Provence’s Dine Out Menu Pairs Classic Dishes with BC’s Wines from Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery

Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery in West Kelowna produces excellent wines that I’ve admired for a while. Jeff Hundertmark is the latest winemaker that is crafting tasty wines at the winery. Now you can taste some of Mt. Boucherie’s wines paired with expertly crafted dishes from Provence Marinaside during Dine Out Vancouver. Here is the press release by Provence Marinaside. Reserve asap as seating will fill up quickly.

I’ve reviewed many of the Mt. Boucherie wines that are listed below, and if you are curious, you can read my reviews listed at the end of this post.

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A selection of Provence Marinaside's Dine Out Vancouver Menu items (Photo credits Emrys Horton and Nancy Wong) — A selection of Provence Marinaside’s Dine Out Vancouver Menu items (Photo credits Emrys Horton and Nancy Wong)

(Vancouver, BC) – 2022 gets off to a delicious start with the return of the annual Dine Out Vancouver Festival presented by Destination Vancouver. This is the 20^th anniversary of the Festival and coincides with Provence Marinaside’s 20^th year as well – more on that to come later in the month.

Provence Marinaside’s menu for the 2022 Dine Out Vancouver Festival pairs some of the restaurant’s favourite classic dishes with the wines of Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery in the South Okanagan. The three-course menu, which is available from January 14 through 31, is value-priced at $52 with the optional wine pairings available for an additional $33 (regular pour) or $18 (petit pour). Wines are also available individually by the glass or the bottle.

This is the first time in Provence’s 20-year history of participating in the Dine Out Festival that they have partnered with a single winery for the entire menu. It all started when Wine Director, Joshua Carlson had a meeting with Mt. Boucherie’s general manager, Jesse Harden. As coincidence would have it, Carlson had just received the first draft of the Dine Out Menu from Provence’s Owner/Executive Chef Jean Francis Quaglia. “While I was tasting through the wines, I couldn’t help but feel that each of the wines would pair well with an item on our menu. As the tasting proceeded, I stopped the tasting and asked JF to prepare each of the dishes from the Dine Out menu. We sat together and tasted each of the wines with food and they were absolutely a natural fit,” states Carlson.

Carlson continues “Mt. Boucherie has focused on three separate tiers in their program. Rather than selling off their grapes, they’ve started working with smaller batch production in their ‘Original Vines’ wines and ‘Modest’ Wines. While their flagship wines still sit under the Mt. Boucherie Estate banner, they have created sub brands that are as fun and diverse as they are serious. The ‘Original Vines’ Wines are from vines that were planted before 1991. 30 year old vines in the Okanagan are hard to come by, yet they have enough to market a wine series from them. ‘Modest’ Wines are fun and playful wines using less typical vilification methods such as spontaneous fermentation, contact with concrete eggs, reduced fining and filtering, and long lees contact.”

Dine Out Vancouver Menu
Three-course menu $52/person
Three-course wine pairing $33/person
Three-course petit wine pairing $18/person

APPETIZERS
Choose one

Herbes de Provence Crusted Goat Cheese
Beurre blanc, balsamic reduction, mixed greens

Modest Wines by Mt. Boucherie 2020 ‘La Graves Robber’, sauvignon blanc/sémillion

Naramata/Okanagan Falls, BC, Canada
$13 glass | $50 bottle

The name is a play on a white Bordeaux blend. Sauvignon Blanc is a natural pairing with the warm Goat Cheese Salad. The blending with Sémillon rounds out the otherwise piercing acidity of the Sauvignon Blanc. Less than 200 cases were produced which are no longer available in the winery.

Wild Mushroom Soup
Truffle Chantilly Cream, fresh herbs

Mt. Boucherie ‘Original vines’ 2020 ‘Lost Horn Vineyard’, chardonnay

Okanagan Falls, BC, Canada
$17 glass | $71 bottle

Original Vines’ ‘Lost Horn Vineyard’ Chardonnay is produced from vines planted in 1990 in Okanagan Falls – typically some of the best terroir for growing Chardonnay.This wine is has lovely tree fruit notes, with balanced oak integration, and a long and lengthy acidity that cuts through the richness of the mushrooms and truffles, while the structure dances with the nuances of the wild mushrooms. In my opinion, this is some of the best Chardonnay currently available in the Valley.

