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Grilled BC spot prawns and patio salad

Grilled BC spot prawns and patio salad

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A Tasting With Bill Hardy

4 Comments July 25, 2009

Thomas Hardy range

I’ve long been a fan of Hardy’s Stamp of Australia series of wines, but I admit that even though they’ve been something of a staple for me, I’ve not ventured much outside of them.

But then Bill Hardy came to Vancouver and brought his wines with him. We sat down at Voya in the Loden Hotel and tasted the whole range, from the ubiquitious Stamps to the elite Eileen Hardy’s, named for his grandmother (granted the Order of the British Empire for her contributions to the winemaking industry). The regions and blends change with the philosophy as you move up the ladder and Bill pointed out that they had noticed a gap between the Nottage Hill series and the Oomoo wines. To address this, they designed the Chronicles.

The Chronicles: a new Hardys range

I’m a sucker for a good story (also for a good wine, so lucky me) and in a winemaking history as rich as Hardy’s (going back to 1853 and peppered with characters) there are some good ones. Twice Lost, a Rosé blend of Shiraz Cabernet, tells the mini story of the winemaker (pre-winemaking) losing his employer’s cattle twice in the same week. Like chapters in an unfolding, you have to buy the next bottle to see where the story goes. They are launching with the Twice Lost Shiraz Cabernet Rosé, The Gamble Chardonnay Pinot Gris and the Butcher’s Gold Shiraz Sangiovese. Each wine blends a traditional varietal with a new or emerging one.

Voya lunch with Chronicles wine pairings

Lunch started off with a seafood and grapefruit salad that I have made many times over since. The hint of jalapeno glinting off the Twice Lost was pure magic and perfect for summer eating. The second course, roasted chicken breast in morel sauce with the Gamble, and the third course, grilled sirloin steak with Butcher’s Gold were equally delightful and highlighted key flavours.

A tasting with Bill Hardy A tasting with Bill Hardy A tasting with Bill Hardy A tasting with Bill Hardy A tasting with Bill Hardy A tasting with Bill Hardy A tasting with Bill Hardy A tasting with Bill Hardy A tasting with Bill Hardy A tasting with Bill Hardy Lobby of the Loden Hotel Inside Voya at the Loden Hotel A tasting with Bill Hardy A tasting with Bill Hardy A tasting with Bill Hardy A tasting with Bill Hardy A tasting with Bill Hardy The Chronicles: a new Hardys range Voya lunch with Chronicles wine pairings Thomas Hardy range A tasting with Bill Hardy Bill Hardy and I

Categories: Downtown, Food, Wine

Comments

4 Responses to “A Tasting With Bill Hardy”

  1. Barbara Doduk on July 25th, 2009 7:32 pm

    I miss having wine. I think that might be the first alcohol I drink when I finally can again. LOL looks sooooo good right now.

    Keep up the good work on the Blogathon my fellow Blogathoner.

  2. Degan Beley on July 25th, 2009 7:34 pm

    Yeah, you should start stockpiling now! ;)

  3. Blogathon 2009 for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society begins : Tiny Bites on July 25th, 2009 8:36 pm

    [...] 6:30pm: A Tasting with Bill Hardy [...]

  4. Tiny Bites 2009: a year in review : Tiny Bites on December 31st, 2009 5:07 pm

    [...] A Tasting With Bill Hardy [...]

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