Rachelle Goudreau presented this seminar. She is a sommelier and has worked for Savory Coast, Provence Marinaside and the Wine Bar. She launched Tongue Tied Consulting to offer food and wine pairing consultation, menu and recipe development, and freelance food and wine writing to select clients. My favourite wine was the Croatian wine listed below.

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Anna de Codorniu Cava NV
70% chardonnay, 30% Parellada, DO Cava-Penedés, Traditional method
This wine could be paired with quite a number of foods.
It smells sweet and is almost creamy/thick and lingers on your tongue. I want to eat nothing but cheese and bread with this wine.

Chapoutier Bila-Haut Blanc 2017
Côtes du Roussillon, France. Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris & Macabeu, Fermentation in temperature controlled stainless steel.
This wine was fresh and acidic, sweet and smoky.

Crudo Catarratto Zibibbo 2017
Sicily, Italy, Blend of.Catarratto and Zibibbo, Certified Organic, fermented in stainless steel.
My second favourite wine since it was floral on the nose and had a subtle sweetness. It would pair well with seafood or spice. The wine is also dry and well balanced, making it a good wine to complete a meal.

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Vigneti Zabu Il Passo 2016
Sicily, Italy. Blend of Nerello Mascalese & Nero d’Avola, fermented on skins and left for a long maceration, aged 6 months in French and American oak.
This red was full bodied or intense and I feel would pair very well with steak or something sticky and moist.

Stina Cuvee Red 2016
Brac, Croatia, 60% Plavac Mali, 25% Syrah, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon & 15% Merlot, Aged 6-8 months in neutral oak. This was my favourite, only because I’ve never had wine from Croatia, so it struck me as something different from what I had so far at the festival. Sweet with red fruit but spicy and aromatic, balanced with even tannins.

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Domaine de la Baume Syrah 2016
Languedoc, France, 100% Syrah, Fermented and matured in vats, no oak.
Full bodied, dry, spiced and sweet with red fruit, nutty flavours and perhaps chocolate. I want to call it “jammy” and textured, I’d probably also pair this with steak or meats.

Paololeo Salice Salentino Rosso 2015
Puglia, Italy, Min 75% Negromaro, May contain up to 25% Malvasia Nero, Fermented and aged 18months in stainless steel.
This was the least exciting to me. Perhaps the price point vs. the complexity of this wine is the selling point. Less full bodied than the wines than came before it, smooth and dry at the end of the sip.

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