As predicted in an earlier blog this long continuing Covid-19 pandemic is hitting the hospitality industry particularly hard. Restaurants are closed but many are trying to continue some business with orders for take-out and delivery. Some have been most innovative with their practical food menus and offering some real bargains too on deeply discounted wines. Please check out and support them in your own community. In Vancouver Chef David Hawksworth of Nightingale restaurant has organized that every order results in support for meal deliveries to front line staff at St. Paul’s Hospital fighting this Covid-19 virus. Well done indeed. The Chefs’ Table Society of British Columbia (@ChefsTableBC) has worked like a Trojan during these difficult times to show culinary leadership and help in searching for possible solutions. An interesting successful monthly Director’s meeting at the end of March was held virtually on Zoom with a good exploration of possible helpful ideas. They also held April 7 on line for members a Virtual CTS Social-Cooks, Books, & Beverages “nourishing for the soul and the mind”. This was a wonderful shot of much needed inspiration and confidence with many chefs reflecting on the cookbooks that had influenced them the most from the good old early days. Lots of nostalgic memories and thanks given for the valuable input from Barbara-jo McIntosh and her long closed outstanding Books to Cooks store for both cook book selections offered and visiting chef food demos. It has inspired a new initiative of establishing a CTS Culinary Library now in the works. Many highlights in the discussions including these references:

1. Chef Angus An: Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell

2. Chef Robert Belcham: The Professional Charcuterie by Marcel Cottenceau, Jean-Francosi Deport and Jean-Pierre Odeau

3. Chef Johnny Bridge: Cod by Mark Kurlansky

4. Chef Darren Clay: Culinary Artistry by Andrew Dornenburg

5. Chef Scott Jaeger: White Heat by Marco Pierre White

6. Chef Alex Tung: Tetsuya: Recipes from Australia’s Most Acclaimed Chef by Tetsuya Wakuda.

My wife Joan Cross co-editor of Vancouver Cooks I & II for CTS chimes in with her choice of Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volumes 1 (1961) & 2 a continuation on seven selected subjects (1970) by Julia Child. Joan advises that she has gained so many valuable things from these books which were a really fabulous way to learn the cooking basics. Even today all these years later she makes our still favourite Navarin Printanier (Lamb Stew with Spring vegetables) on page 345 of Volume 1. However we use less salt and less butter in many of her recipes, to our own taste. Amazing.

Exciting to have on the upcoming agenda a Let’s Eat Together from coast to coast in Canada the first “National Take-Out Day” (#TakeoutDay) plus support from The Great Kitchen Party with an hour long variety show on April 15 at 8 pm EST on the Facebook Live platform. Tune in with your ordered take-out dinner matched with your favourite Canadian beverage. Plans are in the works for a 2nd and 3rd edition on April 22 & 29. Join in.

What is happening in your culinary community? Please provide us with a short update.

Question: Ask Sid: Why is white wine called “white” wine when it’s not & neither is the grape?

Answer: True. “White” just developed as a simple broad category of wines to differentiate them from also incorrectly named “Red” for those having more skin contact. Think of the many different shades of red there are too. There are some very light pale coloured wines that can be almost true white – like sauvignon blanc & pinot grigio. However most are some shade of yellow. Some oak treatment may add an even deeper tone. So maybe the category should be called  “Yellow”. Not as good. There are a lot of various shades of pink wine too – from pinot gris on the skins to so many different now popular Roses. Sometimes “Pink” is given a separate category. As are more “Orange” by naturally leaving the seeds and skins in contact with the juice while making a unique white wine. Also there can be green tints in wines like Chablis. There are so many different fascinating colours of the rainbow plus more out there. “White” maybe is the best catch-all encompassing descriptor name after all.

We now all know about the importance of physical distancing to keep that Covid-19 virus away from us. This makes the old possibility of holding wine seminars or group wine tastings presently most difficult indeed. Besides you are supposed to be staying home anyway. Over the last month there has been an explosion of another whole industry to provide meetings on line led by ZOOM Video Communications for everything from video conferencing to just keeping in touch with family and friends. What started out as mainly a business application is now a dramatic consumer social networking platform. They haven’t solved yet digitizing the aromas of fine wine on line (but it may be coming with AR (augmented reality) technology in the future. In the meantime it is working well in providing winery updates and detailed vineyard & wine information with limited participatory discussion. Some interesting examples this past weekend include @JancisRobinson on ft.com with a live Q & A on where to buy wine online (need that in British Columbia and other North American jurisdictions); Pressoir.Wine at home session with Olivier Krug ($50 registration benefiting ROAR Foundation) featuring Krug Grande Cuvee 168th Edition, and also Dominque Lafon (in support of NoHo Hospitality Family Fund) on his Beaune 1er Cru Greves 2017; and Live Tastings with John Kapon @ackerwines on both Zoom & Instagram of “The Great Wines of Austria” with Sommelier Aldo Sohm 8 pm ET today April 6 and “2000 Bordeaux” April 8th same time.

Highly recommend what Antonio Galloni of Vinous & Delectable is doing with this new opportunity to provide wine knowledge to a thirsty community on line. Started it on March 28 with Marquis d’Angerville, April 4 Domaine Dujac and this morning April 6 with Vietti. Ambitious ongoing free programs planned of Vinous Live! all this week with an impressive most interesting guest list. Be sure to tune in.

