gillese
What compels a man to tear himself away from his family at the end of a long workweek? Well in this case the man in question is John Gerum; a lover, a most ardent fan, of B.C. wine and the evening in question is “BC Uncorked: the Art of Food and Wine.”
Ok. That could get me out of the house on a Saturday night as well.
But John is more than just a devotee to the oenological adventures of B.C. winemakers; he’s their cheerleader as well. For this event is his brainchild and has been gathering groups of grape-lovers to the furthest side of the GVRD (Greater Vancouver Regional District) for going on six years now. And it’s amazing!
Under the humble eaves of a high school come to gather some of the finest winemakers in the province and, for those readers unfamiliar with British Columbia viticulture, that’s an impressive line-up. It’s a funny kind of system that the residents of any particular region seldom truly know the adventurous pioneers working in their very midst and when it comes to wine this is most certainly a truism: B.C. winemakers are crafting greatness.
21st Chardonnay du Monde (Burgundy, France)
29th Pacific Rim International Wine Competition (San Bernardino, California)
34th All-Canadian Wine Championships (Windsor, Ontario)
Northwest Wine Summit (Pomona, California)
31st International Wine Challenge (West Sussex, UK)
33rd Riverside International Wine Competition (Murrieta, California)
Decanter World Wine Awards (London, UK)
45th International Wine & Spirit Competition (London, UK)
75th Los Angeles International Wine Competition (Los Angeles, California)
San Francisco International Wine Competition (San Francisco, California)
Mondial des Pinots (Sierre, Switzerland)
Intervin International Wine Awards
Here are some of the prestigious competitions where B.C. has garnered respect in 2014, to name a few – many thanks to Wine BC! (https://www.winebc.org/press_room/awards/)
And here in the town of Port Moody, nestled against the base of the mountains and sitting squarely in the rain-shadow, these champions come to gather. With a kind of Zen tranquillity they set-up their tables; pulling bottles of chilled Chardonnay from thermal-bags and cases of Pinot Noir and Bordeaux-styled blends from their trolleys. The room begins to hum as the crowd tries to appear patient with the rows and rows of bottles being arrayed just beyond reach.
Then the chefs appear and all sense of patience quickly dissipates; barbequed ribs start glazing over hot coals, fresh truffled popcorn is tossed in caramel and sea salt, tart-shells are patiently filled with infused mousses and fresh fruit… like I said, what could possibly compel someone to leave their kids on a Saturday night?
But BC Uncorked is about more than just delighting one’s senses with world-class wines and fine victuals.
Cancer has touched all our lives. It is virtually inescapable in this age. I’ve held my wife’s hand as we watched friends and colleagues pass from our lives far too early for such bright lights to fade. But, it happened all the same. What an impossible situation. What deep-seated hurt for so many.
It’s so easy to give in to the hurt and to forget Margaret Mead’s words: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
And I looked out on the long gallery filled with hundreds of people sharing, laughing, living a little more brightly. All because these two men decided to make a difference. Change the world by sharing a glass of wine and having something good to nosh on? Maybe not the world, maybe just your little corner of it.
Many thanks to John Gerum of BC Uncorked and Steve Parsons on the Ride2Survive team for inviting me to this inspiring evening of food, wine and (human) spirit!
As always you can find more recipes, free wine reviews and my notes on premium distillates and cigars on: Twitter @https://twitter.com/astudentofwine and Facebook @ www.facebook.com/TheChefandTheGrape or on Pinterest @https://www.pinterest.com/KristofGillese/ and Google+ @https://plus.google.com/114010103418743183883/posts
– Kristof Gillese: Trained chef, certified wine steward and proud journalist. To chef Kristof it is the story that takes priority: to tell the tale of common people accomplishing uncommon goals. In the world of wine these tales are prolific. It is chef Kristof’s privilege to have worked with, and/or told the story of, luminaries such as Pierre-Henry Gagey of Maison Jadot, Nik Weis of St Urbans-Hof, Ray Signorello of Signorello Estates and Ezra Cipes of Summerhill Pyramid Winery; leaders in the industry. With almost three decades of experience working with the magical synergy between food and wine, chef Kristof is proud to share the stories of these amazing stewards of the land. These articles showcase a respect for the balance between our current mercantile economy and the-now-in-vogue ancestral farming methods/biodynamics/organic farming principles. All articles are written with a profound reverence for the family aspect to winery culture as, to this writers understanding, nothing has ever had a more far-reaching effect than the love and devotion for a parent to a child. All great wineries are built by parents for their children and grandchildren and it is because of this that chef Kristof writes.
You can read more of his rants-on-wine including full portfolio reviews, interviews with winemakers and notes from the illustrious #WineTastingCircle on his website www.TheChefandTheGrape.com and his blog www.AStudentofWine.blogspot.com.
Twitter: AStudentofWine and on Facebook: TheChefandTheGrape
