While it would be awesome enough writing my column in this issue guest-edited by Prevail, there’s actually a bit of an auspicious connection here. Years back, we’re talking the 1990s here, Prev and I were servers at a quite-acclaimed local restaurant. Besides being an incredibly fun guy to work with on the floor, my most vivid recollections of that time are his earnest engagement with guests, the constant laughs and cheer amongst fellow staff, and most of all—a natural enthusiasm for food and wine. In homage to the guy and his many passions, this week I find a little music to pair along with three recommended wines. To give the concept a little more focus, I looked to artists that hail from (roughly) the same place as each bottle, a little aural terroir if you will, with a suggested track that I think pinpoints the wine’s style.
Yering Station ‘Little Yering’ Pinot Noir | Yarra Valley | $15.99 | BC Liquor Stores
Chet Faker | I’m Into You | ChetFaker.com
There’s an earnestness and lift to this cool-climate Pinot Noir, miles away from the heavy and jammy Aussie reds you may have top of mind. It’s smooth and breezy with plums and red currants, yet tethered to a touch of earthiness by a kiss of tannin, along with cardamom and clove. Easy with charm, yet a glimpse of brooding depth.
Chet Faker is a Melbourne artist who leans to the electronic side of things, with a good dose of natural soul. His track I’m Into You sails along with ease, but his lyrics hint at something a little more complicated, a little turmoil, while keeping a smooth exterior all the way along.
For those interested in seeing him live, Faker is playing the Fortune Sound Club this Friday, May 23.
JP Brun Terres Dorees L’Ancien 2012 | Beaujolais, France | $24.98 | BC Liquor Stores
Serge Gainsbourg | Melodie Nelson | SergeGainsbourg.com
The Gamay grape is a personal favourite. JP Brun’s take is initially quaffable and charming with cherries and strawberries, but maintains a deep complexity of minerality and spice woven throughout. A Parisian legend, Serge Gainsbourg’s music has always been warm and comfortable, and there’s so much layered through upon repeated listens. Like true Beaujolais, there’s a sophistication at play that brings incredible eminence to his songs, but you needn’t give ‘em too much thought to enjoy them just the same. Old World harmony in spades.
Tantalus 2013 Riesling | Kelowna, BC | $23+ | Tantalus.ca/Private Stores
The New Pornographers | Crash Years | TheNewPornographers.com
At first glance, the Riesling from Tantalus has always been cheery and easy-to-drink, a definite crowd-pleaser full of stone fruit and citrus. It’s when you begin to ponder what’s in your glass that you realize that what you’re sipping has a lot more to it. There’s a clean expression of our mineral-rich Okanagan soils, those soils the result of glaciers passing through the Valley millennia ago. The fruit itself gleams, held aloft by pitch-perfect acidity, a result of winemaker David Paterson’s hand not getting too meddlesome in the process.
The New Pornographers’ Crash Years, off of their 2010 album Together, like all of their music, is the epitome of well-crafted pop. Easy on the ears, they make it seem easy—but again, there’s so much more going on here. Neko Case takes the lead on this one, as AC Newman’s harmonies intertwine perfectly. The strummy guitar, the choppy cello, the lifts and swells, all of it a delight.
Having trouble finding something, or just want to say hi? Find me via KurtisKolt.com or on Twitter at @KurtisKolt.
