Tasting Room Radio

  Steve Meyer..The Chief Winemaker at Wyndham Estate Wines in Australia..pours George Wyndham Founders Reserve Shiraz at Fable in Vancouver And Chef Trevor Bird from Fable Kitchen creates four different courses to go with that big down under red. Rene Schlatter  co-owner and President of MerryVale  and Starmount wines talks Napa. Laure Viasserman from the Rhone Valley Wine Council takes us on a tour of Rhone Valley Wines. And while I was in Italy..The Wine Diva was in Chile – again!! We compare notes.   THE SHOW   Daenna van Mulligen..The Wine Diva headed for Chile last week. At the very same time I headed for Barolo in Italy. (Next week..its a one hour special on the wines of Barolo and Truffle Festival time) As soon as I got back, I phoned Daenna and we traded road stories. Daenna had been there 5 years ago. This time she went to South America as the guest of Santa Rita. Expect an update on the wines of the very popular Santa Rita and her observations of Chilean  wine country. www.winediva.ca Steve Meyer is the Chief Winemaker at Wyndham Estate Wines in Australia .  'His love affair with the wine industry comes from the core essence of wine making. For Steve to “have a look at the fruit in the vineyard and get an idea of its potential” is as paramount as when it eventually comes into the winery to process it. Steve has shaped his career around the overriding philosophy that winemakers shouldn’t over do it with too many winemaking tricks. His mantra is “making products more regional”; something he suggests is the next big thing in the wine industry. “Consumers want to know where the wine comes from,  we should be able to show off distinctly where a wine comes from as an aspect of distinctly what we are trying to do”. The opportunity now for Steve at Wyndham Estate is to make fully-fledged regional Shiraz in full flavoured styles. The featured wine is the George Wyndham Founder’s Reserve Shiraz 2010 Vintage.  www.wyndhamestate.com  Steve poured his wine at the fabulous  Fable Kitchen  on Fourth Ave in Kitsilano. Chef Trevor Bird was committed  to pair four different courses with one wine. Wyndham Founders Reserve Shiraz.     Fable Kitchen  was opened in the spring of 2012 by Chef Trevor Bird (of reality show Top Chef Canada fame), and has become one of Vancouver’s “it” restaurants, showcasing the best of local farm to table cuisine. Chef Bird chose to plan the entire evening with this 2010 Shiraz as the only wine, thus showcasing the wine’s excellent versatility with food pairings from appetizers to desserts. The evening started with canapés—wonderful blue cheese and bacon filled dates along with shooters of parsnip and apple soup.  Trevor chose to highlight the herbaceous notes in the wine with the first course of rabbit legs and squash angolotti. For the second course, Braised Beef Stiletto, the Shiraz was used to braise the meat and create the au jus, making this a perfect pairing. The evening drew to a close with a sublime Dark Chocolate Terrine and Olive Oil Ice Cream  www.fablekitchen.ca Rene Schlatter – Co-owner and President of Merryvale and Starmont wines since 2008.       The first winery built in Napa Valley following the repeal of Prohibition, Merryvale is located in the heart of America's premier wine region. In this celebrated home, sustainable winemaking thrives in the care of the Schlatter family. The winery continues to capture the elegance and charm of its historic beginnings, with their historic Cask Room where they  host private events, seasonal wine club events and winemaker dinners, and unique Wine Experiences for visitors. The winery also features a state-of-the-art winemaking cellar that showcases the latest equipment to craft boutique wines. Merryvale has earned international acclaim for wines of outstanding quality.

