On July 17, one of our favorite places to visit in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, Mission Hill Family Estate, kicked off its Reserve Concert Series, which will feature noted jazz artists and highly acclaimed Canadian operatic and symphony performers throughout the summer.

According to a press release, “The concerts afford a unique opportunity to enjoy a live performance in an unrivalled natural setting. The outdoor amphitheatre provides a stunning view of the Monashee Mountains and Lake Okanagan, sure to enchant audiences on a fine summer evening.”

The Midsummer Magic Okanagan Symphony Gala, celebrating the OSO’s 50th anniversary, kicked off the summer music series. On August 7, musician Wil Campa will perform his unique blend of Afro-Cuban jazz music. On Labour Day Weekend–Friday September 3–Juno award-winning jazz guitarist Jesse Cook will look to repeat his previous 2008 sold-out show at the winery. The finale to the season is a benefit concert on September 18 by the Canadian Tenors with their eclectic mix of classical and contemporary pop, in support of Voices for Bulembu, a Vancouver-based charity doing transformational work in Africa.

Special pre-concert dinner packages to celebrate the cultural festivities will be offered at the Terrace Restaurant, which offers guests breathtaking vistas of the vineyards and lake and has been honored as one of the Top-Five Winery Restaurants in the world. Gourmet fare and Mission Hill’s award winning wines will also be available for sale in the Wine Shop. Save-the-date and more information for the concerts are on the winery website.

Also as part of the summer celebration, Mission Hill is introducing a late-afternoon “Tastes of the Estate” small-plate, shared-experience menu. Complementing this will be a new Affinities Tour, with guided tours of the winery grounds, Estate Varietal Kitchen Garden, underground barrel cellar, and sampling a Tastes-of-the-Estate dish along with wine pairing. The Terrace Restaurant’s innovative cuisine is prepared by up-and-coming young Chef Riley Bennett under the direction of Executive Winery Chef Matthew Batey. Riley was a finalist in the recent Bocuse d’Or Culinary Competition in Toronto. Riley continues Mission Hill’s Cuisine du Terroir philosophy, a seasonal and regional approach to dining that is meticulously crafted around the wines and local artisanal ingredients.

Also scheduled for this season is the winery’s popular Sommelier Saturdays classes, led by the Sommelier team of Jesse Harnden, Mike Lee, and Brent Belanger. These fun and informative tastings help hone taste buds and refine palates with a comparative tasting of Mission Hill wines alongside international counterparts of various regions and styles.

All in all, there are many opportunities to taste and enjoy Mission Hill Family Estate on your next visit to the Okanagan!

On Friday and Saturday, July 30 and 31, you can wine and dine in the pines at Suncadia, a year-round mountain resort community located just 90 minutes east of Seattle. The third-annual Wine in the Pines event invites guests to enjoy a superior array of Northwest wines and cuisine while unwinding amidst Suncadia’s natural beauty.

Above and below are some shots we’ve taken on several memorable visits to the lofty Grand-Lodge-inspired resort. 

“We are delighted to continue a regional tradition with this year’s Wine in the Pines,” said Andrew Wilson, executive chef and director of food and beverage at Suncadia. “With the participation of award-winning wineries, an exceptional selection of food and live entertainment throughout the weekend, Wine in the Pines once again promises to be a highlight of the summer season.”

Suncadia Lodge’s outstanding Pan-Seared Swift Water Trout with Haricots Verts and Almond Brown Butter served at Portals restaurant

This year’s festival boasts more than 30 participating wineries and a packed schedule of events. The complete schedule of festivities is as follows:

Friday, July 30, 2010
2 – 5 p.m.
Winemaker’s Reception – Theo’s Chocolates, Glondo’s Sausages, Beecher’s Cheese and Efeste Wines are presented at Wine in the Pines’ kick-off reception held in the Great Room at the Lodge. Free for resort guests.
6 – 9 p.m.
Wine in the Pines Preview Night – Held at the Suncadia Village Amphitheater, this event features a casual crab feed and outdoor reception with Northwest winemakers, along with VIP seating for the evening’s Summer Nights in the Village concert. Cost: $50.
7 p.m.
Summer Nights in the Village with Handful of Luvin’ – Friday night’s free concert is sponsored by the Suncadia Fund for Community Enhancement and is part of Suncadia’s summer concert series.

