MyWinePal visits Mistral French Bistro

It was a beautiful day on Saturday, so I decided to have lunch at Mistral French Bistro in Kitsilano. I'd never been there before but have heard that the food is very good. I checked through their website to see that they have 4 Fixed Price menus for lunch. All around the $20 mark, that includes appetizer, main course and dessert. A very good deal in my opinion.

So my selection was the "Provence" lunch ($20). My selections for my lunch were:

Appetizer: Assortment of traditional Provencal appetizers - Mediterranean black olive spread with croutons, Puree of creamed Cod, Anchovy and garlic dipping sauce with crisp celery

Main: Braised lamb shoulder stew with olives Nicoise and seasonal vegetables, house French Fries

Dessert: Dark Chocolate mousse

To the appetizer and Main course, I enjoyed a glass of L’ORANGERAIE Rose 2009. This wine is from Vin de Pays d’Oc, France and is a mixture of 60% Cinsault, 20% Grenache, 20% Syrah. The wine had nice light cherry flavour, nice acidity, and low tannins. This rose went very nice with the Provencal appetizers and balanced the heaviness of the stew.

The appetizers were quite nice. In particular I enjoyed the black olive spread (tapenade) together with the radish. The saltiness of the tapenade and the pepperiness of the radish cancelled each other out, letting more fully enjoy the olive flavour and the crunchiness of the radish.

The braised lamb shoulder stew was quite amazing. Many different flavours merged together. The stew sauce had the herbes de Provence. There were fresh baby carrots and beans as well and turnip that exploded with flavour. The vegetables still had a nice amount of crispness to them and provided nice texture to the lamb.

The chocolate mousse for dessert was fantastic. I enjoyed it with a cup of coffee. A truly enjoyable lunch.

To check out their other fixed price menus, you can click on this link to the Mistral French Bistro. Enjoy!

BC Pinot Noir for summer sips

My earlier post was on BC pinot gris/grigio in the $15-$25 range for enjoying this summer. This post will be on BC pinot noir in the same price range. Pinot noir is nice slightly chilled, with not too much tannins to make it enjoyable on the patio. Plus with it's summer fruit flavours and aromas of strawberries and raspberries in many cases, also makes it a good fit. I think BC makes very nice Pinot Noir. As an aside, there are several either New Zealand trained, or New Zealand wine makers here in BC. New Zealand is very well known for their New World style Pinot Noirs, and are making Burgundy take notice.

A quick check on the EverythingWine website, came up with 17 BC Pinot Noirs:

Arrowleaf Pinot Noir 750 mL	Pinot Noir	$22.99
Ganton & Larsen Prospect Pinot Noir 750 ml	Pinot Noir	$15.99
Gray Monk Pinot Noir 750mL	Pinot Noir	$16.99
Inniskillin Okanagan Pinot Noir 750 mL	Pinot Noir	$24.99
Kalala Organic Estate Winery Pinot Noir Rose 750 mL	Pinot Noir	$21.99
Kettle Valley Pinot Noir Reserve 375ml	Pinot Noir	$23.99
Lang Vineyards Pinot Noir 750ml	Pinot Noir	$22.99
Mike Weir Pinot Noir 750 mL	Pinot Noir	$21.99
Mission Hill Family Estate Five Vineyards Pinot Noir Bin 88 750ml	Pinot Noir	$16.99
Mission Hill Family Estate Five Vineyards Pinot Noir 750 mL	Pinot Noir	$17.99
Mission Hill Family Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 750 mL	Pinot Noir	$21.99
Mt Boucherie Pinot Noir 750ml	Pinot Noir	$24.99
Neck of the Woods Winery Blanc de Noir Sparkling 750 mL	Pinot Noir	$24.99
Paradise Ranch Whistler 2005 Pinot Noir Icewine 200 ml	Pinot Noir	$24.99
Quails' Gate Pinot Noir 750ml	Pinot Noir	$24.99
See Ya Later Ranch Unleashed Pinot Noir 750ml	Pinot Noir	$21.99
Tinhorn Creek Vineyards Pinot Noir 750ml	Pinot Noir	$18.99

You may have noticed a sparkling wine and an ice wine in the mix. The Pinot Noir grape is one of the classic varietals in Champagne. It also is being used to make more ice wines here in BC. One of my favourite BC Pinot Noir, is the Quail's Gate Pinot Noir. From previous tasting notes that I have for Quail's Gate Pinot Noir 2007: Silky with flavours of strawberries and cherries, and a bit of spice.

Enjoy summer!

South Okanagan wineries to aid in Oliver area slide relief

With the slide in the Oliver area last month, the South Okanagan Winery Association is pulling together to help those affected. Below is a press release that they sent to me. If you are going to be in the area, please drop in and participate in the event.

Karl
===

July 7, 2010

In Short:

This June a mudslide tore through the Southern Okanagan Valley, destroying the homes and livelihoods of many of our neighbours. In answer to the disaster, The South Okanagan Winery Association is proud to announce its participation in the Mudslide Crisis Relief Committee’s fundraiser during Oliver Township’s “Sunshine Days” on July 17. We invite everyone to come down to the Oliver Community Centre around noon to enjoy the festivities, including: A beer (and cider!) tent, water slides, live music, and a once-in-a-lifetime raffle for some of the best wines the Southern Okanagan has to offer. Come for the fun and stay to watch the wineries beat the pants off of anyone who dares to accept their Tug-O-War challenge! Think you got what it takes? Sign up at Oliver Parks and Rec.

