Apr
09
2012
It was so nice to be able to chat with so many Chilean wine makers at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival 2012. Some of the wine makers I had met before, while others were new to me. Either way the wine makers were gracious to spend some of their precious time to speak with [...]
Mar
12
2012
My last event at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival was “Speaking Frankly About Franc“. I was eagerly waiting for this seminar as I really enjoy drinking Cabernet Franc. A grape that is at home in Bordeaux and in the Loire Valley. It is used as a blending grape in Bordeaux, as a minor partner [...]
Mar
07
2012
There were more wineries than those from Chile at the 2012 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. It took a while to drag me away from the Chilean wineries, and to try the wines from the rest of the world attending the Festival. There were many nice wines, and now it’s my time to share them [...]
Nov
10
2011
November is always a special time for tasting new wines at the Import Vintners and Spirits Association (IVSA). It’s just one month away from the Christmas and New Years holidays. And that means lots of sparkling wines to taste. So with this in mind, I spent almost all my time at the IVSA tasting bubbles. [...]
Oct
11
2011
I really do enjoy finding wines that excite me, and I think you will also like. I’ve been to a Mark Anthony Brands Portfolio tasting and really enjoyed it. There were wines from all price points, and styles from red, white, dessert, fortified and bubbles. So when I was invited to their latest Portfolio tasting, [...]
Sep
18
2011
What is a Portfolio Tasting? If you have never been before, it is a wine tasting held by a wine agent of all, or many of, the wines that they represent. It is a great place to taste many different wines, typically from different countries, and learn a bit about the style of wines that [...]
Jul
21
2011
I recently was invited to try some exceptional Burgundies from Maison Louis Latour. In front of me as I sat down was 3 verticals: – Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru – Meursault 1er Cru “Chateau de Blagny” – Chateau Corton Grancey Grand Cru Maison Louis Latour is one of Burgundy’s oldest merchants. They are well known [...]
Jul
16
2011
In Part 1 of my Tasting at M. Chapoutier, I introduced you to the winery and my view standing on the Hermitage hill overlooking other surround appellations. It was an excellent tour of the Hermitage vineyard, followed by an extensive tasting of their wines. In Part 1, I gave you my tasting notes about Chapoutier’s [...]
Jul
11
2011
One of my overall favourite wineries in the world is M. Chapoutier. Like Domaine Huet, that I wrote about earlier, M. Chapoutier, is also a biodynamic winery. I arrived at the winery around 10:30am. Already hot and sunny in the Rhone Valley. I was met by Mr. Samuel “Sam” Boissy. To better understand the wines [...]
Apr
20
2011
This Part 2 of my review of my picks from the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. Part 1 covered the wines of Spain. Part 2 is the rest of the world. Again, there are so many wines at the tasting, and so little time, I’m sure I missed many great wines. If you tasted some [...]