Best Sommelier of BC Returns January 29

Best Sommelier of BC Competition Returns to Vancouver

New competing category for 2018 BC Aspiring Sommelier

Hosted by The Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers British Columbia Chapter (CAPS BC), the fourth annual Best Sommelier of BC Competition returns to Rogers Arena on January 29th, 2018.

[Vancouver, BC] This annual competition attracts some of the best and brightest sommeliers from across the province to compete for the title of BC's Best Sommelier 2018 . This incredibly challenging competition includes both a written and practical examination. The practical exam will be held live as the top three sommeliers from the written portion compete for the 2018 title. Ticket packages available for CAPS Members and the public to view the competition and join the post-competition celebration dinner and announcements.

The winner will be announced at the post-competition Dinner, hosted by CAPS BC, at the Encore Suite at Rogers Arena (doors open at 4:30pm).

To be eligible to compete, individuals must be accredited members of CAPS BC and must earn at least 50% of their income from hospitality employment as a sommelier. Competitors must also be a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident.

Those sommeliers (or up-and-coming sommeliers) wishing to compete can still apply, and the entrants to date are listed here, in alphabetical order by last name:

Christina Hartigan, Botanist
Michael Hiram, AnnaLena
Matthew Landry, The Stable House Bistro
Shane Lobsinger, Sonora Resort
Adam Mehew, Yew at Four Seasons Hotel
Scott Mitchell, AnnaLena
Sean Nelson, Vij's
Jayton Paul, Hawksworth Restaurant
Todd Prucyk, Hawksworth Restaurant
Tereza Roux, Wedgewood Hotel
Peter Van de Reep, Campagnolo
Jesse Walters, Burdock & Co.

Esteemed judges for this year: Barbara Philip, Michaela Morris and Sebastien Le Goff. Emcee is DJ Kearney and Shane Taylor, winner of 2017 Best Sommelier BC Competition.

Competition Details

9:00am-11:00am- Preliminary competition, including written exam and blind tasting, with all candidates. This portion happens behind closed doors.

12:00pm-4:30pm- The Top 3 Competitors will be announced, and then immediately compete live for Best Somm BC 2018. This portion is open to the public for viewing.

Location: Captains Room, Rogers Arena (Gate 10, 800 Griffiths Way)

Champions Dinner Details

4:30pm-8:00pm- Cocktail hour, dinner served, and winners announced.

Location: Encore Suite, Rogers Arena  (Gate 10, 800 Griffiths Way)

Ticket Prices:

CAPS Members:
$65 - Live Competition Viewing + Reception & Dinner Package
$40 - Reception/Dinner Only

Non-Members:
$75 - Live Competition Viewing + Reception & Dinner Package
$50 - Reception/Dinner Only

For the LIVE Competition Viewing ONLY - $10 at the door (first come-first serve seating). Doors open at 12:00pm and the competition begins at 12:30pm.

In addition - for the first time, CAPS BC is happy to announce the 2018 BC Aspiring Somm Competition.

This event is open to any member of CAPS BC who earns at least 50% of their income from hospitality employment in any role as well as has an interest in participating in future Best Sommelier of BC competitions. The event mimics theBest Sommelier of BC format to give aspiring sommeliers the opportunity to understand what the competition is really all about. Competitors must also be a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident. This event runs concurrent to the Best Sommelier of BC, from 9:00am-12:00pm on Monday, January 29th at Rogers Arena. The 2018 BC Aspiring Sommelier Winner will be announced prior to theBest Sommelier of BC announcement on Monday evening.

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About Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers:

Established in 1989, the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS) is a pan-Canadian association, which brings together individuals within the sommelier profession, restaurant services, and other sectors of the wine industry.

As a not-for-profit organization, CAPS aims to promote and educate the sommelier profession through professional development and networking events related to the wine and spirits industry. Visit: http://sommelierscanada.com/ 

SO YOU THINK YOU KNOW RHÔNE?

By Leeann Froese

Do you know Rhône Valley wines?

