Question: Why does using the Syrah grape variety usually result in a peppery wine?

Answer: The reason is because Syrah grapes contain ROTUNDONE – the same class of natural terpene compounds you find in black and white pepper corns! It is also found in some plants and herbs like oregano, marjoram, rosemary and others. Rotundone mainly from the grape skins provides distinctive aromatics that survive the fermentation process. Previously the peppery characteristics in wine were more pronounced from grapes grown in cooler wine regions. Now most wine regions are warmer and many are harvesting the grapes earlier. Wine tasters often find that same rotundone as white pepper notes in the “groovy” Gruner Veltliner variety.

You might also like:

Dine Out Vancouver presented by Destination Vancouver with Charitable Partner BC Hospitality Foundation and many Community Partners is bigger and better than ever for 2025. It has persevered through many issues including under safety conditions of Covid-19 provincial restrictions in 2022 linked here and expansion in 2023 as posted here. The Festival has an all time record number of 430 participating restaurants for 2025 running from January 22 to February 9 in this 23rd edition. It is now among Canada’s largest and most important food and drink festivals. There is such a diverse culinary adventure available from Food Trucks to Foraging Tours and so much more. An interesting food experience for everyone. Fixed price menus are in three ranges from $20-34, $35-49, and $50-65. Check it out at dineoutvancouver.com and attend if possible. So well organized.

Your scribe attended a media/trade event on January 15 that provided an excellent flavour preview of the Festival. We gathered at the new exciting Lavantine SkyBar for canapés and cocktails including beer and wines (BC Covert Farms Family Estate Sauvignon/Semillon blend & a Sangiovese-Merlot from Poderi dal Nespoli in Emilia-Romagna Italy) and an inspired welcome by Lucas Pavan (producer spokesperson since 2009). Our small group of six attended two restaurants on Granville Island being Cantina & Sandbar. A few details and photos:

CANTINA:

This is a newer exciting spot recreating Alimentaria Mexican food both as a Mercado market take away and a Cantina dine-in. They feature an all day menu with fresh unique house-made salsa, sauces, and tasty traditional Mexican dishes. Tried all the full offering options for $39 and was impressed. Wonderful diverse variety of Tostadas & Corn Tortillas. Check out the Menu and the photos. Very good value!

THE SANDBAR:

Long time popular restaurant featuring seafood. Impressed by their well organized daily Fresh Sheet of items with detailed information on where sourced and best cooking methods. Their Dine Out Menu at $55 provides wide choices for Appetizers, Entrees, and Desserts. Fantastic daily delivery for fresh nigiri. Attentive service. Tasted every offering and was amazed at the great value large servings and the quality. Enjoy.

You might also like:

Question: What is Turbiana?

You might also like:\

Image courtesy: masterclass.com/articles/what-is-muhammara

My doable New Year’s resolution is to enjoy marvellous Muhammara more frequently. This Middle East creamy dip is a long time fav of your scribe. It is so delicious, healthy and versatile. Generally it is a combo of red peppers, walnuts, pomegranate, pepper, EVOO, tomato paste, and bread crumbs etc.

There a lots of different recipes for it on the web so experiment to find the one you prefer. A dependable one is by Chef Yotam Ottolenghi on MasterClass linked here. We will give you our best ingredients simple recipe list we adore below. Some are sweeter with more pomegranate molasses and some are spicier by adding raw garlic, Za’atar & Sumac and some smokier. The texture can range from very smooth to thicker to almost crunchy. It can be eaten straight up as a a dip or on bread, pita, toast, or on chips. It can be used magically to enhance many food courses including fish, soups, pasta, – whatever. Delara a Vancouver restaurant makes a very dark coloured one (see photo) using more sweet pomegranate molasses and more spices. They served it on smoked olives marinated in spices, chilli, citrus, pomegranate molasses and walnuts and also their special chicken breast dish of Fesenjoon. Ours (see photo) is more of an orange/red colour from the bell peppers and is a much milder version that we prefer. Every combination is interesting so experiment with the ingredients and find the one you like best. Enjoy.

My Muhammara Ingredient List:

Red Peppers – have to be roasted.
Walnuts – best if they are toasted first.
Pomegranate Molasses – vary the amount to see how sweet you prefer it.
Aleppo Chile Flake from Turkey. Aleppo Pepper is mild. You might substitute cayenne pepper but mix with lots of sweet paprika. How spicy?
Bread Crumbs or Japanese Panko
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Tomato Paste
Garlic – sometimes add but prefer using cooked garlic and not raw for this recipe
Salt

This is a fun cooking project with an outstanding return. Try it.

You might also like:

Question: What do you think of the Sturgeon General of the United States issuing an advisory on Alcohol & Cancer Risk?

Answer: Yes the buzz this week is the worrisome advisory issued by the U.S. Sturgeon General on the increased cancer risk from the consumption of alcohol. On the one hand it is helpful to provide the consuming public with complete up-to-date and correct information so they can make their own personal choice. Lots of information is available to you on the web – both correct and incorrect. A popular one near me in Canada getting exposure is the University of Victoria with their knowalcohol.ca site. You can ask all sorts of questions including “What are my health risks, costs, and calories from drinking alcohol?’ On the other hand making calculations and suggesting the use of warning labels to alert consumers as a result is a much more controversial matter. An important article on this issue “Are the Surgeon General’s Alcohol Risk Calculations Correct?” by Mark Hicken on wine law.ca is linked here. I recommend you read it.

You might also like: