May
12
2013
Living on the west coast, we get spoiled with the mild weather, access to beaches, nearby mountains, sailing, enjoying the beach, and more. One of our more recent perks has been access to wineries, and on a recent trip to Washington state, I ventured to Whidbey Island, and sampled wines from some of the wineries [...]
Apr
21
2013
Bartier Scholefield‘s slogan is “Wine is Narrative“, which I agree it is, at least maybe for boutique wineries, sourcing grapes from a small region. In my previous article, BC Has a Wine Story, I talked about the story that wine tells through the terroir that the vines were planted and the grapes ripened. Bartier Scholefield’s [...]
Mar
11
2013
Part of the Vancouver International Wine Festival are seminars; Seminars to make you more informed about wine. I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Chateau St Jean Cinq Cepages Vertical tasting seminar. And now, you can share in some of my knowledge. What is Cinq Cepages? Cinq Cepages is a blend of five Bordeaux [...]
Mar
06
2013
It’s time to spoil yourself. This press release came in my mailbox earlier today. The wine from the Okanagan’s Road 13 and catering by Joy Road Catering will make for a memorable evening at Vancouver Urban Winery. I have not had Road 13′s Sparkling Chenin Blanc, but would love to try it. Sign up soon [...]
Jan
27
2013
February 10, 2013 is a new Chinese New Year. This new year will be the Year of the Water Snake. It begins on the first day of the first lunar month (usually in late January or early February) and ends on the 15th day of the first lunar month (Lantern Festival). According to Chinese Horoscopes, [...]
Jan
17
2013
This is not a New Years Resolution. It is too late in January for that. What this is, is a suggested list of wines, or styles of wines, that you may want to consider trying. Maybe you have never tried wines from Argentina? Why not? With my list below, I give some reasons you may [...]
Sep
25
2012
BC wines are continuing to make strides around the world. Last year BC wineries won more than 2000 medals in national and international competition according to the BC Wine Institute. BC has over 208 wineries today. We grow over 75 different grape varieties! Merlot is the most planted grape in BC, and Pinot Gris is [...]
Sep
21
2012
From the Fall through Spring, the Import Vintners & Spirits Association (IVSA) hosts a regular tasting of importers latest wines, beer and spirits. The kick-off for the fall was last week, and it was very busy. Again too many wines to try, so I went table by table trying to find wines of interest, or [...]
Sep
17
2012
I was happy to be invited for the second year in a row to the Select Wines & Spirits’ Annual Portfolio Tasting, held at the Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club. Last year I found several gems that I passed along to you, and you will read about my latest wine recommendations. You may want to [...]
Aug
29
2012
What is nuance? By definition, nuance means ” A subtle or slight degree of difference, as in meaning, feeling, or tone; a gradation” according to freedictionary.com. I received two bottles of nuance wines to try; a Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec blend, and a Sauvignon Blanc / Pinot Grigio blend from South Africa. I do like [...]