It turns out, I know less than I thought.

Thankfully, at a trade event earlier in September at Vancouver’s Maenam restaurant, Michelle Bouffard, president of the local chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS), hosted and presented a discovery workshop and tasting, to help bring some Rhône knowledge back to the forefront.

40 industry professionals: sommeliers, retailers, and media representatives alike, were joined by representatives of the Rhône Valley, Laure Vaissermann and Virginie Charlier, marketing and communication director of Inter-Rhône. Upon arrival to the event, each guest cracked open a fortune cookie, and inside was the name of one of five teams named after a few of the region’s famous varietals: Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Marsanne and Roussanne. Once randomly teamed up we tasted 12 wines from the Rhône Valley during a blind taste test. Our goal was to guess the appellations or varietals as part of an interactive challenge under the evocative theme “So you think you know Rhône?”

It turns out, I do not.

I was on Team Grenache, with notable trade #winelover -s including Noel Hollet, Rachel von Sturmer, Iain Philip, Ron Wilson, and Si Man Lee. I was impressed by the tasting ability and knowledge at my table, although the table discussion revealed that my team members, like me, were also not 100% confident.

Created from a range of 21 different varietals, Rhône Valley Wine wines are renowned for their depth and distinctiveness. The reds range from round and fruit forward, to full bodied and structured; the whites are floral and fruity or full bodied and deep, and there are dry rose wines as well, that range from fresh and bright to spicy.

It’s all about the blend; and while there are many varietals, for example, most blended reds are a combination of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre. The wines’ blends and flavour profiles depend on what area or village they are from and the related terroir, as well as the laws from each area as it relates to how much % of varietal is allowed in each blend.

Once we heard from Michelle about the regions, blends and laws, we blind tasted and were quizzed, with our answers submitted electronically and then displayed on a screen for all to see. I was not doing well at all, and my teammates were doing only slightly better.

I did OK on identifying the building blocks of the wines; identifying the acid, alcohol and tannin characteristics, but that is where my success ended…

Luckily the results were collected and posted by team, so no one saw that I only got a few of the questions right. I am sure that I brought my team’s score down, and here I publicly apologize to them!

Where I really fell down was aligning the wine characters to their origin. Related: I have a lot of dusting off of my WSET notes to do!

“Even seasoned experts can still learn something new about Rhône Valley Wines,” said Michelle Bouffard.

I wasn’t alone; there seemed to be collective groans in the room each time an answer was revealed. The fact that so many of us got responses incorrect provided a great chance to discuss why – for example why Ventoux in the foothills offers wines so different from the full-bodied and round Gigondas wines from further south.

Some other teams did much better, voting as a group and doing very well. Congratulations to Team Marsanne on earning bragging rights!

Bouffard adds “The region’s diverse appellations, soil types and flagship varietals make it a key wine region. What really turns heads are the wines’ versatility, as they pair wonderfully with a wide range of dishes, such as Maenam’s Asian specialties.”

After the tasting and quiz was done and the whole room seemed collectively deflated, our moods were revived by the chance to taste these wines again and openly discuss, this time knowing what we are reaching for, and also now accompanied by hand-passed bites from chef Angus An.

KEY STATISTICS ABOUT THE RHÔNE VALLEY WINES

• Ranks 2nd among French AOC vineyards in terms of volume;
• 388 million bottles sold in 2015;
• Over 50% of total production is certified organic;
• 1 bottle of Rhône Valley Wines AOC is enjoyed worldwide every 12 seconds;
• Over 10 years, the volume of Rhône Valley Wines exports to Canada has increased by 41%;
• In 2015, 11% (in volume) of French table wines in Canada is from Rhone Valley Wines. An overall 20% increase in BC sales of Rhone Valley Wines during 2015 to 2016.

Disclosure: As a member of CAPS BC, I was an invited guest at this event, and I thank Rhône Valley Wines for the chance to taste and learn. For more information on Rhône Valley Wines, visit www.vins-rhone.com