Wine and Salt

Jules Bistro Celebrates Beaujolais; Marquis Wine Cellars Toasts France; and Laughing Stock Uncorcks at Salt...

Jules Bistro Celebrates Annual Release of Beaujolais Nouveau

On the stroke of midnight between November 19th and 20th, France releases this year’s production of Beaujolais Nouveau. This is young wine, barely in the bottle a month, and meant to be quaffed with hearty flavours and a group of friends. All over France there are celebrations –- from elegant Parisian dinner parties to village fêtes. The release of Beaujolais Nouveau is a big deal in France and its release exemplifies the French joie de vivre.

Emmanuel Joinville, chef and proprietor of Jules casual french bistro, thinks that Vancouverites should get into the ‘spirit’ of the release and join the party. To this end, he has planned a launch celebration for the evening of November 20th. "It’s a fun thing to do and a good way to kick off the festive season."

Included in the price of $40 for a three-course dinner are two glasses of wine, one of Beaujolais Nouveau Joseph Drouhin 2008 and one of Beaujolais Villages Nouveau Joseph Drouhin 2008. "Even though these are young wines, there is a big difference in flavour and ‘body’ between the generic Nouveau and the one with Village appellation. I thought that in addition to being fun, we could also help educate palates as to the differences," says Chef Joinville. All of the dishes have been chosen specifically to complement the wines. For those really wishing to further their wine education, Jules will offer bottles of Nouveau at a reasonable $32 for the generic version and $35 for the Beaujolais Villages.

As it’s always more fun to invite others to join the party, Chef Joinville has enlisted the aid of two well-respected food producers and suppliers, Oyama Sausage Company and Les Amis de Fromage, to assist with the creation of a Beaujolais Nouveau three-course dinner. It starts with an assortment of handcrafted charcuterie from Granville Island’s famed Oyama Sausage Company. Proprietor John van der Leick is the fifth generation of his family to produce artisan hams, sausages, terrines. "In France, Beaujolais Nouveau dinners always start with charcuterie," says Chef Joinville. "The quality of Oyama’s product is matchless." The Assiette de Charcuterie includes traditional Saucisson Sec, Terrine de Campagne and a French-style Prosciutto.

Dinner ends with a platter of cheese specially selected by Les Amis de Fromage proprietor and cheese guru extraordinaire, Alison Spurrell. Ms. Spurrell has chosen Cantal (an AOC cheese, semi-firm with a mellow nutty flavour), Brillat Savarin (a mild, slightly sharp triple-cream cheese) and France’s famed Bleu d’Auvergne.

As this is a special night, and only this menu will be served, guests are offered a choice of three seating times –- 5:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Reservations/advance tickets are essential and must be guaranteed with a credit card. Unfortunately, cancellations cannot be accepted but purchasers may transfer their reserved tickets to someone else if need be.

Beaujolais Nouveau Night Menu
Thursday, November 20, 2008

Presented in association with Oyama Sausage Company and Les Amis du Fromage

Assiette de Charcuterie
Prosciutto, Saucisson Sec, Terrine de Campagne

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Mains
Choice of:

Seared Salmon Filet
Red Wine Jus, Shallot Compote, Frites

or

Roasted Chicken Breast
Herbes de Provence and Tomato Confit, Frites

or

Entrecôte
Beurre Maître d’ Hôtel and Roasted Garlic, Frites

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Assiette de Fromages
Cantal, Brillat Savarin, Bleu d’Auvergne

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Wine
Each dinner includes 1 glass each of:

Beaujolais Nouveau Joseph Drouhin 2008
Beaujolais Villages Nouveau Joseph Drouhin 2008

$40 per person (not including tax and gratuity)
Three seatings – 5:30, 7:30 and 9:30

Jules casual french bistro
216 abbot street, Vancouver
604.669.0033
www.julesbistro.ca

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Marquis Wine Cellars Holds Annual French Fête

It's time to raise a glass, raise funds and raise spirits at Marquis Wine Cellar's 4th annual French Fête celebration, Wednesday, November 26, at the Vancouver Museum.

Guests will be treated to an assortment of great wines including the 2005 Duhart-Milon, Pauillac, Bordeaux; 2005 Domaine Barroche, Châteauneuf-du-Pape; 2006 Huet Demi-Sec, Vouvray; among many other fine and exclusive wines. Provence Restaurants, Bistrot Bistro, Le Gavroche, Jules Bistro, Salt Tasting Room and other generous Vancouver restaurants will be participating. Net proceeds from the evening will go to the Fraser Academy, a local school where students with learning differences acquire the tools and develop the abilities they need for success in learning and in life.

