Wine and food can be a lot like love. Either opposites attract and things go “wow” or you feel warm, comfy and at home because you are both so much alike. Both can offer great harmony.
Great wine pairings also tend to follow these two paths: the spark of contrast or “like with like.” A wine can complement food by matching rich with rich or mirroring the flavours on the plate, from silky creaminess to a lift of lemon. Or be brave and choose the counter note to a plate: a touch of bitterness to balance sweet or lively acidity against richness. That tension is where the magic happens.
On Friday night, the magic happened at Lakehouse Kitchens Cooking School, where a lovely trio of BC wines elevated each course at the demonstration dinner: bubbles, a white and a red.
Clos du Soleil Celestiale is poured as a pairing to the Beef Wellington.
Chef Chris Russell set out an amuse-bouche to ready our palates for a historic journey into the iconic dishes of Gordon Ramsay, for whom he worked for two years. To start, beef tartare is presented on a humble slice of French bread and Chef recites off the ingredients: fresh parsley, shallots, garlic, a bit of red wine, Dijon mustard and capers, topped off with a shaving of Parmesan and slivers of fresh onions.
Yes, Chef likes his Parmesan; it would make a repeat appearance in the next two dishes.
Despite the rush of umami across the palate, the true star of the appetizer course is the wine pairing, poured into a vintage-inspired champagne coupe. A lively orangey-pink stream of bubbles delivers creamy texture, bright acidity and a hint of strawberry — a refreshing counterpoint to the richness of the tartare and a match to the zing of the capers.
The 2024 Brut Rosé ($22), BC VQA Fraser Valley, is from Stoneboat Vineyard & Winery, which traces its roots to the Black Sage Gravelbar south of Oliver in the South Okanagan. The winery takes its name from the fieldstones that retain the heat of the day and radiate it toward the vines at night. The home block was purchased in 1979, and when Lanny Martiniuk’s moved to vinifera grapes he was at the forefront of the Okanagan’s shift toward premium winegrowing. Widely regarded as one of the region’s pioneers, Martiniuk helped launch BC VQA in the early 1990s, creating the foundation for the BC wine industry. Stoneboat opened its doors in 2007 and, under new owners, celebrated its 20th vintage last fall.
When the severe winter freeze of 2023 left their Okanagan vines struggling to produce, Stoneboat sourced fruit from the Fraser Valley for the 2024 Brut. The blend of Pinot Gris, Siegerrebe (for a touch of sweetness) and Gamay (for a touch of colour) underwent second fermentation in tank, known as the Charmat method.
Side note: the idea that the champagne coupe was molded from Marie Antoinette’s breast is one of the wine world’s most persistent myths. It makes for irresistible dinner-party trivia, but one that historians and glass scholars largely dismiss. Coupes appeared in England well before Marie Antoinette became queen of France. The shallow, wide bowl was designed in 17th-century England and has become synonymous with celebration. Because the bowl is broad, bubbles dissipate faster than they would in a tall flute. But what the coupe sacrifices in precision, it makes up for in glamour — it feels theatrical and unmistakably festive.
We move on to hand-made ravioli filled with lobster, spinach, lemon zest, fresh basil, roasted garlic and ricotta cheese, topped with a white wine cream sauce. Ah, the riches of Ramsay.
Chef calls out to his guests, “There’s a lot of wine in this. So, I’m sure you guys are gonna be okay with that, right?”
The wine is reduced to a syrup before cream and milk are added to make the sauce. Chef shares that he thickens it with Parmesan rinds, building even more body.
It’s wine, it’s cheese — it’s richness done right, thanks to the wine.
I’m poured a silky, ripe lemony 2022 Chardonnay ($40), BC VQA Okanagan Valley, a small-lot wine from Phantom Creek Estates on the Black Sage Bench. Its time in oak has rounded the wine, offering a creamy complement to the pasta course. Chardonnay works beautifully here — its acidity cuts through the richness while its texture mirrors the sauce.
The journey continues with a big, bold red, its structure and tannins ready to meet the next stop on the Ramsay roadshow: Beef Wellington. He modernized the 19th-century British classic by wrapping the beef with mushroom duxelles, Parma ham and crisp puff pastry, popularizing it through his restaurants and TV shows.
As Ramsay says, “Beef Wellington has to be the ultimate indulgence. It’s one of my all-time favourite main courses, and it would definitely be on my last supper menu.”
After one bite, I may just have to agree — as long as I can bring my wine.
The wine pairing, a Merlot-dominant, Bordeaux-inspired blend from the Similkameen Valley, the 2022 Clos du Soleil Celestiale ($30), BC VQA Similkameen Valley, deserved its star-studded label. Five varieties were aged for 15 months in French oak before being blended to craft this stunning Meritage. While softened, the tannins were bold enough to stand up to the main course and played perfectly with the demi-glace and, yes, Parmesan mashed potatoes.
I saved a bit in my glass because we weren’t done yet. Bring on the toffee pudding.
Russell prepared the dessert course in front of us, slipping each cake into saucepans so they could soak up the hot caramel sauce, and as he says, “Make it more sticky.”
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