The Osoyoos Oyster Festival? Seriously? Well, that's what a few people said. And, I must admit, I was just a tad surprised when I first heard of the idea. After all, burgeoning bivalves are maybe not the first thing that comes to mind when you consider the sandy (rock free), shores of the South Okanagan's popular beach-side resort.
However, the Osoyoos Oyster Festival is very definitely a serious affair. It highlights the wines of Oliver-Osoyoos (and a few elsewhere) paired with West Coast sustainable oysters at every twist and turn of this five day shuck-a-thon.It's been gratifying to watch the ascent of Okanagan cuisine, which these days is blossoming, as more chefs gravitate to the region and events such as this provide plenty of opportunity for them to parade their skills.Case in point: Miradoro at Tinhorn Creek (under chef Jeff Van Geest, and just named Best Winery Restaurant by Vancouver Magazine), which pulled out all the stops with an impressive oyster communal long table. Pairings ranged from the hard-to-resist, citrus-toned, Tinhorn Pinot Gris 2013 (90 points), perfect with a few fresh shucked Kusshi oysters, to the superbly balanced, aromatic but not overtly, rose petal and ginger-toned Tinhorn Creek Gewurz 2013 (91 points) matched with a seductive, smoked oyster bacon salad with nettle dressing.
The main course, bountiful paella (which included oysters, of course, as well as chicken and chorizo) arrived with Tinhorn's nicely vinous, strawberry-toned, dry finishing Oldfield Series Cab Franc Rosé (90 points).
I like the way B.C. is driving its own brand of wine culture, highlighted by these kinds of events that are refreshingly unpretentious and encourage people to taste, pair and comment as they wish. As it happens, while the rosé was the perfect, food-flexible and friendly stalwart for the paella, I figured a sip of the Gewurz would pick up on the spice of the paella, which it certainly did, with good mouthfeel and more. Worth noting, good Gew is all too often overlooked as a truly deserving food wine.
Next up came a day's furious judging in search of The Great Canadian Oyster Wine, which is a whole lot easier said than done when you consider that each of the 119 entries had to be tasted with a bite of oyster. In this case it was a well-chosen, not too strongly flavoured but still sufficiently briny, tray-grown Mariner freshly plucked from the pristine cold waters of Quadra Island. The oysters were all tasted completely unadorned, or "nude," that is devoid of any mignonette or other dressings.
While some B.C. Pinot Gris, when handled with a degree of restraint, prove a good partner for oysters, the more fruit-driven styles can be challenging occasionally calling for a "Del Monte" style of salsa to make them work.
For the most part, I was struck by the range of wines (with plenty from 2013) that did work well, including a good array of sparkling, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, cagey white blends, and Riesling. Oh, did I say, Riesling? Well, for me in the absence of bubble, it does tend to work the best, especially when there's some decent slate or mineral present. There's no question that oysters and sparkling wine do make for a perfect match, a point once again brought home by Under the Tuscan Sea, a wandering sparkling wine, fresh shucked oysters and pizza "graze" event at Hester Creek's Terrafina restaurant. The only "non" bubble was Hester Creek's strawberry-cherry toned, full-fruited 2013 Rosé (89 points), which fared very well as a pizza partner.
Here's where the real fun of these events kicks in: this soirée focused on local bubble producers, including not a few "finds" beyond the always dependable (and impressive) Blue Mountain Brut.
If you're South Okanagan bound this summer, you'll discover that B.C. bubble is booming, from the likes of a lively Orofino Moscato Frizzante 2012 (90 points, only at the winery) to Stoneboat Piano Brut blend, (89 points), Covert Farms "Odie" NV Pinot Blanc (89 points), and Bella's crisply crafted East Side Rosé (90 points), which you'll be able to taste and buy at their Naramata tasting room, to be opened as of July. And they all go quite nicely with oysters, for sure! Results:Overall winner of the Best Oyster Wine: Noble Ridge The One Sparking Pinot Noir/Chardonnay (Okanagan)Finalists:Gray Monk Pinot Blanc 2012 (Okanagan)Poplar Grove 2012 (Okanagan)Bench 1775 Pinot Gris 2013 (Okanagan)Konzelmann Riesling 2012 (Niagara)Mount Boucherie Unoaked Chardonnay 2012 (Okanagan)La Frenz Sauvignon Blanc 2013 (Okanagan)Black Hills Cellarhand White 2012 (Okanagan)[email protected]
