The Wine Room at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler

5 star rating

The Wine Room

Embraced by The Wine Room's signature stone fireplace and smooth cherry wood wine cabinets, classic décor creates a refined atmosphere for exceptional British Columbia cuisine. Evening dining with that special touch - warm, personal and perfectly orchestrated to match your special occasion.  Seasonal menus feature fresh, local and Pacific Rim ingredients.  An extensive wine section compliments this memorable dining experience, highlighted with internationally acclaimed BC wines. Private Dining Room Deserving of more exclusive surroundings, celebrate your intimate gatherings in The Private Dining Room. Opulent settings.  Rich décor. Spectacular scenery.   Nestled at the foot of Blackcomb Mountain, this private dining room accommodates up to 18 guests.

HOURS OF OPERATION: Open nightly, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

DRESS CODE: Smart Casual

RESERVATIONS: Reservations are recommended. My wife Jackie, son Daniel, and I arrived at the Wine Room early on a Saturday evening before the restaurant got busy (which it certainly did). As such we enjoyed the most attentive service and incredible food. I can honestly say this is one of the best places to eat in Whistler, if not the outright leader in haute cuisine. Solid wine list specializing in BC wines. The Wine Room

Let's talk about the experience in more detail:

Jay and Cindy looked after us during our meal. Cindy had impeccable timing - redirecting herself away from the table when we're not quite finished, and contrastingly providing exacting service when we raised our heads in her direction - generally very accomplished. Jay Whiteley (the Manager and Sommelier) clearly has tons of experience, is very friendly and unassuming. His wine knowledge is extensive. You can rely on him to provide choices that are fun, elegant and primarily delicious.

I happen to know that some of the wine selections were also made by the hotel Food and Beverage Director (Gerard Mauvis) whose meteroic rise to fame came from humble beginnings at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver. From my understanding he runs the wine program across several of their properties and does an excellent job from what I've seen. His knowledge of (BC) wines is a huge asset to the Fairmont brand and his staffing choices are exemplary.

Back to the Wine Room experience: I left the food and wine pairings intact and felt that the chef and Jay Whiteley had clearly done their homework with some excellent/interesting choices.

We were greeted with a Champagne cart. What a great idea! We indulged in a couple of glasses of Stellers Jay from Sumac Ridge. This is a BC winery that I usually visit a few times a year, mostly in the summer. Regularly good wines, and their bubbly is great value. 

For our appetizers I had the Queen Charlotte Dungeness Crab Ravioli with BC spot prawns, and spicy tomato water. I love spot prawns, as they have a flavor not unlike lobster. The meat is rich, dense and sweet. BC spot prawns are only available from May to mid June so you have to get them while they are fresh. The texture of the crab ravioli blended ideally with the rich prawn, and the pleasing warmth of the spicy tomato water was exquisite. Jay paired this dish with a local BC Viognier from Marichel Vineyard. I found the wine suitably rich, yet with enough complexity to balance the spice notes of the dish. Jackie had the English Pea Veloute with smoked sable fish and pea saute. This was paired with a Chardonnay from Eight Generation. Both dish and wine were more than decent. As a huge sable fish fan,  I would have enjoyed a wine with a bit more depth to bring out the smokier notes of the fish, but given the choices available on the wine list, it was a good choice.

My son Daniel had the Pemberton Potato Gnocchi with veal bolognaise. I think he picked the best dish because the bolognaise was out of this world. I would have been very happy eating this dish as a main course.

For our main courses Jackie had the Fraser Valley Peking duck served with apricot cornbread and brandy sauce, and that was paired with Black Hills Chardonnay. An interesting choice that worked very well indeed. I had Peace River Lamb Sirloin, served with a morel mushroom fricassee, with white asparagus saute. Both dishes were cooked perfectly. The cornbread that came with Jackie's duck was amazing. It had apricot inside and tasted fabulous. Both dishes were cooked to perfection. The wine paired with my lamb was a Cabernet-Merlot from Mike Weir Vineyards which again proved to be a great choice. Two dishes and wines that provided great balance and flavor.

For dessert we shared the Black Forest Cake with Birkenhead black cherries and a warm chocolate sauce. This was a great finishing dish. The warm sauce and juicy cherries gave us the perfect ending to our meal.

The ambience in the room because warmer as more diners filled out the space, but I particularly enjoyed the "library room" feel of a private country club that the decor created. It's a club I'd be most happy joining, that's for sure.

I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone interested in beautifually prepared fresh local ingredients, and fine dining. Probably the best restaurant in Whistler.

Another great dish at the Wine Room in Whistlers Fairmont Chateau Whistler

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