CULINARY TOURISM IN THE VALLEY IS NOW BEGUN IN EARNEST
"This is just like the Napa, but with better water features," a wine tourist pronounced last summer. She was sitting on The Terrace, drinking in the view of Okanagan Lake and a glass of winemaker John Simes' crisp SLC Sauvignon Blanc. She whispered her message in her husband's ear-as if she were sharing a secret.

But that secret is out: Year-round dining opportunities have caught up with the valley's wines. "It's a partnership that's been waiting to happen-wine and food, food and wine-and now it's here," winery chef Michael Allemeier says.

Allemeier and Terrace chef Tim Cuff work closely with local growers, contracting organic heirloom tomatoes from Stoney Paradise Farms and custom produce from Little Creek Gardens. Other farms and ranches, including North Okanagan Game Meats, supply the winery daily. "But our local, seasonal products are more than a point of pride for us," chef Allemeier says. "We live in an agricultural dream-world here, and these ingredients are simply pure pleasure on the plate."

We dive into those flavours in a Dungeness crab, sweet pea and pear salad with lovage dressing. My companion has the poached spring salmon with spaghetti squash and leek salad. It is delicious and cool. A warm lemon sun arcs overhead, and the view of the lake, we decide, could kindle even a far-fetched romance. But romance will have to wait as we fall in love with the next course, Chef's house made wild boar sausage with warm potato salad and arugula.

Now it's just before twilight on a warm and fragrant summer night high on Mission Hill. The heat coming off the pan of the valley carries the scent of pine and dry earth. We walk into the cooler precincts of the Chagall Room, a chamber of tranquil, almost monastic understatement. With a glass of Pinot Grigio we stroll into the winery's theatre, where we watch a presentation about the building of the $37-million structure, the valley's microclimates and the winery's vineyards, which now stretch southward to the American border.

At the end of the video, the screen scrolls upward revealing, in a moment of drama, Chef Allemeier and his brigade, extending glasses of the winery's Reserve Chardonnay and platters of parmesan gougères and rabbit rillette.

Chef Allemeier, whose résumé includes lengthy stints at Vancouver's Bishop's and Calgary's Teatro, enacts a protocol exactly the reverse of most restaurants; he and Ingo Grady begin with the wine and only then match it to the food, including the fastidiously sourced, hand picked collection of local ingredients. To start, a cold Late Harvest Vidal is paired with slowly poached foie gras enlivened by rhubarb compôte and pea tops. Then comes a glass of Reserve Pinot Gris and bowl of chilled pea and mint soup with a solo scallop to reference the hot day.

The 2001 Reserve Chardonnay is complemented by a crab and brioche pudding; a tasting trio of tuna is matched to the estate's 2001 Pinot Noir. They are a delicious couple of chapters in the dinner, the food finishing the sentences the wine had begun. Oyster mushroom tortellis, served with squab, match the newly released SLC Merlot.

A voluptuous chump of elk, roasted over grape vines and served with a cake of truffled potatoes and beet jus, highlights the Estate Syrah. This is a stunning match. To finish, a wedge of Tiger Blue Cheese is a fitting accompaniment to a poached pear powered by Mission Hill's 2001 Riesling Icewine.

Very early last spring, with local produce unavailable, Chef Allemeier had been equally up to it, presenting a slow braise of boar cheeks with dried summer fruits for counterpunch. Allemeier refuses to manipulate and contrive the product of the many farmers he works with up and down the valley. I believe this to be one of the finest dining experiences in the province, and it's available for private dinners for groups from 6 to over 200. Inclusive of wine, prices range from $120 to $250 per guest.

On our final day, we are back at the proprietor's cottage and uneager to leave. The late-afternoon sun hits the lavender beds and we toast the day and know exactly what it is that has drawn us here.

By Guest Editor Jamie Maw