  It’s the 62 annual Niagara Grape and Wine festival. Food. Wine. New Friends.   THE SHOW   The Niagara Wine Festival — or Grape and Wine  as its been called — is back for its 62 year. Over the years its kept growing  until it now takes over most of wine country..not just downtown St  Catharines. I was invited by Executive Director Kimberley Hundertmark to host a wine panel called East vs West. I discovered they weren’t talking about BC vs Ontario but regions within Niagara. As it turns out the panel never took place but I did get to Introduce The Spoons at the Friday night concert (that’s was fun) and then drove around Niagara and stopped into wineries for a taste and chat. This episode of TRR  is all about Niagara and the people who make it special. What a sensational destination. The wines just keep getting better and better..some are World Class. As a BC based wine fan, I wanted to know about several important things. How’s Niagara doing 2013? Are they now shipping wine to consumers across Canada? Now that Ontario wines are welcome in BC, which wines are available? And How Much do they like the Alberta customer ? (they like Alberta..)   Guests include Allan Schmidt – President of Vineland / Chair of The Wine Council of Ontario  www.winecouncilofontario.ca www.vineland.com Charlie Pillitteri – CEO/President Pillitteri Estate Winery  www.pillitteri.com Curtis Fielding – President of Fielding Wines. Grape grower of the year 2012/13  www.fieldingwines.com Sportscaster Bob McGown – CEO Stoney Ridge Estate Winery.   Partner in Mike Weir Wines www.stoneyridge.com Rob Power – Winemaker at Creekside Estate Winery.  Matt Loney Sales and marketing Creekside www.creeksidewine.com Gillian Tinsley – Estate Sommelier.  Martin Werner – Winemaker at Ravine Vineyard  www.RavineVineyard.com   Deborah Pratt – Winery Public Relations  Great Estates Niagara. (Inniskillin Jackson-Triggs. Clos Jordanne) www.greatestestatesniagara.com   STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON Nicolette Novak – The Good Earth Food and Wine Company. Merridale Cider launches their Spirits Line  on Vancouver Island. Denis Cotter – One of the world’s greatest Vegetarian Chefs comes to Hastings House Salt Spring Island .    

It’s the 62 annual Niagara Grape and Wine festival. Food. Wine. New Friends.   THE SHOW The Niagara Wine Festival — or Grape and Wine  as its been called — is back for its 62 year. Over the years its kept growing  until it now takes over most of wine country..not just downtown St  Catharines. I was invited by Executive Director Kimberley Hundertmark to host a wine panel called East vs West. I discovered they weren’t talking about BC vs Ontario but regions within Niagara. As it turns out the panel never took place but I did get to Introduce The Spoons at the Friday night concert (that’s was fun) and then drove around Niagara and stopped into wineries for a taste and chat. This episode of TRR  is all about Niagara and the people who make it special. What a sensational destination. The wines just keep getting better and better..some are World Class. As a BC based wine fan, I wanted to know about several important things. How’s Niagara doing 2013? Are they now shipping wine to consumers across Canada? Now that Ontario wines are welcome in BC, which wines are available? And How Much do they like the Alberta customer ? (they like Alberta..) Guests include Allan Schmidt – President of Vineland / Chair of The Wine Council of Ontario  www.winecouncilofontario.ca www.vineland.com Charlie Pillitteri – CEO/President Pillitteri Estate Winery  www.pillitteri.com Curtis Fielding – President of Fielding Wines. Grape grower of the year 2012/13  www.fieldingwines.com Sportscaster Bob McGown – CEO Stoney Ridge Estate Winery.   Partner in Mike Weir Wines www.stoneyridge.com Rob Power – Winemaker at Creekside Estate Winery.  Matt Loney Sales and marketing Creekside www.creeksidewine.com Gillian Tinsley – Estate Sommelier.  Martin Werner – Winemaker at Ravine Vineyard  www.RavineVineyard.com   Deborah Pratt – Winery Public Relations  Great Estates Niagara. (Inniskillin Jackson-Triggs. Clos Jordanne) www.greatestestatesniagara.com STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON Nicolette Novak – The Good Earth Food and Wine Company. Merridale Cider launches their Spirits Line  on Vancouver Island. Denis Cotter – One of the world’s greatest Vegetarian Chefs comes to Hastings House Salt Spring Island .