October Wine: Hester Creek Reserve Cabernet Franc

Image by: Paul Joseph

An earthy Okanagan red, local organic pies and other tasty treats for Thanksgiving guests.

Ask an Oenophile

The Expert: Jeremy Luypen, executive chef and partner at Hester Creek’s Terrafina Restaurant in Oliver.

The Dish: Rosemary and roasted garlic lamb sirloin with Okanagan potato truffle hash and forest mushroom jus, $32 

The Pairing: Hester Creek’s Reserve Cabernet Franc, Golden Mile, Okanagan, 
2008, $47 


A bottle of Hester Creek’s Reserve Cabernet Franc was the first bottle of wine my business partner and I drank when we opened Terrafina, so I was immediately drawn to it for this pairing. But in general, I have always loved the balance of fruit and earthy notes in the Merlots and Cab Francs produced along the Naramata Bench. And this reserve is a perfect example of that – light cigar notes on the nose elevated by rich plum and raspberry aromas. 


It’s an extremely well-balanced wine. Its complex, dry palate offers plenty of fruit and savoury characteristics. And the tannins are medium to soft, making it approachable to most wine lovers.


The fat in our lamb sirloin helps to cut through these tannins and open the wine further, allowing the fruit and the earthy notes to come through. However, it is the mushroom jus that really brings out the earthiness and forest-floor characteristics of this reserve.


With our younger wines especially, I design our dishes and sauces to pull out some of these less developed earthy notes. I like to try and show people what the wine would taste like five years from now. 


The Life of Pie

Image: Ben Oliver

You can’t beat a homemade pie, especially when it comes from Aphrodite’s Café and Pie Shop. The West Fourth Avenue staple is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but the café is undeniably most famous for its much-loved pies. Every one of Aphrodite’s fruit and cream pies is made from all-organic local ingredients. Even better, the café offers organic wheat- and gluten-free and vegan pies for those with special dietary preferences, so you’ll be able to satisfy even your pickiest Thanksgiving guest’s sweet tooth. Choose from pumpkin, apple, blackberry apple, raspberry rhubarb, strawberry rhubarb, blueberry, cherry, chocolate pecan and a range of cream pies.
 $25 and up, organic
cafe.ca

Nutty for Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts are a welcome addition to any Thanksgiving spread, and they’re even tastier when you’ve taken the time to pick them yourself. So why not venture out to Agassiz this month to stroll through the Canadian Hazelnut orchard and participate in the harvest? The certified organic hazelnut plantation and processing facility uses hand-crafted machinery to produce a variety of products, including hazelnut oil, flour, butter and scrumptious chocolate-hazelnut bark. It’s certainly more fun than sifting through the bulk bins at your local grocery store. U-pick September and October only. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., September to December, 604-796-2136

• Tags
  • Alexandra Barrow