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Staff Selections: Christmas Holiday Traditions
A few of our Staff members shared their favourite Christmas Holiday Traditions - Dinner Ideas and Wine pairings!
Christie Mavety & Jason Michiel
"Jason Michiel is the chef in our household and therefore I would like to add his input…Our tradition on Christmas eve is to have Cassoulet and pair it with a Beaujolais Cru, Daniel Bouland Morgon", Christie.
Recipe: Smoked Sausage Cassoulet
Wine pairing: Beaujolais Cru, Daniel Bouland Morgon
Ernst & Chantelle Bruwer
"Christmas in South Africa is in the middle of summer, so Christmas tradition would be to enjoy Cold Cuts - think Ham, Leg of Lamb and lots of salads for Christmas Eve or for Christmas lunch. Since we will be Celebrating Christmas in Canada this year, we will make a traditional South African Chicken Pie (Meraai se Paai), Roasted Potatoes and Veggies. Our wines of choice would be Hamilton Russel Chardonnay, Hemel en Aarde Valley, South Africa or Blue Mountain's Estate Chardonnay", Chantelle.
Recipe: Chicken Pie ("Meraai se Pie")
Wine pairing: Hamilton Russell Chardonnay or Blue Mountain Chardonnay
Julie and Roger Planiden
" A holiday tradition in our family is to have lobster for Christmas Eve (which happens to be my birthday) We always pair this with a rich buttery Chardonnay. While Roger is preparing dinner we always enjoy a glass or two of bubble. Some of our favourite chardonnays are: MerSoleil, Rombauer, La Crema Chardonnay" , Julie
Bill Adams and Petra
"For many years this French Canadian classic was prepared by my Grandmother for our family dinner on Christmas Day, and it is a tradition that I still carry on. Chef David Lee has added venison for a slight twist, which provides a more “gamey” taste to compliment this rustic dish", Bill
Recipe: Venison and Pork Tourtière
Wine pairing: Blue Mountain Gamay Noir, Quails Gate Old Vines Foch Reserve or Pfaffenheim ‘Steinert’ Grand Cru Gewürztraminer
Do you have Holiday traditions? Feel free to share them in the comments section below. Happy Holidays!
Dec 23, 2014 at 10:00 AM
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Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration 2014 - #i4c14
It has been 2 years since Blue Mountain attended the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration in Southern Ontario. The Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration or i4C consists of three days spent exploring seductive shades of the most planted grape on earth.
Participants taste chardonnays from over 60 of the world’s foremost winemakers alongside the exceptional cuisine that pairs with it so well. With intimate vineyard luncheons, culinary showcases and the Cool Chardonnay World Tour signature event featuring all of the weekend’s wines, you can custom-blend your own unforgettable chardonnay weekend.
Here is a snapshot of last year's festivities. Save the date!!
http://www.coolchardonnay.org/
Join brother and sister duo, Matt and Christie Mavety at this year's event July 18 - 20 , 2014 in Niagara.
Jun 17, 2014 at 10:00 AM
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International Chardonnay Day - May 22, 2014
May 22nd, 2014 is Chardonnay Day, an annual celebration where tasters and tweeters around the world discuss the virtues of our favourite grape varietal. The conversation takes place over 24 hours, all through the day, regardless of where in the world you’re located. There are meetups and tweetups and Taste & Tweets – join in on Twitter at #chardday. Better still drop in and see us – we’re toasting Chardonnay Day all day long.
Receive free shipping in BC on your online orders, placed between May 19th and May 25th, that include at least one bottle of the 2012 Blue Mountain Estate Chardonnay or 2011 Blue Mountain Reserve Chardonnay.
Use Promotional Code : CHARDDAY2014
May 19, 2014 at 10:00 AM
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A Little About Chardonnay Wine Making
Chardonnay is a wine that many people either love or hate, perhaps due to the wide range of styles on the market. Our winemaker Matt Mavety explains some of the choices involved in making Chardonnay, his own personal philosophy on the varietal, and some technical aspects involved in cultivating a nice Chardonnay wine. As always, at Blue Mountain viticulture is paramount to creating the best possible bottle of wine.
References:
You can check out the latest Blue Mountain Chardonnay vintage here, or stop by the winery for a tasting!
Aug 17, 2012 at 1:02 AM
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International Cool Climate Chardonnay Conference iC4 2012
Ask a Winemaker
This is the first in a series of ongoing conversations with our winemaker Matt Mavety.
Today, Friday, July 20 from 9:30am - 2:30pm our very own winemaker Matt Mavety has been asked to speak at the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Conference (iC4) in St. Catharines, Ontario. He will be representing Western Canada and be part of a panel discussion along with winemakers from several other cool climate Chardonnay regions including Argentina, Burgundy, Australia and Niagara.
Growing up in the Okanagan valley, particularly in the summer, most of us would not have considered cool climate and Okanagan as three words that could be used in the same sentence. However, apparently that is what we, in parts of the Okanagan are considered. Here are the questions we asked.
So what exactly constitutes cool climate?
A cool climate wine region can be located anywhere in the world. A cool climate region is determined by the growing degree days which is the amount of heat accumulation during the entire growing season. A very cool climate growing area might have 1000 - 1200 growing degree days. We at Blue Mountain Winery have between 1200 - 1400 growing degree days so we are considered cool climate. In order to adjust for varying latitude a system was created called Latitude-Temperature Index (LTI).
LTI = mean temperature of the warmest month x (60 - latitude)
And what makes a cool climate so special for growing Chardonnay?
Cool climate allows for the retention of acidity and a slower maturation period. It also can enhance aromatics and have the capacity to produce table wines of distinction. “Cool climates help to preserve acidity which enhances the elegance of fruit around a core of minerality” Seb Jacquey, Winemaker, Le Clos Jordanne, Niagara.
What is unique about Blue Mountain that makes it considered a cool climate for Chardonnay?
1. Topography, at the latitude we are situated.
2. Lake Moderation - Vaseaux Lake moderates early and late
frosts.
3. Geography - the narrowness of the valley in our section of
Okanagan Falls creates cooler days and in some vineyards a heat
effect from heat dissipated off the nearby rocks.
If you have any questions for Matt please feel free to submit them, and when he isn’t out in the vineyard driving the tractor we will get him to answer them.
The i4C event in Niagara is a great chance for consumers to taste some great cool climate Chardonnay and learn about this challenging grape, and for winemakers to meet and share ideas with other exceptional producers of Chardonnays that flourish under extreme conditions like steeply sloped vineyards, huge annual temperature fluctuations, high altitudes, ocean gales, etc.
This year, Decanter Magazine's Stephen Brook hosts a panel of 5 winemakers, and an Ontario grape grower as they take an in-depth look at what makes these wines so cool (no pun in tended).
All participating winemakers, and many other Ontario winemakers and industry professionals will join with consumers in structured tasting, interactive discussion and luncheon.
Featured wineries:
Catena Zapata (Argentina) – Assistant Winemaker Pablo Sanchez
Flowers Winery (Sonoma Coast, USA) – Director of Winemaking Jason Jardine
Blue Mountain Vineyards (BC, Canada) – Winemaker/Proprietor Matt Mavety
Decelle-Villa (Burgundy, France) – Winemaker Jean Lupatelli
Yabby Lake (Australia) – Director of Viticulture Keith Harris
Duarte Oliveira (Niagara, Canada) – representing Grape Growers of Ontario
Craig McDonald (Niagara, Canada) - Hillebrand
Jul 20, 2012 at 2:25 PM
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