Question: Interested in your wise thoughts on the main difference between putting in an expensive wine cooling unit or a cheaper window air conditioner for my small expanding wine cellar.

Answer: Good practical question. Depends a lot on the climate where you live and what the normal range of temperatures would be without any cooling mechanism. First ask yourself just how cold do you want your cellar to generally be and how steady the temperature. An upscale wine cooling unit looks efficient and are often quieter doing a much better job of steadily maintaining a much cooler specific temperature (say below 15C or 59F) with better humidity. A simpler less costly window air conditioner is OK particularly for periodic use in cooler climates to lower those summer higher extremes (occurring more often recently with global warming) though doesn’t get the temperature down very cold (hard to maintain it below around 62F) and tends to dry out the surrounding air. Works best when you have some open water containers around the cellar to preserve higher moisture content in there to help the corks from drying out. Get what you pay for to some degree (pun intended) but either system should be of help to you with your storage conditions. You should decide what you need and can afford. Good luck.

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For you gourmands and foodies out there you should be aware of a new documentary film produced by Anthony Bourdain  on Chef Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent. Check out the controversial movie review on rogerebert.com. An original partner with Alice Waters in the early seventies at Chez Panisse in Berkeley he went on to become one of the first celebrity chefs at several other restaurants including his open kitchen New American Cuisine San Francisco hot spot called “Stars”. He was so proud of the fact it was set in a relaxed informal almost “speakeasy” unique format where you could arrive dressed whatever even in jeans. Your scribe dined there several times including a most memorable event on December 8, 1990 (see Menu attached) organized by IWFS Marin County Haskell Norman Chapter celebrating the 70th Birthday of the late great Barney Rhodes. The wines were mind boggling including the famous Glamis Castle 1870 Lafite in magnum and so many other top treasures. IMHO it was one of the greatest wine and food lunches ever held! Jeremiah worked hard to craft what he thought were perfect food course pairings for these very special wines. Excellent choices were made by him though “Goat Cheese in Puff Pastry with Duck Crackling” served with the 3 old historic Lafites led to much discussion of differing opinions. One less known project was his consulting on the food and restaurant operations at the Hotel Vancouver (now Fairmont). See his full impressive Biography at jeremiahtowerconsulting.com. Talented Terry David Mulligan hosts Tasting Room Radio on Roundhouse Radio 98.3 FM Vancouver and will air an interesting interview with Chef Jeremiah Tower on Saturday August 19, 2017 at 10-11 PDT. Listen in at that time on line or go to tastingroomradio.com after to hear the podcast.

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By Joseph Temple

The hot days of summer bring us a bounty of fresh, local fruit.  Here are some tasty recipe ideas to inspire your summer table:

1. Freeze watermelon for a naturally refreshing popsicle
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2. Classic strawberries and cream – try soaking the berries in Champagne for an extra sparkle
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3. Blueberries beautifully top a spinach and Chèvre salad finished with a honey almond vinaigrette
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4. Blackberries, basil, and brie make a lovely crostini
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5. Red currants – preserve these little gems in a jelly to bring sunshine to any winter day
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6. Grilled plums pair well with grilled pork or poultry
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7. Fill with walnut creme, top with a honey sweetened meringue, and torch just until toasted
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8. Frozen blueberry and yogurt pops
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9. A favorite for many: homemade strawberry ice cream
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10. Simple, but classic and delicious: peach cobbler
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Question: What is your recommendation Sid for picking one style of wine to go with all dishes being served during a meal from vegetarian to fish to meat to desserts?

Answer: IMHO no right or wrong answer to a tough question. Trendy these days to say that popular Rosé is your best choice. However I am not the biggest fan of pairing a charming dry (or sweeter) Rosé with red meat. Chilled Gamay (or Cru Beaujolais) or an aged Riesling sometimes is a good alternative for overall pairing with diverse dishes. However my go to choice is usually Sparkling (with Champagne preferred at the higher price point). Those fascinating bubbles seem to give fresh vibrancy and a welcoming refreshment to the palate between bites that makes the matching with most foods really quite magical. Enjoy.

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Winemaker Val Tait and her team at Bench 1775 in Naramata report that they have been busy already this year in the vineyard because “record levels of rainfall in the Spring resulted in explosive vine growth. We have been in the vineyards shoot thinning, tucking and cluster thinning, to get our vines ready for veraison and … so far the vintage is looking amazing, with potential for great ripening. Note that this work in progress vintage is projecting some of the hottest temperatures ever in BC for the first week of August 2017. Exciting to see these vintage variations over the past 4 years.

2014 provided dry consistent temperatures right into October with less heat spikes which has resulted in some really excellent balanced reds worth cellaring. Rhys Pender MW owner of Little Farm Winery in the Similkameen Valley calls it “optimum ripeness.”

2015 was an early bud break (March 30 says Winemaker Severine Pinte at very southerly LaStella & Le Vieux Pin) followed by very hot weather (surpassing 1998) with issues of vine shutdown and an earlier harvest. Lovely rich softer more forwardly drinking quality wines.

2016 reports Winemaker Taylor Whelan of Cedar Creek had their earliest bud break in 25 years in Kelowna but followed by a long cool growing season “led to exceptional ripeness of flavour, and a long slow development of sugars. As a result, we’re seeing beautiful freshness and balance in these wines with good acidity and real intensity of flavour.” Heidi Noble Owner & Winemaker of JoieFarm confirms earliest budbreak ever at her winery on April 13 and despite an early start (bubble first pick started August 22) “saw low pH and lower brix than previous vintages demonstrating that 2016 will express a cooler vintage profile. Overall, expect more freshness, minerality, and better balance than the warmer three preceding vintages.”

My own experiences particularly with the many released whites certainly confirms this. Tasting the excellent different Synchromesh Rieslings from both 2015 & 2016 clearly shows that much fresher vibrancy with outstanding acid balance in the latter vintage compared to the fuller richer more forwardly drinking 2015. Agree with the Cedar Creek assessment who say their Riesling 2016 is different from recent vintages (usually “very lemon-lime profile”) with the extended hang time of the long cool year evolving flavours to more “tangerine/orange spectrum … lower alcohol touch richer and more overtly aromatic.” My overall conclusion is that 2016 whites are superbly well balanced! Buy some and try them. Watch also for the reds that are starting to arrive. Fun to drink this Summer that fresh chilled 100% Malbec Nouveau 2016 from Bench 1775 at 12.3 alcohol using 3 fermentations: carbonic, primary alcoholic, and malolactic. Highly recommend the wines from the 2016 vintage!

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