WBC16: Connection & Engagement

By Sujinder Juneja We’ve said this many times before, including in a post directly following the 2015 event, but the Wine Bloggers Conference is more than just a conference, it’s a community. I’ll come back to this idea of “community” in a moment.

Leeann and I from Town Hall Brands attended the 2016 showcase in Lodi, California (August 11-14). This was my fourth conference in a row, and Leeann’s fifth. For the first time though, I was honoured to be asked by conference founder Allan Wright to moderate a panel discussion in front of an audience of 300 or so bloggers, journalists and other wine professionals. Gulp! Yes – I was thrilled to be asked and I was also nervous as heck. But more than that, I knew right away that I wanted to make it special, for both the audience and the panellists themselves.

My panel was a dream. I got to moderate the Panel of Wine Blog Award Winners, featuring five winners of the 2016 Wine Blog Awards. The awards have been in place since 2007 (the year before the first Wine Bloggers Conference), honouring excellence in online wine writing. This year’s panellists included Sophie Thorpe from Berry Bros. & Rudd, Mary Cressler from Vindulge, Jill Barth from l’Occasion, Susan Manfull from Provence Wine Zine, and Jerry Clark who received Best Blog Post of the Year.

Within my job in communications, yes, I do get to talk about wine and winemaking all day long, helping to celebrate the stories behind the labels of our passionate winery clients. But any success we have with the media comes down to the relationships and connections we build with the writers, editors, and producers that help share our client achievements. Within this panel and within the audience itself, I wanted to make sure to build that same connection and engagement.

First step: Google “how to moderate a panel.”

Check. This gave me the structure I needed to follow.

Second step: Arrange for some one-on-one time with each of the panellists in advance so that we could get to know each other better and to flesh out ideas for discussion.

Check. This, to me, was the most valuable part of the panel, as it connected us in a way that the audience could see, and that we could feel onstage. In each of our private discussions, we shared ideas, laughs and stories that solidified our personal connections, making us part of that community I mentioned earlier.

I will share that I was personally impressed and inspired by each of the very deserving award-winners, and what I was able to learn from each of them was a gift. Here are some of the gems that I took away from each of them:

Sophie Thorpe: Maybe it’s the Brit in me (my mom is from Reading, England) but I LOVE Sophie’s dry sense of humour, which you can see both on the BB&R blog and on her own, Raised on Champagne. She taught me the subtle excellence of opening the curtain to show the personality behind the writer, and how to let her readers know that they’re in on the joke, shared just between you and them.

Mary Cressler: Mary’s love of wine, photography, food and her family (not necessarily in that order) are infectious. The first time I saw Mary’s photos… the light, the texture, the delicious mouth water-inducing amazing-ness of her work, I knew that better was possible. It will take me some time to get even close to Mary’s talent, but she motivates me to try.

Jill Barth: Once you start reading her blog, L’Ocasion, you won’t stop until hours (maybe days) later. In fact, I whiled away about 45 minutes just prepping to write this little intro! Arguably, that is what made Jill a double award-winner this year: the ability to draw in her readers in such a way that they are sucked down this wine-filled rabbit hole of stories and adventures.

Susan Manfull: ‘P’ for Provence and ‘P’ for Passion. Susan has a heart of gold, which is easy to tell by speaking to her, or by reading her work. The tender care that she puts into each article is wonderful. Our first phone call could have gone on for hours, it was such a joy to speak to her.

Jerry Clark: One of my favourite pieces of wine writing, Jerry’s award-winning piece was evocative and emotional. He invited us into an intimate world, which all of us, including non-wine lovers, can relate to. His thrilling use of the written word remains incessantly inspiring.

Overall, the greatest thing I took away from these talented people is that a gifted wine writer, especially an award-winning wine blogger, is one that gives of themselves, that opens up in a personal way, revealing details not only about their subject - whether it be about a particular wine, an international travel adventure – but one who shares details about themselves. It is this, among many of the other things I learned above, that I hope to incorporate into my own blog when it launches this Fall.

See you in Sonoma at WBC17!

Disclosure: In exchange for a reduced rate to the Wine Bloggers Conference, attendees are required to write at least three blog posts about the conference either before, during or after.

