CheckMate for the win with Provence’s November Wine menu

Provence Marinaside shines the spotlight on Oliver BC’s CheckMate Artisanal Winery for its second Monthly Wine Menu. “Checkmate produces extraordinary wines,” says Provence’s Wine Director Joshua Carlson. “Under the skillful guidance of winemaker Philip McGahan, they have garnered two consecutive 100-point vintages of their ‘Little Pawn’ Chardonnay – the first Canadian wine to score 100 points being the 2015 vintage.

“I am very gratified by how popular October’s Martin’s Lane Menu has been. We’ve received some wonderful comments from our guests,” continues Carlson “so I am very excited to present our guests with a menu featuring CheckMate’s award-winning 2015 Little Pawn Chardonnay and 2014 End Game Merlot.”

The Monthly Wine Menu is series of special menus designed to highlight rare BC wines. The Monthly Wine Menu features wines from BC that are typically difficult to find by the glass (e.g. small production, back vintages, out of stock items, or priced out of range). These are paired with dishes especially created by Owner/Chef Jean Francis Quaglia and Chef de Cuisine Sheldon Maloff that are inspired by the wine, not the other way round as is usually the case. The dishes are unique to the Monthly Wine Menu and do not appear on Provence Marinaside’s regular menu.

The Monthly Wine Menu contains a QR code so that guests can access more information on the winery and the featured wines.

November – CheckMate Artisanal Winery

Winemaker: Philip McGahan

Two-course Menu $57/person
Two-course Wine Pairing $58/person
Two-course Petit Pour $30/person

First Course

Dungeness Crab Salad

Sherry butter, apple and celeriac

CheckMate ‘Little Pawn’ Chardonnay 2015

$32/glass, $128 bottle

The wine is aged for 16 months in 47 percent French oak.

There are aromas of citrus, sage and licorice. The palate is a medley of fruit flavours including Mandarin orange mingled with subtle oak notes. Tropical and citrus fruits are revealed on the very long finish, with bright acidity keeping the wine fresh and lively.

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Second Course

Veal Tournedos

Grilled radicchio, confit tomato, and mashed edamame
Blue cheese and green peppercorn sauce

CheckMate ‘End Game’ Merlot 2014

$40/glass, $185/bottle

Made from 100 percent hand-picked and destemmed grapes; the wine is barrel-aged for 21 months in 100 percent new French oak.

Opulent on the palate, there are savoury and bright flavours of cherry, plum, cassis and vanilla. The wine is elegant and polished, with long, ripe tannins. The nose has an enticing pure merlot red fruit character that pushes the oak into the background.

The November’s CheckMate Wine Menu is priced at $57 for the two-course food menu with the selected wine pairing available for an additional $58 for both wines (petit pour is $30), or if you prefer, the wines can be purchased individually by the glass or bottle.

Be sure to check out the CheckMate Wine Menu from November 1 through 30. It’s a move that is bound to result in a winning (k)night.

Provence Marinaside Notes:

Provence Marinaside is committed to the health and safety of its guests and staff in keeping with the protocols set by the BC Ministry of Health. You can find the details of Provence’s standards here.

In addition to Dine-In service, Provence Marinaside continues to offer its Takeout Menu for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner daily. If you prefer to cook Provence’s food in the comfort of your own kitchen, they also offer six French Food Made Easy kits and two Cocktail Kits (Moscow Mule and Caesar). All are available through Provence Marinaside’s website along with Chef Sheldon’s Online Grocery Store for individual ingredient items such as meats, dairy, baking supplies and other miscellaneous items.

Provence Marinaside is also supporting The Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre with the donation of meals and funds along with a donation option on their website should the public also wish to support the organization.

Media release and images provided by Nancy Wong, Culinary Communications. All photos by Emrys Horton, EPH Photography