More Information:

The Mudslide that wreaked havoc on Southern Okanagan homes earlier this year left many lives in disarray. In response, the communities of Oliver and Osoyoos have come together to create the Mudslide Crisis Relief Committee to raise money for mudslide victims. The first major event is during the Sunshine Days festival in Oliver.

Saturday, July 17, join The Wineries of the Southern Okanagan at the Oliver Community Centre at 12:00pm where we will be part of a beer garden on the tennis courts. Cider, beer and food will be available with all proceeds going to the Mudslide Crisis Relief Fund. Other organised activities include: kids water slides, live music and a raffle for wine donated by wineries around the Southern Okanagan.

But what kind of mudslide charity would it be without a mud Tug-O-War? Road 13 has partnered with Stoneboat Vineyards and has challenged any local winery to dare face them and their mighty team of vineyard grunts; a call that has been answered by the powerhouses at Tinhorn Creek and others. The rules are simple: 10 person teams amalgamated from smaller wineries, or in-house from larger companies, going head-to-head over a pit of mud. $10 per person or $100 per team with all funds going to charity. Teams can register by picking up a form at Oliver Parks and Rec before July 15.

About South Okanagan Winery Association (SOWA)

The wineries of SOWA formed their association based on a unified vision of promoting the unique emerging identity of the region south of McIntyre Bluff. For all of them, this terroir is the source of the premium wine growing region in Canada.

The area is geographically bounded and sculpted by two north-south mountain ranges and hallmarked in the northern extremity by the dramatic cliffs of McIntyre Bluff. These wineries and vineyards express the namesakes of the land: the sage, the creeks, lakes, the historic and aboriginal influences, all decidedly regional.

You are invited to enjoy the unique experience that each winery of the South Okanagan Association offers, from the welcoming wine shops to patios restaurants and unique accommodations. Stretching from the landmark McIntyre Bluff to the Osoyoos border, the land is unparalleled in scenic adventure and award winning wines.

The South Okanagan Winery Association is rooted in a passionate and unified vision of nurturing our unique and emerging identity; our pride in our craft; our characters; and our terroir.

SOWA Members

-Burrowing Owl -Jackson-Triggs

-Cassini Cellars -Nk’Mip Cellars

-Desert Hills -Oliver Twist

-Dunham & Froese -Quinta Ferreira

-Fairview Cellars -Road 13

-Gehringer Brothers -Rustico

-Golden Beaver -Silver Sage

-Hester Creek -Stoneboat

-Inniskillin -Tinhorn Creek

Enjoy some BC Pinot Gris this summer

I thought to help summer along, I'd point out some white wines that you may be interested in trying on your patio. Today I'd like to focus on BC Pinot Gris. I think BC Pinot Gris are very nicely made. They typically have a lot of nice ripe stone fruit, e.g. peach, flavours, apples, and good acidity to make them refreshing in your mouth. Try with some seafood this summer too.

A quick search on the EverythingWine.ca website, came up with 28 BC Pinot Gris in the $15-$25 range.

Arrowleaf Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$18.99
Black Widow Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$24.99
Cassini Cellars Pinot Gris 750mL	Pinot Gris	$15.99
Chase & Warren Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$18.99
Church & State Wines Pinot Gris 750mL	Pinot Gris	$23.99
Desert Hills Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$24.99
Gray Monk Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$16.99
Herder Vineyards Pinot Gris 750ml	Pinot Gris	$21.99
Hester Creek Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$16.99
Hillside Estate Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$22.99
Hillside Estate Unoaked Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$23.99
Kalala Organic Estate Winery Pinot Gris 2008 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$21.99
Kettle Valley Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$24.99
Lake Breeze Vineyards Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$21.99
Lang Vineyards Pinot Gris 750ml	Pinot Gris	$19.99
Mission Hill Family Estate Reserve Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$18.99
Nichol Pinot Gris 750ml	Pinot Gris	$23.99
Pentage Pinot Gris Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$24.99
Poplar Grove 2008 Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$24.99
Red Rooster Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$17.99

Saltspring Vineyards Pinot Gris 750 ml	Pinot Gris	$19.99
Sperling Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$23.99
Thornhaven Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$21.99
Tinhorn Creek Vineyards Pinot Gris 750ml	Pinot Gris	$16.99
Tinhorn Creek Vineyards Pinot Gris 750ml	Pinot Gris	$18.99
Township 7 Pinot Gris 750ml	Pinot Gris	$23.99
Van Westen Vino Grigio Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$23.99
Wild Goose Vineards Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$21.99

I've talked about some of these wines and/or wineries in the past on www.mywinepal.com or on my blog. The Van Westen Vino Grigio Pinot Gris, Thornhaven Pinot Gris, and Black Widow Pinot Gris are a few I'd like to select out as ones that I have enjoyed in the past.
Thornhaven Pinot Gris 2008: Very aromatic. Apple, peach and spice on the nose. Apple and other fruits. Spicy. Quite full bodied.

Van Westen Vino Grigio Pinot Gris 2007: Medium straw colour. Aromas of apple and spice. Citrus and spice on the palate. Full mouthfeel and good acidity.

Black Widow Pinot Gris 2008: Light lemon colour. Nice tropical fruit aroma with light oak. Good acidity. Apple, plum and spice on the palate.

So raise a toast to the start of summer and enjoy some BC Pinot Gris! Cheers.