Behind the Scenes: The Butcher, The Baker, The Wine & Cheese Maker

By Leeann Froese In case you missed it, our #withTownHall person this week is Jennifer Schell, international best selling author of two collaborative cook books... go say hi here.

We are super proud that Jennifer's newest book, The Butcher, The Baker, The Wine & Cheese Maker-By the Sea, was released last Thursday, October 8th and features a few of Town Hall's clients, including winemaker Bailey Williamson from Blue Grouse Estate Winery in Cowichan Valley.

Blue Grouse Estate Winery's philosophy is "What really matters?" and this relates directly to their new facility, the experience they create at the winery and the wine making process. Bailey's process in creating Blue Grouse wines is working harder in the vineyard and playing shepherd to the grapes through the process from vine to bottle, letting the natural state shine through in the final product.

We wanted to share a few behind the scenes shots from the cookbook photo shoot for you.

Want to see even more?

For more behind-the-scenes action from the book and photos from the book launch, head over to Town Hall's Facebook page were we've uploaded an album for you to enjoy!

The year that was 2014 With Town Hall - Part 2

By Leeann Froese Picking up from last week's Wine Wednesday, today I finish a recap of what we did in 2014.

I repeat how grateful we are for the support we receive from our clients, colleagues and the trade. You all bring the awesome, and I can't wait to see what 2015 unfolds for us all.

Here we pick up the last half of the year...

August

Road Trip #withTownHall

As our team grew throughout 2014 two new people with no previous wine experience joined us (Laurisha Bardal and Amy Chen) so a tour & learn was in order. We visited Okanagan Valley clients SpierHead winery, Summerhill Pyramid Winery, Mt. Boucherie Family Estate Winery, Okanagan Crush Pad and Serendipity winery.

Each winery client welcomed our team with open arms and in addition to learning a lot, we had a lovely time!

September

BBQ OFF the Bypass

Our client, the amazing Angie Quaale, hosted the 9th annual BBQ On The Bypass (it became OFF the bypass after Well Seasoned Gourmet Food Store moved to a new location). The free public event offered music, unique displays, tasty vendors and delicious BBQ samples.

15 teams gathered and the winner was House of Q, who then went on to win for the World’s Best Ribs from the World Food Championships in Las Vegas!

Celebrity Dim Sum

Raising funds for Aids Vancouver was the annual Celebrity Dim Sum. What fun it was to have politicians, media, and other personalities from Vancouver serving up yummy dim sum to an enthusiastic crowd.

Haywire was the official wine sponsor and sneak previewed its next release of the Lunar New Year wines.

Jurgen Gothe Celebration

Our team was proud to help organize the event to celebrate the 70th birthday and achievements of Jurgen Gothe’s lifetime. Many in the industry came together with wine, food, and stories. Our team was thrilled to be part of the planning, event execution and friendship for a memorable afternoon with an unforgettable man and those close to him.

Fall Colours

The British Columbia Wine Institute held its annual fall tasting event Colours. A few of our lovely BC winery clients were in town to showcase their newest releases to an enthusiastic crowd of trade and media.

October

Let's hear it for the Girls!

In time for breast cancer awareness month was the promotion of The Girls wine - a rosé and a red - with 100% sales proceeds of to charity. Note these wines are available year-round and make a wonderful choice for gifting or entertaining, knowing that all proceeds go to a great cause. The red would could be a nice Valentine wine.

November

Meet Monte Creek Ranch

We were pleased to announce that the wines are now available from Canada's next wine region and the newest winery in Kamloops, Monte Creek Ranch. Stay tuned for summer 2015 when this winery opens its doors.

Samanatha Syrah

Each year Vancouver’s sommelier of the year is invited to make 100 cases of wine through Okanagan Crush Pad’s Okanagan Wine Campus program. From this $5,000 is donated annually to the BC Hospitality Foundation to support wine education scholarships. 2013 Sommelier of the year Samantha Rahn of Araxi in Whistler created a delicious Syrah. Our team was proud to do the packaging and the publicity.

We are thankful to the media for the great press for sommelier Samantha Rahn's wine project. This has been the most publicity we have received to date for one of the Okanagan Crush Pad Wine Campus wines. Girls rule!

