Anthony Gismondi: B.C. wine of the week, value wine, calendar items

Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.

Article content

The Chefs’ Table Society of B.C. has received funding from the Community Workforce Response Grant to support the training of 18 eligible individuals this fall at Camosun College in Victoria for the Professional Cook 1 Program.

The positions will be offered to individuals facing pandemic career changes, new immigrants to Canada and people currently underemployed or in precarious employment. Classes are at the Camosun Interurban campus in Victoria from Oct. 10 through May 3, 2024, from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday to Friday.

Article content

Training for students who meet the criteria is free with support from the grant. Students will receive a knife kit, uniforms, lunch cards, bus passes, and other support. Students need a fantastic attitude, a willingness to learn and access to a computer and internet for homework. For more details, contact ed@chefstablesociety.com.

• • •

The 27th Cornucopia, Whistler’s premier culinary event and annual fall celebration of food and drink, returns Nov. 9-19. More than 100 events are planned, including some opening weekend signature events: House Party: Best of B.C., Cellar Door, CRUSH Grand Tasting, and With a Twist: Silent Disco; Drink Seminars start Friday evening, and the culinary stage series begins Saturday morning.

This year, a limited number of early bird tickets and packages for Cellar Door and CRUSH Grand Tasting are being released. Cellar Door, an intimate tasting with 25-plus wineries, allows guests to sample a curated selection of labels valued at $35. The following evening at the CRUSH Grand Tasting, 50-plus wineries will dazzle with varietals and vintages of their choice. For more information on the festival and to stay updated, visit whistlercornucopia.com.

Article content

B.C. wine of the week

Tinhorn Creek Cabernet Franc 2020, Okanagan Valley

$30 I 90/100

UPC: 624802971063

The 2020 vintage is a mix of hand and machine-harvested fruit from the estate Diamondback Vineyard and other growers in Oliver and Osoyoos, fermented in stainless steel on native yeasts. Post ferment, it spends one year in a mix of French, Hungarian, and American oak. The nose has intense red fruit notes, including black cherry and ripe rhubarb pie. The palate is similar, with perfect acidity that the winery rightfully pitches as Chianti-like. The tannins are excellent. This wine should age effortlessly for five to seven years. Given all the current Okanagan challenges, this is one to stock up on. Real wine.

Value wine of the week

Road 13 Select Harvest Chenin Blanc 2022, Okanagan Valley

$21 I 89/100

UPC: 626990372875

The year 2022 had a growing season to remember. It started late; the summer was cool, and the fall was long and warm. The result was perfectly ripe fruit with bright acid and, best of all, generous yields across the region. Winemaker Barclay Robinson has tightened up this wine in a big way, revealing lip-smacking citrus, lemon-lime and pear flavours dusted in wet stones with a subtle hint of honey and flowers. It was fermented slowly in concrete and stainless steel tanks before it spent five months on its lees. Seafood, anyone? Or vegetable pasta? Good value here.

Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add VancouverSun.com and TheProvince.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.

You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber: For just $14 a month, you can get unlimited, ad-lite get unlimited, ad-lite access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Vancouver Sun | The Province.