Sushi is becoming increasingly popular in Vancouver and almost everywhere else.

A big new 210 seat Miku Restaurant (www.mikurestaurant.com) opened here last week with wrap around patios outside, a magnificent Coal Harbour view and Japanese artist hand painted seafood murals. Owned by Aburi Restaurants Canada this joins their sister restaurant Minami here in Yaletown both featuring seafood. They are bringing an innovative new concept to the Canadian scene with Aburi (sear flamed with a blowtorch) sushi as well as more vegetarian and gluten-free choices. The act of applying fire directly to enhance the natural fish flavours was developed in Japan about a century ago. They are creating their own sauces using non traditional Japanese ingredients (usually soy and wasabi) trying to complement the unique taste of each fish. Some examples include Aburi Hamachi (yellowtail) with avocado sauce, Aburi Hotate (scallop) with cod roe mayo, and Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi fused with jalapeno. For non fish lovers there is even thin Aburi Chicken cooked on a very hot plate over an open fire grill.

A media friend Mijune Pak has just written up a 3 part feature on Sushi: 1.Rolls (Maki) vs. Nigiri-Zushi (Nigiri); 2.The use of Condiments; and 3.How to Eat it. For those wanting more information on sushi I suggest you read these at www.followmefoodie.com or www.wevancouver.com under their Food & Drink tab.

Join in with your own thoughts on sushi or sashimi and whether you prefer traditional, Aburi style, both or neither.

Just enjoyed a fabulous dinner of some top nebbiolo served blind matched with quality dishes from Piedmont. Is there a better wine and food pairing than sliced fresh white truffle on Acquerello carnaroli risotto funghi with a mature Barolo or Barbaresco?

Top vintages were rarer in the old days with 58, 61, 64, 71, 78, 82 & 85 all memorable. Since the trio of 88, 89 & 90 there has been a pretty good run of better years starting with 96. I tend to prefer the classical balanced often late season vintages like 08, 04, 01, 98 & 96 – and even the colder more tannic years like 06 & 99. Certainly the three Barolo 1996 just tried (Cavallotto Bricco Boschis; Burlotto Monvigliero; and Claudio Alario) showed well that styling and no rush to drink up! Some North Americans often prefer the more forwardly, rounder, richer fruit of warmer vintages like 07, 00, & 97 – and even the over the top hot 03.

With global warming and final classifications still evolving a question can be asked whether the full facing south slopes in both Barolo and Barbaresco are still the best ones? Depends – another story!

Thought provoking comments by Bruno Giacosa’s daughter Bruna in a recent interview reported at www.thedrinksbusiness.com 2013/03/barolo-not-better-than-barbaresco. “It is wrong to suggest that Barolo makes better and more age-worthy wines than Barbaresco. Why do you say Barbaresco is more feminine? Maybe because you think it’s more elegant- and yes, in Barbaresco you find elegance, but you find it in Barolo too.”   Excellent point made!

What are your thoughts today on the old distinctions that used to be made between Barolo vs. Barbaresco? Are they still valid?

Welcome to the new Cross-Blog!
Hope this can be an informative interesting rambling journey about wine & food posted on a weekly basis every Monday for IWFS members.
Time to look back on my Top 10 interesting wines of 2012:
10. 2007 CONO SUR 20 BARRELS PINOT NOIR
Dependable versatile juice in a limited edition using best grapes from their El Triangulo Estate in the Casablanca Valley of Chile. Winemaker Adolfo Hurtado and crew make 6 different pinot noirs all good value but this one and Ocio are world class made in a separate winery with unique shallow ” swimming pool” shaped fermenters. Bought several cases on sale for $25 and enjoying every bottle as a house wine with roasted quail or chicken.
9. 1991 ROBERT MONDAVI CABERNET SAUVIGNON RESERVE
Fav since release for the balance, elegance and complexity. Still shows class in blind vertical next to the 1990 – though 1974, 1987 (better than 1985) and 1997 also shone brightly. Bring on the lamb dishes.
2002 Screaming Eagle, 2002 Colgin “Cariad” and magnum 1994 Harlan not too shabby in 2012 as well.
8. 2008 CATENA ZAPATA MALBEC ARGENTINO
All Argentina Malbec is much improved and no one is doing more than the
Catena family led by Laura. Their special high altitude vineyards of Adrianna & Nicasia accentuate the terroir in all their excellent wines but this one has dramatic concentration with cloves, mocha and wonderful oak integration. Also look for their Alta line for quality chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon and entry Catena level.
7. 1989 CHABLIS LES CLOS GRAND CRU DOMAINE LAROCHE
Love Chablis with Seafood – especially fresh Dungeness Crab. This showed maturity and richness next to the 1990 with all others in the Les Clos vertical being younger and all from William Fevre (an outstanding producer) but needing more cellaring. Put some spectacular 2010 from Fevre or Christian Moreau away in your cellar!
6. 2004 FOXTROT PINOT NOIR
First release from small quality producer in Naramata, Okanagan Va (more…)