Previous Wine Campus releases include Kurtis Semillon 2011 (Kurtis Kolt), Owen Cabernet Franc 2011 (Owen Knowlton) and TNT Chardonnay 2012 (Terry Threlfall). In progress and up next is Mike Bernardo (2014).

Skills n Spills

The second Skills N Spills competition benefiting the BC Hospitality Foundation took place. Hospitality trade teams competed for bragging rights and more. Our team's role was media communication and coordinating the amazing media judges.

A New Look for an Older Wine

We were proud to bring to life the new packaging for Cipes Ariel 1998 premier cuvée.

This critically lauded wine now looks as beautiful as it tastes. The artwork and calligraphy were done by Helen Menyes, who also hand painted each of the original Cipes Gabriel 1991 bottles. The layout and design were led by our Andrew von Rosen, and inspiration for the design also came from the winery's winemaker Eric von Krosigk. The artwork depicts the archangel Ariel (lion of god), descending down the cone shaped bottle. On the back, two ethereal lions are nose to nose, creating the impression of angel's wings.

Andrew and I had a bottle of this wine on New Year's Eve (thank you team for the gift!) and it was absolutely delicious. No other way to put it. A truly special BC wine.

December

One Faith Vineyards

Our team announced the newest project in British Columbia wine: One Faith Vineyards, and not without controversy, so with this project we will expand...

In the past I have been lucky enough to do media work in Canada with Penfolds Grange and Mondavi's To Kalon Vineyard, and I was proud to be the publicist to launch Osoyoos Larose. These wine labels are all bold, high end, aspirational projects. Those in the Canadian wine media might recall that when Osoyoos Larose was launched it was met with skepticism before it earned fanfare. Critics said it showed promise but were slow to get 100% behind the project. In the case of One Faith Vineyards I am suggesting the case is the same. However today, the conversation is more rapid, as in 2001 there was no online platforms for social dialogue. And a tempest in a decanter is taking place because Bill Lui dreams for One Faith Vineyards, an expensive wine, to become a first growth wine for Canada.

Sujinder Juneja from our team, a French Wine Scholar, assembled this text:

"Let’s first talk about what First Growth actually means. Translated as “Premier Cru” in France, the First Growths were established in 1855 when Napoleon III classified the best wines of Bordeaux for the Exposition Universelle de Paris, based at the time on selling price and overall reputation. The top-ranked wines, named the Grand Crus Classés (Great Classified Growths) were placed in one of five categories from first to fifth, each of which carried a high mark of prestige and suggested a higher quality product.

The fact that these classified growths were now perpetually allowed to charge more per bottle than their close neighbours meant that greater financial resources could be potentially allocated to produce the best possible wine, year after year, even in challenging vintages.

Even inside France, the term First Growth is not a regulated term, but remains a title that lends distinction and perceived quality to the associated wine. Premier Cru is now also used in other appellations in France, including Burgudy, Alsace and Champagne, for example. More often than not, the term merely means the top wine (price and quality) of a particular estate.

Outside of France, the term has been used by other wineries who hope to establish a connection to old world traditions or perhaps build a higher reputation for quality in their home country.

In Canada, there is not yet a legal or binding definition for First Growth but it is the vision and the goal of One Faith Vineyards to produce a First Growth-level wine in the Okanagan Valley, an exceptional wine of unparalleled quality. Everything to do with the wine, from vineyard to winery, from grapes to bottle, must be only the very best.

To be fair, Bill Lui, the proprietor of One Faith Vineyards has never said that his wines are Canada’s First Growth. It is only his goal. His ambition. And only time will tell if that honour is given to One Faith in a formal way. And to be sure, Bill Lui has never once suggested that One Faith Vineyards is above the other great vineyards or wineries of the South Okanagan, but rather that the wine represents the fully-realized potential of excellent quality Bordeaux grape varietals, which have been growing in that site for more than 20 years."

Interestingly, many people talking about this wine and Bill Lui have an opinion when they have not met Bill, (a generous, humble, husband and father), or tasted the wine. Bill has invested his retirement resources to the project. Despite this, whatever does not make the final blend of only 144 cases is used in the 100% charitable The Girls Wine project.

