Stir Wine Pairing: poetry by Evelyn Lau; CedarCreek Pinot Gris; and a Parisienne meal at home
We’re tuning into Planet Earth Poetry’s January 8 online reading and ordering in from Jules Bistro
We’re marking the end of the first work week of the year with a glass of CedarCreek Pinot Gris 2019. And now that Jules Bistro offers delivery, we know what we’re doing for dinner on January 8, when we’ll listen to an online poetry reading by Evelyn Lau.
Every week, Stir Wine Pairing suggests BC wine and food to go with a local arts event.
The event
Planet Earth Poetry: Evelyn Lau on January 8 via Zoom
The wine
CedarCreek Estate Winery 2019 Pinot Gris
The food
Duck confit cassoulet from Jules Bistro, at home
The lowdown
We were super excited to discover that Evelyn Lau is doing a reading on January 8 with Planet Earth Poetry. If there’s one positive outcome of the pandemic’s disastrous effects on the cultural scene, it’s the way the shift to virtual programming has allowed arts groups to reach new audiences, including those in other locales. Prior to COVID-19, Planet Earth Poetry, a reading series featuring established and emerging Canadian poets, held its Friday night events in person in Victoria. Now in its 25th year, the series has gone online, happening over Zoom for free. The evenings start with an open mic before one or more featured guests share some of their work.
Evelyn Lau.
Lau, whose 1989 memoir Runaway: Diary of a Street Kid (HarperCollins) was published when she was 18, has written 13 books, including eight volumes of poetry. Her writing has been translated into a dozen languages, while her poetry has earned numerous awards, including the Milton Acorn People’s Poetry Award and the Pat Lowther Award for best book of poetry by a Canadian woman.
Lau’s most recent poetry collection, Pineapple Express (Anvil Press), explores mood disorders and the mind. As she told the Victoria Festival of Authors: “I was interested in exploring mental health disorders from a poetic, rather than a nonfiction or memoir point of view — which, I mean, there has been a lot of good writing out there. But in poetry, where you’re trying to make the language as sharp and as original as possible, that was a challenge for me: to write about the flatness of depression in a way that was somehow invigorating, or not flattening the reader.”
The pairing
Given that it’s January, we wanted a bright, easy-drinking wine that still tasted special and fresh (as we attempt to hold on to that holiday feeling) but that’s also budget-friendly. CedarCreek Estate Winery’s 2019 Pinot Gris is ripe, round, and green apple-y, with just a pinch of spice. Best of all for these lean times, it comes to $18.99 at the winery (which offers free shipping on two or more bottles) and it’s currently on sale at BC Liquor Stores for $16.99.
CedarCreek was one of the first eight wineries in the Okanagan Valley and is now part of von Mandl Family Estates, an ever-growing portfolio that includes Mission Hill Family Estate. The 2019 100-pecent Pinot Gris is versatile and easy to pair…
The menu
As soon as we saw that Jules Bistro (216 Abbott Street) is now available for delivery via Uber Eats, the decision was made. On the rustic French bistro’s takeout menu is chef-owner Emmanuel Joinville’s duck confit cassoulet. Hailing from Dijon, France, Joinville first learned to cook from his mom. He apprenticed at Chateau Bourgogne in his hometown, going on to open a bistro there before moving to Paris where he ran his own gastro-pub inspired restaurant near the Eiffel Tower. He opened Jules Bistro in 2007, and we trust him with the traditional bean casserole with smoky bacon, ham, and sausage ($28). Alternatively, you could opt for a classic salade Nicoise ($17) or garlic butter prawns and rice ($21).
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