Press Releases for March 29, 2007

KETTLE VALLEY WINEMAKERS DINNER AT AURORA BISTRO


Vancouver, BC…Aurora Bistro on Vancouver's Main Street will host a winemaker’s dinner with Kettle Valley Winery, on Monday April 16th.

Chef Jeff Van Geest will prepare a five course dinner which will include West Coast dishes such Salt Roasted Beet Carpaccio with Organic Herb Salad and House Made Chorizo Vinaigrette – paired with the Kettle Valley 2006 Pinot Gris; and Brined and Roasted Queen Charlotte Halibut with Asparagus and Morel Mushroom Ragout – paired with the Kettle Valley 2004 Chardonnay

Tickets are $95 (not including taxes and gratuity) and can be reserved by calling Aurora Bistro at 604-873-9944 or by booking online at www.aurorabistro.ca.


--------------------


CMC SAKE WELCOMES ECHIGO DENEMON TO THE PLAYHOUSE WINE FESTIVAL


Masa Shiroki of CMC Sake is pleased to announce that Echigo Denemon Sake will be available for tasting at Booth 125 at this year’s Playhouse International Wine Festival. Echigo Denemon sake is created in Niigata prefecture in northern Japan. This area is known for growing some of the best rice in Japan and where the climate is ideal for sake production. Four products will be sampled.

Yuki Hotaru (Snow Firefly) Honjozo-style Premium Sake– 720 ml - $27.45
Fruity and floral on the nose. A medium bodied sake with flavours of sweet rice, nut and complex lingering hints of vanilla.

Junmai Sake Denemon
This superb everyday sake has received praise from international sake experts. The true flavour of the sake is revealed with each glass – tartness in harmony with refreshing aroma. This sake pairs well with a variety of foods, including Japanese, Chinese and western. Enjoy in many ways – warmed, chilled or at room temperature.

Junmai Ginjo Denemon
The delicate, elegant flavour of the Junmai Ginjo displays a wonderful harmony between sweetness and acidity. With each sip you will appreciate it’s smoothness and the complex nature of sake. This sake can be enjoyed either chilled or at room temperature.

Junmai Daiginjo Denemon
The sake makers have made every effort to create this outstanding quality Junmai Daiginjo using premium rice and clear, snow-fed river water. The resulting sake is a superb creation with fruity aromas, and a fine balance between sweetness and acidity.
We recommend you enjoy this sake either chilled or at room temperature.

All products will be available for sale at BCLDB on-site store.

-------------------


BRINGING THE WSET TO WINE COUNTRY


On April 24th Fine Vintage Ltd. brings the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET®) Foundation Certificate to the heart of south Okanagan wine country. The BC Wine Information Centre will host Penticton’s first WSET® class instructed by Okanagan based wine writer, consultant and Master of Wine student Rhys Pender.

“By tasting outstanding wines from around the world, people get the bug and just want to learn more,� says instructor Rhys Pender. Over $640 worth of wine will be tasted during the course of the day. Students learn tasting skills, the major grape varieties, food and wine pairing and skills in retailing and serving wine.

The Foundation Certificate is level one in a series of courses offered by WSET® in 38 countries around the world. Students progress through the Intermediate Certificate (a 3-day course held in Kelowna on May 26, 27 & June 2), the Advanced Certificate (a 15 week course) and onto the Diploma (a two year undertaking). WSET® is the world’s most recognized wine education body and Fine Vintage Ltd. now operates wine schools in Vancouver, Calgary and the Okanagan.

Registration is available on-line at www.finevintageltd.com or by phone at the Vancouver Head Office at 604.922.4915.
-


--------------------



A NEW PLACE TO STAY IN THE SOUTH OKANAGAN


The Wine Umbrella presents the South Okanagan’s first wine country villa, now available for vacation rentals.

Located on “the wine route� (Highway 97) between Okanagan Falls and Oliver, this three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom villa would be convenient when visiting the wineries in the southern Okanagan Valley. Close to Blue Mountain, Wild Goose and Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards, the Okanagan Wine Country Villa is also within a twenty-minute drive of such wineries as Burrowing Owl, Tinhorn Creek, Golden Mile Cellars and more.

The property comfortably accommodates eight people, complete with such features as an oak dining room set, oversized Jacuzzi tub, as well as  kitchen and serving utensils. The villa is two doors down from a popular pub, three doors from a butcher shop, and across the street from a convenience store.

The master bedroom offers a view of the famous McIntyre Bluff while a stroll across the street will take visitors to the shores of Gallagher Lake. Step onto the covered patio and harvest some grapes for breakfast, or walk out onto the lawn for fresh peaches and plums.  The entire villa can be rented either on a nightly*, weekly or monthly basis, and discounts are applied to longer-term stays.

Visit www.thewineumbrella.com for photos, rates and a full list of Self-Guided Wine Country Tours.

* Minimum rental of 2 nights is in effect.




-------------------