How does the 2012 wine show? People might expect a big, extracted, tannic and masculine wine, as it is made from Bordeaux varietals, but the inaugural release of the wine is a delicate, fruit forward blend that expresses the south Okanagan terroir beautifully. With the meticulous care, attention, hand crafting and detail that go into production and the resulting limited quantity made, the wine retails in a custom made bamboo box of three for $495. At the time of this post the wines had been selling steadily, but a few cases remained.

Wild Sweets

Also in December we were proud to welcome Wild Sweets by DC Duby as a client. I worked with them when I was at Coletta & Associates back in… let's just say it was more than a decade ago. It's fun to reconnect with these two passionate chocolatiers and pastry artists. I encourage you to take a look at their website as their chocolate creations are truly remarkable.

#30 Days of Kindness

Our last project of 2014 was a team one: we took part in #30DaysofKindness

Our team met 30 Day Adventures chief adventurer Marc Smith at the Skytrain station to take part in 30 Days Of Kindness by surprising 20 lucky strangers with the gift of a smile, a positive note and a free ride on Translink. (Just so you know no transit laws were broken in the committing of this act of kindness as we had full approval from Translink.)

This is our 2nd year in a row participating in 30 Days Of Kindness. I am so proud of my hard working and generous-spirited team. Check out our little video and the post with detail on Marc's site

Wrapping Up

Whew!

It was so nice to end the year on a kind note, making people smile, and spreading good will.

Let me know how YOU enjoyed 2014. Did you attend any of these highlighted events? What were the highlights of your year?

2015 already promises some projects and exciting events to emerge so stay posted. Things are already getting busy in the industry with tastings and events.

If you do not already follow us on social media, we'd love for you to join us. Or sign up to receive updates to see what we are getting up to with our clients. You can do this at the top of the website.

We can't wait to share what else our clients are going to be up to, keep all dialogue going, and I hope we see you in person very soon!

Happy New Year - and on behalf of myself, Andrew, Sujinder, Amy, Laurisha, Felicia, Lindsey, Ali and Ritika, let’s all #gogetit!

The year that was 2014 With Town Hall - Part 1

Starting the New Year with a look at the year that was… 2014 in review - part one of two long posts... By Leeann Froese

It is remarkable that it is already the first Wine Wednesday of 2015!

2014 had been quite the amazing year for our team at Town Hall. The saying that ‘it takes a village’ is certainly true, especially as you apply it to what we're doing here. It takes a committed team and also a supporting cast of characters to really make all that we accomplish on behalf of our clients possible.

We feel blessed to have a cohesive team that really enjoys each other's company both while at and outside the office, and we love our clients, because as well as quality offerings, they carry so much passion and personality.

Also in the village we rely heavily on social thought leaders, bloggers and journalists to support our efforts to help spread the word on behalf of our clients, and we can't thank everyone enough for their ongoing support and enthusiasm for everything that we're doing here.

There is too much to detail, so to follow are a few highlights from what was an incredible year.

January

Wine for the Year of the Horse

Haywire Lunar wine launched… and sold out in days. This was an unprecedented program to create a wine for the local market specifically crafted to pair with Asian cuisine, and this wine symbolized the Year of the Horse. Our team did the packaging and PR. The program was a huge success and will be repeated for this year, the Year of the Sheep.

Wines of France educational seminar

On behalf of Sopexa Canada our team coordinated three days of training for the senior managers and product consultants of the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch, highlighting Alsace, Beaujolais, Bourgogne, Languedoc-Roussillon and Rhône Valley wines. On the heels of this, it was so exciting having Wines of France be the theme region for the Vancouver International Wine Festival in 2014.

Dawn Chubai goes Under the Covers

14 years after her award-winning début album, vocalist turned TV personality Dawn Chubai releases Under the Covers. Our design team was proud to do the layout on her album cover.

February

Pure Chablis

An exclusive dinner format never done before in Vancouver: three up-and-coming sommeliers (Brooke Delves, Jason Yamasaki and Roger Maniwa) competed to pair wines from Chablis to a menu created by chef Jefferson Alvarez of Secret Location. Invited guests to #PureChablisYVR voted by private individual electronic ballot, and the winner was Roger Maniwa.

The International Wine Festival

The 2014 International Wine Festival featured 178 wineries from all over the world, and the theme country was France. Mike Bernardo of Vij's was named the Sommelier of the Year. The wine world gathers to taste and connect. Selfies were taken.

