What to DRINK With That – Sautéed BC Spot Prawns & Local Strawberry Shortcake

DRINK editor, Treve Ring, asks local wine experts how they would approach pairing dishes and flavours. This time we reach back into the archives to see how the pros address Sautéed BC Spot Prawns with pistou, as well as Local Strawberry Shortcake.

*Editor note – this article was originally published in the May/June 2011 print edition of EAT Magazine.

Our Experts:

Rhys Pender (RP)
Master of Wine, Wine Plus+

Rhys is a wine educator, consultant, judge and freelance writer through his company Wine Plus+ and his website www.rhyspender.com. In 2010 Rhys became Canada’s youngest Master of Wine (MW). In 2008 Rhys was named as one of the “Top 40 Foodies Under 40” in Western Canada by Western Living magazine. He writes for a number of publications, judges internationally and is increasingly becoming recognized as one of Canada’s leading experts in the wine business. His career plan is to wait for Robert Parker to retire so he can finally claim back his initials RP for wine reviews.

Van Doren Chan (VD)
Sommelier

Van Doren Chan’s immersion in the Vancouver restaurant industry started from an early age, being born into a family of foodies. Following a diverse professional culinary career, including positions at the Sooke Harbour House, Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver and C Restaurant, Van turned her attention to wine and joined the Opus Hotel Vancouver as Sommelier in 2005, moving on to Salt Tasting Room in 2010. She has now turned her attention to the world of winemaking and is currently living in Osoyoos while also undertaking the Court of the Master Sommeliers certification program. Van is currently one of EATmagazine.ca’s online contributors.

Beth Crawford (BC)
Proprietor, VQA Wine Shop at Mattick’s Farm

In 1998 Beth open the first VQA store in Victoria (the fourth in the Province), and she hasn’t looked back. With over 20 years in the liquor retailing industry she has an extensive background in all areas of wine. “ I love what I do – wine is an integral part of so many aspects of our daily life… it is great to assist our customers with everything from special events to what to have with dinner on Wednesday night.”

What to DRINK With Sautéed BC Spot Prawns with pistou?

RP – There are many wines that would pair beautifully with our fantastic BC Spot Prawns. A crisp, zingy Chablis would be excellent, as would Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand or Sancerre. But with the Pistou I would have to recommend a very, very ice cold and fresh Fino Sherry that would perfectly match the saltiness.

VD – Falanghina is one of the most important white grapes in Campania, Italy. Deep straw in color, it has a ripe honeysuckle nose, juicy stone fruit palate, and is low in acidity. Falanghina’s fruit forward characteristics will compliment the creaminess of David Woods’ Montana, and notes of dried herbs will enhance the sweetness of the spot prawns. The zesty quality makes it a palate refresher for the basil based Pistou.

BC – I would recommend BC Pinot Gris. Crisp and flavourful, with intensity of flavour and the acidity that develops in the Okanagan and Island climates would make it a fabulous match. A style that has been fermented to dryness will stand up to the intensity of the garlic and sheep milk cheese; but not overwhelm the delicious flavours of the spot prawns.

BONUS – What to DRINK With Local Strawberry Shortcake?

RP – With the fresh BC strawberries I would look to the beautiful fruit wines of BC from producers such as Elephant Island, Rustic Roots or Forbidden Fruit. There are some delicious Raspberry wines that would be a perfect balance and the Mulberry-Pear from Rustic Roots would also work really well.

VD – Cabernet Franc Icewine. Local strawberries are pulpy, juicy and chewy, so I chose a wine that shares the same profile. This wine has fruit characters of red currant and cherry, and a hint of sumac spice to pair beautifully with strawberries. The bright acidity in the wine gives the same tingling effect on your tongue as the tiny strawberry seeds do.

BC – I would have to go with a BC Icewine made from either Vidal or Ehrenfelser – the acid in these two grape varieties is softer and the fruit more pronounced by the style of the wine, and therefore would balance the acidity and sweetness of the strawberries.