Vancouver Craft Beer Week throws down the challenge once again on June 2 with the annual Cicerone vs. Sommelier competition. The battle plays out over four courses where each dish is paired with one beer and one wine. Attendees vote on which they prefer. Really it’s a win-win for all.
Executive chef Joel Ochsendorf from The Belmont Bar created this year’s menu. He’s starting with tomato bruschetta followed by a spot prawn shooter, then Dungeness crab croquette and finishing with smoked beef pudding.
Both competitors are at the top of their game.
Two-time returning champion and owner of BierCraft, Don Farion (who beat me last year) attributes his success to recreating the menu and trying out his ideas ahead of time. He admits that this year: “It’s a very wine friendly menu. We’re dealing with some delicate food for the first three courses.”
His opponent is the talent Emily Walker, sommelier at Yew restaurant. Is she nervous challenging Don?
“A little bit, yeah. He’s already beaten two very credible palates in the city so I would be silly not to be a bit nervous. But I’m going for the delicious factor.”
When I chatted with Don and Emily, neither had made their final pairing selections.
What is your approach to pairing beer/wine with a dish?
Don: I generalize to begin with then narrow it down depending on what the preparation is. Say the dish is spicy; then I have an opportunity to use an IPA, which works terrific with hot food.
Emily: I start by thinking of regionality but I don’t necessarily end there. I also love comparing flavours in the dish and wine and then going for a bit of contrast.
Which do you think is more food-friendly, beer or wine?
Don: Wine is better with food generally as beer can clash with more. But the right beer works better than the right wine. This is mostly because of carbonation in beer, which cleans your palate for the next bite.
Emily: I wouldn’t say that beer is more or less friendly than wine. I feel like beer will go with more though. Like Champagne, you can turn to it when a dish is a little trickier to pair.
What is the most challenging aspect of the menu?
Don: It’s a small tasting menu with less components and there aren’t many bold flavours so I can’t go with big beers. I’m faced with finding some interesting lighter beers, like French and Belgian Saison. The one I’ve been waffling on the most is the spot prawn dish as they’re so delicate.
Emily: The second course. It sounds like it has a creamy, savoury aspect with the cauliflower cream yet spot prawns are so fresh, light and sweet. It’s a little more difficult to wrap my head around what that dish might look like.
Which pairing do you think will be the standout?
Don: If I can get the right beer for the crab croquette then I think it will be the standout. I love fried food and beer. Crab and any Belgium wit is always a fantastic pairing.
Emily: I’m pretty excited about the third course. I just love pairing white wine with crab. You can go with something that has some weight and texture but you also need a nice acid component. I’m thinking something delicious from the Loire Valley, like Vouvray.
Are you taking any chances?
Don: I think I’ll have to with the bruschetta. Tomatoes can be the enemy of beer.
It would be nice to start with a bit of a surprise, like a Russian barrel stout or a German black lager.
Emily: I may end up going with a slightly more obscure varietal for the first course. There is also something to be said for striking a balance between making sure the pairings make sense and the progression with the menu. I might be taking a bit of a risk in that area.
If the roles were reversed at the last minute would you be able to choose something to go with each dish?
Don: Oh man…oof… no clue without much thought. With the bruschetta, I would go with red, but one that’s lighter. With the spot prawn I would likely do a rosé. And then the croquette would be white but something bright and crisp like a Vinho Verde. With the smoked beef pudding a big red Merlot with lots of oak.
Emily: On the spot, absolutely not. That’s where I take my hat off to Don. There aren’t a lot people who specialize specifically in beer, especially beer with food. I appreciate beer but don’t work with it often enough to confidently pair a four-course menu with it. And that’s me being completely honest.
• Cicerone vs. Sommelier takes place Tuesday, June 2 at Legacy Liquor Store, 1633 Manitoba. Tickets $80 and include four-course dinner with wine and beer pairings. Visit VancouverCraftBeerWeek.comfor tickets.
