Although the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival has been going for a couple of days, this morning’s plenary was the official kickoff (well, that and the Bacchanalia gala last night, I suppose). This morning was our first chance to really explore wines from the two theme countries, New Zealand and Argentina, and all I can say is what a great way to start a day, not to mention a festival.

We got to taste 14 different wines from the two very different countries, while the producers and their reps got up and told us a little about how they were produced. The wines ranged from the exquisite champagne-like Argentinean sparkler Bodega Vistalba Progenie Extra Brut NV ($54.99, special order only) to the tropical fruit explosion of the Babich Family Estate Vineyards Cowslip Valley Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand ($21.99) to the big, bold Argentinean reds such as the Bodega Catena Zapata Adrianna Malbec ($86, special order) or the  luscious Xumek Syrah ($22.99) or the exotic lavender-and-pepper bouquet of the Crossroads Winery Elms Vineyard Reserve Syrah from New Zealand’s Hawke’s Bay ($32.99, special order).

What was particularly interesting is that all the wines were chosen as truly tasting of the terroir, the land where they were produced. And there is no way you could confuse, say, a syrah from New Zealand, with its lean, dry, floral notes,  with a big, bold, juicy and peppery Argentinian one.

I know this split theme has been a bit of an organizational headache for the fest, but I have to say, it’s  brilliant from the perspective of an attendee. I have a very happy palate right now, and since I’m heading off to the Tasting Room followed by a very intriguing wine launch and a celebration of some local icons, i figure things are only going to get better as the week goes on.

So yesterday I spent the afternoon at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festivals’ discussion: What’s In Your Wine? A Symposium on Truth in Labelling. And an eye-opening experience it was, though not, I suspect, for the reasons the organizers had planned.

As Boneta’s sommelier and co-owner Neil Ingram summed things up: “The most interesting thing I thought about the symposium was everything that wasn’t discussed.” He was referring partly to the whole cellared in Canada imbroglio which organizers dismissed as something that everyone knew had been dealt with. Well, obviously not everyone did know, because there were more than a few angry mutterings about the fact that that one apparently taboo issue was the main reason they’d come to the symposium.

But Neil was also referring to the irony that the discussion kept coming back to the over-arching importance of the consumer — who wants more and more information disclosed — but the panelists all emphasized how little they wanted the consumer to actually have the kind of information they’re demanding.

As one winemaker from Argentina said, “It is not an industrial product. People are not going to read a manual before they drink a glass of wine.” Well, perhaps no, but really, what’s the big deal about identifying a set of generally important health, environmental, provenance and other criteria and popping them on a label? After all, some 90 per cent of wine-buying decisions are made at the shelf.

To me the most bizarre thing was the language that was being used about the whole issue of disclosure, words like “disaster” and “catastrophe.” Really? REALLY? Sticking a calorie count on a label would be a catastrophe? Explaining that even though your winery is in, say, Cowichan Valley and your grapes come from Washington State would be a disaster?

The really frustrating thing about all this is that disclosure rules are coming, like it or not. The European Union already has pretty stringent rules about this stuff, and now that the giganto conglomerate Wal-Mart is demanding this info, governments are likely to follow. So why wouldn’t winemakers get ahead of the curve and establish those rules for themselves, rather than wait for someone who doesn’t understand the business to do it for them?

Just wondering . . .

Mark Brand's winning drink, Angela the Grand Dame, at the 2010 Mixlympics.

Sunday may not have been a great day for Canadians at the hockey arena (or the curling rink or the ski slopes, for that matter) but we did manage to bring home the gold in one area where we excel — drinking. Or, to be more precise, making great cocktalis that can compete with the best in the world.

Sunday was the day of the much-anticipated Mixlympics, where 10 bartenders from Vancouver, Toronto, London, Paris and Stockholm competed in a black box cocktail contest at George Ultra Lounge in Yaletown, organized by George’s bar manager, Shaun Layton.

The rule was they had to use the sponsor spirit, Martin Miller Gin, and at least one of the five black box ingredients. Those ingredients were just a tad on the challenging side: a blood orange, Campari and vanilla preserve from Vista d’Oro farms; Venturi-Schulze balsamic vinegar; “White Dog,” the overproof raw spirit that, when aged in oak, becomes Maker’s Mark bourbon; R&b Brewing’s Icehole Celebration Lager; and a raw, unshucked oyster. Plus, of course, they had George’s entire menu of spirits, syrups and fresh ingredients to play with.

The bartenders were secreted away upstairs in Brix until it was time for them to compete. Then, two by two, they were brought down to the bar, shown the black box ingredients and given exactly 10 minutes to concoct four drinks for the judges.

These guys are pros, and each of them produced exceptional drinks that would have worked on any bar list anywhere in the world. But the judges (including myself) wanted to be wowed. We were marking on taste, of course, but also presentation, execution, originality, balance and performance. More than that, though, we wanted to see something with both forethought and spontaneity, something that really made the most of the ingredients they were given. Secretly, we all figured that anyone who used the oyster in a halfway decent drink would win.

