ChefmeetsGrape – 2008 Winners

ChefmeetsGrape, the largest BC food and wine event in Vancouver, toasted BC’s winemakers, winery proprietors and chefs, to a wine and food-savvy crowd last night. The fourth annual event, hosted by the BC Wine Institute, paired "small plates" from twelve of Vancouver’s finest chefs with 38 BC VQA wineries serving their fall releases to over 350 people at the Rocky Mountaineer Station.

As in past years, the competition for top awards was stiff as chefs from CRU, Goldfish Pacific Kitchen and Sanafir Lounge participated with nine other restaurants in the evening’s wine and culinary challenge. The judges were very impressed with the dishes the chefs prepared for the evening’s crowd – awarding the teams from the Italian Kitchen and O’Douls restaurants with honourable mentions before awarding Chef Clement Chan and his team from Mosaic at the Hyatt Regency the coveted 2008 title for the Judges’ Choice for Best Food and Wine Pairing award. Chan’s braised oxtail terrine with tomato jam and arugula coulis was deliciously paired with the 2005 Inniskillin Okanagan Discovery Series Zinfandel.

Judge Sebastien LeGoff, respected sommelier and restaurateur, noted that it was a difficult decision for the judging team to choose just one winner from the food and wine pairings they were presented with. “We wanted to highlight the level of excellence for best food and wine pairing by giving out two honourable mentions along with the traditional Judges’ Choice award.”

The audience eagerly awaited their awards of the evening as well. The ballots counted, the People’s Choice Wine of the Evening went to Desert Hills Estate Winery for their red wine blend: Desert Hills Mirage. And the People’s Choice Small Plate of the Evening award went to Chef Josh Wolfe and his crew from Coast Restaurant for their signature BC Dungeness crab cake.

ChefmeetsGrape is an annual fall event that brings together the fresh flavours of the province with BC VQA wines. This year twelve Vancouver Chefs prepared small-plate dishes, and 38 BC VQA wineries served their new summer and autumn-release wines. The event is organized by the British Columbia Wine Institute.

Based in Kelowna, the BCWI promotes the Wines of British Columbia (BC VQA) and the Wine Regions of British Columbia brands.


For further information:
Lindsay Anders, Communications Manager
tel (250) 762-9744 ext. 103 toll-free 1-800-661-2294
landers@winebc.com www.winebc.com