Catherine Campbell

Sips Suds and Spirits

Yet another successful F&B event.

Friday afternoon, representatives of several of the wine and beer suppliers to RiverBend and Nick Attard, cocktail specialist, treated residents to samples of their offerings and creations.

Wine and Spirit Agencies that presented examples of their portfolios:

Airen Imports ● Hobbs & Co ● Profile Wine Group ● Vintage Cellars Robert Gaul Agency ● Muskoka Brewery ● Steam Whistle Brewing ● Triple Bogey Brewing

Light appetizers were provided by the F&B team.

CHEF & SOMMELIER SERIES on September 13, 2017 Theme – South East Asia

The Creators

Host – Andrew Ross

Chef – Kirk Weiss

Cocktail Engineer – Nick Attard

Cocktail Hour

Nick Attard and Andrew Ross hosted the pre-dinner wine tastings.

Rosé Estate Cabernet Rosé Winery: Southbrook(Organic) Four Mile Creek, Niagara

Rosé Grenache Rosé 2016 Winery: Domaine Lafond AOC Tavel, France

Dinner and Dessert

Sweet and Sour Soup

Tofu, mung bean, noodles and heat! Soup

Riesling – 30 Bench WineMakers 2015 VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara 11.1% alcohol

Riesling – 13^th Street 2015 VQA Creek Shores, Niagara 12% alcohol

Sushi

Rice, nori, fermented vegetable Sushi – wasabi cream, kimchi, pimento.

Gewurztraminer – Jean Geiler, AOC Vin d’Alsace, France

Gewurztraminer – Malivoire 2014, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara 13.5% alcohol

Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin marinated 3 days, grilled, sliced and wrapped in rice paper with bok Pork with Kale choy. Dipping sauce flavoured with orange.

Vinhas Velhas Touriga Nacional, Tinto Riorz, Tricaderia – Castello d’Alba Grande Reserva 2013, Douro, Portugal

Pinotage – Chocoholic Darling Cellars 2015, South Africa

Shredded Peking Duck

Served in a steamed bun, topped with slaw. Duck

Cava (Macabeo, Xerel-lo, Paralleda) – Conde de Caralt, Spain 12% alcohol

Pinot Noir – Longbend 2014, Marlborough, New Zealand

Korean Shortribs

Shortribs (soaked in marinade with bean and garlic) 1/8” thick, grilled and served with a shitake broth. KoreanShortRibs

Proprietary Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon & Petite Verdot – Angels & Cowboys 2014, Sonoma County, California 14.8% alcohol

Lichee Fritter

Delicate fritter floating in lichee syrup.

Domaine de Canton Cocktail – Nick Attard Concoction

Created with 1 oz Domaine de Canton – a French ginger liqueur (baby Vietnamese ginger, herbs, vanilla, honey, cognac based) with 1 oz lemon juice and a dash of orange bitters (Dillon’s)

CHEF AND SOMMELIER SERIES – August 29 2017 – Theme “Landlovers”

The Creators

Host

Andrew Ross

Chef

Kirk Weiss

Cocktail Engineer

Nick Attard

Service Team

Maria Lorusso

Cocktail Hour

Nick Attard hosting the pre-dinner wine tastings.

Petite Sirah Lot 96

Winery: Foppiano, California

Petite Sirah Line 39

Winery: Line 39

Dinner and Dessert (and WINE)

Bison Carpaccio

A little olive oil and salt and a butternut squash ragout.

Petite Verdot – Southbrook, Organic VQA 4 Mile Creek, Niagara

Petite Verdot – Juan Gil, Jumilla, Spain

Duck Fritter

Duck confit, spinach with crème fraiche and blueberries.

Pinot Noir – Silver Peak, Sonoma County, California

Rose – Chateau D’Aqueria Grenache Rosé AOC Tavel, France

Fois Gras and Chicken Liver Paté

Served with cranberry crisps and fig jam.

