The Hotel Georgia in downtown Vancouver is a landmark location. It has been known as the city’s most elegant retreat. The Georgian Revival structure welcomed a who’s who of the entertainment world to British Columbia, including Elvis Presley, Nat “King” Cole, Katharine Hepburn and British royalty. The legendary boutique hotel was recently renovated and was unveiled in July 2011 as Rosewood Hotel Georgia. It now features 156 guest accommodations, and an award-winning restaurant, Hawksworth, run by renowned Chef David Hawksworth. This restaurant is the recipient of a 2011 AAA Four-Diamond Award.
To keep with their tradition of excellence, The Hawksworth Restaurant team this past week launched H’s Blend, a handcrafted and accessible wine blend, available exclusively at Hawksworth Restaurant and Bel Café. Under the watchful guidance of winemaker John Weber of Cawston’s family- run Orofino Winery in the Similkameen Valley, H’s Blend is a light and refreshing offering of both red and white wine – 100% Gamay Noir (for the red) from two separate vineyards, and a blend of 50% Pinot Gris and 50% Riesling, also from grapes grown on Similkameen vines.
Both the red and the white H’s Blend were handcrafted by John Weber and the Hawksworth sommelier team, including Wine Director and Sommelier of the Year, Terry Threlfall, in Hawksworth Restaurant’s private dining room. Earlier this year, the York Room was adapted to create a blending station to garner the very best wine to complement and enhance Hawksworth’s contemporary Canadian cuisine.
I was invited to taste these two new wines, and my notes are below. In addition, I had a chance to interview Mr. Terry Threlfall, Wine Director / Sommelier at Hawksworth about the creation of these 2 wines. My YouTube video of this interview will be released shortly.
H’s Blend 2011 (White Wine) – As mentioned, this is a blend of 50% Pinot Gris and 50% Riesling. It is medium lemon in colour. Very aromatic with aromas of stone fruit in the front with citrus aromas behind. The stone fruit comes from the Pinot Gris and the citrus from the Riesling. It was very flavourful, with tropical fruit and pears, with vanilla showing up on the mid-palate. Dry, medium body with medium-plus acidity. There is also some roundness and oiliness to it. Medium-plus length. A very tasty white wine. It should go well with many seafood dishes, and lightly seasoned chicken and pork dishes.
H’s Blend 2011 (Red Wine) – This is 100% Gamay Noir. It is refreshing to promote a grape that is not as flashy as a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Syrah, but it is very food-friendly and flavourful. I think BC can produce some very nice Gamay Noir and I hope more people will give it a try. This wine was medium translucent ruby. A very fruity nose with aromas of crushed red berries, red cherries, and almost jammy raspberries. Medium body, higher acidity, with ripe juicy raspberries upfront followed by strawberry flavours. Dry with soft tannins and a lingering finish. A fun, refreshing red wine, which should go well with their roasted lamb loin, Canadian striploin, and more.
H’s Blend is available at both Hawksworth Restaurant and Bel Café, as part of their platinum- award-winning wine list for $11 per glass and $55 per bottle. For more information or to make a reservation, visit www.hawksworthrestaurant.com. Enjoy.
