IT was on Thursday at lunch that I found myself seated next to Matias Ovalle, the managing director of Cousiño Macul winery.
We spoke about the wines, of course. Cousiño Macul was established in 1856, and is still owned by the founding family. The reserve wines are estate-grown, -blended and -bottled, and it's the aim of the winemakers to produce wines that are unmistakably Chilean, like Cabernet Sauvignon with silky tannins and nuances of mint and black current.
But we also spoke about the differences between Vancouver and Santiago, where Cousiño Macul has its winery. He told me how much he likes our city, and we chatted about some of the differences in our cultures. He even gave me some great ideas for a blog, should I ever wish to start writing one.
It's the personal interactions that I love most about attending the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. Of course the line-up of wines is spectacular - with 791 different wines in the International Festival Tasting alone, how could it not be? Even better though, at every turn, you meet winemakers, directors and brand managers from around the world.
This year, they all got an eyeful, as the tasting room moved into the glass-walled exhibit space at the Vancouver Convention Centre West. It was sometimes hard to concentrate with a glorious panorama of the inlet and the North Shore's snow-capped peaks hogging the spotlight.
I was no less impressed with the view from the sparkly-new Cactus Club Café at English Bay, when I got in on its debut for a wine festival dinner cooked by Rob Feenie, paired with bottles from the Wagner family of wines.
One of the first restaurants in Canada designed and constructed to meet LEED Gold (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification requirements, the building features salvaged and recycled building materials; a living, energy efficient green roof; and a state-of-the-art heating and air conditioning system that uses excess heat from the kitchen to warm up the restaurant. It's a commitment to sustainability and quality that matches the iconic location, as well as the food and wine landing on its window-side tables.
Among the knock-out pairings for the wine festival dinner, guests were treated to a construction of the dish that won Feenie silver at the Canadian Culinary Championships: a pressé of rabbit arranged with an ivory boudin blanc, pureed carrots and even a delicate carrot wafer. It was matched perfectly with the elegant 2010 Belle Glos Meiomi Pinot Noir. Like all the wines poured at the dinner, the elegant sipper comes with a pedigree; made by Joe Wagner, son of Chuck Wagner who makes Caymus Cabernets.
The restaurant opened to the public on Friday. Though the menu isn't as upscale as the one served for the Wagner dinner, it will offer some location-specific seafood dishes. Add to the mix a wine list tailor made for English Bay and a summertime concession, and I'm not taking a big risk in predicting it as a winner.
Cactus Club English Bay is at 1970 Beach Ave., Vancouver.
