Farewell For Now
In the Spring of 2020, Lowell Harder kindly invited me to write about and celebrate all matters of food and drinks in our area — Covid was raging on, and we were confined to our homes. The time has now come to move on. This last article is a memento to you, including a couple tips for this Holiday Season.
My first articles focused on home cooking and sourcing local quality food ingredients. Covid may be over, but inflation is giving us new reasons to seek our local food producers; cooking at home remains one of the best alternatives to healthy eating on a budget. And while this is true throughout the year, the Holiday Season is synonymous with home cooking and indulgences. Go ahead, pour yourself a nice glass of wine, survey what’s in the fridge and pantry, select mouth-watering recipes and cook away. A snowstorm may be raging out there, but inside, the comforting aromas of a hearty stew will warm the whole family.
Other articles explored our local beverages. Canadian wines are improving yearly and are worth our full consideration and support. Closer to home, we are fast developing a reputation for excellence in brewing and distilling. In fact, we have all we need to become world-class producers: talents, knowledge and fine ingredients. We only need time to get on our game and get the word out. So visit our local distillers and brewers on your weekend outings. Or, buy samples from different producers, gather friends and indulge in a tasting comparing and learning about their products. It’s so much fun.
Of course, my tips would not be complete without inviting you to consider the importance of pairing food with wine, beer or spirits. This article can’t do justice to this complex art, but here’s a suggestion to set you off. Consider wine as a condiment. Would you match a delicate white wine with a heavy braised beef? No. You would not taste the wine. Conversely, would you pair an intense Argentinian Malbec with a light white fish? No. You would not taste the fish. Remember, it is all about balance and complementarity. Pair your light wine with your delicate fish and intense Malbec with the hearty braise beef. Once you taste the difference, you are well on your way to elevate your dining experience. And if you like what you taste, go a step further and watch videos and read about pairing. Keep it simple, tackle one element at a time (acidity, tannin, saltiness and sweetness). Discover what Andre Simon (1877-1970), famous French wine merchant, gourmet, and writer meant when he said; “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost; united and well matched they are as body and soul, living partners.”
I am thankful for the opportunity the High Country News offered me – the privilege to write on wines, spirits and food and discover our region’s best offerings. I hope you found the articles helpful and perhaps even inspiring. Eating and drinking are essential life functions that happen to be great sources of pleasures, with deep roots in cultural expression. I invite you to journey on and indulge your senses of sight, smell and taste and discover the multifaceted cuisines of our high country.
And now, it is time for me to sign off, sharing one last observation from an anonymous online source. It addresses one of the wine’s side effects you may experience or encounter this Holiday Season. It goes like this; “Warning, the consumption of wine might cause you to think you can sing.” But not to worry, that side effect proves that life is good indeed!
Farewell for now.
Renée Delorme, Sommelier
www.tastingpleasures.ca
403.200.9961
mail@tastingpleasures.ca
Indulge in the pleasures of private tastings