Saturday, July 31, 2010
12 – 2:15 p.m.
Wine in the Pines Workshops – Four entertaining and educational workshops offer guests the opportunity to learn more about wine and winemaking from regional experts. Cost: $35
12 – 1 p.m. – Rhone Blending
Sean Gilbert of Gilbert Cellars will lead a Rhone-blending class giving attendees the chance to create their own blend from Gilbert’s barrel samples.
12 – 1 p.m. – Cabernet & Terroir
Tony Rynders of Swiftwater Cellars will lead a wine-tasting tour through three of Washington’s top American Viticultural Areas (Red Mountain, Horse Heaven Hills and Walla Walla).
1:15 – 2:15 p.m. – Malbec Mania
Sommelier David LeClaire, founder of Seattle Uncorked!, the Northwest’s largest wine club, will hold a discussion on the growing popularity of the Malbec grape.
1:15 – 2:15 p.m. – Aging Wines
Sommelier Tim O’Brien of Salty’s on Alki will present on how wines age, which wines age well and why certain wines age better than others.
4:30 – 7 p.m.
Wine in the Pines Grand Gala Tasting – Participating wineries and culinary delights provided by Theo’s Chocolates, Picasso 717, Lentines and Suncadia will be highlighted at this elegant tasting event. Cost: $65.
8 – 10 p.m.
Wine in the Pines Winemasters’ Dinner, “The Pacific Northwest Collection” – Suncadia’s Executive Chef Andrew Wilson and special guest chefs from Sunriver Resort, Skamania Lodge and Swiftwater Cellars collaborate to create a magnificent five-course meal. Winemakers will be seated at each table, and an auction of overnight packages and dream getaways will be held to benefit the Education Foundation for Cle Elum-Roslyn (www.cleelumedfoundation.org). Cost: $125 per person or $240 per couple.

Tickets to Suncadia’s Wine in the Pines events are available online at www.ticketweb.com. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door for each event. For more information about Wine in the Pines or to make reservations with Suncadia, please visit www.suncadia.com or call (866) 904-6301.

Our friends and Sooke Harbour House Hotel owners, Sinclair and Frederique Philip, recently received a big hono(u)r–Lifetime Achievement Award at Vancouver Magazine’s 21st Annual Restaurant Awards, along with the award for Best Restaurant on Vancouver Island.

You may remember that the couple, along with Sooke Harbour House, were prominently featured in the Vancouver Island chapter of Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining: The People, Places, Food, and Drink of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia, along with their recipe for Coriander-Crusted Albacore Tuna with Spicy Buckwheat Noodle Salad.

“Long before the 100-Mile Diet, before Bishops and Ocean Wise and the word ‘locavore,’ there was Sooke Harbour House,” says Christina Burridge from Vancouver Magazine. “And while regional cuisine is now garnering much media attention, “every proponent of regional dining owes a debt to the locavore granddaddy Sooke Harbour House.

“Sooke Harbour House has been celebrated by everyone from Condé Nast Traveler to Wine Spectator, and has drawn discerning guests from around the world, but it’s the Philips’ three decades of infusing visitors, chefs, and staff with their knowledge of place that has helped define West Coast food and earned them this award,” Burridge said.

For the Philips, serving seasonal, regional foods at Sooke Harbour House was never about being in vogue.

“In 1979, when we started to serve local food, we had no idea that eating regionally and seasonally would become as popular as it is today,” says Sinclair Philip. “When we opened, we simply thought, with such an abundance of high-quality regional ingredients, why would we need to bring in foods from anywhere else? We weren’t trying to start a trend, it was just common sense, and also the way we used to eat when we lived in rural France.”

Over the past 31 years, almost all of the food served at the Sooke Harbour House has come from its own certified-organic gardens and farm, local-area farms in Sooke and Metchosin, and the ocean around their doorstep.

“We still have some of the same suppliers we have worked with for the past 31 years,” says Mr. Philip. “We have established a regular supply of free-range lamb from across Sooke Bay at Silver Spray Farm, local rabbits, Tamworth pigs, suckling kid, Vancouver-Island bison, pastured Cowichan Bay chicken, and we serve rare-breed animals from our area. On top of this, we were perhaps the first restaurant in Canada to make widespread use of edible flowers, grown outdoors, twelve months of the year.”

