Vancouver Food and Wine - Will it be the Biggest Olympic Story?

There is little doubt Vancouver is the most cosmopolitan food and wine city to ever host a Winter Olympics, and it comes at a time when much of what we are cooking, serving and drinking is as good as it gets globally. In case anyone asks you about the subject over the next few weeks, I wanted to share a few thoughts that may better enable you to answer any questions put to you.

Vancouver is awash in excellent restaurants but, unlike many cities, it is not just the top end that can surprise. When it comes to food and wine, you will not find better, more global and affordable wine lists at all levels of dining. Most everyone respects our local wines but they usually only make up a portion of the list because we expect them to compete against the rest of the world (and many of them do) in the same manner our athletes will throughout the Games.

In that light I've put together a short list of some of the restaurants, where, if you love wine and food, you are likely to find both very interesting. Each has a finely tuned, global wine list to explore: Araxi Restaurant (Whistler), Au Petit Chavignol, Bearfoot Bistro (Whistler), Bin 941, Bishop's, Blue Water Café + Raw Bar, Boneta, C Restaurant, Cactus Club Café, Chambar, Cin Cin, Cibo Trattoria, Cioppino's Mediterranean Grill & Enoteca, Coast Restaurant, Cobre, Cru, DB Bistro Moderne, Earls Paramount, Elixir, Glowbal, Italian Kitchen, La Hermitage, La Rua (Whistler), La Terrazza, Le Gavroche, Lumière, Market, Memphis Blues Barbeque House, Provence Marinaside, Quattro (Whistler), Q4, Raincity Grill, Refuel, Rimrock Café (Whistler), Salt Tasting Room, Trattoria di Umberto (Whistler), Trattoria Italian Kitchen, Vij's, West and Yew Restaurant + Bar.

B.C. wine will be under the microscope this month, so make sure you know the basics. We've been growing some form of grapes for over a century in the Okanagan, but the real change began in the 1990s and the most significant efforts are less than a decade old. The desert-like Okanagan and Similkameen valleys are the primary source of fruit and are about a four-hour drive, due east. By the summer of 2010, nearly 500 independent growers will be farming grapes, and some 175 wineries will be making wine in B.C., including several on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and closer to Vancouver in the Fraser Valley.

Something visitors will notice immediately is the average price for a bottle of Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) that's 100-per-cent B.C. grown is $18.18. Expect to pay double those prices in restaurants. That said, though tiny by world standards with just over 4,000 hectares of vines planted, many local wines punch well above their weight.

Pinot gris leads all white plantings, followed by chardonnay, gewürztraminer, sauvignon blanc, pinot blanc and riesling. In terms of style, our aromatic white blends are more than up to global standards and the best of our aromatic varietals fit in well with our blend of seafood, lighter West Coast dishes and pan-Asian menus.

Among the reds, merlot tops my list followed by pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, syrah and cabernet franc. The future is likely to be syrah, merlot and blended reds with some space for pinot noir grown on cooler sites.

I'll leave the whole monopoly and VQA retail store systems for you to explain to our guests, but note the recent recession has improved the selection of homegrown wines in government stores. Here's a short list of names to look for: Arrowleaf, Blasted Church, Blue Mountain, Burrowing Owl, CedarCreek, Church & State, Jackson Triggs Okanagan, Mission Hill, Nk Mip, Peller Estates, Pentâge, Quails' Gate, Red Rooster, Road 13, Sandhill, See You Later, Stag's Hollow and Thornhaven.

Today we offer six wines capable of earning a golden reputation with our guests this month but, as you well know, there are many more. The rest is up to you -- remember the good host mantra.

B.C. pinot gris and seafood should be a discovery for all our visitors. A great choice is the Sandhill Pinot Gris King Family Vineyard 2008.

A quirky name, and a delicious, signature B.C. white blend is the Blasted Church Hatfield's Fuse 2008 with Thai, Indian or Chinese food.

For cool-climate chardonnay fans, try the Quails' Gate Chardonnay 2007, reminiscent of Western Australia with a dash of Burgundy.

Mission Hill Compendium 2006 is a B.C. blend that mixes merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and petit verdot into a rich, well-structured red with blackberry fruit and an undercurrent of black sage. Think roasted meats.

CedarCreek Estate Select Syrah 2006 is more Rhone than Oz with its fragrant, savoury sweet peppery aromas and gamy meaty undertones.

Finally, the best you can taste from the official Olympic wine sponsor is the Jackson-Triggs Shiraz SunRock Vineyard 2006. The fruit is bright and rich, the palate vibrant; the textures glossy. Bravo south Okanagan.

SANDHILL PINOT GRIS, KING FAMILY VINEYARD 2008, OKANAGAN VALLEY

BLASTED CHURCH HATFIELD'S FUSE 2008, OKANAGAN FALLS

Price: $17

UPC: 0062990090885

Score: 86/100

Remarks: Quintessential B.C. aromatic white blend. Thai food-friendly.

QUAILS' GATE CHARDONNAY 2007, OKANAGAN VALLEY

Price: $19

UPC: 77885607012 Score: 89/100

Remarks: A modern style designed to accompany fresh West Coast seafood dishes.

MISSION HILL COMPENDIUM 2006, OSOYOOS, OKANAGAN VALLEY

Price: $40

UPC: 00776545555571 Score: 90/100

Remarks: Rich, round northwest red, perfect for Saltspring Island lamb.

CEDAR CREEK ESTATE SELECT SYRAH 2006, OKANAGAN VALLEY

Price: $35

UPC: 778913053597 Score: 89/100

Remarks: Terrific New World syrah.

JACKSON-TRIGGS SHIRAZ SUNROCK VINEYARD 2006, OKANAGAN VALLEY

Price: $35

UPC: 00063657013496 Score: 92/100

Remarks: Big, generous glossy style shiraz with white pepper and meaty fruit.