South Western Ontario is home to several commercial game farms, and by good fortune, I found myself in possession of a small, but more than adequate, sliver of prime ostrich meat. Having cooked this rich meat before, it knew it has a taste and texture similar to that of densely marbled and well aged beef. Therefore I believed this dish screamed out to be matched with Pinot. Just the day before the Gang arrived, I was in Toronto, where I picked up some lobster and chanterelle mushrooms at a local market. I wanted to incorporate these into the dish, as they would loan an earthy component. I pan roasted the bird so that it remained quite rare. It has been my experience with meat of this nature that overcooking renders a dry and toughened texture. On the plate, I put a puree of fresh green peas moistened with chicken stock and mint, then finished it with Normandy butter. I had made a simple reduction of veal stock that I flavoured with thyme and roasted garlic. Along with another of Kim’s offerings, baby eggplants, the mushrooms complimented the meat and brought the wine into harmony as well. It really was a simple course to prepare but it was rich and bold enough to match the robust flavours of the Daniel Rion’s remarkable Vosne Romanée.

The fresh lamb we get from Alberta is second to none. I had removed the bones from a couple of racks, browned them and started a stock. I made a duxelle of mushrooms using shallots, morels and fresh herbs. After searing the lamb, I rolled out some puff pastry and placed a layer of the mushroom paste in the centre. Then I positioned slices of pan seared Foie Gras on the mushroom and pushed the lamb loins into it. Once sealed, the "Wellington was ready to bake. The sauce was emulsified with the trimmings from the Foie Gras, mixed with butter and pushed through a sieve. The dish was presented with a tomato and olive gratin and a simple braised Italian couscous. It was rich but so was the 82 Montrose. Rare lamb and mature Bordeaux really puts a tilt in the kilt.

Eating dessert at this point would have been suicidal. Bree was soon to explode or expire, geo was eager to hop the fence and swim, Kim was hooked on 82 Bordeaux and I was just thankful dessert was in the fridge and ready to serve at a moment’s whim. As it was such a gorgeous evening outside, just the perfect temperature, light breeze and a crystal clear sky, why not just prolong the final course a little longer. Bring on the mystery wines. We were up for the challenge!

Mystery Wine: I brought along this deep dark garnet knowing full well it was a favorite of C.Z.’s (he IS the Canadian Zinfan, after all), and wondering if he could identify it. A big dark fruit bouquet jumps right out of the glass, all full of spice and some chocolate. A little tar adds complexity to the impressive perfume, and the flavors echo and explode on the palate with some significant tannins and acidity, and a long finish that the tannins can’t quite restrain. As it continues to open, it develops a big note of coffee and the full spectrum of dark berries, and CZ, Kim and Bree all think it’s a Carlisle; Bree says it’s the ’99 Syrah at first, but later changes his tune to Zinfandel. Is it oversized? Maybe, but Kerr and I love it, while Bree says it overdone, calling it "all oak and residual sugar." Kim just wants more of that dogshit French wine. C.Z. and I just look at each other for a minute, shaking our heads; then we each helped our selves to another pour. What was it, you ask? Why, it was the 1998 Neyers Contra Costa County Zinfandel Pato Vineyard ($29.99, 15.7% alc.).

The dessert had to be light and I wanted to be totally different. The day before I had spent part of the afternoon Toronto’s China town and purchased every kind of fruit I could find. Some I had never set eyes upon before. I learned in that afternoon how to tell if a dragon fruit was in peak ripeness, how to peel rambutans and how to remove the ultra sweet white pulp buried deep inside a mangosteen. I made a boil of red cayenne chili peppers, star anise, cinnamon, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, lemon grass, lime leaves and cumin seeds. I sweetened it with sugar and once it ceased to boil I dropped in a tablespoon of green gunpowder tea. I peeled and cut all the fruits, to the best of my ability, and poured the cooled infusion over the top. After a few hours in the fridge the juices from the fruit had combined with the tea to produce a perfect dessert for a hot summer night.