Try a B.C. sparkler with ciabatta bread

Pairings

by Doug Jamieson

As we continue the "quadrilogy" of flour from CNC chef Ron Christian, I will continue the theme of sparkling wine and bring you another premium sparkler from one of the esteemed producers of British Columbia. I also need to clear up a little information on stemware from two weeks ago.

First off, I suggested a glass style that was not optimal but didn't tell you what was considered a sound stemware choice.

So, to clear up my omission, I recommend a tulip shaped flute for maximum enjoyment of sparkling wine. The shape lends to the gathering of aromas at the top of the glass, carried from the bottom by carbon dioxide. Any sparkling-wine specific glass that has a narrower top than its maximum diameter in the middle is suitable.

The stems I use for sparkling are tulip-shaped, seven inches tall, and have a bowl volume of approximately five ounces. For the home user, this is a comfortable size, so as to provide a reasonable pour, without being too large and risking the bubbly going flat. There is no need to swirl sparkling wine. The bubbles that rise to the top of the glass do an excellent job of releasing the flavour profile of the wine.

Chef Christian's bread recipe is a great match for sparkling wine because of the yeasty flavour that develops from the dough when freshly baked. This is similar to the yeasty character that develops in sparkling wine that undergoes secondary fermentation in the bottle, known as the traditional mthode.

Our B.C. sparkling selection this week comes from the Okanagan Falls area, on the opposite side of the valley from Blue Mountain Vineyards.

The team at See Ya Later Ranch, formerly known as Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards, is making some of the most accessible, cool climate wines in the Okanagan. Their brut is no exception and it is what I am suggesting as the Pairing for this week's recipe.

SYL Brut is a "non-vintage" sparkler, meaning that it is blended from still wines, from a number of different vintages each year, to match the flavour profile that See Ya Later Ranch is looking to attain.

The particular bottling I tasted, currently at the Signature Store at Pine Centre, is pale straw in colour with fine bubbles. On the nose, a honey, caramel and honeydew melon character with a very faint mineral aroma on the backend. On initial entry to the palate, the flavours are similar to the nose, but the caramel takes on more of a butterscotch nuance. It then expands to citrus notes of grapefruit zest on the back of the palate, and stone fruit and apple blossom on the finish.

This is another fantastic B.C. sparkling wine, made by one of the most knowledgeable winemakers in the valley, Dave Carson along with assistant winemaker Mason Spink, who also work with SYL's sister winery, Sumac Ridge.