"Fraser Academy students and their teachers appreciate every dollar of additional funding that can go to enriching their school experience and moving kids closer to achieving their important goals," says Marquis Wine Cellars proprietor John Clerides. "At Marquis, we have set ourselves a goal to bring together as many of our clients, friends and media as possible on November 26 -- during a night of fun and exceptional French wine as well as hors d'oeuvres from the city's finest restaurants -- to generate funds for this special program."

Date: Wednesday, November 26
Time: 7 pm - 10 pm
Price: $75
Location: Vancouver Museum, 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver

Tickets are now on sale at Marquis Wine Cellars, located at 1034 Davie Street, Vancouver, BC. Email info@marquis-wines.com or call 604.684.0445 for more information.

About Marquis Wine Cellars
Located in Vancouver's colourful West End, Marquis Wine Cellars is a neighbourhood wine shop that is anything but typical. Marquis is the spot to access world-class wines, the most current world-wine news, arrivals, exclusive pre-offers, upcoming producers and some of the most passionate and knowledgeable wine staff in the province.

The philosophy behind Marquis is two-fold: first, great wine should be accessible to everyone; second, far-reaching travel to the world's wine regions is the best method of making great wine discoveries. These discoveries, along with Marquis' extensive relationships with the world's top wine producers for the past 20 years, translate into unlimited opportunities for customers to taste and enjoy the best in local and global wine.

About Fraser Academy
Fraser Academy's program includes a full range of courses which follow the British Columbia curriculum. While following these guidelines and standards, Fraser Academy teachers and tutors bring the basic curriculum to life and involve each student in a dynamic learning experience. Students receive daily one-to-one tutoring in Language Arts. Teachers develop a comprehensive understanding of each student's learning, social, and emotional needs. Individual Education Plans are designed and implemented for each student.

Each tutor is a trained professional who uses the Orton-Gillingham approach. This approach is a multi-sensory teaching method which uses kinesthetic activities to help establish visual-auditory associations. A one-to-one instruction is an extremely powerful model for effectively remediating basic language skills of learning-disabled students.

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Salt Tasting Room Present Laughing Stock Vineyards

Salt Tasting Room is excited to present "Past, Present & Futures: The Wines of Laughing Stock Vineyards" in their continuing series of winemaker's evenings.  Cynthia and David Enns of Laughing Stock will host this event in the Salt Cellar, below Gastown’s Salt Tasting Room on Monday, November 17th at 7:00 p.m.

After numerous research sojourns to vineyards and wineries in Europe and the United States, Cynthia & David, both with backgrounds in the financial sector, decided that BC's Okanagan Valley, and particularly the Naramata Bench, offered the very best location for the production of ultra premium wines. Together, they purchased the vineyard property on Naramata Road in 2003 and have subsequently planted additional vines in Spring 2004 and built a gravity flow winery in 2005.  To date, their wines have been critically acclaimed, sell out every vintage, and have gained a cult following amongst local media and industry.

This event will take place along the backdrop of Salt Cellar's 1000–bottle wine cooler, in an intimate setting that will include dozens of Salt's hand-crafted charcuterie from local producers such as J, N & Z Deli, Moccia's, & Oyama Sausage Company, along with artisan cheeses from Neal's Yard (UK), Italy, Spain, and British Columbia. Various pâtés, terrines, prosciuttos & Salt's other treats will be on offer to accompany Laughing Stock’s fare.

Wines To Be Poured:
Laughing Stock Pinot Pinot 2007

Laughing Stock Pinot Gris 2007

Laughing Stock Chardonnay 2007

Laughing Stock Blind Trust 2006

Laughing Stock Portfolio 2006

Laughing Stock Pinot Noir 2006

Barrel Sample of Future Bottling: To be unveiled the night of!

Tickets are $80, which includes food, wine, tax and gratuity.  Seating will be limited for what will be a very popular event, so call Salt at 604-633-1912 to book your spot!

Hidden down a cobbled alley in historic Gastown, Salt Tasting Room is a dynamic wine and charcuterie room with exposed brick walls and a long share table. Open daily from noon to midnight, guests choose items from a chalkboard menu featuring the most diverse selection of cured meats and artisan cheeses in the city along with an extensive selection of wine (by the glass, bottle or flight) and 17 varieties of Sherry.

Salt Tasting Room
45 Blood Alley, Gastown
Vancouver, BC
604-633-1912
www.salttastingroom.com