March

Kosher Wine from BC

Canada's first uncooked Kosher wine was created by Summerhill Pyramid Winery with the release of Tiferet (loosely translated, means beauty).

Eight unique curries compete

In another first, the inaugural Curry Cup took place on behalf of the Chefs’ Table Society of British Columbia; eight chef teams competed and the winner was chef Taryn Wa of Savoury Chef.

April

Vancouver Dining gets Social with Serendipity

Serendipity Winery is the exclusive wine partner for the second annual #DinnerpartyYVR. Hobby chefs prepared meals in their homes with all proceeds to charity.

May

Dish n Dazzle

The BC Hospitality Foundation and Wines of New Zealand presented Dish N Dazzle with proceeds to support those in the hospitality industry in dire financial need. The event featured New Zealand Wines, a spirits competition and food from top Vancouver restaurants.

Spotlight on Portuguese Wines

For the first time in 20 years (maybe more) vintners from Portugal arrived en masse - 27 in all - to Vancouver, many displaying wines that were not available in Canada yet. We were proud to implement this program, which was a guided tasting led by Treve Ring, followed by a walk-around tasting. We were delighted to see how engaging the vintners are, how well the wines showed and how much the trade appreciated these wines.

Portuguese wines are on the rise globally, and we can see why.

Spot Prawn Festival

Presented by the Chefs’ Table Society of BC, the 8th annual Spot Prawn Festival took place at Fisherman's Wharf. The Spot Prawn Festival celebrates the start of spot prawn season in BC's coastal waters. The event involves many local chefs, and more than 2000 people attend this celebration of sustainable seafood.

Wine In the Garden

The Bottleneck Drive Winery Association from Summerland held their first event in Vancouver: Wine in the Garden, at the beautiful VanDusen Gardens.

June

Provence Rosé

We were delighted to present a program on behalf of Wines of Provence, celebrating the wonderful wines and flavours from the south of France. the program included media appearances by Provence's François Millo and Viktorija Todorovska and a tasting for retailers.

Preparing BC wineries for Fame

I was joined by DJ Kearney and Kathy Michaels to present a media training session to the BC Wine Institute member wineries.

Finding the Best Canadian Wines

The Wine Align National Wine Awards of Canada judging took place in Penticton, BC. It was a thrill to see the judges, many of whom I have worked with for more than 15 years (!) but never get to see, and help host them at Okanagan Crush Pad.

A huge highlight for me as well was meeting Jamie Goode, a visiting wine author from the UK. He is a marathon runner and kindly slowed down enough for me to join him for a run in paradise.

Welcome Calvin

Our Felicia had a baby! Welcome Calvin! 9lb 2 oz and 100% cute!

July

#WBC14

The Wine Bloggers Conference took place in Santa Barbara California, following a pre-excursion to Paso Robles. While there we presented a handful of BC wines in a hotel suite, exposing the wines to leading bloggers. We also got to see parts of California wine country and taste some incredible wines from the region, not to mention meet amazing people we now remain in touch with throughout the year.

Golfing to help the industry

The British Columbia Hospitality Foundation’s annual golf tournament took place in Vancouver. Amazing support was shown from the industry.

Joining Us

In July we were also pleased to welcome the Blue Grouse Vineyards and Winery team as well as financial consultant Judy Poole of Raymond James into our roster of clients. Wonderful people with lots to share.

Next week I will finish off from August onward, this post is lengthy enough!

Did you attend any of these highlighted events? What were the highlights of your year?

2015 already promises some projects and exciting events to emerge so stay posted.

We can't wait to tell you what else our clients are going to be up to and I look forward to seeing you very soon!

Happy New Year - let’s all #gogetit!

October is a Month of Foodtivities

  By Amy Chen

October, perhaps the most delicious month, is home to Thanksgiving, Halloween and now… Pizza Month.

