With the ocean as a backdrop, Parksville Uncorked pairs the best of B.C. wines with regional cuisine

by Gail Johnson on February 27th, 2017 at 9:48 PM

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For a lot of Mainlanders, Parksville is just a place you drive by on your way from the Nanaimo ferry terminal to Tofino. But the oceanside town had an influx of visitors this past weekend during Parksville Uncorked, its annual festival of food and wine.

Next year will mark the fest's 10th anniversary. Held at the end of February and hosted by Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort & Conference Centre and the Beach Club Resort, it features Parksville Untapped, an evening dedicated to regional breweries and distileries; Swirl, a fest within a fest with wines from more than 50 B.C. wineries and food by both hotels; and winemakers' dinners.

Tinhorn Creek winemaker and CEO Sandra Oldfield joined forces with Tigh-Na-Mara executive chef Eric Edwards, who's a North Vancouver native, for a six-course meal that I attended as a guest at the resort. Among the dishes was a pheasant duo (seared breast and confit leg) with shallots, Saskatoon-berry puree, French beans, and farro risotto. That was paired with Tinhorn Oldfield Series Merlot 2012, cinnamonny and caramel-y. Then there were smoked lamb chops with pan-seared polenta, local wild mushrooms, and beurre noisette, served with Tinhorn Pinot Noir 2012.

Check out some other higlights:

Servied with Tinhorn Gewurtzraminer 2015, pan-seared scallops and prawns came with salsa verde.

Gail Johnson

And now for a walk along the beach: chocolate mascarpone tart with roasted-pistachio white-chocolate bark and caramelized-popcorn-smoked-bacon-and-crushed pepper ice cream paired with Tinhorn Oldfield Series 2Bench Red.

Gail Johnson.