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Cornucopia reaches critical mass

Outstanding dinners, sold-out events boost Whistler’s dining reputation

Cornucopia, Whistler’s extravagant November weekend of wine and food reached critical mass this month as evidenced by a string of sold-out events that had most of the village rocking all weekend.

In fact, attendance numbers were so strong many regular weekend residents complained to me that tickets that were routinely available the "day of" at previous Cornucopia events were non-existent this year. Sold out events were the theme and it didn’t much matter whether you were talking about a wine seminar, a cooking demonstration, or winemaker’s dinner.

There were many highlights, both food and wine, some pleasant new restaurant discoveries and in all honesty some stunning winemaker dinners that don’t get much better anywhere on the globe.

My weekend began at the Four Seasons Hotel and the new Fifty Two 80 Bistro and Bar. As locals would guess the 5280 reference is to the one-mile vertical drop from the tip of Blackcomb Mountain to the valley floor.

What you may not know is there’s only one standard of service at the Four Seasons and anyone who takes the time to get to know chef Jason McLeod’s classic French bistro dishes will know the descriptor is excellent.

The bar section of Fifty Two 80 is no less impressive and while the drinks list is extensive you can’t help but be impressed with a white wine list by the glass that includes: Dr. Loosen Riesling, Jolivet Attitude Sauvignon Blanc and Yalumba Viognier.

I made several trips to Après during my stay in Whistler where I came to know owner Chris Cheney. The former Hong Kong businessman has had some terrific exposure to food and wine in the Far East and he’s captured that enthusiasm at Après.

Cheney has magically transformed the old Mail Boxes Etc. site into one of the funkiest, intimate, romantic, perfectly-sized 50-seat wine bars in all British Columbia. The bits and bites of food (there’s a full menu too) prepared by chef Eric Vernice (Bearfoot Bistro and Jade) meshes perfectly the ever evolving list of wines from the north Pacific. It’s everything a wine lover could want.

Après is aptly named too because Cheney and crew would like the room to develop into a late night, après dinner wine bar for people who not only want to drink wine but who may want to talk about it too. I could describe the art and the architecture but it’s far more fun to discover it yourself.

Among the heavyweight wine dinners the battle lines were drawn between Bearfoot Bistro and Araxi, with some equally competitive meals at Quattro and the Four Seasons’ Fifty Two 80.

The "The Icon Dinner" at the Bearfoot Bistro was a wine lover’s dream. It’s hard to imagine a meal so jammed with big-time wines that the 1996 Dom Pérignon had to be served with dessert. The line-up of great wines included an outstanding Christian Moreau 2002 Chablis Les Clos, a very fresh 1993 Beringer Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, a delicious 1991 Saintsbury Reserve and a stylish Bordelais-style Leonetti Cabernet Sauvignon – but all took a back seat to the dinner finale.

The main course featured a magnificent trio of irreplaceable reds: Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin 1990, Penfolds Grange 1991 and Henschke Hill of Grace, 1991 served with Snake River Kobe beef and white Alba truffles. Andre St. Jacques how do you do it?

At Araxi Restaurant & Bar, chef James Walt and friends served 13 similarly acclaimed wines with an impressive array of dishes that I was fortunate to pre-taste on Thursday night.

My favourite combos were the Domaine Beaurenard Boisrenard Blanc with lobster pot au feu; the Domaine Serene Evenstad Pinot Noir 2000 with braised duck and chanterelles and the Cardinale 2001 Napa red with venison pumpkin ravioli.

Across the village at Quattro at Whistler, the mountain resort’s top ambassador Antonio Corsi, and son Patrick, played host to the folks from Beringer-Blass. The astutely orchestrated evening included a stunning bottle of Wolf Blass Gold Label Chardonnay 2003 served alongside a North Pacific halibut cartoccio with a tiger prawn and scallop mousseline.

Finally if you are wondering about the tasting I conducted, Wine Guys and Their Secret Picks, New York City wine retailer Joshua Wesson, and Vancouver wine guy Sid Cross, and consultant David Scholefield all brought Italian reds. Educator sommelier D.J. Kearney was pitching screwcap riesling form Oz, Cru restaurant owner/sommelier Mark Taylor brought a wine from Spain and yours truly pitched a screwcap red from France.

Here’s a quick synopsis of our secret picks that are currently listed in B.C. They are affordable, smart selections that will make you look good at that upcoming Holiday party.

A Mano Primitivo 2002, Apulia, Italy (Josh Wesson)

— Unlike old-style primitivo, the A Mano has none of the cooked flavours of the south. Look for ripe cherry jam fruit with spicy clove undertones a supple entry and firm full-flavoured, toasted finish. Killer value. $15.95

Castaño Hecula 2002, Yecla, Spain (Mark Taylor)

— Intense white pepper, black cherry licorice nose with black raspberry jam, gamey, meaty, smoky earth flavours. Another great value red. $15.95

Castello di Nipozzano Riserva Chianti Rufina 2000, Tuscany, Italy (Sid Cross)

— Rich and round but dry with some defined tannins and fine acidity. Love the spicy, peppery, black cherry, sour boysenberry smoky game flavours. $ 22.95

Wolf Blass Riesling Gold Label 2003, South Australia (DJ Kearney)

— This screwcap riesling blends slate and green apple notes on the nose with soft, elegant and dry juicy lime, mineral, white peach and green apple skin flavours. Classy, fresh and elegant. $19.99

VF Lasira 2002, Costières de Nîmes, France (Anthony Gismondi)

— The label says 75 per cent syrah, 25 per cent grenache and 0 per cent cork, referring to its screwcap closure, and this baby is a winner. Look for fresh black raspberry, licorice, plum jam, and peppery pudding flavours. There is fine value here and a real example of how a screwcap can lift the level of an ordinary red. $12.99

Monte Antico 2000 Santa Lucia, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy (David Scholefield)

— This is fragrant Tuscan sangiovese with warmth and style. Elegant and fruity it is a Tuscan thoroughbred that has a touch of merlot added for texture and flesh. $14.95

Anthony Gismondi is a globetrotting wine writer who makes his home in West Vancouver, British Columbia. For more of his thoughts on wine log onto www.gismondionwine.com