Over these 31 years, the Philips and their team at Sooke Harbour House have learned to work with roughly twenty different types of local seaweeds and large numbers of indigenous plants, berries, wild herbs, and mushrooms.

The Philips have always tried to showcase the best foods from Vancouver Island.

“From the very beginning, we realized that it is important to support the production of small-scale, artisan cheeses from Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. I even have a cheese named after me; that is St. Clair, from Hilary’s Cheese. We can now serve sheep, cow, goat, and water buffalo cheeses most months of the year so why would we bring in cheese from the outside?

“We have also worked to sustain local wines, spirits, ciders and vinegars, as well as meads from Tugwell Creek Meadery and Honey Farm in Sooke.”

This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award also marks the 21st consecutive year that the Sooke Harbour House Hotel has received the award from Vancouver Magazine as Best Vancouver Island Restaurant. The Philips credit much of this to their staff at the Sooke Harbour House.

Frederique Philip says, “I am very proud that our kitchen team has once again been honoured with this distinction for their hard and consistent work. It is very hard to maintain this level of quality day in and day out and I really admire them for their ongoing creativity and consistency. It is a pleasure to work with artisans who come up with new dishes that reflect the rhythms of the seasons, and who respect the intrinsic nature of the ingredients from our certified organic gardens and the sea nearby. We have been very fortunate over the last thirty years to have been able to work with such outstanding people.”

For the first time ever, our friends Mimi and Adam, owners of Portland, Oregon-based The Wine & Spirit Archive, will offer the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Intermediate Certificate in Wine & Spirits course in Seattle.

“This is the first time we’ve attempted to offer the course in its ‘extended’ format (this is how we offer the course in Portland),” Mimi wrote in an e-mail. “If you know anyone who might be interested, please feel free to pass along.”

So here you go, Mimi. And here you go readers.

By the way, a quick word of endorsement. . .several years back, Spencer and I took the WSET Intermediate course here in Seattle in a two-day (whirlwind!) format and can recommend it highly.

Details:

WSET Intermediate Certificate in Wine & Spirits – Summer 2010

The WSET offers comprehensive wine training for wine industry professionals, those seeking to enter the trade, as well as enthusiasts seeking to expand their knowledge of wine and spirits. Join us for this rigorous eight-week course and take your knowledge of wine to the next level.

WSET Certification Programs are widely recognized as the world’s most respected wine certification courses and are increasingly seen as essential credentials for those working in the global wine industry.

What This Course Covers

Lectures and discussions cover grape varieties, key wine regions and the styles of wines they produce. Wine tasting is part of every session and students will learn to professionally evaluate wines using the WSET Systematic Approach to tasting. Weekly reading assignments and review questions complement this in-class work and aid in preparation for the exam.

When and Where

This course is held on Monday nights, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., beginning July 12 and ending August 30. A certification exam is administered in the course’s final session. The course will be held at Northwest Wine Academy at South Seattle Community College, 6000 16th Ave SW.

Tuition Costs

The cost of the course is $675, which includes all study materials, exam fees, and course certificate. Payment plans are available.

For More Information / To Register

Contact The Wine & Spirit Archive
www.wineandspiritarchive.com
cheers@wineandspiritarchive.com
503-764-7698

We’ve been very remiss in writing about our friend Naomi Kakiuchi’s dyn-o-mite cooking classes that she offers through her company, NuCulinary.

Here’s a shot of the hands-on sushi-making class I attended and loved. Naomi is at the end of the table in the neon-green chef’s coat, with yours truly in the right foreground.

Class that evening was taught by “sushi whore” himself, Chef Hajime Sato, who owns and operates Mashiko in West Seattle and offers an instructional sushi-making-at-home DVD.

Naomi’s extraordinary spring roll recipe and wine-pairing suggestions will make for some simple summer supping and sipping.

