The menu opened with a zucchini-based soup bolstered by peas and bacon and mellowed and sweetened (slightly) by crostini boats slathered in local goat cheese. All three chardonnays were served with this course and we discussed their respective relationships to the soup afterward. Most guests liked the 2005 chardonnay (French oak) best, followed by the 2004 chardonnay (French oak). The 2005 chardonnay Canadian oak finished last, which is too bad since the soup begged for a pur lain Canadian mate. I think the French oak chardonnays shone because they are richer in texture and intensity of flavour than the Canadian oak version. The hearty, definite flavours of the soup demanded as much from its wine wooers. And, the vanilla and caramel sweetness imparted by the French oak had an affinity to the goat cheese.

A fresh pasta roll filled with homemade ricotta made from Vital Green Organic Dairy cream sat in a pool of bright, thick, lemony tomato sauce and arrived before guests as the second course. This course was also served with all three chardonnays. The 2005 chardonnay Canadian oak related beautifully to the dish. The delicate, fresh and even salty character of this chardonnay came to life. Also, the dish had a fair bit of sweetness from the tomato, the fresh pasta and the ricotta which found harmony with the subtle coconut milk sweetness of the wine.The French oak chardonnays were compatible but not remarkable.

The third course was an ingenious arrangment of flavours in the service of the three cool climate Lailey pinots we poured for the guests. The dish involved squid, fennel slices soaked in the juice of meyer lemons and thinly-sliced chorizo sausage. Most guests preferred the 2006 pinot with the dish.

The fourth and last wine course was a thick fillet of baked salmon on a bed of minge beans and salt cod and beside a small pool of fuscia sauce made from reduced Lailey pinot, stewed rhubarb and pomegranate syrup. Again, the 2006 Pinot stood out. It had just the right balance of tannin to handle the beans and the cod and enough bright acidity to relate to the tangy sauce and the rich, meaty salmon. The 2005 Pinot was too light, it is a better friend to a simple pasta dish of tomato, bacon and herbs. The 2004 pinot was too intense - needs a beef or game stew with wild mushrooms.

Why "rustic"? The word may conjure up images of crude wine making equipment and practices and coarse, country wines. The Latin origin of the word carries less baggage: belonging to the country. And, this is exactly the message I wanted to deliver when I spoke about the wines and when we considered the sorts of dishes we would serve with them. To me, rustic food is that which is regional, seasonal, hearty (not averse to animal fat) and definite in its flavours.

Rustic wines are wines that say something specifically regional in their expression of the grape variety. They are wines that are well made but on a human scale - with people attending to small lots at every stage and to each vine with their eyes and hands during every small period of growth. They are also wines that make the most sense when you go the country to taste them and to drink them with the food that grows there. But, more often it is the wine that travels to the people and the food, which was the case this evening at the Cookbook Co. in Calgary. It was very obvious, though, that most of the wines only began to reveal their charm in the company of food.

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