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City Cellar: Yew's sommelier branches out

A few weeks back I wrote a column profiling young sommeliers who I strongly feel are grabbing the reins of wine culture in Vancouver.
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A few weeks back I wrote a column profiling young sommeliers who I strongly feel are grabbing the reins of wine culture in Vancouver. It was during the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­magazine restaurant awards day that Id navigated industry crowds catching up with the folks I had in mind, finding all of them to chat with but one.

Frustratingly, the one person I couldnt track down was the first sommelier I had in mind when I came up with the column idea. As WE Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­managing editor Martha Perkins will back me up on, I tend to cut close to my deadline, and that column was no exception. This week, I make up for what I feel was a glaring omission.

Emily Walker is both the sales manager for Yew Restaurant at the Four Seasons and oversees the wine program as its sommelier. As one of the judges at the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­Playhouse International Wine Festival Wine List Awards, I was struck by how much she had elevated YEWs wine program over the last year, taking it from a Bronze to a Silver Award and showing signs of heading Gold-ward next year.

Besides the regular by-the-glass list at Yew, Emily now runs an enomatic program (one of those fancy-pants wine preservation machines) which allows her to offer more eclectic, quirky and higher end pours offered in two, four or six ounces so you can play around with your options without committing to a whole glass and be confident the wine will be as fresh as can be.

Overall she runs a fairly lengthy, yet tight and cohesive wine list that fits Chef Ned Bells fresh, seafood-forward menu with many bright, thoughtful selections and a good dose of Champagne, which never hurts! With aromatic whites from the likes of Naramatas JoieFarm and Austrias Martin Arndorfer to big Bordeaux heavy-hitters Haut-Brion and Mouton Rothschild, theres certainly something to please all palates. Of course, we all wish luxury hotel wine mark-ups werent as high as they are, but its nice to know that when are paying a few more bucks, its for well-considered, well presented wines in a room known for solid service.

While she has a lot on her plate, its the extra things she does career-wise that emphasize her passion and drive. She keeps a wine blog ( ) that is very approachable and charming with a strong B.C. wine focus. If you head over to and give its Facebook page a Like, youll be privy to Emilys Wine Of The Week every Wednesday in your news feed. Not only is it a good tip on what you should drink next time youre around the Four Seasons, but its coupled with a small handful of information about the winery and its region as well.

I asked Emily what she thinks you should drink this summer, heres what she has for you, in her own words:

Domaine de Vaugundy 2010 Vouvray Sec | Loire, France | $18.99 | BC Liquor Stores

Chenin Blanc holds a special place in my heart, right next to Riesling! This versatile grape is made in numerous styles and regions around the world. Domaine de Vaugundys Vouvray Sec is a bone dry expression of Chenin and I love how this wine strikes a fine balance between its fresh stone-fruit and citrus character with more savoury, earthy undertones and crisp minerality. Great with shellfish!

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