Four high-powered international wine consultants were working in British Columbia last month. In fact, the list of foreigners consulting and working in B.C. is growing almost as fast wineries are opening. If you consider how quickly the wine game in B.C. is changing it’s no coincidence the influence coming from outside of B.C. is very much a part of what is shaping what I like to term as the next wines of British Columbia.
A master of understatement he walks the tightrope staying out of the day-to-day operations at the winery while coaching and cajoling the team to think about where they are going and how they are going to get there. In fact, it’s a dance between the co-owners Christine Coletta and Steve Lornie and winemaker Matt Dumayne and director of viticulture Duncan Billing. In the end, Antonini dispenses nuggets of advice that the on-site team can follow or not.
Phantom Creek boasts two powerhouse consultants in Californian Anne Vawter and Alsace legend Olivier Humbrecht. For those who see these internationals as a threat, all I can say is that after 40 years of learning about wine I have never met a top-flight wine producer who wasn’t interested in what was going on in the rest of the wine world.UPC: 5203021111501
Recipe match: Make the perfect rib-eye steak with chimichurriWellness writer Maggie Battista favours a mostly plant-based diet in her second cookbook A New Way to Food. This is her exception. When choosing a rib-eye steak, look for a highly marbled piece, with white veins of fat running throughout. A less marbled piece of meat may become tough. Chimichurri is a vibrant sauce that dresses up any grilled food from animal protein to every kind of vegetable.