Mother’s Day weekend was an opportunity to celebrate with an elegant evening of wine, food, and conversation at The Arbutus Room at Brentwood Bay Resort. Esteemed guests included Bernard Duseigneur, Domaine Duseigneur; Camille Giai, Château Roquefort and Dr John Volpe, Ecogastronomy/University of Victoria.
The Arbutus Room is beautiful with it’s fireplace anchoring one end and the spectacular view of the coastline enveloping you in the comfort of the West Coast style. For the evening’s wine dinner the room was set long-table style with two very long tables to accommodate all the wine lovers in attendance.
The exclusive 5-course long-table winemaker dinner brought together exceptional wines from Domaine Duseigneur and Château Roquefort, paired with a thoughtfully crafted menu highlighting seasonal coastal ingredients.
Featured Producers & Wines:
Château Roquefort
- Les Roches
- Rives
- Cuvée Jean Bellanger Bordeaux Supérieur
- Roca Forte
Domaine Duseigneur
- Châteauneuf-du-Pape Catarina Blanc
- Châteauneuf-du-Pape Catarina Rouge
- Côtes du Rhône La Goutte Blanc
- Côtes du Rhône La Goutte Rouge
This was a wine dinner that stood out for many reasons; the excellent wines, the exquisite dishes, two wineries from France and the opportunity to meet and chat with the winery representatives. All brought together by World Wine Synergy and the Brentwood Bay Resort.
The dinner marked the conclusion of two days of wine events hosted by World Wine Synergy. The first, a walk-around tasting of wines from the aforementioned wineries, as well as an assortment of wines from Greece. The second event, a seminar Expressions of Origins of Indigenous Varieties: Invisible Forces – Pathways to Terroir with winery ambassadors Bernard Duseigneur, Domaine Duseigneur; Camille Giai, Château Roquefort and a professor; Dr John Volpe, the moderator.
The wine dinner at Brentwood Bay Resort was the culmination of the wine tasting experience hosted by Grace and Richard, World Wine Synergy that featured two wines with each course giving diners the opportunity to compare each wine with the dish to determine which wine they thought made the best pairing.
An Epicurean Pairing Experience
To start we enjoyed a delicously refreshing, Greek Sparkling Rosé from Kir-Yianni, a 2023 Akakies Xinomavro.
lst course Westcoast Oyster Duo
Citrus mignonette & garden herb mignonette
Fresh, local oysters on the half shell served on an icy platter for sharing. Very tasty with just fresh lemon, or with the accompaniments that allowed the oysters to be the star attraction, while complimenting the crustaceans perfectly.
Châteaux Roquefort
Les Roches Blanches & Rivas
Les Roches Blanches
Lovely floral scents, dusty with stone fruit. Very expressive on the nose. Some tropical notes, scent of dark fruit, plum torte. A sweetness to the aromas.
The body is sightly lighter with both hints of minerality and salinity. In the mouth velvety smooth and lingering. Excellent acidity and good balance.
Refreshing, an excellent wine.
Rivas
Slightly darker in colour. Scents of mandarin oranges, red grapefruit. The scents are bold. Quite fruit forward with citrus notes. Beautiful bold. Aromas of peach.
Some feeling of density in the mouth with complexity. Citrus notes. Very flavourful, fresh and spicy. Nice body and lingering on the palate.
2nd course – Hokkaido Scallop
Leek, fennel, truffle, parsley butter sauce
Domaine Duseigneur
Côtes du Rhône La Goutte Blanc
& Châteauneuf-du-Pape Catarina Blanc
A perfectly seared Hokkaido Scallop exquisitely matched with the roasted leek, the flavourful fennel and a touch of truffle in a heavenly parsley butter sauce. West Coasters love scallops and this was just what we were hoping for. Cooked just right, caramelized on the outside, moist and tender on the inside. A scallop dish to savour.
La Goutte Blanc
This wine was quite distinctive when compared to the other wines already tasted. A touch of stink and egg on the nose. Citrus is in the background and as it sits in the glass the scents are more floral and very pleasant with notes of stone fruits.
High acidity with nice stone fruit, including peach. Medium body. The wine is very nice and flavourful. Very drinkable on its own.
Catarina Blanc
Scents seem bolder with notes of oak, cinnamon, apple sauce. Rich fruit scents, apple pie, sweetness on the nose. Continuing to scents of dark honey, brown sugar and ripe red apple.
Interestingly the scents follow the nose to the palate with herbaceous notes. The wine is dense with medium body. Underlying spice with a mellow finish.
3rd course – Beef Tartar
Pickled mustard seed, shallot aioli, lavash cracker
This was a luscious and memorable dish, perfectly fresh with maximum flavour. Locally sourced and enhanced by the pickled mustard seed. The shallot aioli added another layer of richness all brought together with the crunchy cracker. So good.
Caprese Salad
Fresh mozzarella, ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil,
and balsamic vinegar, lavash cracker
A lovely presentation made especially for a guest who requested a substitute dish for the Beef Tartar. I’m sure it was as tasty as it was attractive.
Châteaux Roquefort
Roca Forte & Cuvée Jean Bellanger Bordeaux Supérieur
Roca Forte
Scents are rather floral with a slightly smoky undertone. Although lighter scents than the darker colour would suggest.
Lighter in the mouth with the muskiness following the nose to the mouth.
Bordeaux Supérieur
A very dark burgundy colour with luscious scents. Delicate spice with red fruit and blueberry. The scent brings a sweetness note to the nose
A very nice wine with a medium body and well integrated tannins. Some oak on the palate that is lingering and lush with a spicy finish.
4th course – Peace Country Lamb Shank
Potato puree, spring vegetables, braising jus
The Peace Country Lamb Shank was rich and delicious. Fork tender with maximum flavour. Vegetables cooked just right that matched the flavours and smooth texture of the Potato puree which was down-home good. A generous portion of braising jus was perfect with the lush richness and of Lamb and velvety Potato puree. Heaven for lamb lovers and I especially appreciated that the Lamb was from B.C.
Domaine Duseigneur
Côtes du Rhône La Gouette du Seigneur Rouge &
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Catarina Rouge
La Gouette du Seigneur Rouge
On the nose a touch of toastiness with scents of dark, rich, ripe fruits. Some old world on the nose.
The wine is somewhat lighter, tart with flavours of grilled asparagus. Heavier in the mouth. Good acidity and quite lean. Fairly high acidity with the barnyard on the nose following to the palate.
Catarina Rouge
Beautiful scents of ripe, dark fruit including plum and blackberry.The wine is savoury with spice and tobacco with hints of minerality.
A style I favour for its rich and ripe notes with full body. Delicious and quite fruity with tangy acidity. Somewhat sharper but with well integrated tannins. A spicy finish that is both fresh and rich.
5th course – Petit Fours
Rhubarb pate de fruit Sablé cookie Macaron
Just enough dessert to finish the evening. Not too sweet, just right after a rich and satisfying dinner.
Everything served was beautiful executed and nicely presented. Service was attentive without being disruptive, allowing for pleasant conversation and enjoyment of the wines paired with each dish. A very enjoyable evening.
For more information on the wines served is available on the seminar review Expressions of Origins of Indigenous Varieties: Invisible Forces – Pathways to Terroir.
With thanks to World Wine Synergy for the invitation to attend the Brentwood Bay Resort Mother’s Day Wine Dinner. Images: MyVanCity