Petales D'Osoyoos

Another successful pairing to report. Last night (at home) we had buffalo flat iron steak marinated in red wine, garlic, topped with bacon, onions, and mushrooms, served with mashed potatoes with roasted garlic, spinach topped with crumbled blue cheese, and a salad of cucumber and fresh fava beans with a cream mint dressing. The wine, Osoyoos Larose Petales D’Osoyoos. Was it the absolute best wine we could have paired with the meal? I don't know. We have several good bottles of French and a lot of BIG California cabs in the cellar, any of which probably would have been fantastic with the meal. The real question is whether or not it was a good meal for the wine, the answer: it was. It had more than enough tannins (and acid) to stand up to the meal very nicely. All without making us focus only on the wine. Instead, we enjoyed how the food and wine interacted, nothing playing a clearly staring role, instead, working in concert with each other to make beautiful music. (Don’t get me wrong, the wine is quite lovely to drink by itself too, as previous posts attest to.)

A plug for fresh fava beans: They are a hassle, requiring shelling and then peeling, but when they are in season, they are totally worth the effort!

I purchased the buffalo at my neighborhood butcher shop, called simply, The Butcher. They have very high quality meat, and great service, all without a trip to the craziness that is Granville Island. Check it out. (www.thebutcher.ca).