Wines That Are Spot On

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The six- to eight-week spot prawn season kicks off at noon today and organizers have promised that, rain or shine, the festival will feature live cooking demonstrations hosted by Vancouver Magazine food editor Jamie Maw and several of the city's top chefs.

Marquee names already announced are John Bishop (Bishop's), Gord Martin (Bin 941&942, Go Fish), David Hawksworth (West), Nico Schuermans (Chambar), Don Letendre (Elixir), Neil Wyles (Hamilton Street Grill), and Dino Renaerts, chef consultant. It all takes place between noon and 5 p.m. at the False Creek Fisherman's Wharf, 1505 West First Avenue, North-West of Granville Island.

Expect to nosh on bites of each prepared recipe while you mark the arrival of the season's first spot prawns as local fishermen return to the wharf with their catch.

According to the Chefs Table Society, "the goals of the Spot Prawn Festival are to highlight an environmentally sound and locally sourced product as a readily available and delicious alternative to Southeast Asian tiger prawns (a staggering 900,000 tonnes of which are consumed worldwide per annum, with the overwhelming majority being farmed); to help encourage the development of Vancouver's first day-boat fishery delivering high-quality spot prawns directly to the local community; and to remind us that farmer's markets don't stop at the water's edge."

You can also purchase live, locally sourced and sustainable spot prawns directly from the fishermen for $12 per pound. The estimated time of arrival of the boats is 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. every afternoon at the False Creek Fishermen's Wharf.

And that brings us to today's wine picks, each selected for its compatibility with prawns. As usual it's the saucing and the spicing that determines the final match but there is no harm in experimenting.

Simply grilled prawns with a squeeze of lemon will do with the La Chamiza Chardonnay 2006 from Mendoza. It is surprisingly fresh and fruity, with mineral, pear and a splash of honey on the nose and a fresh, clean attack on the palate with bits of green apple, melon and grapefruit. Sweet but balanced and it will have mass appeal at this price point. A super patio sipper at $8.

The Drostdy-Hof Chardonnay 2005 is only a dollar more and equally impressive. Mature grapes from Stellenbosch, Malmesbury and the Robertson regions of South Africa, planted at 100 to 250 metres, deliver a similar bright, fruity citrus version of chardonnay with a nutty tropical-fruit undertone. Fresh and lively. Everything you want in a $10 wine and more. Prawns ceviche-style would be a fine match.

Still in South Africa a fatter warmer richer match is the Tukulu Chenin Blanc 2005. The entry is round, fat and warm with plenty of apricot, mineral, honey and pear flavours. Big intensity, but quite warm and fat. Good match for a spicy prawn jambalaya dish.

The Michele Chiarlo Gavi di Gavi 2004 comes with that northern Piemontesi cool demeanour. It's dry and elegant with a lean entry. The flavours, while delicate, carry smoky, slatey, apple-skin notes flecked with lemon and quince. The finish is crisp and dry. Fresh prawns with a bit of melted butter are all you need.

A similar cool style come with the William Fevre Fourchaume 1er Cru Chablis 2004. The nose mixes spicy, floral bread-dough notes with melon, citrus and baked-apple aromas. Typically it's wound up tight with good acidity followed by persistent but delicate vanilla, lemon, mineral, and floral-melon notes. Fine finesse and length with some vibrancy. Serve this with a quick sauteed Provencal-style dish -- garlic, chopped tomatoes, onions, parsley and fish stock.

A boisterous spicy, prawn dish with ginger, cumin, paprika et al (Moroccan style), would pair well with the Heggies Vineyard Chardonnay 2005 from the Eden Valley. I love the big citrus, spicy, green-apple, grassy aromas and the rich, nutty, toasted honey, green-apple nose. Very modern with fine finesse and balance. It also offers good value.

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La Chamiza Chardonnay 2006, Mendoza, Argentina
Price: $7.98
UPC: 7798039590281
Score: 86/100
Remarks: Fresh and clean attack on the palate. A super patio sipper.

Drostdy-Hof Chardonnay 2005, South Africa
Price: $9.99
UPC: 06001495203802
Score: 86/100
Remarks: Everything you want in a $10 wine and more. Well done.

Tukulu Chenin Blanc 2005, Groenekloof, Darling, South Africa
Price: $19.21
UPC: 6001452121309
Score: 87/100
Remarks: Good match for spicy dishes.

Michele Chiarlo Gavi di Gavi 2004, Gavi, Piedmont, Italy
Price: $26.99
UPC: 8002365000406
Score: 88/100
Remarks: Smoky, apple skin, lemon, nutty flavoured food-friendly white.

William Fevre Fourchaume 1er Cru Chablis 2004, Burgundy, France
Price: $39.00
UPC: 03443620055918
Score: 90/100
Remarks: Elegant, high-strung, mineral, spicy, melon, floral flavours.

Heggies Vineyard Chardonnay 2005, Eden Valley, South Australia
Price: $28.07
UPC: 09311789018041
Score: 89/100
Remarks: Rich honey, green apple, light vanilla, spicy toasty flavours.