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Canadian cattle savor red wine with feed
Source: Agencies |
September 1, 2010, Wednesday
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WESTERN Canadian beef producers have found a novel way of putting the "bar" in barbecue.
Angus cattle in British Columbia's Okanagan wine and cattle region are being fed red wine with their grain. Chefs in this Canadian Pacific Coast province said it makes for a unique beef taste, but Canadian food inspectors appear to have doubts.
The idea is the brainchild of Janice Ravndahl of Kelowna, British Columbia's Sezmu Meats. Ravndahl said the beef produced has an enhanced flavor, the marbling is finer and the fat tastes like candy. "You don't get any better than steak and a wine," she said. "We just start a bit earlier."
But Canadian government food inspectors apparently had a problem with giving wine to cattle. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency called Ravndahl recently and questioned her about sediment in the wine, but they didn't order her to stop.
"They said they had some concerns about wine being fed to cattle. We are not being shut down. We are being allowed to sell the product," she said. "I am trying to work with them at getting it officially approved."
Canadian Food Inspection Agency spokesman Tim O'Connor later said they investigated the case and concluded there is no risk to human safety. He said concerns were about animals being fed winery waste byproducts, such as dead yeast or residual yeast as a feed supplement.
The idea of giving wine to cattle came to Ravndahl late last year during a TV food program that featured beer-swilling pigs. As the Okanagan is one of Canada's premier wine regions, getting local beef on the bottle seemed like a good plan.
Ravndahl said she started with one young cow who took to the bottle immediately, quickly earning the epithet "Wino."
"It definitely changes their personalities. They moo a lot more with each other. They get really chatty."
Trying to find the optimal time to serve the cows their wine course was vital to getting the best beef. They've determined 60 days produces a great taste in the beef.
"At 90 days, the costs get a little out of control," she said.
The first bovine wine tasting was in April 2009 with the 21-day dry-aged beef first hitting the market in February 2010.
"We just put it in a pail and said 'Who's going to drink it?'" she said. "Wine has a very strong aroma. They were curious about it right away."
The cattle get a liter-blend of red wines daily but their preference is for sweeter vintages, Ravndahl added.
Angus cattle in British Columbia's Okanagan wine and cattle region are being fed red wine with their grain. Chefs in this Canadian Pacific Coast province said it makes for a unique beef taste, but Canadian food inspectors appear to have doubts.
The idea is the brainchild of Janice Ravndahl of Kelowna, British Columbia's Sezmu Meats. Ravndahl said the beef produced has an enhanced flavor, the marbling is finer and the fat tastes like candy. "You don't get any better than steak and a wine," she said. "We just start a bit earlier."
But Canadian government food inspectors apparently had a problem with giving wine to cattle. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency called Ravndahl recently and questioned her about sediment in the wine, but they didn't order her to stop.
"They said they had some concerns about wine being fed to cattle. We are not being shut down. We are being allowed to sell the product," she said. "I am trying to work with them at getting it officially approved."
Canadian Food Inspection Agency spokesman Tim O'Connor later said they investigated the case and concluded there is no risk to human safety. He said concerns were about animals being fed winery waste byproducts, such as dead yeast or residual yeast as a feed supplement.
The idea of giving wine to cattle came to Ravndahl late last year during a TV food program that featured beer-swilling pigs. As the Okanagan is one of Canada's premier wine regions, getting local beef on the bottle seemed like a good plan.
Ravndahl said she started with one young cow who took to the bottle immediately, quickly earning the epithet "Wino."
"It definitely changes their personalities. They moo a lot more with each other. They get really chatty."
Trying to find the optimal time to serve the cows their wine course was vital to getting the best beef. They've determined 60 days produces a great taste in the beef.
"At 90 days, the costs get a little out of control," she said.
The first bovine wine tasting was in April 2009 with the 21-day dry-aged beef first hitting the market in February 2010.
"We just put it in a pail and said 'Who's going to drink it?'" she said. "Wine has a very strong aroma. They were curious about it right away."
The cattle get a liter-blend of red wines daily but their preference is for sweeter vintages, Ravndahl added.
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