FOOD & DRINK - WILL TRAVEL FOR WINE
Maritime Small Town Sipping
By Lesley Quinn
There is a saying in the wine world: “What grows together goes together.” Often the best food and wine pairings work so well together because both the food and wine come from the same area.
Lesley Quinn was born and raised in Prince Edward Island. Her first opportunity in wine came as Junior Sommelier at the Ritz-Carlton in the Cayman Islands. They supported her as she completed the first two levels of the Court of Master Sommeliers to become a Certified Sommelier. Work has taken her to Calgary, Vancouver, Halifax, and Turkey. Wine has taken her to France, Italy, Austria, Portugal, Chile, and California. In 2017 she won the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers Top Somm Competition Atlantic division. Now back on PEI, she’s sharing her knowledge in the guise of Stellar Somm Wine Experts. Ask her what her favourite wine is and she says “I love all my babies equally.” ▲ Lesley Quinn (Photo: Kimberly Rashed) CMS & FWS SOMMELIER 2017 Atlantic Canada Top Sommelier 403.835.5939
The Maritimes are fortunate to have an abundance of great local food, particularly in the seafood department, and I’m here to tell you we certainly have no shortage of great local wines to pair with them. Let’s take a tour around the Maritimes with a meal celebrating everything local.
found out during my wine studies that a classic pairing was sparkling wine and oysters. We may think it all starts and ends with Champagne, but just like oysters, the sparkling wines made right in Nova Scotia are sensational. These effervescent wines are so well matched to our oysters because they are both influenced by the sea. Here are my favourite bubbles and oyster matchups. For a briny Cascumpec, the Blanc de Blancs from Blomidon. For Mary Manette’s smoked oysters, the Benjamin Bridge NV Brut. With the creamy, nutty characteristics of Colville Bay oysters, try the 2011 Cuvée Brut from Gaspereau. If you love mignonette or cocktail sauce on your oysters, pick up a bottle of Lightfoot and Wolfville’s Sparkling Rosé, but for a real treat
Oysters and Bubbles
East Coast oysters are world famous and for good reason. They taste like a dip in the ocean on a hot summer’s day, refreshing, briny, and oh so yummy. They are my favourite way to start a meal - you can add lemon, mignonette, horseradish, or cocktail sauce. You can bake ‘em, smoke ‘em, and even BBQ them. Imagine my delight when I
Want to learn more about wine? Head to www.stellarsomm.com
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