It is not very often that a white wine grabs my attention like the one I served for dinner last evening. We had big beautiful prawns marinated in garlic, sea salt, chilies and lime juice and then pan fried in olive oil with rice and mixed greens.
I originally thought I would pour a German Riesling with this dish, but after a wonderfully persuasive conversation with Brian at the BC Liquor Store downtown Squamish, he encouraged me in a different direction.
Brian sent me merrily on my way with the VQA Okanagan See Ya Later Ranch, 2007 "Jimmy My Pal" and I can't wait to thank him for this delicious new find.
2007 was a year that brought low crop yields in the Okanagan Valley, but allowed for excellent fruit quality. At harvest, the temperatures were cool which slowed the sugar accumulation and provided the opportunity for the grapes to hang longer and develop more varietal character.
Jimmy My Pal was stainless steel fermented for 20 days then spent eight hours in a cold soak on Pinot Gris grape skins adding to the luscious flavour.
This lovely wine is a blend of 34 per cent Chardonnay, 33 per cent Pinot Gris and 33 per cent Semillion. Can I tell ya? This white made me dance with its bouquet of fresh tropical aromas that were exciting enough, but the melon, pear and granny smith apple was an absolute delight on the palate.
So what of this name, See Ya Later Ranch and Jimmy My Pal? Well, the See Ya Later Ranch is located in the Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards above the lake, South of Penticton in OK Falls.
The See Ya Later name is a nod to the ranch's quirky history and a celebration of the character who first planted grapes on this site. Major Hugh Fraser is the interesting character they speak of and his history is a story worth telling.
A 1912 business graduate from McGill University, Fraser soon enlisted to fight in WWI. Stationed in France, he was captured by German troops and spent from 1916 to 1918 in a POW camp. After the war, Major Fraser returned to Canada and on a visit to the Okanagan to see his friend and playwright C.C.
Atkins, Major Fraser fell in love with the Okanagan Valley, purchased the Hawthorne ranch and made it his new home. The Major apparently loved a good party that quickly became the topic of great legend. He also liked to pen letters to dignitaries like Princess Patricia and Lady Shaughnessy ending with the signature phrase "See Ya Later", which was later shortened to SYL and of course lead to the naming of SYL Ranch.
The Major never married and instead had many dogs as companions who had run of the ranch. You can visit the SYL tasting room at the ranch's restored 1900's stone house and see Jimmy's head stone in the wee pet cemetery. It was the first dated, stating that Jimmy My Pal lived from 1917 to 1921.
The view is amazing and dogs are most welcome. For more info go to www.sylranch.com or visit Brian at the liquor store to see the whole SYL line up.
Portuguese Garlic Prawns
Great on the grill or easy to pan fry; this mouth watering recipe for garlic prawns is a traditional Portuguese way of cooking grilled prawns with olive oil and garlic, after marinating in lemon juice and chili flakes.
Ingredients
1 kg large green prawns (cleaned and deveined)
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red chili powder
2 teaspoons coarse red chili flakes
Juice of 1 lemon
8 tablespoons olive oil
Method
In a large bowl, combine prawns with garlic, salt, chili powder, chili flakes and lemon juice.
Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
Add olive oil to a large frying pan and add prawns
Pan grill on high heat until prawns are bright red and cooked through for about 20 minutes.
Serve hot with a side salad, rice and crusty bread.
