May
07
2012
In Part 1 of my Review of the New Zealand Wine Fair 2012, I talked about New Zealand’s sustainability goals, and provided tasting notes on the New Zealand wine makers’ upcoming varietals to the rest of the world of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, and Syrah. But there is also Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and more [...]
Apr
26
2012
The New West Quay, overlooking the Fraser River, was the venue for the latest Naramata Bench wine release in the Vancouver area. The number of wineries has increased each year that I have attended this event. I did not count, but there was probably somewhere around 24 wineries in attendance. Where and what is the [...]
Apr
21
2012
The California Wine Fair 2012 Canadian Tour came to Vancouver this past week. It is highly anticipated and always delivers. There were so many wines to try, from what you expect, like Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, but also the unexpected, like a Chenin or a Cabernet Franc. California has wines of all different styles [...]
Jan
24
2012
January 23, 2012, arrived full of promise, dragon-sized. With that in mind, I checked out the New Product Salon for the Import Vintners & Spirits Association (IVSA) in downtown Vancouver. There was a wide range of wines; sparkling, still, red, white, and fortified. A few stars from the tasting that I would like to share [...]
Nov
15
2011
Meyer Family Vineyards goal is”crafting single vineyard wines of excellence“. This is my fourth review of their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines and each year their wines get better. More complexity, more balance. For this review I received a bottle of the following wines: Meyer Family Vineyards Chardonnay, McLean Creek Road Vineyard, Okanagan Falls, 2010 [...]
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
12
2011
Two countries down: Chile and Argentina. Did you try to pick up any of the wines I mentioned? Hope you do have a chance to see what Argentina and Chile have to offer. Now, let’s talk about South Africa in this second part of Signature Grapes and Icon Wines of the Southern Hemisphere. I decided [...]
Aug
31
2011
In my previous article about preparing for your Summer Wine Trip in the Southern Hemisphere, I outlined most of the wine producing countries and some airline ticket prices from Canada to those countries. This is Part 2 of this article, where you will get to know a bit about the signature grapes of Chile and [...]
Aug
13
2011
Do you know that just south of the Canada / USA border in Washington State, there is the Whatcom Wine Trail? Most people when they think of WA state wineries think of Woodinville with wineries like Chateau Ste Michelle, Columbia, or Covey Run. But there are some wineries closer, such as: Glacial Lake Missoula Wine [...]