To show support for North American’s growing pizza love, Gerry Durnell, pizzeria owner and founder of Pizza Today Magazine, launched a national pizza-focused magazine in October 1984 and designated the month as Pizza Month. If you don’t already know, Town Hall is all about celebrating the bounty of good food and great wine. When we sat down with our team to plan this special foodie month, we unanimously agreed that any idea we came up with needed to include what we love most: wine. With this in mind and a certified wine scholar on the team (Sujinder Juneja), it only made sense for us to do a series of wine and pizza pairings to share with all of our friends! For the next five #WineWednesday in October, grab a slice of pizza, sit-back, and follow us on our blog to find the perfect wine pairing for that slice in your hand. Let us know if you have a favourite wine and pizza pairing that we can share with our readers. Looking forward to celebrating Pizza Month and #WineWednesdays with you this October.

---

WEEK 1 (OCTOBER 1)

October 1^st is not only the start of Pizza Month but also World Vegetarian Day. It makes perfect sense for our very first #WineWednesday #PizzaMonth post to pair great wines with vegetarian pizzas. Michael Pollan, in his acclaimed book In Defense of Food: An Eaters Manifesto (Penguin Books, 2009) suggests that as a responsible species, we should “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” With a cornucopia of sustainable, locally-sourced and delicious fruits and vegetables to choose from in British Columbia, the possibilities for veggie-themed pizzas are near endless. Here are a couple favourite pairings from two of Town Hall’s sustainably-minded wineries:

Summerhill Pyramid Winery’s 2013 Small Lot Pinot Gris is a certified-organic custom blend from winemaker/viticulturalist Eric von Krosigk, which includes 8% Chardonnay and 5% Viognier, both fermented in oak barrels, plus 2% Pinot Blanc, each of which add gorgeous aromatics and balanced structure. The bright stone fruit and citrus tones of this wine will pair perfectly with pizza topped with fresh sliced pear, caramelized onions, extra virgin olive oil, organic goat cheese and coarse sea salt.

Already well-known for terroir-driven Pinot Gris, Summerland’s Haywire Winery has created quite a stir with their 2012 Gamay Noir, which offers a nose of bright red fruit and sweet earth, leading to flavours of raspberry, strawberry and cherry. Consider pairing with a vegetarian pizza topped with spinach, Portobello mushrooms, sweet and spicy peppadew peppers with a homemade garlic pesto base.

---

WEEK 2 (OCTOBER 8)

100% Okanagan and 100% to charity. The gold-medal winning (2014 BC Wine Awards) 2013 Rosé from The Girls (produced and distributed by Time Estate Winery) is a food-friendly blend that shows a soft pink colour with an intensely fragrant, floral nose of raspberry and wild strawberry. It’s dry and medium-bodied, with a thread of refreshing acidity. Pizza toppings with a bit of “spice” would work very well with this vivacious charmer – try with your favourite ground meat (spiced and pan-fried before baking), black olives, green onions, fresh BC tomatoes, pickled jalapeños and a mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheese.

A new favourite of ours is the just-released 2012 Quill Red blend from Blue Grouse Estate Winery in the Cowichan Valley. It’s a unique and deliciously balanced blend of Cabernet Foch, Marechal Foch, Merlot and Cabernet Libre sourced from Vancouver Island and the Okanagan Valley. This robust red calls for a hearty pizza with pepperoni, spicy capicola, Italian sausage, red onions and mozzarella cheese with a tomato sauce base.

Both wines are priced at under $20 – you might just want to grab two of each and share with friends.

---

WEEK 3 (OCTOBER 15)

Well Seasoned is THE foodie paradise in the Fraser Valley. The store has just celebrated 10 successful years of being the go-to gourmet superstore in the region and has just moved to a brand new location at #117-20353 64 Ave in Langley. Angie Quaale,Well Seasoned’s owner, believes that the best pizza can only be made with the best ingredients and a few key tools.

Angie says the best homemade pizzas are made in the oven with a pizza stone, guaranteeing your pie even heat distribution so that the crust cooks evenly on the top as well as the bottom. You can get a good oneat Well Seasoned for around 20 bucks. She also recommends a pizza ‘peel’ – a handle with a flat wooden carrying surface – to keep the pizza from falling on the floor as it goes in and out of the oven. They are a great investment for any serious pizza maker.

Of course, it’s not even toppings that matter most, but the base that will make the pizza perfect.

Angie suggests always having a package of frozen pizza dough on hand (she uses the ones from local Calabria Bakery). Making your own sauce from canned and peeled Italian tomatoes is always a great idea, seasoned with your own choice of dried herbs and specialty salts. Well Seasoned has plenty to choose from. Be creative. Have fun. Eat Pizza!

