Doug Jamieson
Pairings
This week's article is going to focus on a wine from the Similkameen Valley, next-door neighbour to the Okanagan Valley. The Similkameen Valley has become a nice balance of organic fruit and vegetable farms mixed with emerging vineyard sites. It is quickly being recognized as another quality B.C. wine region.
The winery of choice this week is Seven Stones Winery in Cawston, situated between Keremeos and Osoyoos.
The winery is owned by George and Vivianne Hanson, who are working to make serious "terrior" based wines on their site overlooking the Similkameen River Valley.
Vivianne is a former Prince George resident who owned a local health food and supplement store in the city but is now pursuing her dream in the vineyard business.
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Greek style roast leg of lamb is our food item to pair this week and I have chosen Seven Stones 2007 Meritage.
Lamb is versatile to pair with wine and you could choose from any number of varietal specific reds, meaning wines made from a single grape type, but I feel that a Bordeaux blend would provide full flavour, complexity and have the body to support all the herbs and spices used to create this dish.
Chef Christian's creation of a butterfly, boneless leg of lamb marinated in a blend of herbs and seasoning, then tied together and roasted in the oven, is an awesome fall dish that is versatile and easy to entertain guests with. Pairing it with Seven Stones 2007 Meritage, available only at the Urban Liquor Cold Beer & Wine store in the City Gate Plaza, will elevate this dish into a stratosphere of its own.
This Bordeaux style blend of 60 per cent Merlot, 35 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon and five per cent Cabernet Franc is aged in French oak casks for 17 months.
The 2007 Meritage has a solid backbone of acidity and is nicely-balanced with velvety tannins and flavours of black current, coffee bean, vanilla and a spicy-smoky oakiness. Aromas of plum, mocha and cedar add to the depth, complexity and subsequent enjoyment of the wine.
When paired with the roasted lamb, the wine enhances the herbs and spices used to marinate the lamb, while expressing its own herbaceous qualities.
As well, the black-fruit character of the wine plays off the unique flavour of the lamb and seamlessly joins all of the competing flavour profiles into an orchestra for the senses.
Give it a try this weekend. Open a bottle of wine while you are cooking with your friends and family and celebrate the fall harvest with lamb and wine.
