The IWFS Oakville Chapter made up for lost time with an over-the-top holiday dinner as we returned to in-person events for the first time in 20 months. As we entered the historic Edgewater Manor there was an air of jubilation to see old friends again. We went all-out with a five course menu including courses of both duck breast and lamb chops, all paired with well-aged rare wines from the Edgewater Manor cellar.
We began with a creamy butternut squash soup paired with the fresh 2016 Chateau De Mirande, Macon-Villages Chardonnay. The second appetizer course combined Fresh Bufula Mozzarella, Persimmons, Pistachio Brittle, Pickled Kumquats & Focaccia Crostini. This was paired with the 2016 Foreign Affair Sauvignon Blanc from the Beamsville Bench appellation of Ontario. The third course, which was the first main course, presented a rich duck breast on a bed of Barley Risotto and Braised Endive, paired with a well-aged, refined 2010 from Chateau de Belcier in the Bordeaux region. The second main course featured Herb Crusted Lamb Chops with Carrot Purée & Brussel Sprout Salad. For this course a 2007 Z Three GSM Zaca Mesa from Santa Ynez California was selected with the heavier meat. This wine is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre varietals. A unique dessert, Chestnut Crème Brûlèe was accompanied by a very dense sherry, the 1970 Oxford Pedro Ximenez, completing the evening.
The 102-year end Edgewater Manor is steps from Lake Ontario halfway between Toronto and the Niagara region. Originally built as a private ‘castle’ for a prominent lawyer named Phillip Reginald Morris, it was a victim of the Great Depression and sat unfinished for two decades, before completion. By the 1990s, the Trajkovski restauranteur family purchased the building and converted it into a fine dining and event space. Sparing no expense, they even transplanted a marble staircase from the TD Centre in Toronto and a mosaic tile floor from a castle in England.
Special thanks to Cath Sparling, Pamela Anderson Khan, and Edgewater Manor owner Peter Trajkovski and his team.
Menu:
First Course:
Butternut Squash Soup
2016 Chateau De Mirande, Macon-Villages Chardonnay
Second Course
Fresh Bufula Mozzarella, Persimmons, Pistachio Brittle, Pickled Kumquats & Focaccia Crostini
2016 Foreign Affair Sauvignon Blanc
Third Course
Duck Breast, Barley Risotto, Braised Endive & Berry Gastrique
2010 De Belcier, Cotes De Bordeaux
Fourth Course
Herb Crusted Lamb Chops, Carrot Purée & Brussel Sprout Salad
2007 Z Three GSM Zaca Mesa, Santa Ynez California
Dessert
Chestnut Crème Brûlèe
1970 Oxford Pedro Ximenez
