During the month of September we encourage you to support local farmers by choosing fresh chicken from your local grocer or ordering it off the menu at your favourite restaurant. BC Chicken Month is also a time to talk about the care our farmers take when it comes to raising their birds. Our farmers all follow the mandatory Raised by a Canadian Farmer programs – they set out regulations and guidelines for the care and handling of the birds our farmers raise. Discover delicious recipes, register for events and learn more at bcchickenmonth.com
*Check out the BC Chicken Month blog written by Jennifer Schell.
Chef Kyle Talks Smoked Chicken
If you’re in the Okanagan, you HAVE to stop in at Dirty Laundry Vinyard’s Red Iron Grille to try their Razzle Dazzle Chicken Sandwich. Using Canadian chicken smoked for over three hours with local cherrywood, our mouths are watering just thinking about it!
EXPERT BC WINE PAIRING ADVICE
Visit our Taste & Terroir blog to learn more about BC VQA Wine pairings for occasions all year round.
SHIP TO SIP
Get the perfect BC wines for the holiday season. BC wine can be delivered directly to your home for all your holiday entertaining and gift-giving needs. Visit the Wines of BC Explorer app for a list of who is offering free shipping.
CREATE WINE LISTS THAT ARE UNIQUELY YOU!
Download the Wines of BC Explorer app, take the test then enjoy personalized recommendations on the best BC wine for your taste buds. It’s FREE to download.
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VISIT your local liquor or Save On Foods store (BC VQA stores) and get ready to EXPERIMENT and have FUN while indulging in A BC VQA WINE Pairing experience.
Tips for Your Wine and Cheese Tasting
- Intensely flavoured foods need intensely flavoured wines
- Acidic foods need higher acid wines
- Sweet foods need to be paired with a wine that is at least as sweet or sweeter
- Avoid tannic wines with oily fish or hot spice
- Pair off-dry to sweet wines to help counteract spice heat
- Well salted meats make red wines taste less tannic and softer
- Crisp acid whites pair well with salty food
- Pair crisp acidic whites with fatty or deep fried foods
PINOT GRIS
Very adaptable with the structure to stand up to Asian, Oriental and Latin flavours. A perfect anytime choice.
CHARDONNAY (OAKED)
Rich dishes with butter or cream sauces. Nice with chicken, crab, white fish, salmon, scallops and veal.
GEWÜRZTRAMINER
Its intense, exotic aromas and flavours seem ideally suited to spicy cuisines from China to Thailand to India, and it stands up equally well to the fruitiest salsas and smokiest grilled and barbecued flavours of contemporary North American cuisine.
PINOT BLANC
These white wines are light-bodied and dry, with delicate acidity and subtle aftertaste, making them great to serve with lighter fare. Typical characteristics include fresh orchard aromas, distant nuances of sage or dried herbs, green apples and citrus notes.
RIESLING
The most fruit-driven examples take well to barbecued or smoked foods and a wide variety of fruity and subtle spicy flavours. Sweeter Rieslings can also handle chili heat.
SAUVIGNON BLANC
It is excellent with shellfish or light, subtle dishes or, in its oak-aged versions, with richer fare.
CABERNET FRANC
BC versions are outstanding and very versatile food wines. Try it with roast chicken, pork, roasted or grilled, beef, duck, sausage, lamb, veal, hearty fish dishes and even hard or soft cheese.
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Cabernet Sauvignon stands up beautifully to virtually all red meats, whether served simply with “jus” or rich, reduced sauces. Fine, older Cabernets are excellent accompaniments to special occasion meals, while younger ones match simpler fare.
MERLOT
Merlot pairs well with red meats. It has the weight and fruit to match wine-braised stews and roasts, and the structure and polish to pair with rare, grilled prime cuts.
PINOT NOIR
Pinot Noir’s greatest strength is its suppleness. Without the hard tannic structure found in many red wines, it pairs effortlessly with a wide range of foods—from fish through game birds to grilled beef and lamb. Don’t overwhelm its gentle fruits and refined complexity with strong or spicy flavours; simply prepared dishes are best.
GAMAY NOIR
Gamay is a cousin of Pinot Noir so you can try it with foods that pair well with Pinot. Try lighter and medium bodied dishes, especially those with some acidity.
SYRAH / SHIRAZ
Syrah/Shiraz has a unique peppery, spicy quality that makes it perfect to pair with robust meat dishes including peppercorn steak and braised lamb shanks. For the adventurous, try pairing it with a slightly spicy ethnic dish such as Mexican mole or lamb korma.
SPARKLING WINE
The most versatile of all wines! Appetizers, caviar, eggs, fried food, oysters, popcorn, salty food, smoked salmon, sushi – almost anything goes, but never stronger than the wine itself.
ROSÉ
Like sparkling wines, Rosé wines are all-around crowd pleasers these days. Charming on their own (particular during patio season) or paired with a variety of dishes, try pairing a dry Rosé with antipasto platters, melon and prosciutto, cheese platters, pizza, salad niçoise, roast turkey or chicken.
ICEWINE & LATE HARVEST
When pairing Icewine or Late Harvest, remember that the wine should be as sweet or sweeter than your dessert, and that sweetness cuts through fat. Feeling saucy? Try drizzling some Icewine over your ice cream. Adventurous? Pair with a salty or spicy appetizer.
