Question: I live in Victoria BC and enjoy drinking Champagne. Recognize that you visit and know this region well so would appreciate please a couple of your current buying tips.

Answer: Thanks for your kind words and yes I also enjoy fine Champagne. Lucky you are in British Columbia as the Champagne selection is quite diverse with a couple hundred products and is fairly world priced.

Presently suggest among many choices these 3 listed top bubbles in the BC LDB inventory:

1. LE MESNIL BLANC DE BLANCS GRAND CRU BRUT $50.99 (plus 15% taxes) This Champagne shows consistently well (including in blind tastings) with that special quality Chardonnay fruit from Le Mesnil region and is truly a best buy.

2. POL ROGER VINTAGE BRUT 2008  $94.99 Always dependable and so balanced that it ages really well. Still enjoying youthful 1996 & 1990 that are rare treasures. Their NV Cuvee de Reserve Brut for $65.99 and 2006 Vintage at $94.99 ( also mags for $199.99) are also excellent but much more forwardly drinking than the classic year of  2008 which with more needed bottle age will ultimately turn into a superstar. Outstanding.

3. PIERRE PAILLARD LES PARCELLES BOUZY GRAND CRU $120.99/MAGNUM (also in 750 for $56.99) Champagne in magnum size is always the smartest choice for aging. This one from vignerons in Bouzy since 1799 uses a base wine from 2013 of 60% pinot noir & 40% chardonnay disgorged August 2017 with a low 3.5 g/l dosage. Highly recommend putting a couple of these big bottles away for a future special occasion!

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By Joseph Temple

New years resolutions and winter getaways to the the beach are the perfect time to look at some healthy foods.  These are some simple, but effective ways to improve mealtime.

1. Steamed shrimp is packed with Omegas and low in calories making it a great protein addition for any lunch salad.
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2. Roasting chicken and veggies in one pan is an easy way to feed the whole family on a busy weekday.
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3. Sushi is a tasty way to add nutrient packed fish and superfood-like seaweed to your diet.
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4. Eggs are versatile and cook quickly enough for anytime.
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5. Switching to whole grain baked goods like sandwich bread is a small, but important way to add fiber to many snacks and meals.
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6. Try nutritious and protein rich quinoa for breakfast – hot or cold; fresh fruit is a natural pairing.
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7. Dessert can still be an indulgence, even as part of a healthy diet.  Greek yogurt + honey + whole wheat graham crackers + fresh fruit = yummy cheesecake
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Question: What is Pyrazine?

Answer: Usually it is the technical word to describe those aromatic compounds showing green pepper vegetal notes you find in certain wines. New Zealand sauvignon blanc usually has lots of Pyrazine and you can also find it even in different red varieties such as unripe cabernet sauvignon often grown in cooler regions. More recently it also has been used to describe a ladybug taint in a wine that results from infestations of those insects during the grape crushing procedure of wine making. Useful word.

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Question: On my winery visits the winemakers often specify the temperature at which their red wines are fermented. What difference does it make?

Answer: Very good technical subjective issue which will be hard for me to answer fully in this forum. Yeasts (and whether they are cultured or native) are an important factor but generally red wines are fermented in a range of 25-35 Celsius (77-95+ F) with optimum yeast multiplication at the lower end but usually more colour and tannin extraction at the higher end. However if the temperature goes way too high it will slow down the fermentation by killing off the various yeasts. Francois Faiveley in Burgundy always told me he wanted to keep his temperatures just below 30 to retain more aromas that could escape from too high a temperature ferment. It is a learned art or very skilled craft to have your fermentation at the perfect temperature to maximize the key elements you want in the resulting wine. Interesting subject!

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Liked that the number 1 question for 2017 was posed by Mary a smart member of our own IWFS Vancouver Branch resulting from an Alsace tasting. I encourage all of you out there to post your questions on the website at iwfs.org so we all can benefit from learning more about so many interesting diverse wine and food issues.

1. What is TDN in Riesling? (04/12/2017)
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2. Decanting Using a Candle? (01/11/2017)
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3. Château Latour? (06/21/2017)
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4. Best Sauternes Vintages? (01/18/2017)
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5. Rubber Smell in Wines? (09/20/2017)
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6. How to Maintain Cellar Humidity? (03/22/2017)
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7. Does putting your fingers around the bowl of the wine glass actually warm the wine up? (09/27/2017)
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8. Best wine choice to suit many different food courses? (08/02/2017)
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9. Rare Cognac Fraud (05/17/2017)
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10. Best Sushi Wine? (09/06/2017)
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