Stir Wine Pairing: We’re watching Soros with Pourhouse burgers and Covert Farms' GR Pinot Noir
VIFF Connects is now screening the documentary about the billionaire philanthropist
We’re getting takeout burgers from the newly imagined Pourhouse and having them with Covert Farms’ Grande Reserve 2018 Pinot Noir while we watch Soros this weekend. Photo above by Mark Yammine.
Every week, Stir Wine Pairing suggests BC food and beverage to go with a local arts event.
The event
Soros, screening virtually via VIFF Connect online until February 18
The drink
Covert Farms Family Estate 2018 Grand Reserve Pinot Noir
The food
Takeout from the newly reimagined Pourhouse
The lowdown
If you happen to have a habit of scanning headlines over at CNN to see where the latest tire fire is in the U.S., you’re no doubt aware of a certain pro-gun, pro-Trump QAnon supporter named Marjorie Taylor Greene. She’s made the news recently for a few reasons, including the publication of past racist, Islamophobic, and anti-Semitic social-media posts in which she appears to support the hanging of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton; and her new appointment by Republicans to the House Education and Labor Committee of U.S. Congress.
What’s more, a 2019 video just came out showing the conspiracy theorist harassing teen Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg. Seventeen people died in the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school. Taylor Green has described the tragedy as fake news, and in the video, she calls Hogg a “coward”, accusing him of being paid by liberal Jewish billionaire philanthropist George Soros.
Vilified by the hard right, Soros is at the heart of a global conspiracy fuelled by the likes of Taylor Green.
Now seems like the perfect time to watch Soros, Jesse Dylan’s portrait of the investor who uses his wealth to fund causes like democracy, education, health, and justice. Born in Hungary in 1930 and a survivor of the Nazi occupation, Soros famously made billions on the stock market on a single day in 1992. He went on to found the Open Society Foundations, the globe’s largest private funder of independent organizations that work toward justice, accountable governments, and human rights.
The food
While we’re on the subject of U.S. icons, we’re going to make a meal of the modern hamburger. Pourhouse is ramping up its related offerings, with an entirely new Americana-style concept that focuses on the beloved hand-held.
The original Pourhouse burger—made with 30-day dry-aged steak cooked medium and topped with confit pork belly—was already legendary. To add to that, the Gastown restaurant helmed by executive chef Alessandro Vianello, culinary director Alex Tung, and chef de cuisine Jason Saruya has introduced the Queen—which consists of a brisket-and-chuck steak patty, aged cheddar, tomato jam, peppered bacon, onion ring, “shredduce” (shredded lettuce), and mayo on sesame seed bun. It’s the kind of burger you’ve got to open wide to sink your teeth into, all juicy but not so smothered in sauces that the flavour of the key ingredient gets lost. This Queen reigns in the local burger scene.
The vegetarian version is no afterthought, the Crispy Portabella having heft with mostly all the same condiments, save for Swiss cheese and truffle mayo. Get a side or two of truffle tots to spoil your inner kid.
All of the signature burgers (plus other items, like fried chicken with house pickle) can be ordered to go. Situated in a heritage building on Water Street, Pourhouse also offers dine-in service, happy hour, and weekend brunch (The Gastown restaurant is run by Kitchen Table Restaurants, the same group behind Ask for Luigi, Ristorante di Beppe, Farina e Legna, and Giovane Café, among others—all solid options with great food and service and a team that’s knowledgeable and passionate about their work.)
The wine
Whether you’re celebrating the end of dry January, making it through another week of social isolation, or the election of the first Black and South Asian woman as vice president of the United States, Covert Farms’ 2018 Grand Reserve Pinot Noir will go perfectly with that royal burger. We’re already obsessed with Covert Farms’ Sparkling Pinot Noir, but we were wowed by this luscious red. It’s made of 100 percent Pinot Noir grapes from the fourth-generation family-run farm and winery’s certified organic vineyard (which is salmon safe). You may or may not get the bergamot or Chinese plum that the tasting notes suggest, but you will experience a wine that’s bold but not brash. It’s got the kind of quiet confidence someone like Soros might appreciate.
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