Stir Wine Pairing: Nk’Mip's Qwam Qwmt Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 with VSO's Americana: Walker & Copland
The concert of trailblazers hosted by Measha Brueggergosman calls for a glass of this rich Okanagan red
Every week, Stir Wine Pairings suggests a B.C. wine to go with a local performance.
The show
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s Americana: Walker & Copland, November 27, 7:30 pm via TheConcertHall.ca. (Like other performances, it will remain on the site for the entire season.).
The wine
Nk’Mip Cellars’ Qwam Qwmt Cabernet Sauvignon 2017.
The lowdown
Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman hosts this bold program of George Walker’s Lyric for Strings and Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, with the VSO’s Andrew Crust conducting.
Walker, a concert pianist and composer, was the first African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music, in 1996, in recognition of his composition Lilacs for voice and orchestra. Prior to that, he was the first African American graduate from the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music with a dual diploma in piano and composition and the first African American to graduate with a doctoral degree from the Eastman School of Music. He performed in every European capital before he passed away in 2018 at 96 and is one of the United States’ most celebrated composers.
Walker composed the introspective Lyric for Strings when he was just 24. Shimmering between layered harmonies and sparse solos, it remains one of his most popular works,
Appalachian Spring, which the VSO will present in its original chamber form for 13 musicians, is remarkable for Copland’s vision to write a distinctly American ballet. Commissioned in 1942 by patron of the arts Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge for a new ballet by Martha Graham, it tells the story of a pioneering Pennsylvania family contemplating a better future. The work’s most famous section consists of variations on the Shaker folk tune “Simple Gifts”. In 1945, the ballet won the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Copland became known for his expressive and modern blend of classical, folk and jazz and is often referred to as the Dean of American composers.
Who better to host a program of legends than Brueggergosman? A musical phenomenon in her own right, she has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Washington’s Kennedy Center, London’s Wigmore Hall, to name just a few, while the operas she has starred in include Les contes d’Hoffmann, Idomeneo, and Dead Man Walking. Having worked with groups like Orchestre de Paris, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, she’s now taking a new approach to her craft in the face of COVID-19. She’s bringing music to fans and even offering pre-recorded or one-on-one private voice lessons via her Patreon site. (“In this new reality we find ourselves in, this is my way of finding a way to make my career impenetrable to disaster, and I’m praying for your support,” she says in her video intro.)
The pairing
An evening of trailblazers calls for an outstanding wine by a boundary-breaking winemaker. Nk’Mip Cellars’ Qwam Qwmt Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is the one.
Nk’Mip (pronounced IN-ka-meep) is North America’s first Indigenous-owned and -operated winery. The wine won Gold at the 2020 British Columbia Lieutenant Governor’s Wine Awards (as did the Qwam Qwmt Riesling 2019).
Made from a block of grapes grown directly below the winery in Osoyoos, the Cabernet Sauvignon was aged in a combination of French and American oak barrels for 18 months before bottling. Big, spicy, and herbaceous, the wine has aromas and flavours of blackberry, cassis, and cedar. (It’s $34.99 at Great Estates Okanagan.)
Nk’Mip winemaker Justin Hall is a proud member of the Osoyoos Indian Band. Having grown up on the Oliver land reservation, he joined the winery as cellar hand, with senior winemaker Randy Picton as his mentor.
“I am immensely proud of the people, culture, and history which have contributed to the success of Nk’Mip Cellars,” Hall tells Stir. “At Nk’Mip we have a unique opportunity to share our culture and heritage with others, something that we are inspired to do every day in everything we do. We have an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the relentless spirit and remarkable history of our community through our wines, food, and artwork that we showcase at the winery.”
Qwam Qwmt means “achieving excellence” in the Okanagan language spoken by the Osoyoos Indian Band. It’s reserved for premium estate wine that’s produced in extremely limited quantities. The word Nk’Mip translates to “bottomland”, referring to the winery’s location at the southern end of the Osoyoos reservation.
The menu
If you’re dining during the VSO livestream, go for a cheese plate with aged gouda and sharp cheddar, or a hearty meal of braised beef short ribs, rack of lamb, or baked eggplant with mushroom and tomato sauce.
Related Articles
