Clos Du Soleil isn’t your old world wine.
Not that there’s anything wrong with traditional Bordeaux or a Pinot Noir. It’s just that, at 944,735 square kilometres, BC is bigger than France and Germany combined, with a huge variety of micro climates, soil conditions and irrigation techniques that make British Columbia a vinter’s paradise.
Love BC reds? You’re in for a treat. This week on Cookin’ on the Coast, we look at Clos Du Soleil and its Celestiale red – a ‘new world’ wine that delightfully pairs Chef Mike’s chorizo sausage rolls with the distinctive flavours of BC’s Similkameen valley.
Cookin’ On The Coast Episode 7: Clos Du Soleil Celestiale
Clos Du Soleil’s Celestial is a red wine that brings BC to your taste buds. It’s a fruity red, made from grapes that spent 15 months in French oak barrels and with aromas of cedar, blackberries, red raspberries and pomegranate.
Take a moment to savor Celestial. Once you open the bottle, bring it up to your nose. Close your eyes. Now, inhale. You’ll be treated to a BC red wine that brings the following:
- It’s ripe
- It’s spicy
- It has hints of forest undergrowth in its scent
You can smell the cedar in Clos Du Soleil’s Celestiale. It’s the kind of wine where aroma does the talking, long before you’ve even parted your lips and sampled its texture – let alone its taste.
How to Pair Celestiale Red Wine
In this week’s episode, Chef Mike pairs Celestiale with chorizo sausage rolls. That’s a great pairing – the spiciness of the sausage goes well with the fruitiness of the berries in the wine. It stands up to the sausage and pastry, which makes it a good choice for a red wine with appetizers.
Red wines tend to pair well with bold meats. This is a wine that complements a meal. While you might drink a white with fish or chicken to enjoy the contrast, Celestiale works by amplifying the flavour of the foods you pair it with. Think spicy meats. Heavy steaks and lambs would work well too, as would foods that are higher in salt.
This Week’s Partner: Clos Du Soleil
Clos Du Soleil is an artisan winery in the south Similkameen valley that takes the aesthetic of Bordeaux wines and infuses them with the flavours and aromas of southern British Columbia. It’s a different experience than wines made in the Okanagan, with soil and water conditions that are unique to this region near the U.S. border.
Those conditions help Clos Du Soleil craft BC wines that are ripe, spicy, and rich in cherries, peaches, apples, pears and strawberries, among other ingredients grown in the Similkameen valley.
Today, Clos Du Soleil makes a variety of whites and reds, including Celestiale, which we sampled this week. Be sure to look at their Soleil 160 wine club, in which you’ll receive your choice of Clos Du Soleil wines twice a year, around the Spring and Fall equinoxes respectively.
Liquor Plus Sponsors Cookin’ on the Coast
Each week, Liquor Plus partners with CHEK and Country Grocer to produce Cookin’ on the Coast, which features unique food and drink pairings offered by BC suppliers. All of the beverages featured on this program can be found in Liquor Plus stores and online at liquorplus.ca.
