PLAYHOUSE WINE FESTIVAL CELEBRATES EXCELLENCE:
TRADE COMPETITION WINNERS ANNOUNCED
(Printable PDF Version)

( March 27, 2009 Vancouver, British Columbia) The 2009 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival has announced the winners of its seven trade competitions. Winners were honoured at the 6th Annual Awards Lunch on Friday, March 27, 2009. “The trade competitions give the Festival an opportunity to honour and celebrate those professionals who have developed and enhanced the extraordinary wine and food culture of this region,” said Festival
Executive Director Harry Hertscheg.

SPIRITED INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL (SIP) AWARD
The fourth annual Spirited Industry Professional Award went to John Schreiner, wine writer, Chair of the Festival’s Winery Selection Committee, and a leading expert on British Columbia wines. The SIP Award annually honours an individual who has made a significant contribution to the sales, service or promotion of wine in British Columbia. The prize is a Trade Super Pass to the 2010 Wine Festival.

SOMMELIER OF THE YEAR AWARD
The 10th annual Sommelier of the Year Award, which recognizes outstanding wine knowledge and wine service, went to Andrea Vescovi, sommelier at Blue Water Café + Raw Bar. The Award is voted on by members of the industry, and in years where the vote is close – such as 2009 – the top three candidates are asked to send in a one-page brief on their wine program for a tie-breaking vote. “I am absolutely delighted with the choice of Andrea as the winner of the Sommelier of the Year for 2009,” says Mark Davidson, a member of the awards committee. “He has been going quietly about his business for many years and epitomises all the qualities of a true professional in our field.” The award is sponsored by the International Sommelier Guild of Canada.

WINE LIST AWARDS
Restaurants in Metro Vancouver, Whistler, Vancouver Island, the Interior and Alberta have been recognized for creating wine lists that complement their establishment’s unique menu and concept. Candidates submitted their wine lists and menus for consideration and judges visited the restaurants to review the programs. Recipients received Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze or Honourable Mention awards. The Wine List Awards are sponsored by Vancouver
Magazine and the Playhouse Winefest.
 
“This competition is not just about creating a great wine list, it’s about developing a thoughtful program that successfully marries food and wine and trains staff who can enthusiastically share with their customers what it means to eat and drink harmoniously,” said Festival Awards Producer Sonia Fraser.

METRO VANCOUVER
Platinum
Blue Water Café + Raw Bar, Vancouver
West Restaurant, Vancouver

Gold
C Restaurant, Vancouver
Chambar Belgian Restaurant, Vancouver
CinCin, Vancouver
Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill + Enoteca, Vancouver
Fuel Restaurant, Vancouver
Salt Tasting Room, Vancouver
Vij’s, Vancouver

Silver
Cactus Club Café
The Fish House in Stanley Park, Vancouver
The Observatory at Grouse Mountain, North Vancouver
Pearl on the Rock, White Rock
Province Marinaside, Vancouver
La Quercia, Vancouver
Rangoli, Vancouver
Seymour Golf & Country Club, North Vancouver
YEW restaurant + bar, Vancouver

Bronze
The Beach House, West Vancouver
Bistrot Bistro, Vancouver
Bravo Restaurant & Lounge, Chilliwack
Brix Restaurant & Wine Bar, Vancouver
Diva at the Met, Vancouver
Earl’s Restaurants
The Flying Tiger, Vancouver
Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House, Vancouver
Goldfish Pacific Kitchen, Vancouver
Gramercy Grill, Vancouver
Gudrun, Richmon
Lift Bar Grill View, Vancouver
Nu Restaurant + Lounge, Vancouver
Onyx Steakhouse & Lounge, White Rock
Pair Bistro, Vancouver
The Salmon House, West Vancouver
La Terrazza, Vancouver
Zest Japanese Cuisine, Vancouver

Honourable Mention
Hart House Restaurant, Burnaby
Haus Uropa Restaurant, Gibsons
restaurant 62, Abbotsford
Tomato Fresh Food Café, Vancouver
The William Tell Restaurant, Vancouver