Need more inspiration? Well Seasoned is offering a “Killer Pizza” class with Chef Carl Sawatsky on October 30 at 6:30pm. For just $60, you can learn to make pizza like a boss.

---

WEEK 4 (October 22)

This week, we’re pleased to introduce you to a newcomer to the BC wine scene – Kamloops’ Monte Creek Ranch. Their wines are now arriving at select liquor stores and restaurants across the province and we know you’ll be impressed. Amazing flavours, great packaging and a unique history all add up to a sensational experience. Their 2013 Riesling offers mid-week friendly low alcohol, fresh acidity and notes of balanced minerality, along with a crisp lemon/lime citrus and grapefruit finish. Try it with a pizza topped with savoury grilled chicken and pineapple, on a freshly-made crust brushed with olive oil, lemon juice and citrus sea salt. A dollop or two of gooey mascarpone cheese would round things out nicely.

While the debate rages on about what a “signature grape” could or should be for the British Columbia, there’s no doubt that Syrah is often name-checked as one of the front-runners. Mt. Boucherie Family Estate Winery has been farming grapes throughout the valley since the late 1960s and their passion for the land is evident in each and every one of the wines they produce. Their 2010 Syrah is sourced from family-owned vineyards in the picturesque Similkameen Valley. Aromas and flavours of dark plum, blackberries, leather and black pepper lead a velvety long finish. To balance the rich fruit and spicy notes of the wine, we’re thinking Genoa salami, bacon and ham with a blend of mozzarella and parmesan cheese over a tomato sauce base.

---

WEEK 5 (October 29)

Ever since we first met Judy and tasted through her wines, we were hooked. The love, care and attention that she and her team devotes to every bottle is earning them accolades beyond our provincial borders. Planning a visit to Naramata? Make sure you stop in to say hi to Judy and her second-in-command, Katie, who are always there to greet visitors with a smile and a glass. We’ve long been fans of their Viognier, and the 2013 vintage shows notes of orange blossom and tangerine with notes of toasted coconut, blood orange and apricot, balanced with refreshing acidity. How about a pizza with a creamy Thai curry sauce base, topped with wild shrimp (Ocean Wise, naturally), red onions, red and orange peppers, pineapple, coriander and mozzarella.

Oliver’s legendary Sundial Vineyard was planted on the Black Sage Bench in South Okanagan in 1992. For more than 20 years, the vineyard has produced some of the most sought-after and award-winning wines in the province, based mostly on Bordeaux varietals. TIME Estate Winery, launched by vineyard owners Harry McWatters and Bob Wareham continues the tradition of producing premium fruit under direction of viticulturist Richard Cleve. The 2011 Meritage (Red) is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. It offers classic aromas of red berries, black cherries and pepper with a character that suggests rose petal and sage. Inspired by the artisan thin crust pizza from Summerland’s Local Lounge • Grille, we suggest a pizza topped with olive oil, arugula, roasted local garlic and braised short rib.

Thank you to everyone that followed along with our #PizzaMonth wine and pizza suggestions. Were you inspired to try these recipes yourself or do you have other suggestions to share? We’d love to hear from you. Send a photo, write us an email or leave a comment below. Happy eating!

Happy New Year! Wishing you the best for 2014 and hope to see you #withTownHall

Happy New Year from Town Hall By Leeann Froese

At this time on behalf of our entire team I want to wish everybody the best of the holiday season as we turn the corner into 2014.

2013 has been a pretty challenging, yet amazing year. The easiest way to say it, is that it has just been incredible, full of change, positivity, amazing people, and hope for what lies ahead.

After spending 16 years with an agency that we did a vast body of work with, and that taught us so much, to go out on our own was a bigger move than I anticipated. It is our blessing that our clients have come with us, and new ones have joined us too, and we have a team of 7 professionals that step up to do their best every time they are on the job, yet, can celebrate life and have fun on the flipside.

As I write this all I can say is that I am filled with gratitude. I'm so thankful to everyone around me: my family, friends, coworkers, clients and the media who support us. Plus, everyone has just spread so much goodwill and been supportive over this year - this year that has been so big and so full of change as we launched Town Hall.

