The
SWWS Wine and Game dinner held on January 22 included
great food, great wines and interesting speakers. Tom Cox talked
about the wines, which ranged from South Africa, Chile, New
Zealand and Australia. The South African sparkling wine was
a surprise and enjoyed by many. Our guest speaker, Barbara-Jo
McIntosh was unfortunately taken ill the day of the event, however,
Tony Peneff, also from Books to Cooks, stepped up to the plate
and gave a great overview of some of the up and coming food
trends as well as a recommended reading list of six books if
you were stranded on a desert island! Here are the top books:
1) Encyclopedia of Grapes (Oz Clarke)
2) History of Wine (Hugh Johnson)
3) Windows on the World Complete Wine Course (Kevin Zraly)
4) Great Taste Made Simple (Andrea Immer)
5) Vines, Grapes and Wines (Jancis Robinson)
6) Dictionary of Wines; All the French Wines from A-Z.
Passionate
about Pinotage
February 18, 2003; 7- 9 pm
Seasons Restaurant
Guest Speaker: Hennie van Vuuren
Pinotage
is a red wine variety which is quintessentially South African and
this event promises to be one of the most unusual and interesting
tastings this year. Pinotage, made in a range of styles, from fruity
to well oaked, is a unique varietal with its origins going back
to 1924 in South Africa when Pinot Noir and Cinsault (locally known
as Hermitage) grapes were crossed. From a rather tumultuous start,
rebirth and now recognition, Pinotage is gaining interest through
its success in recent international competitions.
The
wines selected for this evening are well recognized internationally
and many are among the Cape's Top Performers as ranked in the
John Platter Guide. Highlights include L'Avenir which received
the prestigious Veritas Gold Award, while Kanonkop was
in the Cape's Top Ten red wines and Bergsig received 4-5
Wine Stars from SA Wine Magazine. This is a rare opportunity to
taste many of the Pinotage wines not available locally.
Our
speaker, Hennie van Vuuren, is the Founding Director of
the Wine Research Centre at UBC and is currently Professor in
Food Science and holds the Eagles Chair in Food Biotechnology
at UBC. He has previously held professor and research positions
at Brock University and the University of Stellenbosch in South
Africa. He is Associate Editor of the French wine journal "Sciences
de la Vigne et du Vin" and was a member of the Editorial
Board of the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture until
2000.
Don't
miss out your chance to develop your own passion for Pinotage
accompanied by delicious appetizers from Seasons Restaurant. Space
is limited so please register early.
February
18, 2003, 7:00 - 9:00 pm Seasons
Restaurant in Queen Elizabeth Park
$35.00 per member. $40.00 per guest (includes wines and appetizers)
To reserve, email southworldwine@hotmail.com
or call 604-687-0830 and and
send us this form
along with your cheque to, # 204-1666 Pendrell St. Vancouver,
BC V6G 1S9
Previous events have sold out. First come, first reserved and
payment received. Please book and pay no later than February 12
to avoid disappointment.
Don't
delay in checking out the program now on the Wine Festival website
www.playhousewinefest.com
or see our own SWWS website www.southworldwine.com/viwf2003.html
for a quick and handy synopsis of the events pertaining specifically
to southern hemisphere wines. You can choose from winemaker dinners
at some of Vancouver's top restaurants, try some of the world's
best wines at our International Festival Tasting Room, take part
in formal wine tastings, attend seminars and, if you're in the food
and wine business, participate in special trade events. Chile is
the theme country for the festival's 25th anniversary. You'll discover
what wine experts have been saying for years and members of SWWS
already know - Chile has some of the best wines in the world. SWWS
will not have our own tasting event in March, because we encourage
you to support and attend the Playhouse Wine events.
Wine
About Town
Check
out a few of Vancouver's entrepreneurs offering various products
and services in the wine industry: 1) NTS Tours and Events has been
operating wine tours to the Okanagan Valley over the past
2 years and is now expanding to include day tours to the Fraser
Valley with the first tour scheduled for Feb. 1st. Call: 604-831-3262.
2) View www.barrelcarving.com
for unique gifts of oak barrel carvings made from recycled barrels.
Wine
Terminology
What
is pH? A measure of relative acidity or alkalinity of grape
musts and finished wines.
Tasting
calendar 2002-2003 *dates
and themes subject to change
Jan
22 (Wed)
Feb 18 (Tue)
Mar 24-30
Apr 24 (Thu)
May 21 (Wed)
Jun 19 (Thu)
Wine
& Game Dinner
Pinotage from South Africa
Vancouver International Wine Festival
Pinot Noir from the Southern Hemisphere
Premium wines from Chile & Argentina
Summer
Solstice Wine Festival
SWWS
Executive 2002-2003
President
VP/Treasurer
Cellar Master
Membership
Marketing
Events
Executive
Industry Rep
Gail
McBride
Cedric
Carter
Lance Berelowitz
Roz Mellander
Frank Leffelaar
Paul Erickson
Karl Kliparchuck
Tom Cox
I
look forward to seeing you at a next SWWS event. Gail McBride, President
The
South World Wine Society is Vancouver's venue for wine pleasure
from the Southern Hemisphere! The SWWS is dedicated to showcasing
the best wines of the Southern Hemisphere, in all their broad diversity.
We highlight the wines of five great wine-producing countries: Argentina,
Australia, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa, in up to ten tastings
per year. Based in Vancouver, Canada, the SWWS is an independent,
non-profit club that aims to promote the knowledge and enjoyment
of the Southern Hemisphere's wines.
