VINOCAMP:

12:30 – 1:10       Keynote: “The Wine Soaked Landscape: an international perspective on the allure of wine country” by Dr. Donna Senese, UBC Okanagan

POURED: N/A

1:30:-2:10    “Old versus Young” by Sid Cross, Western Living & Daenna van Mulligan, Wine Diva

POURED:

2:30:-3:10      “Cool, Single & Sustainable” by Mark Davidson, Wine Australia & Ingo Grady, Mission Hill Family Estate

POURED:

3:30-4:10:     “The Glass as a Messenger” by David Sanders, Riedel

POURED:

4:10 – 4:30   Stag’s Hollow Twitter tasting

POURED: Stag’s Hollow Simply Noir 2007

4:30-5:10    Romancing the Vine: The trials and tribulations in owning a boutique winery by Patrick Murphy of Vista D’oro, Mike Raffan of Township 7, and Kirby Froese of Dunham & Froese, moderated by Shelley Boettcher of Calgary Herald

POURED:

CHEESECAMP:

1:30:-2:10      “Pondering Wine and Cheese Pairing: Are wines and cheeses made with a particular philosophy a better pairing than those with divergent interests?” by Anthony Nicalo of Inevitable Table & Sebastien Le Goff of Cibo Trattoria and Uva Wine Bar.

POURED & SAMPLED:

Pairing 1: Baseline of mediocrity
A widely available and recognizable $25 cabernet-merlot wine made with industrial methods (irrigation, herbicides, commercial yeasts, acid adjustment, heavy fining/filtration, and likely oak chips) paired with Mini Babybel.

Pairing 2: farmstead wine and cheese
Venturi-Schulze Millefiori 2007 with Farmhouse Natural Cheeses St. George. The Millefiori is a blend of siegerrebe and ortega from Vancouver Island. Venturi-Schulze grows their own grapes organically (sans irrigation) and makes the wine themselves with native yeasts, no additions or adjustments and little to no sulfites. Farmhouse raises and milks their own goats before making the cheese themselves. They also organically grow the hay and alfalfa to feed the goats.

Pairing 3: Age-old methods
Movia Pinot Grigio 2005 with Ossau-Iraty Fermier. Ales Kristancic grows and makesawesome wine with centuries old techniques, biodynamic practices and the skill of an expert artisan. A delicious pairing with arguably the oldest cheese in the world, made in the Basque French Pyrenees for over 4000 years in traditional small huts.

Pairing 4: Tradition with a side of new
Agricola Marrone 2005 Langhe Chardonnay “Memundis” with Poplar Grove Harvest Moon. Gian Piero Marrone’s Chardonnay drinks like a white burgundy, while being a vinaroon wine, albeit with an international varietal in the Piedmont. The Harvest Moon tastes like a burgundy epoisse while being artisinally made in British Columbia, albeit with purchased milk.

Pairing 5: If you must have red wine with your cheese
Claus Preisinger “Basic” 2007 with Valdeon Blue. When pairing red wine with cheese, it should be light and fresh with high acidity. Claus blends two pinot noir relatives, zweigelt and blaufrankisch, to create a young and lively wine with the complexity often found with biodynamic practices. Its this combination of acidity, freshness and complexity that allows it to stand up to the pungent, complex Valdeon.

(from Farmstead.com)

2:30:-3:10   “Cheese & Terroir: How place affects cheesemaking”  by Jonah Benton, Benton Brothers Fine Cheese

SAMPLED:

Brie de Meaux, France (Ile-de-France): Cow: Raw

This is one of only two Brie’s recognized by the French governing body (the A.O.C) as being a true brie. This is the real thing and is simply amazing. It has a firm paste with small holes and when it’s perfectly ripe (this is a matter of personal preference) it is slightly bulging and certainly not runny. It has an outstanding vegetal, earthy flavor full of mushrooms and cauliflower and is a far cry from the mild creamy cheese we are often use to as Brie. Brie de Meaux and Brie de Melun are the only name protected Bries existing in the world today – anything that just reads “Brie” is just one of many interpretations of the real thing.

Enjoy with soft fruity reds or old world Chardonnay.

Comté Marcel Petite, France (Franche-Comté): Cow: Raw

Comte is said to be one of the most widely eaten cheese in France and for good reason. It is an amazing cheese for both cooking and eating and is one of the more versatile cheeses for wine pairing.  Comte is made in the mountains of the Jura in the Franche-Comté region and is always made with raw milk.  This producer ages his cheeses for 21 months producing a rich and full flavor with a slightly granular texture due to the crystallization of some of the milk proteins.  When we cut open these big 40kg wheels there are aromas of nuts, honey and wildflowers.

It pairs well with both reds and whites, providing that the wine has good acidity and floral/nutty undertones, and in the case of the reds that the wine is not too heavy or tannic.

Bleu d’Auvergne, France (Auvergne): Cow: Pasteurized

The A.O.C of Bleu D’Auvergne encompasses the entire region of Auvergne and is one of the most popular and widely eaten blues of the region. It has a firm texture but is still creamy on the palate and its flavor is full but not overpowering. It is a great eating cheese but its texture and medium strength also makes it ideal for many recipes.

Try with Tawny Port, Ice Wine, American Zinfandel, or big fruity Australian Shiraz.

3:30-4:10 “Aristan Cheese Making on a family-operated organic farm” by Jessica Olive, Jo-Ann Dykstra,and Marianne Secrest from Goat’s Pride Dairy

SAMPLED: Chevrotina, Cranberry Caprabella and Blue Capri.

4:30-5:10 “Artisan Cheeses & The Wonderful World Of Sherry” by Kurtis Kolt, Salt Tasting Room

POURED: Tio Pepe fino, Nutty Solera Oloroso, East India Solera

SAMPLED: Ash Camembert from Moonstruck Cheeses, Manchego and Valdeon Blue