This Saturday is National Wine Day and here to help us celebrate is Natalie MacLean, who offers Canada’s most popular online wine and food pairing classes at nataliemaclean.com.
Welcome, Natalie.
Wine has a long and rich history, doesn’t it?
Yes, ancient clay jars containing wine residue dating back to 6,000 BCE have been found in the country of Georgia. Egyptians were among the first to document the winemaking process in tomb paintings around 2500 BCE.
The ancient Greeks and Romans not only improved winemaking processes, but they also spread wine culture in the countries they explored and conquered. Then we have the medieval monks cultivating vines throughout the Middle Ages in European monasteries, developing famous wine regions like Burgundy and Champagne.
When did National Wine Day start?
Although wine has been with us for more than thousand years, National Wine Day started in 2009. However, as one of my online course students recently said, “As if we needed an official day to celebrate the drink most of us love year-round.”
That said, I think it’s worth celebrating how wine has influenced our culture in a way that no other beverage has. So, with each wine pick today, I’ll also share something unique about wine to celebrate.
Tell us about the first wine you’re recommending for this weekend.
I have the Quails’ Gate Chardonnay from the Okanagan Valley in BC with aromas of green and golden apples and freshly baked bread. This chardonnay would be perfect with herbed rotisserie chicken or bay scallops in garlic butter.
Quails’ Gate Estate Winery Chardonnay
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia BC V.Q.A., Canada
This relates to my first reason to celebrate wine. It has long been more associated with food pairing than hard liquor because wine has lower alcohol. Compared to beer, it has a greater range of flavours.
What’s next?
I have this lovely Bread & Butter Rosé from California. It has aromas of fresh field strawberries and summer sunshine. Rosé is always enjoyed best while young, and I do mean the wine, not the person. You don’t need to age it.
Bread & Butter Rosé
California, United States
That’s celebratory reason number two. Wine reminds us how fleeting life is. Unlike a painting that can last for thousands of years, when the wine is consumed, it’s gone, all we have is the memory. Carpe diem, carpe vinum.
You have a red wine for us?
Yes, I have an Old Vines Baco Noir from Henry of Pelham, the Niagara winery that is the leading producer of this wine in Canada. It’s brooding and deep with layers of fleshy ripe blackberries and smoke. I’d pair it with a slow-roasted leg or lamb or bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin.
Henry of Pelham Old Vines Baco Noir
Ontario V.Q.A., Canada
Reason number three is that wine is the drink of conversation. Most of its character is in the aroma, connecting to the areas of the brain responsible for memory and emotion. That’s why we serve in large glasses that we can swirl and sniff rather than shooter glasses that we just knock back.
What’s your final recommendation?
I have this full-bodied, complex and layered Hester Creek GSM from the Okanagan Valley with rich dark berry and plum flavours. GSM stands for the grapes in the blend: Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre, which adds complexity to this wine. Pair it with braised short ribs or a duck ragout.
Hester Creek Estate Winery GSM
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, BC V.Q.A., Canada
This one will age well in your cellar for at least five years, but if you can’t wait, decant it for an hour or two.
Reason number four relates to the rituals of wine, such as passing a decanter clockwise around the dinner table to signify how the passing of time binds us together. It’s a nod both to those present, those who sat before us and those who will sit when we are gone.
Thank you, Natalie! Where can we find these wines?
I’ve posted all of these wines and pairings at nataliemaclean.com.
Posted with permission of CTV.
