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Sunday, 10 December 2006 |
Reported by Richard Thibodeau
The Guild’s signature event of the year, the Holiday Gala, was held at the Crowne Plaza this year. Chef Chris Marz and Chef Greg Ryall prepared an exquisite series of courses. The organizers of the event Martin Carrière and Kelly Arnott once again did a superb job of wine and food selection and pairing.
The sparkling entertainments for guests upon arrival were both the twinkling lights of Ottawa viewed from the penthouse of the Crowne Plaza, and a Blanc de Noirs from Gloria Ferrer of the Carneros wine district of Sonoma. The wine had a light pink-orange tinge and a good mousse with citrus/cherry flavours. It accompanied the Elk Sausage and Crème Fraîche Quiche, Maple Glazed Seared Scallops with Bacon, and Semi-dried Tomato and Goat’s Cheese Napoleon.
 Martin, as host, led us through the menu, complete with wine and food pairings and a synopsis of the wine selections. To start the dinner, the soup course was a Maple Roasted Squash Soup with Cinnamon Froth paired with the 2002 Chardonnay from Niagara’s Tawse Winery. Brad Gowland, the Winery Manager, spoke about the wine, which now numbers less than 100 bottles at the winery. The wine paired perfectly with the soup; the lively Chardonnay showing rich pineapple, papaya, caramel and anise.
The appetizer was Brandied Blue Cheese, Walnut and Onion Tart with Arugula and Cherry Tomato Salad. The ‘Twelve Clones’ Pinot Noir 2004 from the Morgan Winery in the Santa Lucia Highlands of California gave us smooth sweet cherry and chocolate with good acid and paired well with the salad. Lots of comments around the table of ‘I like this’ accompanied the palate cleansing Pomegranate and Vodka Granité Served in an Ice Bowl.
 For the entrée, guests had a Lattice Wrapped Lamb Loin with a Porcini Duxelle, Glazed Chestnuts and Wilted Spinach or a Roast Pheasant Breast Stuffed with Oka & Sage, Sweet Potato Gratin, Cherry and Apple Gastric from which to choose. Accompanying wines were from Pomerol, the L’Enchanteur de la Vray Croix de Gay 2001, primarily a Merlot blend, and Tuscany, the Brunello di Montalcino 1999, Fattoria dei Barbi. The Brunello showed dried cranberries, earth, camphor, and anise with a good dose of tannins. The Pomerol had sweeter fruit than the Brunello. It was soft and smooth, with red plum, cherry, and cedar.
 Prior to the dessert, James Bertrand, the President of the Guild, listed the significant wine-related events that had taken place in the Ottawa region in 2006. Major achievements were the most recent book by Rod Phillips ‘Ontario Wine Country’ and Natalie MacLean’s release of ‘Red, White and Drunk All Over’. Véronique Rivest of Les Fougères restaurant in Chelsea was named Canada’s Best Sommelier in 2006 in the first national competition held in Montréal at l’Institut de tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec. James went on to present Véronique with a cheque from the Guild to assist her to compete in the World’s Best Sommelier competition next March in Spain. James and Mark Kilpatrick, a Director of the Guild, then presented the 2006 Wine Person of the Year Award to Stacey Metulynsky and Sean Moher. (Please see the separate article on Wine Person of the Year.) After Stacey and Sean’s warm thanks, Chefs Mark and Chris came out and answered the many questions about ‘how did you do that?’ to the delight of guests.
Their dessert course was Christmas Stollen Parfait with Grand Marnier Marinated Persimmon Raspberry Glaze accompanied by a 2001 Sauternes from Château de Ste Hélène. It was a nice pairing with the Sauternes’ sweet apple, honey and nuts matching the intensity of the dessert. It was a warming end to a delightful evening. Plans are already underway for the 2007 Gala—don’t miss it!
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Last Updated ( Friday, 05 January 2007 )
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The National Capital Sommelier Guild strongly supports moderate and responsible consumption of wine and spirits. Guild dinner events allow a designated driver to attend at a reduced price. The designated driver will not be served alcohol. Guild tasting events provide and encourage the use of spit buckets.