A Career to Celebrate

Owen Knowlton, Sommelier @ West Restaurant

Owen Knowlton, Award-Winning Sommelier, West Restaurant

Our annual California Wine Fair series of fundraising events is just around the corner and, in addition to our signature ballroom tasting this April, we are excited to be hosting two very special dinners. Owen Knowlton, the Restaurant and Wine Director at West Restaurant and resident sommelier is busy planning our first dinner California Dreaming, featuring top California wines provided by Vintage Corks. The dinner has proven very popular and tickets are sold out.

Tickets are still available for our second dinner — Food, Wine, Adventure at Q4 Ristorante. Join us for an evening of la dolce vita with an Italian-inspired menu and wine exclusively from the Francis Ford Coppola Winery on Tuesday, April 17. Seats are $185 and going fast. Our California Wine Fair Ballroom Tasting at the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre happens the following evening with offerings from over 100 Californian wineries. Tickets are $75. Buy Tickets

Interior of West Restaurant

We caught up with Owen to find out about what fuels his passion for wine, what’s new in West’s wine cellar, and to ask his advice about sampling the wines of California.

Do you remember the first wine you ever tasted?
The first time I enjoyed a glass of wine was when I was 18 years old. I had just started working at the Walliser Stube wine bar in the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. The wine was Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay. I thought it was a delicious beverage and that I was living large! Since then, I have been fortunate to have tasted some of the very best wines in the world, with some highlights such as the 2006 Screaming Eagle and 1989 Chateau Petrus, being majestic.

When did you know that you wanted to make wine and food your career?
I have been working in restaurants all my life because I love food and service, but in my early twenties I was not sure if this would be my chosen career. In 2000, it suddenly struck me just how integral the roll that wine plays in a restaurant and in the guest dining experience is.

That moment happened when I was having dinner at Le Beaujolais in Banff. The sommelier suggested a glass of Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Gewürztraminer to pair with the duck confit I had ordered. The pairing was not only perfect, but it took the dish to an entirely new level. From that point on, I knew that wine would be my career. I enrolled in the Sommelier program and was one of the first certified with the International Sommelier Guild in Western Canada.

How do you keep up with all the new trends and regions in wine?
As a sommelier, I feel that I know just enough to realize that I know little about wine. The world of wine is vast and ever changing. I do my best to keep up by reading the latest wine magazines, attend tastings, traveling to wine regions and visiting wineries. I also regularly meet with wine importers to taste and review the latest wines coming into our market.

The California region offers a lot of choice, would you say it offers the best in new world wines and techniques?
California has consistently proven itself in wine tastings throughout the wine world. In blind tastings, California often comes out on top even when compared with the most famous European wines, which are often at much higher price points. Wineries around the world send their young winemakers to California to train because of the advanced and cutting edge techniques.

How do you go about sampling from such a vast region?
The diversity of California is enormous—from the most delicate Santa Barbara pinot noirs to the powerhouse cabernet sauvignons of the Napa Valley. You need to keep popping corks and trying wine from all the different AVAs (American Viticultural Areas). It is nearly impossible to taste all the wines of California, though trying is certainly fun and a most worthwhile pursuit!

How do you approach compiling the wine list at West? What are some of the highlights for you?
Our ultimate goal is to build an exciting and unique wine program to complement the creativity of our kitchen and chef, Quang Dang. The list is built on wines that offer value and quality with a diverse selection of rare boutique bottles and sommelier favourites. The list is balanced, showcasing the best regions of the world with some cellar gems like Napa Valley’s Blackbird ‘Illustration’ and Santa Barbara’s Sea Smoke ‘Ten’ Pinot Noir.

Being a sommelier at a top rated restaurant sounds like it would have its fair share of glamour (think: world travel and ample drinking). What is the most common misconception you come across from friends and family about your work?
There is a great deal of hard work that goes into running a first class wine program. Research, ordering, stocking, programming, printing, inventory management and guest feedback are all integral components. True, we have the great opportunity to taste many outstanding wines, but remember we are spitting—it’s not until the end of the night that we are able sit down to a nice glass of wine, and enjoy and reflect.

The California Wine Fair including the Vintage Corks West Dinner and Francis Ford Coppola Winery Dinner at Q4 Ristorante are Arts Club fundraising events