Fresh Spring Shrimp Spring Rolls with Sweet Chili Sauce

Wine Varietals: Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris

Makes 8

These simple Thai spring rolls need no cooking, just a few newly sprouted herbs and vegetables, rice wrappers, and small cooked prawns from your fish counter. Make the dipping sauce and you have a roll-your-own appetizer in just 30 minutes. Serve with a crisp Sauvingon Blanc or Pinot Gris as their slight sweetness pairs nicely with the vinegar and chili in the dipping sauce.

16 small cooked prawns
2 ounces dried mung bean vermicelli
2 cups hot water
8 dried rice paper wrappers
16 fresh Thai basil leaves
1 cup fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)
1 medium carrot, cut short julienne
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce

Dipping Sauce

1/3 cup cold water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 small red chili, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander

1. Soak vermicelli in hot water 10 minutes and drain.

2. To make the rolls: Dip rice paper wrapper into lukewarm water until softened and place on work surface. Put in 2 shrimp, 2 basil leaves, coriander, carrot strips, lime rind and vermicelli. Spoon on chili sauce.

3. Fold in two sides and roll up. Place on serving dish, sprinkle with cold water to keep moist, and cover with plastic wrap.

4. To make the Dipping Sauce: Place cold water in small bowl; add sugar, stir until dissolved. Stir in fish sauce, vinegar, chili and coriander leaves.

On Friday, May 28, our friend and award-winning Seattle chef/owner Christine Keff reintroduced Flying Fish’s new location in hot new South Lake Union and we were lucky enough to be among the hordes who descended for the opening-night party the evening before.

In addition to mouth-watering happy hour, dinner, and late-night dining, Flying Fish now serves lunch at its new location. The menu features small plates, large plates, platters, and bowls to encourage diners to sample a wide variety of the kitchen’s creations and includes such “Fish” classics as Sister-in-Law Mussels, Crispy Calamari, and Grilled Fish Tacos. Flying Fish will also continue to feature a full bar and wine list to fit any taste and budget.

The new “Fish,” located at 200 Westlake Avenue North, brings its flair for fresh, creative dishes to Vulcan’s environmentally friendly, LEED Gold-certified Westlake/Terry Building on the corner of Westlake Avenue North and Thomas Street. It’s easy (and fun!) to hop on the South Lake Union Transit (SLUT) from the Westlake station in downtown Seattle and be whisked to within a few steps of Flying Fish’s door in a matter of minutes.

Happy hour begins at 4 p.m. each day, and dinner is served seven nights a week starting at 5 p.m. Regular lunch service is offered Mondays through Fridays.

A busy Sunday evening at Flying Fish’s new South Lake Union location

On a subsequent Sunday-evening visit, we hopped on the SLUT and sat at the bar for a glass (or two) of French Rosé and several apps. There was a good crowd and the small plates we tried were all grand.

Crispy Calamari, Field Greens Salad, Sea Scallops With Sunchoke Purée

Hawaiian Grey Snapper Carpaccio and Curried Lamb Ribs

“This is the start of a fresh, new chapter for Flying Fish. We look forward to continuing our tradition of service, creativity, and superior sustainable seafood in the revitalized South Lake Union neighborhood,” Chris Keff says. “Our new location in this dynamic neighborhood allows us to grow and expand our Flying Fish community in new ways that perfectly align with our values of innovation and commitment to sustainability.”

Although experiencing a rebirth, Flying Fish will stay true to its roots and commitment to delivering the freshest possible fish to create signature dishes featuring local organic ingredients, global spices, and forward-thinking styles of preparation. Keff remains committed to the values that first brought local and national acclaim to Flying Fish: an inventive, always-changing menu featuring the freshest, in-season seafood and produce from local farms and regional fishermen.

Congrats, Chris! And here’s to many more years of making Seattle diners and visitors mouths water and tummies happy.

City dwellers pack up the car and head out to Arlington, Washington, this weekend (June 19 and 20, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) to Biringer Farm‘s Strawberry Fest. It’s located on the new Red Rooster Route, a collection of half a dozen small family farms, at 21412 59th Ave NE, Arlington, WA, 98223.

Think of this as a strawberry paradise. Ride the Jolly Trolley out to acres of fresh strawberries to pluck and eat right from the vines. You’ll never get them any fresher!

Enjoy the open wide spaces, get back to nature, meet the farmer, and see where your food comes from. Picnic in the vintage covered wagon next to the historic barn or bring a blanket and picnic on the grass.