I would love to personally reach out and say to every single person how meaningful my relationship with you is, but I'm going to do this in a mass way right here on this blog and say very best of the season to you all.

I wish you a Happy New Year as we welcome 2014, and I can't wait to see you in person, talk to you on the phone, or swap an email with you and strengthen our relationship as time unfolds.

And so I don't leave you with a totally mushy ending - here is a fun how-to that we did just in time for the holiday season.

Cheers!

If you are on mobile and cannot see the You Tube embedded - here is the click through.

Do Good Work: Town Hall does 30 Days of Kindness with 30 Day Adventures

  Do Good Work - Town Hall does a kind act for 30 Days of Kindness.

by Leeann Froese

Those that know me, know that each day I ask myself and my world: “have you been as kind as you can be today?”

So when blogger, friend, and client Marc Smith of 30 Day Adventures called for people to get involved in his latest blog series called 30 Days of Kindness, I leaped at the chance.

Presented by CHIMP and Provence, the second annual 30 Days of Kindness series sees Marc work with people and companies to spread 30+ acts of kindness.

For our act of kindness I asked my Town Hall team what they wanted to do; I said I wanted help those who are constantly helping others.

It was Andrew & Felicia from our design team that suggested we visit and recognize those who volunteer at Honour House.

So we went to Honour House. See the 30 Day Adventures blog post by Marc Smith on our act of kindness here.

It just so happened that Marc posted our kind act on World Kindness Day! How fitting. CTV spoke to Marc about his series, World Kindness Day and Honour House. If you want to watch the CTV coverage go here and check it out!

Honour House is a home away from home that offers temporary housing for Canadian Forces and Emergency Services personnel whose families or loved ones are receiving medical treatment in Greater Vancouver. This special refuge is almost 100% volunteer driven, and seemed like the perfect place to visit and show some kindness to the volunteers.

The house opened in 2010 and is a completely renovated heritage home in New Westminster that has 20 guest rooms, peaceful, brightly lit common areas and a shared kitchen. Craig Longstaff is the general manager, and Patti Graham, who looks after finances, are the only two paid staff members. Maintenance, upkeep and fundraising events are all managed by a group of dedicated volunteers. Craig gave our team a tour and we learned a lot about this unique facility.

A lot of care and love goes into Honour House on a regular basis; for example a group of quilt makers has sent over enough quilts for the entire house, as well as many child-sized quilts, which young guests of Honour House can take home with them when they return home.

Town Hall’s act of kindness was to take the volunteers some kind of a treat and help with some of their regular duties. Sally Koldenhof, owner of Custom Cookies by Sally, heard what we were planning, and made amazing maple leaf sugar cookies to fit Honour House’s theme. We then gave these to the volunteers and staff upon arrival.

As we learned more during our visit to Honour House we realized that this special facility needs more volunteers. Like any accommodation or B&B, when guests leave, things need to be cleaned and organized for the next set of people who will be staying.

With a number of VIPs set to visit Honour House on Remembrance Day for the parade and event to follow after in New Westminster, our timing could not have been better. The Town Hall team, along with Marc, spent a few hours working at Honour House on Friday November 8th.

I, Andrew, Felicia, Sujinder, Ali, Ben, and Marc raked leaves, made beds, vacuumed & mopped the floors over the course of an hour and a half alongside their volunteers and we were able to get the house cleaned from bottom to top.

After that was done the group posed for a photo and enjoyed the custom-made maple leaf Cookies by Sally. The volunteers, staff and the Town Hall team were super happy with the cookies.

During our time at Honour House we realized that the Honour House volunteers are amazing. No job was too big or too small, and they did everything with a smile. The ladies whom I helped were laughing and having fun pretty much the whole time. Their passion for Honour House is clear and they do whatever it takes to make sure the house is comfortable and clean when new guests arrive.

Craig was impressed with how much our team accomplished. He noted that they need five or six people to help them on a regular basis, to bolster their existing group of volunteers.

So, if your company, or you and a group of friends want to help those who regularly help others, check out the Honour House website at www.honourhouse.ca They would be very grateful for your help and so would the Canadian Forces and Emergency Services personnel, who stay there.

I especially send this note out to other companies - as a small business owner, if I and my team can find the time to do an afternoon of good work: I challenge you to do the same.