Chef Ron Christian has provided us with a moist, cake recipe to pair wine with for this week's article.
Given the simplicity of the cake and its ingredients, it is akin to a blank palette for pairing.
The best wine match for pairing with a simple cake such as chef Christian's cassava cake, would be something on the sweeter side of the spectrum. As this cake is low in sugar, I am suggesting a late harvest dessert wine instead of an ice wine.
Although ice wine is one of Canada's greatest wine exports, and signature wine products, it is more concentrated in flavour and residual sugar (sweeter) than a late harvest wine, which has the possibility of overpowering this cake.
Late harvest is a literal translation of the French term "vendange tardive," but is restricted in its use to the Alsace region of France's wine territory. This means that it is part of French wine law and there are some strict regulations that govern the production of vendange tardive wines in this region.
The laws are not so strict in other wine regions of the world, as is the case in Canada, where the term is generally used to define a sweet or dessert wine that is not an ice wine.
The reason that winemakers would leave grapes on the vine longer, creating a late harvest, is that it helps to concentrate flavours and sugars in the grapes, which can help to make a more complex wine.
Sometimes winemakers choose to delay harvest so the onset of "noble rot" (Botrytis cinerea), a beneficial mould that adds complexity and further concentrates flavours - including its own unique characteristics, is encouraged.
This is demonstrated most notably, and historically, in the sweet wines of the Hungarian wine region, Tokaj, where in the mid-1600s a priest/winemaker delayed the harvest of grapes on a particular estate due to an impending attack by the Turks. Noble rot did not become an important part of two other major wine regions, Germany and France, until the 19th century.
The wine that I have selected for this week's article is from Hester Creek Estate Winery, on the Golden Mile stretch of the Okanagan Valley. Many Prince George residents will be familiar with this winery, as a resident and local businessperson, Curt Garland, owns it. The wine, Hester Creek - 2009 - Late Harvest Pinot Blanc, is one of my favourites from the winery's portfolio.
Hester Creek - 2009 - Late Harvest Pinot Blanc is sweet but not overly so, and has a balanced complexity that makes it very easy drinking.
The medium acidity of the wine provides a structural backdrop for flavours of buttery, baked apple, stone fruit, honey and a sublte vanilla character. This wine will be a great accompaniment to a wide array of baked dessert items, as well as with fruit and cheese plates.
Hester Creek - 2009 - Late Harvest Pinot Blanc is widely available locally and very reasonably priced at $16 for 375 ml.
Enjoy responsibly, but often.