Paté de Campagne
cornichon, house made crostini

Modest Wines by Mt. Boucherie 2019 ‘By Jove’, sangiovese
Black Sage Bench, BC, Canada
$15 glass | $60 bottle

Modest Wines ‘By Jove’ comes from a small plot in the Black Sage Bench. It has all the notes you’d expect from Sangiovese; cherry and eucalyptus, lengthy acidity, and dry fine tannins. The acidity cuts through the richness of the paté but doesn’t overpower its classic flavours. Spot on pairing.

ENTRÉES
Choose one

Bouillabaisse
West coast style, prawns, scallops, mussels, fish,fingerling potatoes, gruyère et la rouille

Modest Wines by Mt. Boucherie 2020 ‘No.4 Orange’, skin-contact pinot gris
Similkameen Valley, BC, Canada
$13 glass | $50 bottle

Provence’s Bouillabaisse is always difficult dish to pair wine to. Classically, the pairing should be rosé, but not a rosé that is light bodied and high acid. Typically I would lean towards back vintage Tavel, or oak fermented Tibouren to marry the richness of the pungent fish broth, garlic brushed crostini, and saffron rouille. Surprisingly ‘Modest Wines’ ’No. 4 Orange’ skin-contact Pinot Gris was a home run of a pairing. This wine is essentially an orange wine, long low and slow spontaneous fermentation, with ample time in contact with skin provide the richness and funkiness that can not only stand up to this dish, but harmonize in such a way that elevates both the food and the wine. It’s almost as if the wine was made for our Bouillabaisse.

Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Prawns
white wine butter sauce, garlic, fresh tomato, herbs

Mt. Boucherie ‘Original Vines’ 2019 ‘PTG’ Lazy River Vineyard’, pinot noir/gamay noir

Similkameen Valley, BC, Canada
$17 glass | $71 bottle

‘Old Vines’ ‘Lazy River’ ‘PTG’ is play on a little known appellation law of Burgundy that allows Pinot Noir to be blended with Gamay Noir which is called ‘passetoutgrains.’ It can be loosely translated to “throw all the grapes in.” This wine is a field blend of predominantly Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir with a little Pinot Gris. All of the grapes were crushed and put into tank together and underwent full carbonic maceration, which gives the wine a bright, fruity, and crunchy characteristic. This is a fantastic pairing that elevates the entire experience.
or

Grass Fed Beef Tenderloin

(add $6 when ordering this dish)

seasonal vegetables, smoked mashed potatoes,
red wine peppercorn jus

Mt. Boucherie 2018 ‘Summit’, meritage blend

Okanagan/Simlkameen Valley, BC, Canada
$21 glass | $90 bottle

’Summit’ is the pinnacle of Mt. Boucherie’s wines. It’s an exceptional Meritage Blend of Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Merlot, and Malbec. Rich and powerful, weighty and brooding. A serious wine to be contemplated and enjoyed.

DESSERT

Crème Caramel
palmier cookie, fresh whipped cream

Modest Wines by Mt. Boucherie 2020 ‘Elder Vicar’, muscat/pinot gris/riesling/gewürztraminer

Similkameen Valley, BC, Canada
$13 glass | $50 bottle

‘Modest Wines’ ‘Elder Vicar’ is a nod to Alsace and the Edelzwicker method of blending the Noble Whites together. Muscat, Pinot Gris, Riesling, and Gewürztraminer, blend to create an off-dry, floral and high acid wine that beautifully matches with the crème caramel.

The 20^th Annual Dine Out Vancouver Festival runs this year from January 14 through 31. It is always an extremely busy time at Provence Marinaside and reservations are a must – either online or by calling the restaurant at 604-681-4144.

Provence notes:

Provence Marinaside is committed to the health and safety of its guests and staff in keeping with the protocols set by the BC Ministry of Health, which includes that all guests must present their BC Vaccine Passport. You can find the details of Provence’s standards here

Provence is open every day for Dine-In service inside and on its heated patios – Brunch (M-F: 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., Sat & Sun: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.), Lunch (M-F: 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.), Dinner (Mon – Sun: 5 – 10 p.m.) and Happy Hour (Mon – Sun: 3-5 p.m.). Late Night (every day 10-11 p.m.). Enjoy Live Jazz every Wednesday from 6 – 9 p.m. Reservations are recommended.

In addition to Dine-In service, Provence Marinaside continues to offer its regular menus for brunch, lunch and dinner for Provence at Home Takeout. If you prefer to cook Provence’s food in the comfort of your own kitchen, they also offer four French Food Made Easy kits.

Provence Marinaside is also supporting The Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre with the donation of meals and funds along with a donation option on their should the public also wish to support the organization. Details can be found on Provence Marinaside’s Home Page.