White Wine
Red Wine
Sparkling Wine
Dessert Wine
Cheese
BBQ

Quality: The VQA designation (Vintners Quality Alliance) requires a professional tasting panel to approve each wine.

Tannin: A compound in the skin and seeds of grapes that is essential in providing substance and backbone to red wines.*

History: In 1859, Oblate missionary Father Charles Pandosy planted the first vineyard at the Oblate Mission near present-day Kelowna.

Expansion: There are now 136 wineries in BC and a further 7 with licenses pending, up from just 13 in 1984.

Must: Unfermented grape pulp or juice.*


*Schreiner, John - British Columbia Wine Country, Whitecap Books Ltd., 2003

  
 
 

Intimidating, isn't it? All those books and wine experts telling you exactly which wine must go with which dish, as if one false move could completely destroy an entire meal.

Don't believe it. The only one rule about matching food and wine that deserves to be carved in stone is: THERE ARE NO RULES. So relax. Experiment. Enjoy yourself. Isn't that what sitting down to a good meal with wine is all about?

Of course, a little knowledge can be a fascinating thing. Like the first time you try a crisp, dry Riesling with smoked salmon, for example, or an earthy, concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon with rack of lamb and rosemary - all it takes is one terrific match, and you're hooked. You begin to understand how different foods and flavours can bring out the best in a wine, and vice versa.

 

  
© 2006 British Columbia Wine Institute.  All rights reserved.