A while ago I posted this recipe for a Bearnaise sauce. This past weekend I was making a sauce again but I forgot where I found the original one. Instead some surfing lead me to this one. It was much, much better and also easier to make. Highly recommended. And yes, it took me a while to find the original one for comparison.

Suggestions welcome for a better recipe if you know of one.

Eileen and I spent a long weekend in the Okanagan Valley here in B.C. We went out there to visit a few of the many wineries in that region, do a bit of sight-seeing, and relax a bit. We were not disappointed.

We stayed at the Heritage Inn in Naramata. Its an old restored hotel set in a sleepy little village at the end of the road from Penticton. We spent a lot of time eating and drinking at the wine bar. The hotel has a very relaxing atmosphere and we enjoyed ourselves quite a bit.

We visited a dozen or so different wineries in the region stretching from Oliver to Naramata, stopping at as many vineyards we knew as those we didn’t. It was a fantastic way to discover new places and rediscover the places behind the names we knew.

Our favorite location for the all-around experience was Lake Breeze. Their Pinot Blanc was perfect for sipping before lunch on their patio, and their food from the outdoor kitchen was terrific. We tend to drink more reds than whites however, so we had to press on searching the other venues.

The two most interesting locations were Elephant Island and Silver Sage. Elephant Island specializes in non-grape wines. We almost passed as we didn’t really have high hopes but we’re glad we took the chance. Their pear wine is very delicate and their Cassis is amazing. Silver Sage offers some truly unique products like a Gewurztraminer soaked in sage and a late-harvest dessert wine with a jalapeno pepper in the bottle. Their name for this weird concoction Flame is quite appropriate. Their logo is creepy though.

Our favorite reds came from Kettle Valley and Burrowing Owl. Both offerings will need some time to mature, but a couple of years in the cellar will do the job. The picture in the corner above is a snapshot of a few of the wines we purchased on the trip; our wine rack is now pretty full.

We’d highly recommend a visit. Three or four days is more than enough to make a serious study of wine and food. And the scenery is quite pleasant too!

Today was the last day of the 28th annual Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. This fundraising event is held every spring and this year featured 1,320 wines from 186 different wineries in 15 countries. We went to three events this year: an evening of French wine and French food at Pastis last Tuesday, a tasting of twelve Pinot Noirs from around the world last Thursday, and finally the traditional Flavors of the Festival brunch earlier today.

The event at Pastis was amazing; as usual the food was outstanding and also perfectly paired with wines from six different wine-making regions. Each wine was introduced by a member from the winery, and it was a fun-filled evening. We went home absolutely stuffed and slept very well that night. Best wine was a 2000 Chateau Kirwan Margaux, closely followed by a 2001 Pfaffenheim Gewurztraminer.

Thursday night was a traditional tasting event dedicated to Pinot Noir. We had twelve different wines from here in British Columbia, France, California, Oregon, and New Zealand. A person from each winery (usually the wine-maker) gave a ten minute overview of the wine, their terroir, their process, etc. We learned that irrigation and planting density are hotly contested topics among these cordial competitors. Best wine was from Domaine de la Vougeraie although every wine and every wine-maker was delightful.

Today’s event was a brunch where twelve restaurants from around Vancouver (a couple were actually from out of town) make a small dish representing their cuisine, paired with a wine featured by the festival. Discovered a new Zinfandel from Ironstone Vineyards that was absolutely delightful. Definitely will pick up a few bottles to have around the house, as it really was a treat. It was paired with lamb and risotto from Papi’s Ristorante in Richmond that was very tasty. We don’t get down to Richmond much but visiting Papi’s might be just the incentive needed.

Oh the sacrifices we make for charity. If only every week could be so decadent!