4
4.5
109WINE
(^) +
(^) VINE
“Coastal Journey”: cedar plank red fish
with wild potato, Dungeness crab foam,
apple crisp & Pacific kelp paired with
2012 François Thienpont Bordeaux Blanc,
Bordeaux, France
First and foremost, I found the structural element
of this element to be fantastic. The tender, delicate
fish paired extremely well with such a clean, precise
and elegant wine. The soft sweetness in the fish
also helped to take the edge of the wine’s acidity,
while the finish was clean, smoky and full of umami.
Clean and precise, yet with an element of delicate
warmth, this pairing proved to be excellent.
Canadian Flavours Featuring Quentin Glabus
“Western Interior”: sous-vided Canadian
beef with a 63-degree egg, charred green
bean & bone marrow béarnaise paired
with 2014 Chateau d’Aussieres Corbieres,
Corbieres, France
The polar opposite of the previous pairing, this
pairing showed itself to be even more spectacular.
Instead of the previous pairing’s clean precision
and delicacy, this pairing showcased bright, vibrant
and rich flavours. The wine’s red fruit character
paired excellently with the tender beef, and the
dish also helped to bring out the wine’s more
subtle spice nuances. The wine’s soft, silky tannin
structure also made an adequate cushion for the
beef to rest upon, while its clean acidity helped
to cleanse the palate of the richness of the bone
marrow béarnaise and egg. An excellent pairing,
with great interaction between the flavours and
textures of the wine and the dish.
3.5
“Prairies”: pork broth with compressed
meat, fingerling potato, root vegetable
& wild rice soba paired with 2013 Pont
des Arts Nuits-Saint-Georges Réserve
Spéciale, Nuits-Saint-Georges, France
Excellent flavour interaction between the dish
and the wine. On the palate, the pairing was
resplendent with ripe cassis and strawberries,
mellow spices, and a beautiful undertone of
umami. The finish also revealed itself to be
clean and refreshing, leaving just a light touch of
umami and white flowers in the mouth. However,
the pairing lacked the textural component and
interaction, which made the previous few pairings
quite excellent, though I did find this pairing to be
quite interesting, as pairing a broth with wine can
be quite a challenge. The flavours of this pairing
were definitely excellent, but due to the lack of
textural interaction, it did not find it as exceptional
as the previous pairings of the night.