Foodie Roadtrip: Part 1

Trip log: Day 1 - Palate piqued at Sun Peaks, B.C.

After a fairly turbulent flight from Calgary to Kamloops airport, I joined journalists and “sip & ski” tourists at Sun Peaks for A Taste of Sun Peaks, the kick-off event of the 10th annual Icewine Festival.

In a ballroom I feasted on local cuisine and sampled boutique wines from the Okanagan. From table to table I went, each chef or vintner recommending a particular dish or wine be paired with an offering from their neighbour’s set-up. This comaradery between producers allowed me to truly experience the region’s terroir, or “taste of a place.”

Here are some of the standout pairings I tried:

- A trio of soups by Bagg’s paired with wines from Prospect Winery: The 2006 pinot grigio with the red Thai soup; the 2006 chardonnay with the truffle & wild mushroom soup; and the 2006 pinot noir with the lobster & crab bisque.

- The Maasdammer cheese (creamy with crackly, crunchy bits inside) by Gort’s Gouda Cheese Farm with Sumac Ridge’s gewürztraminer: a bestseller for reasons apparent.

- The citrus duck confit with Okanagan goat cheese crostini by Mantles Restaurant & Bar sang paired with a barrel sample of Rollingdale Winery’s organic cabernet franc – set to roll out in about three weeks.

Everything was incredible. If you get a chance to come this way, stop at Sun Peaks and sample the fine fare at the many restaurants, and the standout wines that pair so well with it. I’m going to bed now, happy, stuffed and ready to burn calories on the slope tomorrow.

On tomorrow’s agenda: snowboarding alongside champion skier Nancy Greene, the Magic of Dessert & Icewine competition (a battle between chefs from Sun Peaks and the B.C. interior), and seven courses at the Winemaster’s Dinner. It’s a good thing it’s not necessary to claim personal-poundage before flying home!