It’s that whole chicken or egg debate. Is it the wine that inspires the meal or the dish that informs which bottle to open? Most often we decide on dinner before stopping off at the Liquor Store. However, I have been known to create an entire meal around wine(s) I want to crack.
When the summer farmers’ markets spring into action though, I definitely let nature take the lead. No shopping list is required. Just buy whatever tempts then improvise at home.
Yaletown, Trout Lake and Kitsilano kicked off the season and more markets will be popping up as we head into summer. Each week yields the freshest new crop. Last weekend stalls sported leafy greens like arugula, chard, kale, spinach and lettuce along with herbs, asparagus, radishes, and rhubarb. And speaking of chickens and eggs, it’s not just fruit and veg at vendors’ stands. With free-range poultry, sustainably caught fish, non-medicated beef and pork as well as cheese, yogurt, honey, pâtés, pies, bread and beyond, farmers’ markets are practically a one-stop-shop.
I consciously have to stop myself from buying more than I can eat in a week. More importantly, I remember to save some money so buy a bottle to wash all those goodies down.
2014 Fowles, Farm to Table Pinot Noir • Victoria, Australia • $15.99, BC Liquor Stores
From the wine farms of Australia’s cool Strathbogie Ranges to your produce-laden dinner table. May I suggest this great value Pinot alongside salmon with homemade rhubarb compote? Light, sinewy and crunchy, it marries cranberry, red currant and strawberry with bay leaf, cinnamon and earth.
2013 Domaine Tournon, Mathilda • Victoria, Australia • $20.99, BC Liquor Stores
Here French producer Chapoutier tries out Viognier and Marsanne in Australia with beautiful results. Precise aromas and flavours of peach and apricot are a foreshadowing of summer’s imminent fleshy stone fruit while exotic notes of ginger and honeysuckle add intrigue and vibrancy. Deserving of the season’s finest halibut.
2014 Louis Jadot, Combes aux Jacques • Beaujolais-Villages AOC, France • $21.99, BC Liquor Stores
I drink Beaujolais in the winter to remind me of summer and continue lapping it up when the fairer months arrive. Lithe and fragrant, Beaujolais echoes the scents of the season. Offering raspberry and plum blossom with silky tannin, the Jadot is an easy-going companion when pork chops hit the grill.
2014 Tiberio, Pecorino • IGP Colline Pescaresi, Italy • $27.99, BC Liquor Stores
Pecorino is Italy’s answer to Sauvignon Blanc. Its herbal side expresses wild sage and thyme, which is balanced by succulent honeydew, greengage plum and crisp lemony acidity. Perfectly suited for a light meal of local goat cheese and a salad chock-full of all the vegetables you picked up.
2014 Von Winning, Riesling, Deidesheimer Paradiesgarten Trocken • Pfalz, Germany • $32.99, BC Liquor Stores
This wine was love at first sip. From a romantically named single vineyard that translates as paradise garden, it’s a lip-smacking example of Germany’s take on dry Riesling. Juicy grapefruit, citrus peel and mineral come together seamlessly on the textured palate. Assertive enough to stand up to steamed asparagus especially when topped with soft poached egg and maybe even some bacon.
• Prices exclusive of taxes.
