TEN years ago you would have been hard pressed to find any decent barbecue in Vancouver, let alone a clutch of good wines to go along.
Enter George Siu and Park Heffelfinger, who this week celebrated a decade since launching the very first of their now multiplying Memphis Blues Barbeque House restaurants.
Not only did the two read the writing on the wall for fine dining in what then seemed like recession-proof times. They also helped foster the notion that wine should be approachable and fun, especially when paired with barbecue - at that time almost solely the domain of beer.
Heffelfinger's populist approach to wine came courtesy of his involvement with the Vancouver Wine Academy, which he founded in 1993 with then-North Vancouver resident Mark Davidson (who's now the go-to guy for Aussie wines across western North America.) It was the first formal wine school in Vancouver of many established since.
Unlike too many restaurants that seem reluctant to do diners any favours when it comes to wine pricing, Heffelfinger understands the importance of a) bringing good wines to the table and, b) offering them at a fair price.
His chalkboard list is also concise and to the point. Ask Park the philosophy behind it and he'll tell you his three golden rules:
Keep it eclectic.
Keep it inexpensive.
Keep it interesting.
He also explains it's important to streamline the wine list for the "front line people" who have to sell it.
"We always have a consensus that these are the wines that we all like. As a result, the wines that go on the list are what everyone enjoys," says Heffelfinger.
And you can be sure, although there's no shortage of other food-friendly drops, from Gewurz to Pinot Gris and Grenache, there will always be a good Riesling or two.
So just why is Riesling always so awesome with pork?
"It tastes like Granny Smith apples," he explains.
"It's like having a tart Granny Smith apple sauce with your pork."
Selbach QBA Riesling (BCLS $15.95) fits the bill perfectly, with its clean, crisp style, apple notes and juicy, offdry finish.
As for some B.C. Riesling picks, he likes Tantalus, Wild Goose and See Ya Later Ranch.
One of the best food pairings we recently enjoyed was a late-night taste at downtown's Chambar, where you can order up some pretty extraordinary small plates paired with a glass of some more interesting drops picked out by sommelier Robert Stelmachuck.
The match in question was slam dunk pairing of lightly seared toro tuna, with marinated sweet peppers in a perky jalapeno vinaigrette and cripy chorizo vinaigrette. Okay . . . so what on earth is going to go with the richness of the tuna, the bite of the vinaigrette, the heat and the saltiness of the chorizo? One guess: Riesling! Stelmachuck's pick of the slightly petrol, apple-toned, just off-dry, gently mineral Gruen '09 Rheingau proved to be the perfect partner. Looking for a truly delicious and food-friendly Riesling? You can find it at Everything Wine for $21.99.
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A highlight of this weekend's Cornucopia in Whistler promises to be the Painted Rock dinner in tony Four Seasons' Sidecut. There were still some tickets available at press time - which is surprising, considering that the Skaha Bluffs winery just picked up some major accolades, including being ranked No. 1 Winery in B.C. and No. 3 in Canada (based on total medals won: three Gold; four Silver; six Bronze) at the 2011 Wine Access Canadian Wine Awards. We'll let you know more next week.
