Dine Out Vancouver 
is well underway. I went to a restaurant to enjoy their special Dine Out meal, paired with a red BC VQA wine. The food was very good, but the wine was served warm to me. Not the right temperature at all for this wine. The fruit flavours did not come through. And this dampened my enthusiasm for the meal.
This is also not just a one-time serving issue. Last year during Dine Out I had the same problems with warm wine. As part of Dine Out is to promote our BC VQA wines, these wines should not be treated as an afterthought with the meal. Wine and food pairings can elevate both the wine and the food. In one case last year, I could see that the wine was out in the open right beside the kitchen, so of course it would be warm. Red wine should be served between 13-18 degree Celsius. White wine between 7-13 degree Celsius. I realize that restaurants are busier than usual during Dine Out, but trying to keep the wines cool will make them taste their best. I can vouch that Pinot Noir at room temperature in general tastes very thin, acidic, and the fruit flavours do not come through very well. A few degrees cooler and the wine is much more aromatic and flavourful.
Would you serve a gazpacho soup at room temperature or warmer? What would it taste like warm vs at a cooler temperature?
Is it possible for restaurants during Dine Out to try something like chilling down the bottles of the BC VQA wines they have recommended pairing with their meal, and bring the bottles out, a few at a time, starting at restaurant opening throughout the evening, or maybe have a bus pan filled with ice, and have the bottles on ice, similarly as is done during wine tasting events, such as at the Festival Tasting at the Vancouver International Wine Festival? Let’s show off both our great cuisine and our excellent BC VQA wines.
