Tag Archives: FreshTap

Made In Strathcona: AGRO Roasters, Propellor Design & The Settlement Building

18 Jun

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I had the pleasure of attending the recent Made In Strathcona Tours hosted by the Strathcona BIA and organized with the assistance of My Loud Speaker. It was a great opportunity to learn more about the businesses in East Vancouver like Blake Hanacek founder of AGRO Roasters located at 550 Clark Drive. Blake is truly passionate about all aspects of coffee everything from growing the beans, to farming, to roasting and is well versed in the science behind what makes a good cup of coffee.  Our second stop was Propellor Design tucked away at 1128 East Georgia Street just North of La Casa Gelato and situated directly across the street from Admiral Seymour Elementary School. Propellor Design is a multi-disciplinary design studio. The principals at Propellor Design create lighting, furniture, sculptures and more. Many of their custom lighting designs have landed in restaurants across North America. You can see a sample of their work next time you visit the lobby of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

After our tour of these East Vancouver businesses, we were invited for wine, appetizers and a mix and mingle at the newly branded Settlement Building (formerly Vancouver Urban Winery), 55 Dunlevy Street. The Settlement Building holds the Fresh Tap wine system which packages wines in 19.5L stainless steel kegs.  Add to that, they have some 36 wines on tap for tastings.  The Settlement Building is now home to newcomer the Belgard Kitchen a restaurant serving lunch/brunch and dinner which seats up to 65 people. The food is prepared by chef and part-owner, Reuben Major, who brings 18 years of restaurant experience with him. Mia Stainsby of the Vancouver Sun just did a delicious review of the food. To learn more about her rundown, visit the Vancouver Sun. Today this busy group of entrepreneurs officially launch Postmark Brewing, East Van’s newest craft brewery. Postmark Brewing will introduce you to 4 new beers specifically, Postmark Pilsner (a clean, refreshing hybrid Pils brewed with Czech yeast, German malt and traditional Noble hops), Postmark IPA (a well-structured American Red IPA brewed with Simcoe, a Postmark Stout (a semi-light bodied stout with a dry bitterness and the complex notes of chocolate and coffee and the one I have my eye on Postmark Hefe (a dry Bavarian style Weiss beer brewed with lemon zest and local raspberries. I would be remiss if I forgot to mention the drive by growler refills that are coming.

Kudos to all those involved in organizing the Made In Strathcona Tours. It was great to meet the faces behind the local businesses and get to learn more about what they do and the many ways in which they contribute to their surrounding communities.  Stay tuned for news on future tours, we hear they will be back for another round.

 

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Wine Tasting At Vancouver Urban Winery

19 Mar

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If you wish to taste some wines from BC’s Okanagan, you don’t have to travel very far.  I invite you to check out Vancouver Urban Winery. This operation is the brainchild of two young enterpreneurs, Steve Thorp and Mike Macquisten who were recently voted into  Western Living Magazine’s 5th Annual 40 Foodies Under 40.

Vancouver Urban Winery is Canada’s first wine on tap operation, FreshTap.  They repackage wines sent from wineries in pressurized 19.5 litre stainless steel kegs. This not only cuts down on waste, but is also environmentally friendly in that each keg equals 26 750ml bottles of wine. Once a bottle is opened in a restaurant, it loses flavor with oxidization quickly.  Thus, a greater likelihood the wine will be tossed.

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A side benefit for us Vancouverites, is that last summer Vancouver Urban Winery opened it doors to the public for wine tastings.  The majority of the wines are from British Columbia with a few from other countries including their own brand of Roaring Twenties  for sale by the bottle in their retail store on site.  Wine tastings are 1 oz pourings which start at $2.50 per tasting or $3.50 for premium wines. You can choose which wines you’d like to try individually, or you can try the Sommelier’s Choice where they choose 5 flights of wine for you to taste for $12.00.  There are various meats and cheeses available to nibble with your wine that you can purchase. We opted for the  Sommelier’s Food & Wine Choice Pairing for $24.00 which included 5 flights of wine (2 whites & 3 reds) and a selection of local meats and cheeses paired with each of the wines.

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Vancouver Urban Winery is located in a fairly non-descript building two blocks South of the docks and 2 blocks North of Oppenheimer Park.  At the entrance you will find beautiful doors with intricate woodwork and stonework.  On entering, the interior has a unique layout with 24 foot ceilings, wooden beams and beautiful ironwork from its predecessors.    There are some long wood tables perfect for large groups, or there is the fireplace with 2 long leather sofas which make for a nice way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon or wind down after a day at work.  The Vancouver Urban Winery is located at 55 Dunlevy Street (just 3 blocks North of East Hastings Street). They are open for tastings and tours, Mon. to Wed. 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Thur. to Fri. 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and Sundays from Noon to 5:00 p.m.  They are closed Saturdays for private events and occasionally will book private events during their operating hours. They update their Facebook Page regularly with their operating hours, upcoming events and promotions. One current promotion is Thirsty Thursday which is a 2 for 1 tasting special from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.  The Tasting Bar this month features Roaring Twenties Wine Co. Quails’  Gate, Noble Ridge Vineyards & Winery and Road 13 Vineyards.  This is definitely a spot to check out.  Cheers!ILiveInEastVanMarch2013 284

Photos by Patti Zazulak and CreatEveInVan

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