Festive Activities: Pony Rides, Giant Strawberry Ride, Kiddy Slides, Puppet Shows, Inflatables, Pennies in the Hay, Story Time, Barnyard Croquet, Pig-Butt Bowling, and more.

Barn Market: Ready-picked strawberries, containers of fresh-sliced and sugared ready-to-eat strawberries, local honey, shortcakes, cold drinks, and (of course!) fresh strawberry shortcake.

This is an experience in this traditions are kept, treasured memories are made, and luscious fruit goes home with family and friends. . .until they return again.

How best to use your fresh-picked strawberries? Here’s a complete Northwest menu. . .scroll down for the recipe for Merry Berry Medley.

As many of you know (and any of you who are familiar with my seventh book, Pacific Northwest Wining and Dining: The People, Places, Food, and Drink of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia), Idaho is fast emerging as a major wine-producing state. With the long, hot days available to growers and Idaho’s rich volcanic soil, grapes are being grown and made into award-winning wines.

Idaho Wine Month focuses attention on this burgeoning industry, and brings people together for all of the tastes and treasures that Idaho has to offer. With the promotion of Idaho wine during Idaho Wine month, local restaurants, retail stores, and wine shops will be offering specials for those who purchase wines produced and bottled in Idaho during June.

Another way to celebrate Idaho Wine Month is by attending the second annual Savor Idaho, Idaho’s Premier Wine & Food Event, hosted by the Idaho Grape Growers and Wine Producers Commission. Focusing on Idaho wine and food, Savor Idaho will be held at the Idaho Botanical Garden on June 13th from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. It will feature many local wineries, restaurants, and exhibitors.

Back in November, I wrote a story about a little grappa maker striking it big just across the lake from Seattle in Woodinville, Washington.

Happy to report that last month, Soft Tail Spirits launched another enticing craft liquor–Vodka.

According to Soft Tail’s co-owner and distiller, Dennis Roberts, “It’s taken us almost a year but I can finally say that Western Washington has its first locally produced Vodka since Prohibition. We opened our doors with Grappa in April of 2009 and Grappa will always be our signature spirit. Now we are proud to announce the release of our Soft Tail Vodka.

“Our Vodka has been given the most scrutiny thus far; we attempted the pot-still method and weren’t pleased with the results. That led to purchasing a new Vodka still designed specifically for our needs.”

Robertson says he attempted a number of wheat-based Vodkas and didn’t care for the results. That led to the question, “What other resource from Washington State can we make vodka from?”

He claims the most obvious source was also the most recognizable–the apple.

“We have found that the Washington apple offers unique and higher-quality sugars for the distillation of Vodka than the more traditional potato or grain bases do,” Robertson says. “Through the multiple-distillation process, the apple flavors are gone and what’s left is a crisp, clean, and fresh premium Vodka that’s dangerously smooth.”

So go taste for yourself. Soft Tail Spirits’ tasting room is open Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5:00 pm. Soft Tail Spirits 80-proof Vodka sells for $28.00 for a 750-ml bottle.

Tango, just up Pike Street from the Seattle Convention Center, has always been one of our favorite places for top-quality tapas and paella, its outstanding wine list, and romantic ambience.

So we were especially happy to learn that next month marks the Spanish sweetheart’s 10th year in operation.

Owner and affable general manager Travis Rosenthal sent me the link to all the planned festivities for the big birthday celebration and shared some reflections on being in business for 10 whole years.

“Ten years in restaurant years is a long time and definitely worth celebrating! This April we will celebrate this important milepost with free El Diablo [one of Seattle’s best-ever desserts], happy hours all night long, and live tango dancing.

“Back in 2000, many people had not tried, or even heard of mojitos, ceviches, sangría, and paella. Actually, I’m not sure people even understood the style of “tapas” and “small plates.” Sharing was something we taught our children but would never do on a first date.

“Times have definitely changed! Sometimes it’s better not to be the hot, new Seattle restaurant that everyone writes about for a year and then forgets. I think we are a very comfortable ‘sure thing’ for our regular, local diners. Our guests continue to come back even during hard economic times and, with continued support, Tango should keep dancing for many years to come.”