Fresh, Pure, Clean, Local, Love
I love afternoons like the one I just spent on a rainy Friday at Granville Island’s Edible Artisan Bistro. I was one of a lucky few invited to sample the launch of premium new earth friendly wines from Okanagan Crush Pad, Haywire and Edible Canada’s new private label along with elegant food pairings inspired by the wines and seasonal goodies offered by Eric Pateman’s culinary team at Edible Canada.
This was fittingly done on earth day where those in attendance celebrated and toasted BC’s natural & sustainable bounty as we were introduced to the winery’s first wine crafted from certified organic grapes: Haywire Switchback Organic Vineyard Pinot Gris 2014, Narrative XC Method, a charmat sparkling wine and Edible Canada’s appropriately named new private label, Market Fresh. A totally inspiring afternoon along with like-minded people who love to savour the new and unexpected.
Already familiar with Okanagan Crush Pad wines (they supply the dinner wine for the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) yearly fundraising gala of which I’m a committee member), it was nice to finally meet the owners in person and get to try something fresh and different. I like their approach to wine making.
Located in Summerland, B.C., Okanagan Crush Pad is quickly gaining a reputation as a game changer crafting wines that tell a story of a very unique wine growing region; a rare place that offers both desert landscape and snow. If you’re visiting British Columbia you should add the Okanagan to your list of places to visit even if you don’t drink wine.
Their story:
From a small vineyard project in 2006, Okanagan Crush Pad has grown to become a recognized leader in Canada’s Okanagan. The winery was created in 2011, as a shared workspace for vintners and is also home to Haywire and Narrative. Owners Christine Coletta and Steve Lornie have assembled a team with global experience: chief winemaker Matt Dumayne, a New Zealand native; Italian consultant Alberto Antonini; Chilean, Pedro Parra, and, Vancouver-based David Scholefield.
The team farms organically, seeks biodiversity, and respects the land with the purpose of allowing the unique terroir of Canada’s Okanagan to shine. Time-honoured winemaking techniques are used, benefitted by the most advanced technology, and adhering to a “less is more” philosophy. They use organically grown grapes, native yeasts for fermentation, no additives and zero to minimal SO2.
And their wines taste so good!
Photos: d. king (except for the vineyard photo compilation at very top)
Crush Pad Website: http://okanagancrushpad.com
At Edible Canada you’ll find some unusual tasty tidbits like:
About Edible Canada: locals and visitors, professional chefs and passionate foodies congregate to experience the best in BC and Canadian cuisine. With more than 12 million visitors a year, Granville Island is truly one of the top public markets anywhere in the world, and Edible Canada is proud to be a key part of its vibrant, dynamic setting.
As Canada’s largest culinary tourism and locavore retail company, Edible Canada is dedicated to sourcing the highest quality culinary products from coast to coast for their customers.
Website: http://ediblecanada.com
Addition: WHAT’S HAPPENING VANCOUVER?
We know Tequila loves you, but if you love Tequila here’s an event not to be missed:
The 5th Vancouver International Tequila Expo: Grand tasting (with food) takes place Saturday, May 28th at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Burrard. To Purchase Tickets for this and other tequila foodie events please visit:
https://ticketstonight.ticketforce.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=3173
I will attend a media reception this afternoon at Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House. I’m looking forward as last year’s gathering was tons of fun. Casa Amigos…here I come!
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 