Fabulous food and wine pairings a great excuse to get cozy at Quarry Bistro
By Amanda Follett
Stepping off a frozen Canmore sidewalk, sunny vineyards in France seem an awfully long way away.
As I push open the door to the Quarry Bistro, the Canadian Rockies is in a deep freeze -that point of winter when sudden snowfalls have lost their romantic appeal and the chill that has set in feels as if it will never lift. But the restaurant is warm and ambient and, as the server who greets us extends a smile and a glass of white wine, I can feel my bones begin to thaw.
Once a month, the downtown Canmore restaurant holds its wine pairing evenings, each with its own theme. Tonight we are celebrating the annual release of the Beaujolais Nouveau nearly halfway around the world in France's Burgundy region with a five-course meal and corresponding vintages.
What better way to spend a bone-chilling evening in the mountains than with a glass - or five - of delicious wines.
Fine wine and fabulous food require a toast at Quarry Bistro in Canmore.
These evenings attract an average 35 guests, says restaurant owner Naomi Wyse, and have formed a small cult following - a mix of both locals and Calgarians who incorporate the event into a weekend in the mountains. The atmosphere is more like an elegant dinner party as our host seats us at our assigned candlelit tables where we quickly get to know our neighbours. No doubt the wine helps.
"It's a great experience to get people into the restaurant, have some fun and throw a party in the middle of winter," Naomi says, naming Alberta as one of the best provinces in the country to sample fine wines.
The restaurateur remembers a time when the Canadian wine industry was almost non-existent and patrons ordered primarily hard liquor and beer. Just as the Canadian wine market began to come into its own in the mid-1990s, Alberta privatized its liquor stores, giving the province a step up in the wine industry. The result has been friendly, locally-owned liquor stores that do regular in-store wine-tasting promotions and display a passion for the grape that government-owned stores simply cannot.
"Certainly, people have gotten more interested in wine and more wine has become available," she says of the local market. "Alberta, I think, is ahead of the rest of the country because there's more wines available than any other province."
Here to introduce the wines we'll be sampling is sommelier Richard Harvey, owner of Metrovino fine wine shop in Calgary.
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Guests at Quarry Bistro enjoy wine from the Burgundy region of France.
Before each course, Harvey shares not just his knowledge of the vintage, but his experiences in Burgundy, where he has spent a total of roughly one year during the course of his 20 years in the wine industry. In recent years, Harvey even got his hands dirty by working the harvest, an experience he says "demystifies and remystifies" the wines, all at the same time.
"There's a lot of back-breaking work involved," Harvey says, describing a down-to-earth wine culture where vintners sport muddy clothes and dirt beneath their fingernails. "I like the Burgundians because they're very close to their soil."
Also before each course, restaurant co-owner and chef David Wyse similarly demystifies the night's eclectic menu with adventurous tales about how items evolved - albeit, not always gracefully - from a culinary vision to the dish we're about to eat. If braised pigs' trotters, frogs' legs and escargot weren't intimidating enough, David's somewhat humorous descriptions of how they made their way to our plates don't instill confidence. But when served, any misgivings are replaced with admiration for how the chef pulled together these creative, mouth-watering dishes.
"Often the things he says just make me cringe," Naomi, his sister, admits with a laugh. "But people often tell me that's what they love about the evening. "It adds kind of an entertainment aspect to dining."
As the unique dining experience draws to a close sometime before midnight, I push through the door and leave the Quarry's warmth behind as I wander back into the chilly night sporting a red wine glow that pairs beautifully with stuffed-to-the-gills sleepiness. Glancing at the travel agency next door, I can't help but wonder if they're offering any seat sales to France. Suddenly, sipping wine while surrounded by vineyards in Burgundy doesn't seem so very far away.
If You Go:
The elegant yet low-key Quarry Bistro is located at 718 Main Street, in Canmore. Wine pairing evenings ($75 per plate) make a great gift or group outing. For more information, visit www.quarrybistro.com.
The Quarry holds its next wine pairing event, "Bubbles" featuring sparkling wines from around the world, on Feb. 17.
The Quarry also holds its informal Thursday Wine Club ($35 per person) with locally-owned liquor store Alberta Spirits. This more casual event attracts a dozen or so each time and features six or seven wines and some finger foods.
For more information about Richard Harvey and Metrovino wine shop, visit www.metrovino.com.
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