Last weekend at the Osoyoos Oyster Festival the judges in the first Canadian Oyster Craft Beer Competition and the second annual Oyster Wine Competition slurped back mountains of the bivalves and tasted copious quantities of beverages to determine the best pairings. Claire Sear, creator of the oyster pairing competitions, was pleased by the number of submissions received – particularly in the craft beer category given it is a brand new competition. “I thought it was time to add that component given Canada’s amazing and growing craft beer industry. Based on the entries as well as ticket sales to the Oyster, Beer & Beast Bash it was the right thing to do.” New, too, was the premier cask tapping in Osoyoos of Colabor-ale. A collaboration between Cannery Brewing, Firehall Brewery and Tin Whistle Brewing, it was called Chocolate Pearl and had chocolate and salt flavour that paired beautifully with the oysters given to each guest. For those who didn’t get to taste it or are like me and want more, keep your eye on the Cannery Brewing Facebook page. A double batch was made and the second cask will be tapped at the Kettle Valley Station Pub in Penticton in the near future.
Penticton’s Cannery Brewing Blackberry Porter was best overall in the craft beer competition while overall winner in the wine competition was Okanagan Falls’ Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery 2010 THE ONE! Congratulations to all the winners! Here are the judges’ choices so you can plan your own oyster beer and wine bash: 2014 (inaugural) Canadian Oyster Craft Beer Competition Results: Ale – Parallel 49 Brewing Company Gypsy Tears Ruby Ale (Vancouver, BC) Runner Up – Steamworks Brewery Collaboration Ale (Vancouver, BC) Bitter – R & B Brewing East Side Bitter (Vancouver, BC) Runner Up – Firehall Brewery Stocked Ember Ale (Oliver, BC) IPA – Bridge Brewing Company Hopilano IPA (Vancouver, BC) Runner Up – Tree Brewing Raw IPA (Kelowna, BC) Lager – Moon Under Water Brewery Creepy Uncle Dunkel (Victoria, BC) Runner Up – Stanley Park Brewing Belgian Style Pilsner (Vancouver, BC) Porter – Cannery Brewing Blackberry Porter (Penticton, BC) Runner Up – Four Winds Brewing Oat Porter (Delta, BC) Stout – Old Yale Brewing Co Sasquatch Stout (Chilliwack, BC) Runner Up – Granville Island Brewing Shamrock Potato Stout (Vancouver, BC) Wheat – Tree Brewing Mellow Moon Pineapple Hefeweizen (Kelowna, BC) Runner Up – Lighthouse Brewing Company Wheat Bear (Esquimalt, BC) Wild Card – Four Winds Brewing Triplicity Belgian Tripel (Delta, BC) Runner Up – Cannery Brewing Squire Scotch Ale (Penticton, BC) Cider – Tree Brewing Dukes Cider (Kelowna, BC) Runner Up – Left Field Cider Co. Little Dry Cider (Mamette Lake, BC) Mead – Meadow Vista Honey Wines Cloud Horse (Kelowna, BC) Best Overall – Cannery Brewing Blackberry Porter (Penticton, BC) Runner Up – Moon Under Water Brewery Creepy Uncle Dunkel (Victoria, BC) Honorable Mention – R & B Brewing East Side Bitter (Vancouver, BC) 2014 Oyster Wine Competition Results: Chardonnay – Poplar Grove Winery 2011 Reserve (Penticton Naramata Bench) Runner Up – Bench 1775 Winery 2012 (Naramata Bench) Unoaked Chardonnay – Mt. Boucherie Family Estate Winery 2012 (West Kelowna) Runner Up – Gray Monk Estate Winery 2012 (Lake Country) Pinot Blanc – Gray Monk Estate Winery 2012 (Lake Country) Runner Up – Wild Goose Vineyards 2013 (Okanagan Falls) Pinot Gris – Bench 1775 Winery 2013 (Naramata Bench) Runner Up – Gray Monk Estate Winery 2013 (Lake Country) Riesling – Konzelmann Estate Winery 2012 (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario) Runner Up – Monster Vineyards 2012 (Penticton Naramata Bench) Sauvignon Blanc – La Frenz Winery 2013 (Naramata Bench) Runner Up – Bench 1775 Winery 2013 (Naramata Bench) Sparkling – Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery The One 2010 (Okanagan Falls) Runner Up – Sperling Vineyards Brut 2009 (Kelowna) Wild Card – Black Hills Estate Winery Cellar Hand 2012 Free Run White (Oliver) Best of Show – Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery 2010 THE ONE! (Okanagan Falls) Judging for this competition took place at Watermark Beach Resort with wines paired with Marina’s Top Drawer Oysters from the Outlandish Shellfish guild grown near Cortes Island. The Osoyoos Oyster Festival is one of my favourite Okanagan events and adds new elements as it evolves. This year my husband and I had the opportunity to stay two nights in a lovely one-bedroom suite thanks to the hospitality of the Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort and Spa. The facility is truly stunning and set on the outskirts of Osoyoos in a magnificent desert and mountainside locale. So much is offered right there including North America’s first aboriginal owned and operated winery – Nk’Mip Cellars, which has the lovely Patio restaurant seasonally. On site as well is Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre, Solterra Desert Spa, Talon’s Restaurant, Kekuli Café which is beachside in the RV Park, Indian Grove Riding Stables, fitness facilities, outdoor pools, waterslide, hot tubs, Nk’Mip Conference Centre, Market Place and more. In between events, we strolled across the driveway to enjoy a quick round on the picturesque and challenging nine-hole golf course, Sonora Dunes. And after the round we had a delicious handmade burger at the Sonora Dunes Grill. If all these activities aren’t enough to keep you occupied, the sculptures and art collection and walking trails through the vineyards will get it done.
Spirit Ridge was host to the beer judging and two events: “Oyster, Beer & Beast Bash” presented by the South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce and “Get Shucked – For Oyster and Wine Connoisseurs. Watermark Beach Resort hosted the “Art of the Oyster Pearl Gala. For the gala, OK Wine Shuttle offered complimentary service between Spirit Ridge, Watermark and Walnut Beach Resort as an ongoing shuttle and was available to other Osoyoos accommodations upon request. At this event, guest were encouraged to dress in pearls or as a mermaid or fisherman. Again chefs rose to the challenge of creative oyster appetizers and wineries of the region provided a wide variety of tastings with many new spring releases. And yes, there were fresh oysters!
I attended “Under the Tuscan Sea: A Night of Oysters, Bubbles & Pizza” at Terrafina Restaurant at Hester Creek Estate Winery for the first time. In her architectural gem of a restaurant, April Goldade manages to balance the cuisine of an upscale Italian bistro with a casual grace. As guests arrived at the setting on the sun-kissed Golden Mile Bench of Oliver, we were welcomed with the 2013 release of Hester Creek Estate Winery Cab Franc Rose and delicate handmade tortellini amuse bouche. Codfathers Seafood Market was on hand shucking fresh oysters. In addition to the melt-in-your-mouth tortellini, Chef Natasha Schooten and her kitchen team created a series of artisan pizzas. The pizzas perfectly paired with the bubbly at the grazing stations including such favourites as Bella Wines, Blue Mountain, Covert Farms, Orofino Winery, and Stoneboat Vineyards. Can’t wait to hear the dates for 2015! – Roslyne Buchanan