Chenin Blanc – Chateau Gaudrelle Vouvray Sec Tendre Valle du Loire, AOC Vouvray, France

Hazelnut Rack of Lamb

Served on a bed of wild rice and corn.

Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre (GSM) – Tahbilk Estates Carbon Zero, Australia

Turkey Sausage

Stuffed in a hot pepper, battered in cornmeal with a drizzle of cheddar cream.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah – Rosso di Momi Cuvee, Napa, California

White Chocolate Quenelle

Served with raspberry foam.

Southern Peach Cocktail

Nick Attard’s Concoction

Created with peach schnapps, Southern Comfort, Angostura Aromatic Bitters and light cream. Shaken over ice and served in a short rocks glass.

We had a conversation with Kirk a few weeks back as to why mussels and oysters and lobster were not on the menu specials. Well, it was a very good answer. “We order it and the member demand just isn’t there. These products have no shelf life so they get thrown away – costly.” Agreed but what if we make a reservation and order them. “Absolutely.” Done deal – we ordered mussels for lunch and booked a date.

Awesome.

Chanel prepared our PEI mussels with a broth of sambal (southeast Asian hot sauce), garlic, white wine, red onions, parsley and salt and pepper. Accompanied by garlic toasts.

We chose the Franschoek Chenin Blanc off the wine list to complement the dish. Nick Attard suggested that a Pinot Grigio would also have been a good pairing and apparently also a sauvignon blanc would have been an option.

So, remember, with a little notice the RiverBend culinary staff can add some variety to your menu options.

CHEF & SOMMELIER SERIES on July 25, 2017 – Destination Canada

The Creators

Hosts

Andrew Ross and Nicolas Attard

Chefs

Kirk Weiss, Chanel Gulych, Edgar Vela, Matt Vick and Mark McCormick

Service

Natalie Blain

Cocktail Hour

Nick Attard hosting the pre-dinner wine tastings.

“Orange” wine Southbrook Vidal

Gamay Noir Malivoire, VQA Beamsville Bench

Cabernet Franc Featherstone, VQA Niagara Peninsula

Dinner and Dessert

Lobster Bib Salad (Kirk)

Bib lettuce with lobster (poached in citrus and chardonnay with buttermilk dressing, garnished with salmon roe and dill)

Rosé – Featherstone, VQA Niagara Peninsula (Cabernet Franc grape – red peppers on the nose – very dry)

Classic Tourtiere (Mark)

Ground pork, rich pastry, cherry compote.

Pinot Noir – Oak Bay, VQA Okanagan Valley

Blackened Arctic Char (Matt)

Char blackened with spice blend, served with barley risotto (shaved thistle) and finished with a fish reduction flavoured with caraway.

Chardonnay – Closson Chasse, VQA Prince Edward County

Chardonnay – Southbrook Poetica, VQA Four Mile Bench

Seared Bison (Edgar)

Alberta bison tenderloin served with sautéed wild rice and squash, flavoured with oregano, basil and caramelized onion.

Syrah – Burrowing Owl, VQA Okanagan Valley

Cuvee Red – Malivoire, VQA Niagara Peninsula

Butter seared Crab (Chanel)

Vermicelli noodles fried, soft shell crab, kelp beurre blanc, chili oil drizzled on the plate

Chenin Blanc – Quail’s Gate, VQA Okanagan Valley

Mac & Blue Pancakes (Kirk)

Pancakes with blueberries, maple syrup and cream (Galliano liquor), Strathroy apples

Chardonnay Fortified – Southbrook Whimsy, VQA Niagara (2002 grapes, fortified with “neutral” grain spirit – natural aging – bottled in 2013 and 2 years in bottle before release)

CHEF & SOMMELIER SERIES Theme – South America June 13, 2017

The Creators

Chefs

Kirk Weiss, Edgar Vela & Matt Vick

Cocktail Engineer

Nick Attard

Service Team

Samantha Kilbourne & Kirsten MacLennan

Host

Andrew Ross

Cocktail Hour

Nick Attard hosting the cocktail tastings.

