Harvest time is upon us. Summer’s final days are here and the bounty to fill the Cornucopia is rolling in. As we know, for our BC vintners, this year’s harvest season is bittersweet, with some lucky wineries reporting 25-30% of their usual crop, with so many others not so lucky. I’m pulling in a strong crop of tomatoes, peppers, and tons of other vegetables in my backyard garden (farm), as are my farmer neighbours up in Pemberton. Our Whistler restaurants are starting up their fall specials and celebrating the bounty of this local harvest and delicious BC and global wines to go with these menus.
While working on this year’s Cornucopia drink seminars, and picking buckets of tomatoes, I reminded myself that I didn’t drink enough rose this summer. The great news is it is never too late to enjoy rose – it just may be time for a style shift. Those glorious, scorching hot summer days called for a pale, bone dry ‘provencal’ style of rose, very cold, for pure refreshment, perhaps with a cool salad for afternoon lunch. Now that the sun has lowered, and menus are heartier, it’s time to open some slightly richer roses. Darker colour comes from longer skin contact, and adds flavour and some tannin even to match with richer food. There is something pink to pair with almost any harvest food and any occasion.
Though we don’t have a rose specific seminar on schedule, you can be sure that many of our presenters will be including this versatile wine in their seminars, including my own. You will also see many at our Signature events, including the West Coast House Party, Crush Gala, and more. I’ll be opening a great bottle of BC rose this week to inspire me, perhaps from Quails’ Gate, Fort Berens, or Unsworth, and hope that you will be inspired too to join us in discovering a world of fantastic wine and other beverages in our seminars this year. There is truly something for everyone! And please don’t delay in getting your tickets, several have limited seats remaining.
