This week’s Vancouver Somm Smackdown turned out to be a fitting way to celebrate 30 years of BC VQA, on many levels. The BC Wine Institute and CAPS BC-sponsored ‘Smackdown’ featured dishes from three chefs, their plates matched with a wine pairing from each of three sommeliers. Our task was to pick what we considered the best match for each course. The winning sommelier from this event will compete with the winners from similar smackdowns in Victoria and Calgary.
This was a morphing of the popular ‘Chef Meets Grape’ food and wine pairing contest that’s grown over the years to include sold-out events in Vancouver, the Okanagan and Calgary. But, of course, due to Covid-19, this year was different, with no public gatherings possible on the usual scale. But it turned out to be a virtual tour de force on the part of all who participated.
Chefs Alex Chen (Boulevard), Roger Sleiman (Old Vines Restaurant at Quails’ Gate) and Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson (Published on Main), photo Wines of British Columbia
The mainly online event was hosted by Vancouver’s Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, which also undertook the challenging task of delivering three partially prepped three dishes, ingredients and wines to no less than 21 judges around Greater Vancouver. The participating chefs were Roger Sleiman (Old Vines Restaurant at Quails’ Gate), Alex Chen (Boulevard) and Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson (Published on Main). Noted food and wine educator DJ Kearney (Vice President & Director of Competitions CAPS BC) kept everything on track as emcee.
The wines chosen by sommeliers Andrew Forsyth (L’Abatttoir), Christina Hartigan (Wildebeest/Gooseneck Hospitality) and Lisa Weizert (Chambar) spanned a range of styles, including Chardonnays with varying oak treatments to pair with seafood. Across the board the standard was high—a true testament to where the industry’s at today—and a nice nod to 30 years of BC VQA.
The Rise of In-Home Dining
The dishes contrasted and represented well the styles of the chefs involved, although I couldn’t help but think how trusting they were to risk amateurs like me mangling their handiwork. Luckily I had some capable help from my neighbour and very adept home chef, Ross.
What strikes me as timely, in this strange age of isolated dining, is the number of restaurants offering ever more sophisticated in-home options. That was very much reflected in these dishes and their ingredients. It made me even more appreciative of just how hard organizers at previous Chef Meets Grape events have had to work to keep things on time. We prepped and cooked our dishes ahead of time to the point of being almost service ready, and Zoomed in (just) at the appointed time.
Down to the Wire!
The action was fast and furious as each chef explained their course and the sommeliers their pairings. I was set up in the hallway of our building, socially distant from my good neighbours, who were also tasting and watching the proceedings.
Ours was a truly elegant setting, with my computer sitting on one upturned wine box, and the dish and three glasses on another. Ken the cat (who lives close by) slunk around just in case there were any plates not being closely watched that might need cleaning.
It was novel, if not somewhat surreal, as are most things these days. The only minor casualty of the evening? I did manage to slightly overcook (singe) my dumplings while I was busy pouring the wine flight.
The Outcome
Here’s a quick run-down of the dishes and their matches:
Chef Roger Sleiman Tanto latte burrata (Wines of British Columbia photo)
There was a lot going on in chef Roger Slieman’s Tanto latte burrata, with pickled nectarines, wagyu bressola, pumpkin seed, baby kale and jalapeno vinaigrette. The wild cards here were the pickled nectarines and the jalapeno. The wines—Unsworth Charme de l’île Rosé (Forsyth), Tantalus Riesling ’19 (Weizert), and Terravista Fandango ’19 (Hartigan)—offered contrasting choices.
After some back and forth I chose the Fandango (a blend of Alabariño and Verdejo), in part because it stood up so well to both the heat and the pickle, and also conveyed an element of ‘heft.’ The high acidity of the Tantalus also worked well (besides, Riesling, eh?), while the Unsworth sparkling rosé (100% Pinot Noir) connected nicely with the dish overall. It turned out to be the highest scoring match of the evening.
Boulevard Executive Chef Alex Chen with Sea Bream en croute
Ross did a great job of cooking chef Alex Chen’s Sea Bream en croute de sel, with stewed mushroom ‘butter’, roasted fennel and braised Cipollini onions. The wines here were Checkmate Fool’s Mate Chardonnay ’15 (Forsyth), Quails’ Gate Stewart Family Reserve Chardonnay ’18 (Weizert), and Roche Wines ‘Tradition’ Chardonnay ’17 (Hartigan).
Pretty impressive Sea Bream en croute prepared by Ross
This was a delicious dish, with the fish kept perfectly moist thanks to the crust. Unquestionably, all the wines worked well. But it was the more subtle oak and slightly nutty, earthy element of the Roche that I found most appealing, as it paired particularly effectively with the roasted fennel and mushroom and, texturally, complemented the fish beautifully. (As noted by the chef, a light Pinot Noir would also have worked well.)
Published on Main Chef Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandon’s short rib, wines of British Columbia photo
Chef Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson’s braised short rib with wild rice miso glaze arrived as a boil-in-bag ingredient to be simmered then oven glazed, making this dish relatively easy to prepare. The other ingredients in play were roasted carrots with butter, pan-fried ‘pretzel’ dumplings and smoked celeriac purée.
The VQA wine line-up was again varied and impressive: Le Vieux Pin Cuvée Classique Syrah ’15 (Forsyth), Arrowleaf Cellars Zweigelt ’18 (Weizert) and Culmina Hypothesis ’14 (Hartigan). The richly layered flavours of the dish—especially the miso glaze and celeriac purée—called for a fuller bodied red with a degree of complexity. Fitting the bill, the structure and intensity of the Culmina Hypothesis with spice and peppery hints, generous mouthfeel and supple tannins, was our favourite match that carried the dish to the next level.
A Little History
These contests (now the norm) have their roots in early BCWI VQA promotions introduced at a time when BC wines didn’t enjoy anywhere near the wide support they do now. Hard to believe, perhaps, but back in the day, some 30 years ago, we had to start at square one. The very first was ‘A Marriage Made in BC: Salmon & Pinot Blanc’. This was a restaurant promo that introduced diners to the then-revolutionary idea that certain varieties really did pair better with salmon than others. And Pinot Blanc can be a slam dunk.
And the Winner is …
Sommelier Andrew Forsyth, Wines of British Columbia photo
Congratulations to Andrew Forsyth, whose pairings received the most votes overall. He will compete later this year in Kelowna against the winners from Victoria and Calgary. But congrats also to Lisa Weizert, and to Christina Hartigan—who must have excellent taste (-; as my selections matched hers for every dish!
All photos courtesy of Wines of British Columbia unless otherwise indicated
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