A few sample information gems I picked up from enjoying the last two webinars mentioned with Zoom on line:

1. Jacques Seysses of Domaine Dujac compares 2017 vintage with 1984, 1994, and 2004 as good years but lighter in structure. No really unripe vintages since the nineties. Have been green notes in some wines from ladybug (coccinella) invasions in 2004, 2011/2012 and for other reasons. His father Jacques used 100% whole cluster but he still uses 80-85%. Warmer vintages seem to give less integration of oak perhaps because of more skin tannins so cutting back on oak so only 75% for Grand Cru and less for 1er Cru down to 25%. Climate change: Riper means extract faster so he is cooling down the grapes but has his foot on the brake with fewer pump overs and punch downs. Most concerned with warm Winters for early buds followed by cold Springs for frost. Chablis already is geared up but Bourgogne needs to do more preparation. Antonio Galloni likes the variation in 2017 meaning you have to taste carefully and get the unexpected curve balls. Likes the unknown small producers for example in Maranges to find surprises you can actually afford and the beauty in that. Or the village wine of top producers like Roumier. AG likes Dujac’s wines including Romanee St. Vivant and iconic Clos de la Roche but admitted his favourite to collect is Bonnes-Mares.

2. Luca Currado of Vietti with Alessandro Masnaghetti map expert and AG on three way split screen. Still technical issues to resolve as only audio of LC and no video of him for first 15 minutes. Fun tour of the vineyards on line without having to drive those steep very narrow roads in Castiglione Falleto. Luca drinking Champagne for “bubbles fun & happiness” he calls it the “altra Langhe” with Burgundy too. Later switched to Barbera d’Alba from Cappellano of Gabutti. AG had his 1999 Barolo Ravera Vietti ready. Luca said this vineyard struggled in the sixties and seventies but now can be a bit too ripe sometimes but has those typical strawberries. AM not convinced new climate is changing the best historical vineyards in Barolo as they are still there in their unique terroir and producers are reacting to it all. They all like the real classic style of 1996 and 2010 vintages.

Question: Is my food & wine safe from the Covid-19 virus?

Answer: Most timely question. Doesn’t seem to be any present evidence that this infection has been transferred through food. Possible it could remain for some time on raw food items so better to wash them before eating. Safest of course to have cooked food that should kill the virus. Covid-19 can survive for short time periods on those food packaging surfaces too so be careful to wash your hands after handling those. Medical opinion is that the virus should not be able to survive in an alcoholic environment rich in polyphenols. How high does the alcohol have to be? What about low alcohol wines? However seems most unlikely this virus would be transmitted in wine. Your glass of wine should be safe.

These are tough unprecedented circumstances for everyone around the world seeming only to get worse every day. This Covid-19 pandemic is affecting everyone but some much worse than others – look at remarkable health care workers and the suffering hospitality industry! Difficult to think a wine and food Blog is of any importance in times like these. However perhaps you can appreciate some small comforts in being home bound. Hopefully you now have time to be with other present family members to actually sit down and have a meal together. Try some of those old favourite recipes that you all have enjoyed in safer times or experiment with an enticing new one. Shop carefully or help the restaurants in your area by getting some meals delivered to your home. This is an excellent time to take advantage of those special food items stored away in your freezer. Your scribe is using up some frozen duck breasts. Over 4 nights last week we tried our last bottles of unheralded vintages of 1986 & 1987 Mazis-Chambertin & Corton Clos des Cortons all from Faiveley. Remember visiting Burgundy in September 1986 (before that memorable IWFS Festival in Alsace with bread master Poilane) and the vineyards below the road were flooded from the rains. The higher vineyards of Mazis and Corton survived those bad weather conditions somewhat better. All drinking rather well really and the 1987 Corton showing best balance and more depth. Though they do not have the intense fruit complexity of 1985 or 1990 (or even higher acidity 1988 finally coming around) for 30+ years aged red Burgundy they paired successfully with food courses (duck) but more importantly brought us some moments of needed joy and a more positive uplift to our day of news overload. We certainly toasted our life with thanks and gratitude for the foresight of having a wine cellar to draw on presently. Hope you have some special bottles for family use now.

Similarly it has been fun to put to use some of the wine knowledge about Champagne gained at the 42nd Vancouver International Wine Festival. Then was a wonderful opportunity to taste the different styles of bubbles available from Piper-Heidsieck & Charles Heidsieck (with Ludovic Panciera V-P The Americas), Laurent-Perrier (Marine Roupsy Area Export Manager), Taittinger (Clovis Taittinger), and Alfred Gratien (Gianmaria Bottos Area Manager Canada) at several trade and consumer tastings. The crisp fresh lively Cuvee Brut of Piper (and creamy Rare 2006) so dramatically different from the rich toasty 40% old Reserves in Charles. Many choices from L-P from Brut, Ultra Brut, blended vintages of Grand Siecle, to outstanding balance of Millesime 2008. Gratien had value Classiques of both Brut (3 grapes blend) and strawberries floral Rose. Taittinger presented Brut Reserve, Prestige Rose, Prelude of Grand Crus equal chard and pinot noir, and sweeter dosage of sugar cane Nocturne Sec City Lights. Shining especially bright in the spotlight were two 2007 vintage treasures of Comtes of Blanc De Blancs and Grands Crus Rose. What an amazing selection including these that were on sale at BCLDB in December so luckily put a few bottles away. Also now know that the Charles Heidsieck style would be a perfect match with a home cooked fish course wrapped in potato chips. Delicious pairing. Hoping to make the most of life and trying to enjoy some moments every day the best we can. Suggest you do the same. Keep safe!

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