Guest-blogger Jamie Maw | ‘Why is it,’ I remarked to my daughter, who lives in Scottsdale, ‘that the older I get the faster the years whip by, but the winters seem to take forever?’

That was certainly the case this year, both on the coast but especially in the Okanagan, where in January it turned as cold as the Canucks, with weeks of –25 Celsius nights that would return again a month later. Now the vintners and orchardists have expressed concern about crop damage, as explained in this excerpt from The Capital News:

‘In vineyards in the south, there’s certainly some damage to buds, particularly in the later red varieties, he [Jim Campbell, the agriculture ministry’s grape and tree fruit specialist] said.

Industry consultant John Vielvoye said he hasn’t visited many sites, but from talking to growers, he gathers there’s been more than 50 per cent damage on some vines.

However, the amount has to do with where new vineyards are being planted and the new varieties being planted.

Some of them are not hardy in this climate, he noted.

Long-time growers get their cues about damage from forsythia sprigs they bring into the house and force into bloom.

The amount of blossom is a good indicator of the amount of damage which may appear at blossom-time in the orchard or vineyard.

“I didn’t get any blooms on my forsythia, and my witch hazel is just coming into bloom and it usually blooms in mid-January,” he commented.

Local grape grower Doug Sperling registered a low temperature of -24 C in his Okanagan Mission vineyard this January, and although the vines were well hardened-off and there was good snow cover, he said, “I left 30 per cent more buds than usual when I was pruning.”

With many new growers now in the grape industry, he’s concerned that some are inexperienced, or bigger risk-takers, and are “growing varieties that are too tender for this climate.”’

Another victim of the winter was La Boulangerie, the wonderful bakery-café in Pandosy Village. I was a frequenter, and I miss its pâtés and terrines, baquettes and tartes citron and triumphant Paris-Brest cakes, as well as the friendly bonhomie of Pierre, its proprietor, who would occasionally slip a ramekin of porc rillettes or some other recent connivance into my shopping bag. But the signs of financial hardship were unmistakable: a range of frozen HMR products that were too expensive for the off-season market, and a punishing wait at the noon hour for a soup and sandwich plat.

As a sign of the times, the boite has been converted into an A&W. Their new sign announces ‘2 Teens – $6’. I thought I was in Thailand.

Winter wine-gate sales have seemingly hit the trough, too, according to this wintry blast from Stephen Cipes of Summerhill Winery:

‘Dear friends and family,

Ya know the saying in the wine industry, “If you buy a case of wine in January, we’ll give you a car.” Well… Here it is April, and in spite of all our recent gold medals and all the talk about how organic wine is the best thing for the planet and our bodies, the bottles are not flying off the shelf as usual… So… We’re hosting a sale (at the wine shop or online at www.summerhill.bc.ca) like we have never had before… EMPLOYEE PRICES, A 25% DISCOUNT, ON ALL WINES BY THE CASE (MIXED CASES OKAY) FROM APRIL 15TH TO APRIL 30TH, NO LIMIT!!!!!! We are confident that this sale will introduce Summerhill wines and convert many new fans, so please pass this email along to all your friends who enjoy fine wine… Thank you!

Steve’

Discounted pricing holds true at Cedar Creek too. While the Platinum Reserve series will continue to hoist high the flag at between $30 and $45 per bottle, the Estate and Classic series (formerly priced around $30 and $20 per bottle respectively) have been rolled into a new line that will retail at $19.99. This on the heels of CC leaving the fold of Vincor as their agent last month, and taking up with Free House. Now CC just needs to update its website.

Earlier this year, Ned Bell at Cabana quite intelligently (and proactively) positioned his restaurant with the locals. Sunday through Wednesday, the well-made dinner pastas, pizzas and fondues are priced at $9.99, and children under 12 eat for free—so in theory, teetotalling families of four can eat for $20. As I have no teetotalling families of four in my acquaintance, perhaps you could pass this compelling tip onward.

Rod Butters and Audrey Surrao have opened the downstreamed RauDZ Regional Kitchen in their former Water Street Fresco space.

It’s a more rusticated room with a large communal table and bright, fresh cooking and neat presentation. The soft opening was distinguished from the norm by inviting fewer corporate Fresco users, and more farmers, ranchers and foragers. The menu is a blessing.

Just around the corner, on Pandosy between Lawrence and Leon is the excellent Wasabi, an izakaya from several Guu vets. It’s a great find—and very popular with industry folk.

The room is sleek, modern and clean. Very good value found in dishes such as ‘prawn chili mayo’ (six for $7.50) and miso cod for $10. Quite a lot of sushi logs too – with exciting names such as ‘New York Steak’ and ‘Lovely Vegetarian’ – and also priced to please. Wasabi is an important panacea to the dearth of quality Asian dining in K-Town—there’re lots of them, but few excite.

The Chefs’ Table Society will throw a fundraiser/Bon Voyage for Mission Hill winery chef Michael Allemeier (interview) in the late summer. Michael is decamping for SAIT in Calgary, where he’ll head up the culinary arts program. He’ll be sorely missed, although chef Matt Batey, who will move up a notch at MH, has been thoroughly schooled in local procurement. Michael’s swan song will be the annual KSO gala in mid-July.

The CTS event will feature a mix of Vancouver and Okanagan chefs, about eight in all, working from food stations in a summer casual staged in the Mission Hill courtyard, with a like-number of VQA wineries in partnership. Watch this space.

Mid-April is the time of Okanagan temperature spikes: 20°+ days, still-freezing nights. I trust we’ll move past them with the alacrity of the Canucks bumping the Blues. While Andy Murray can be credited with firing up his injury-hobbled club late in the season, the guy who’s filled seats and turned the finances around is Pete McLoughlin, who was 21 years at Anheuser-Busch before becoming CEO of St. Louis Blues a few years back. This is the modern NHL.

While on the subject of beer, I was delighted to return to Vancouver several days ago and find a vast supply of Grolsch products neatly tarped on the veranda. To wit: much handsome glassware, becoming T-shirts, a handy forest green ball-cap, and most importantly, about enough product—replete with porcelain stoppers—to float the Royal Navy.

I can only say how delighted I am that someone is paying attention.

And I thank you for yours,

Jamie

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Jamie Maw has won more than 25 major awards for his culinary writing. He was the Food Editor of Vancouver Magazine for 17 years and a frequent contributor to other national and international media outlets, including the BBC, the Globe and Mail and Bon Appetit. He was a co-founder of the Chefs’ Table Society of BC, and co-editor of it’s 2004 cookbook, Vancouver Cooks.

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