WHISTLER
Gold
Araxi Restaurant + Bar

Silver
Rimrock Café
The Wine Room at The Fairmont Chateau Whistler

VANCOUVER ISLAND
Platinum
Sooke Harbour House, Sooke

Silver
Atrevida Restaurant, Galiano
Il Terrazzo, Victoria

Bronze
The Landing West Coast Grill, Nanoose Bay
Nautical Nellies Steak & Seafood House, Victoria
Panache at Bear Mountain Resort, Victoria
The Pacific Restaurant, Victoria

Honourable Mention
Stage Wine Bar, Victoria

INTERIOR
Bronze
All Seasons Café, Nelson
Sal’s Prime Steakhouse, Kelwona

Honourable Mention
The Rotten Grape, Kelwona

ALBERTA
Platinum
Divino Wine & Cheese Bistro, Calgary

Gold
Catch Restaurant, Calgary
The Living Room, Calgary

Silver
River Café, Calgary

Bronze
Chef’s Table at Kensington Riverside Inn, Calgary
Raw Bat at the Arts, Calgary

Honourable Mention
La Ronde, Edmonton

SOMMELIER CHALLENGE
The winner of 2009 Puddifoot Award or Sommelier Challenge is Keith Nicholson from Le Crocodile. Keith received a Riedel carafe, a bottle of Vintage Port and the coveted Puddifoot Award, presented at the Riedel at the Restaurant seminar on Friday, March 27.

FETZER presents GREAT BEGINNINGS – BEST NEW FLAVOURS OF THE CITY
Ryan Mah of Joe Fortes Seafood & Chophouse is the 2009 winner of Great Beginnings – Best New Flavours of the City. This annual competition presented by Fetzer asks chefs to put their food and wine pairing talents to the test with an appetizer matched to a Fetzer Vineyards wine of their choice. The restaurants showcased their creations at Great Beginnings – Best New Flavours of the City on Wednesday, March 25 at The Fairmont Waterfront Hotel where the final judgment was made.

QUADY DESSERT COMPETITION
Nadin Buehrer of Thomas Haas Fine Chocolates & Patisserie won the 21st annual Quady Dessert Competition for the original dessert creation “Au Coeur du Saveur.” Entrants were judged by a panel of industry experts on how well their original creation paired with Quady Essensia, an orange Muscat dessert wine, as well as on presentation, technique and practicality. Chef Buehrer’s prize is a trip for two to the Quady winery in California and a horseback camping trip to the High Sierra Mountains in California. Tomiko Mayede of the Terminal City Club placed second with “Chi” and Hitomi Syvertsen of the Pan Pacific Hotel
was third with “Enjoué.” Kim Dennis of Northwest Culinary Academy was the top student in the competition. The competition is sponsored by Quady Winery and PlanitBC.com. For photos of the 10 finalists’ creations visit www.planitbc.com.

VINTNERS BRUNCH FOOD & WINE PAIRING CONTEST
The 2009 Wine Festival closed with one final award, presented at Vintners Brunch, the venerable Sunday brunch that marks the denouement of the Playhouse Wine Festival. A panel of wine and food experts sequestered themselves to determine which chef’s dish paired best with the selected wine. This year’s well-deserved winner was Executive Chef Blair Rasmussen of the host venue, the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, for his Slow Braised Bison Short Rib “Do Pizaza” with Crispy Vegetable Pakoras and Raita, paired with Pierre Sparr Gewürztraminer Sélection 2007, a match that had the room
buzzing. The contest was presented by EAT Magazine.

The 2009 Wine Festival, which ran March 23-29, featured 183 wineries from 15 countries serving more than 1700 wines at 61 events across the city. Approximately 25,000 consumers and trade professionals attended the festival, which highlighted the wines of British Columbia as the theme region and Pinot(s) as the global focus. For more information, visit www.playhousewinefest.com. The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival is a fundraiser for the Playhouse Theatre Company and is generously sponsored by The Shore Club.