Were going to start this weeks column talking about last weeks column.
You see, last week I wrote about my friend Lindsay Ferguson. Lindsay wears many hats in her life, the most high-profile one currently being that shes the sommelier at Wildebeest, the new Gastown restaurant at 120 West Hastings that opened to much acclaim just a few weeks back. Chef David Gunawan (ex-West) has been wowing diners with his fun, unorthodox culinary acrobatics while co-owner Josh Papes innovative cocktail program has kept the rooms cheer at fever pitch. Lindsays wine program has perfectly mirrored the menus flair for both adventure and finesse.
Besides running the wine program at Wildebeest, she is overseeing the wines being poured at Jules Bistro, the charming classic French eatery not two blocks away. Shes also a co-owner of Re-Up BBQ, one of the citys best street food carts, which now has a bricks-and-mortar location at the River Market in New Westminster and happens to be next door to Fathom, a casual fish n chips shop that she and a few others own as well. Last week I covered this all in great detail adding in the fact she has just had a baby girl and that, despite this very busy life, she manages to have plenty of fun while doing all of these things very well.
Apparently we could use a little refresher on multi-tasking well ourselves. It turns out that in a post-Labour Day rush to print, a bug in the machine had completely changed her first name in the headline atop my column, and it wasnt caught until wed gone to press. To Lindsay and her colleagues, wed like to wholeheartedly apologise for the error.
To help make it up, this week Im offering recommendations of a couple wines I know Lindsay has a soft-spot for, two bottles shes a fan of and often encourages others to try. She often gravitates to the Old World when discussing wines close to her heart, so its off to Europe we go!
Château dEsclans 2011 Whispering Angel Rosé | Provence, France | $28.99 | BC Liquor Stores
A perennial favourite of those who like their pink wines fruity and alive but still fairly dry and crisp! This salmon-coloured, Grenache-based blend has kiwi fruit and wild strawberries bounce around with fresh-squeezed spritzes of grapefruit and blood orange. Theres a minerality here keeping things lean and fresh, perfect for oysters, scallops or why not? a big ol bucket of chicken.
La Miranda de Secastilla 2008 | Somontano, Spain | $18.99 | BC Liquor Stores
Blending old-vine Garnacha with a bit of Syrah and the indigenous Parraleta grape high up in the rocky mountains of northeast Spain, the Secastilla crew arent exactly pioneers in the region the Romans can lay claim to that, from first century B.C. but they are trying to put it back on the map. An almost-mythical air blows through nearby branches that harbour almonds and olives while owls and vultures swoop through juniper, oak and pine trees. Plenty of sunshine gets the fruit nice and ripe, think blueberry and blackberry compote with a good lashing of vanilla and spice. Begs for roast duck or any beast of your choosing.
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