WHILE much of the buzz surrounding Whistler's Cornucopia goes (and deservedly so) to the main events, such as Crush! and this year's incomparable Masquerave by Bearfoot Bistro, some less public celebrations can help put Whistler's rise in culinary prowess into perspective.
When, 30 years ago, Jack Evrensel opened Araxi (named after his wife) it was almost on a lark. Jack and his partners at the time knew little of the restaurant business. But they thought it would be fun - and besides, it would give them somewhere to après ski.
Fast forward three decades and Araxi has not only blossomed into one of Canada's most celebrated restaurants (after all, Gordon Ramsay doesn't exactly drop in by chance) but it's become the cornerstone of Top Table, among an elite group of success stories.
Back in 1981, the paved road hadn't been in that long, more than a few people (us included) thought Wyndams 222 was still pretty swanky and, besides, a sommelier was someone who told you what you'd better like. Or else.
Thankfully times have changed. And Araxi truly has something to celebrate, which it did in style with another of its Big Guns: Icons of the Wine World dinners.
When the restaurant started out there were just 80 bottles in the cellar - a far cry from today's 9,000, a few of which wound up at our table the other night.
We won't torment you with a blow by blow of every wine and food pairing. But there were some classic marriages that also serve to emphasize what styles of wine can work at just about any level.
Standouts included Joseph Drouhin Chablis Grand Cru 2002, a complex, mineral drop that worked wonderfully with James Walt's sparsely brilliant, salsa verde-tuned spot prawn and smoked salmon salad; Remelluri Gran Reserva Rioja 1999, which continued to open in the glass as it matched with perfectly roasted duck breast and duck-pheasant boudin blanc; the extraordinarily layered and petroleum aromatic St. Urbans-Hof Riesling, Leiwener Laurentiuslay Spätlese 2006 - a late harvest slam dunk with poached pear and blue cheese; and a brilliant dessert pairing of spicy and quite caramel Quinta do Noval 20-yearold tawny Port with pastry chef Aaron Heath's valrhona chocolate with hazelnuts and vanilla-bean ice cream.
While we were spoiled by Araxi wine director Samantha Rahn selections, you could (and should) take the idea behind any one of these pairings and apply them to your own celebratory holiday table.
You don't need the cellar to pretend you're stellar . . .
...
Another "lesser" yet more than worthy Cornucopia offering, the opening evening House Party yielded a chance to taste some pretty decent B.C. wines (and beers - not to mention a string of great barbecue eats courtesy of Four Seasons Sidecut Modern Steak House).
A theme here was white blends, all pretty good ones too. A well-made blend allows a winery to do a number of things, from slapping a cute proprietary name on the label (Think Bonny Doon's Cigare Volant) to being able to make a very sound wine (often from grapes that most people don't know, let alone know how to pronounce) that might command a better return for the winery than a more basic, single-varietal wine.
Here are a couple worth tracking down:
- Mistaken Identity Abbondante Bianco 2010. A fun wine and label from Salt Spring Island, it's made mainly from Ortega and Madelaine Angevine, plus Siegerrebe, Reichensteiner and Madelaine Sylvaner.
Certified Organic. Citrus up front with some crisp apple notes. Think oysters. Certified Organic; VQA stores $19.99.
(Cornucopia Top 25 winner)
- Road 13 Stemwinder 2010. It's whole lot easier than saying "a blend of Chardonnay, Chardonnay Musqué and Sauvignon Blanc" - a textured blend with green apple and a distinctive mineral streak.
Wine weenie note: there are Chard. grapes in here from (Don and Elaine) Triggs' vineyard; BCLS $22.99.