Not surprisingly, most of the guys did variations on the classics: a couple of flips, an updated Aviation, a twist on the Breakfast Martini, that sort of thing. Also not surprisingly, the French guys did fruity, slightly sweet drinks. The Brits were a bit boozier and more astringent. And the Vancouver guys, who are used to making do with a limited booze selection but terrific fresh ingredients, were just a bit more risk-takingly creative than the rest.

London's David Greig with the second place cocktail.

Now, if the winner was based solely on taste, London’s David Greig would have won hands down for the fantastic, multi-layered flip he called the New Björk Sour (a reference to Martin Miller gin, which is distilled in England then sent to Iceland to use their pure water). The judges also went crazy for another Londoner’s drink, Joe Stokoe’s luscious variation on the Aviation, which he called the Aeroplane Blonde.

But it was Vancouverite Mark Brand, owner of Boneta and The Diamond, who carried the day. First of all, he killed with his presentation glass — a commemorative wine goblet from the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, garnished with a slice of orange peel carved into a Maple Leaf and soaked in Campari.

Mark Brand gets serious.

Not only that, but he was one of only three competitors to use more than one black box ingredient. He made bitters a la minute by crushing juniper berries and other spices, wrapping them in cheesecloth and briefly soaking them in White Dog. And then his drink, which he named Angela The Grand Dame for Martin Miller’s famous still, was fantastic, just a completely fresh, exciting flavour, very unusual yet very drinkable, just a sophisticated, grown up drink.

David Greig came in second with that luscious flip and Vancouver’s Jay Jones was third with his Tie Down, a great, boozy, flavourful variation on a Martinez or a Pall Mall.

And the guys are set for a rematch — they’re already planning the next Mixlympics for London in 2012. See you there!

Jay Jones (centre) with the third place cocktail.

Fun times today as we all head down to George for the “Mixlympics,” a black box cocktail competition pitting some of our best bartenders against some of the top mixers and shakers in the world.

Competing from Vancouver are The Diamond’s Mark Brand, Pourhouse’s Jay Jones and David Wolowidnyk of West. Joining the Canadian contingent is Darryl Macdonald from Port in Toronto.

The international competitors are: Joe Stokoe, Abdul Kpekawa and David Grieg, all of London’s All Star Lanes, as well as Ola Tan from Box 101 in Stockholm, Nicolas de Soto from Experimental Cocktail Club & Curio Parlour in Paris and Charles Tan from China Club, also in Paris.

I’m on the judging panel, along with George’s Shaun Layton, Scout Magazine’s Andrew Morrison, Western Living’s Neal McLennan, Rebecca “Miss 604″ Bolwitt and Jay Garnett, president of Whitefish Group.

Guests are welcome on a first come, first serve basis, so if you want to come down and check out the action, get here early! Things kick off at noon at George Ultra Lounge, 1137 Hamilton Street.

The all-Canadian Triple Lutz cocktail at Fairmont Chateau Whistler.

It’s a funny thing about Whistler, Host Mountain Resort for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. There’s lots (and lots and lots) to drink, but most of it is pretty mediocre — you know, draft beer, morning-after caesars, plonk by the glass, shooters, the kind of stuff you liked to drink when you were too young to know better. But there are also some exceptional places to enjoy a great cocktail or glass of bubble.

For those of us who’ve evolved beyond the body shot stage of our lives, these are the places to drink in Whistler:

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Want to know what B.C. wines to drink during your Olympic parties? Then check out my piece in the Vancouver Sun: Red and white: A patriotic choice of vintage —10 special bottles from B.C. vineyards to help celebrate the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

For even more ideas on where to drink in the Olympic City, make sure to visit the Vancouver Sun and check out my In Good Spirits column from Feb.17: Drinking in the Olympics — Top local bartenders square off against international stars in black box cocktail competition this weekend.

The Alberta Train on its way to Whistler.

Five thirty comes very early in the morning, especially if you’ve been out late the night before. But somehow I made it on time to the invitation-only Alberta Train yesterday — along with a handful of other media, some politicians, business types, tourism folks and even a couple of cowboys — despite the three hours’ sleep and excess partying, which seems to be the way we’re all rolling throughout these Olympic Games.

It wasn’t quite a Stampede Party on rail tracks, but it came awful close.

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If you live in Vancouver and have been dropping by some of your fave downtown watering holes lately you may have been surprised by a couple of things. One is that prices have shot up — in some case, waaay up. Another is that a gratuity was likely added to your bill, ranging from 15 per cent at the St. Regis to 18 per cent at Pourhouse to 20 per cent at Earls Yaletown. Oh, and you may also have discovered that the menu has been shortened, too, with fewer but more expensive items to choose from.

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British Columbians love to drink wine, and the wine they love to drink the best is their own. Only a few short decades ago, B.C. had only a handful of wineries producing mediocre plonk; now it has nearly 150 of them, in regions ranging from the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys in the Interior to Vancouver Island, and they produce some terrific, award-winning vino. Unfortunately, most of the best bottles sell out within hours of release, so the best place to taste it is at the restaurants that specialize in wine. Luckily, there are plenty of those.

Here are 10 of the best places to drink wine in Vancouver:

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