White wine

Crios Torrontes, Argentina – available at LCBO

Aperitif

Aguardiente, Columbia – sugar cane, then infused with lime, herbs & spices

Red wine

Carelli 34 Cabernet Sauvignon, Argentina, Terrapura Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Dinner Pairings

Zuccardi Torrontes, Argentina

Empanada Pino (“open” empanados) – golden raisins, poached egg, diced potato, green olives topped with cream fraiche.

Septima Malbec, Argentina

Anticucho – beef heart, marinated, on a skewer with chipotle parsley butter & frisee for garnish.

Ben Marco Malbec, Argentina and Emiliana Coyam, Chile

Beef steak and Chorizo with a rosemary mint reduction on a bed of Vivian Potato (ham & pineapple scallop potato).

Maycas Limari Chardonnay, Chile

Braised trout with duo-cilantro butter and Veracruz Rice (cabbage, peas & smoked bacon)

Garzon Tannat, Uruguay

Pork belly with apple & shallot marmalade fried casaba/yucca.

Digestive (digestif) & Dessert

Fuego Naranja

Nick Attard demonstrating the making of the digestive (digestif).

Aguardiente mixed with orange juice, lime juice, orange bitters & egg whites

Dessert

Maria Luisa, plum dough flan with plum, guava & stone fruit and an Algarve Meringue.

A hugely enjoyable evening!

Chambord – Nick Attard

In the ever-vast world of liqueurs there has always been one bottle that stood out to me like a crown resting on a pillow; Chambord. The first time I saw this bottle was in my mixology classes in Toronto. Before I even knew what was in the bottle, I wanted to have a taste. The round plum shaped bottle, deep ruby to an almost royal purple in colour, and with gold encased lettering drew the attention of my eyes like no other bottle had before. Then when I heard it was a raspberry liqueur my mouth began to salivate, as raspberries have been my favourite of the berries since I was a child. Once I finally got to try this delicate French liqueur, the taste lived up to what the bottle was inviting me in to try. It was luxurious, simple, and yet all the while very complex.

Before this liqueur makes it onto your tongue, your nose will pick up aromas of a blackberry and raspberry jam, slight hints of vanilla, currants, and even chocolate. The fruit aromas are of cooked down, sweetened fruit which matches the taste on the palate. Its sweetness, acidity, and alcohol all balance harmoniously to come together for a velvet feeling on the tongue with a long finish that has you wanting more.

After doing some research into the liqueur, it is of no surprise why this liqueur is so delicate and interesting. Crafted in the French province of Chambord in the Loire Valley, it is said to be based on a raspberry liqueur that was made in the region in the late 1600’s. Rumor has it, that it was served to Louis XIV during one of his visits to the Chateau de Chambord. It truly is a liqueur worthy of royalty. But, as it says on the Chambord website, it is not the royal’s taste buds that matters, it is yours. The website also breaks down the production of the liqueur into three simplified steps. I’m sure there is more detail to each step, but the simplicity of the whole production is quite elegant.

First, the freshest raspberries and blackberries are chosen to be picked, squeezed, and soaked in a mixture of French spirits and let to sit for one month. After the month has passed, more French spirits are added, and after another two weeks the infusion is complete. Then they press the fruit, capture the natural juices and sugars, and voila! A completed velvety base to the liqueur.

The second step is blending the velvety base with extracts of black raspberry, blackcurrants, French Cognac, sweet Madagascan vanilla, Moroccan citrus peel, honey, and a mixture of herbs and spices. This is left to sit again, and this is where the bottle begins to develop all of its aromas and palate flavours. Lastly, a master blender balances the liqueur using a 300-year-old tradition to make sure the bottle is perfect.

Go to my page for the entire picture including a couple of cocktail recipes: Nick’s Concoctions Chambord