Just finished a wonderful update week in Bordeaux with many highlights including a special vertical tasting of 15 vintages of Chateau Haut-Bailly Cru Classe De Graves (www.chateau-haut-bailly.com). Since the purchase in 1998 by Elizabeth and Robert Wilmers their investment shows “the wines have gained precision and balance revealing the identity of this Estate’s complex terroir”. As charming and dedicated President Veronique Sanders puts it “illustrate the evolution of the unique style of its wines marrying structure and suppleness, classicism and elegance”.
The Grand Vin contains 20% of very old vines (some up to 130 years old) growing right beside the Chateau.
1998: “Merlots blessed by the gods” 59% cabernet sauvignon & 41% merlot
1999: “Harmony” 65CS, 25M, 10% cabernet franc. A wine virtually “custom-built”
2000: “Legendary” 61CS, 33M, 6CF – a real fav of this blogger
2001: “Elegance” 65CS, 35 M – “long-term vintage which should show character, vivacity, and lustre”
2002: “A very pleasant surprise” 62CS, 35M, 3CF – “Built to last”
2003: “Atypical weather conditions” 56CS, 38M, 6CF – “very ripe tannins but surprising freshness”
2004: “A rare perfection” 50CS, 45M, 5CF -“impressive tannic structure”
2005: “Legendary” 58CS, 36M, 6CF – another beauty just needing time – “power, freshness, balance & elegance”
2006: “Classicism” 65CS, 35M – “This vintage will undoubtedly be well-balanced, silky, and elegant”
2007: “Regularity” 70CS, 26M, 4CF – “a structured texture”
2008: “Purity” 70CS, 30M – “low yields & great vivacity – both striking and soft!”
2009: “A truly great vintage” 60CS, 37M, 3CF – “powerful cabernets but incredibly creamy”
2010: “A double triumph” 62CS, 36M, 2CF – “concentrated monster with higher phenolics than 2009”
2011: “Stamped with the seal of its terroir” 50CS, 47M, 3CF – ” soft fresh fruits of real precision ”
2012: “Virtuoso” 60CS, 40M – “fruity, fresh and dense has tight tannins”
What is your favourite vintage of Haut-Bailly or some other wines from Pessac-Leognan?

Wine Festivals are everywhere these days. The main ones on my calendar include:

(a) Prowein in Dusseldorf Germany March 24-26

(b) Vinitaly in Verona Italy April 7-10

(c) London International Wine Fair in England May 20-22

(d) Vinexpo in Bordeaux France June 16-20

There are many others including this month:

Oregon Pinot Noir in Chicago March 7

Burgundy La Paulee de New York March 6-9 with a dinner featuring Roumier and R & V Dauvissat for $4750 or a lunch at Eleven Madison Park featuring 20 vintages of Jadot Chevalier Montrachet Les Demoiselles for $995.

Fifth Annual New Jersey Wine & Food Festival March 15-17

We just concluded our annual 35th Vancouver International Wine Festival February 25 to March 3. I am delighted to say I have prominently attended all 35! Features around 175 wineries from 15 countries with an obligatory principal present and pouring. There is an annual Theme Region this year California (62 wineries) and Global Focus this year Chardonnay.

I was involved with so many lunches, dinners and seminars over 7 days but one of  my top highlights this year was a seminar on Ridge Vineyards presented by Paul Draper. Blind Zin pairs of 1987, 1997, and 2010  comparing elegant Geyserville and earthy Lytton Springs from Dry Creek Valley. Sensational Montebello Cabs 1985 (93CS, 7M, 13.1), 1995 (69CS, 18M, 10PV, 3CF, 12.5), 2001 (56CS, 36M, 8PV 14.2) and 2009 (72CS, 22M, 6PV 13.5).  The limestone ridge there is unique and gives minerality but perhaps more important is the cool climate at 1300-2600 feet elevation. Wild yeast and air dried American oak barrels are other key factors. Paul is proud that since the sixties the average alcohol is only 13.1 for Montebello. In 2001 Paul concerned they didn’t pick all the blocks as soon as they could have and resulted in the first one over 14 raising the historical average but still the wine is not over the top. Interesting to note how each year is hand crafted not using a formula with cabernet sauvignon ranges from 56% to 93% and similarly merlot from 7% to 36%. Dark colours and low yields but careful not to over extract the tannins from the cap. A few summary observations from Paul on other older vintages of Ridge Montebello you might be storing: 68 & 70 both outstanding; 71 great now with age 12.2; 73 not appreciated by the critics but showing better now; 74 great; 75 lighter year drink; 76 not great because some over ripe and some under ripe grapes; 77 great and still tight 11.7; 78 great showing class; 79 declining; 80 not typical suffered from 76/77 drought; 81 good fully developed; 82 big crop not ripe; 83 too hard declassified; 84 fine…

Next year the 36th Vancouver International Wine Festival is February 24 to March 2, 2014 with the Theme Region France and the Global Focus Bubbles. A good time to visit Vancouver on business or vacation! Make plans.

Please post for everyone some information on Wine Festivals being held in your region. I would be pleased to participate some time. Sure other members would be interested as well. Also any comments on Ridge Vineyards and their wines are most welcome!