The education of a non-wine drinker

I am not a wine drinker. Never have been.
To me, wine comes in three varieties–red, white, and bubbly. To add adjectives like “sharp,” “sweet,” or “dry” to describe the wine would be mere shots in the dark for me.
But even a complete wine list illiterate like me couldn’t help but be tempted by La Flambée’s wine-tasting “soiree” last Saturday. Having eight different wines served over five courses–including a trio medley of beef tenderloin, stuffed pork loin, and lamb chops served with fresh oyster and portabella mushroom Cabernet Sauvignon sauce–isn’t exactly common fare in Fort Frances.
So I figured, “What the hey?” Let’s see what all these wine buffs keep buffing about.
I warned restaurant owner Achour Cheblaoui a few days ahead of time that I have no palate for wine–just to make sure he wasn’t insulted when most of his wine glasses returned to the kitchen more full than empty.
His reply basically was don’t worry, we’ll teach you.
Wine number one was a Gewurztraminer/Dopff & Jron Alsace, which, in addition to being difficult to pronounce, is a “dry and full-bodied wine” according to Cheblaoui, the colour of which is “gold all the way through” and doesn’t fade at the edge of the glass.
“It has a lingering flavour,” he explained as he poured wine, telling me to look for flavours of banana, gingerbread, peppers, and cinnamon.
“Literally, if you listen to your tongue, you will taste them,” he said, moving on to the next table.
Listening to Cheblaoui talk at another table, it’s clear the true wine connoisseur tries to know everything possible about the grapes that go into each bottle of wine–right down to where the grapes were harvested, when, and what kind of barrels they were aged in.
I took about three sips of my “Gewurztraminer,” and it didn’t taste too bad. Like Cheblaoui said, if I “listened to my tongue,” I could detect the certain flavours that distinguished this wine from others.
Mind you, I’m not planning to run out and stock up on Alsatian wine. While the first few sips of the glass were pleasurable, that’s all I took, and even then it was a record for me.
Meanwhile, the noise around the restaurant has picked up a little since the wine started flowing. Cheblaoui held the wine back until all his guests had arrived first so there were many eager glasses raised in toasts several times over as the first wine was taken down with ease by most everyone in the place.
But Cheblaoui didn’t take too long in bringing out the second bottle, a Henry of Pelham Chardonnay proprietors’ reserve out of Niagara Falls.
“This is an excellent Canadian white wine,” Cheblaoui stressed, noting this particular winery had won several international awards with this Chardonnay, which in itself has a recipe that dates back to the 1400s.
“You’ll see that it has an oak flavour,” he said to the table just behind me. He swirled some wine in a glass, then held it up to his nose and inhaled deeply.
“You should be able to tell the wine by the smell,” he said, swirling and inhaling again.
Naturally, everyone at the table tried their hand at it. Whether they were able to tell the same things from the wine as Cheblaoui did, I don’t know, but they were quick to sample the wine either way.
I sip my wine with every second bite of coho salmon en crouite. Like Cheblaoui said, the strong acidity of the wine complimented the oiliness of the fish.
Score two for the wine connoisseur.
Again, most of my wine went unfinished but I already was quite impressed with Cheblaoui’s capabilities of mixing wine and food, and I wasn’t the only one. Local resident Leon DeGagne and those at his table already were having a fine time.
“So far it’s been exceptionally good,” DeGagne said. “I am not a wine connoisseur but I enjoy different kinds of wines. [This event] kind of gives you a better view of how the wines are made and what to look for in the wine stores.”
By the time the fourth wine was brought out, several glowing cheeks started to appear around the full house, especially on those who sampled more than one glass from each bottle.
Jack Bartlett of International Falls said after the fourth bottle that there was an “excellent choice of wines” for the evening. His dining companion, LuVerne Walter, also from the Falls, couldn’t heap enough praise on Cheblaoui’s establishment.
“It’s such a treat to have this in such a small community,” she said. “The food is reminiscent of the sophisticated placed [in the city]. It is wonderful.”
“It’s what Fort Frances has been waiting for,” noted Rod Newman, who was sipping his Vinho Verde while munching on his salad.
“Have you ever had marinated parsnip and green Portuguese wine?” he asked. “I’d say it’s fantastic. It’s like going on vacation without leaving home.”
And so the evening went. The vegetable ribbon salad was sumptuous, and the trio medley of meats served with asparagus, potatoes croquette, squash, and a broiled tomato with cheese and mushrooms was unbelievable.
As for the wine . . . . Well, considering I’m the only one in the restaurant who left most of all eight glasses of wine untouched, including the late-harvest Inniskillin everyone was just dying to try, perhaps I’m not the best to ask.
But considering I drank–and actually enjoyed–more wine at La Flambée on Saturday night than I ever have in my entire 25 years of life, I’d say it’s a credit to Achour, Anne, and his staff for making this non-wine drinker appreciate the gourmet quality of fermented grapes.
But you don’t have to take my word for it. Jim and Jean Wood of International Falls back up my opinion in a fax they sent to the Times office Monday.
“Achour and Anne combined their extraordinary culinary flair with the perfect wine choices to complement each delectable course,” they wrote. “Individual wine presentation of each wine lent a personal touch to a special dining experience.
“As frequent visitors all to La Flambée, our table agrees–it is the best-kept secret in Fort Frances,” they added. “Although we would like to keep Achour and Anne’s delicious dining to ourselves, a visit to their fine establishment is highly recommended.
“We look forward to the next wine dinner!”