Category: 4.5 – 5 stars

How often do you drink white Bordeaux wines? Do you know that they range from bone dry to lusciously sweet? Do you know which grape varieties go into white Bordeaux wines? I recently attended a seminar at L’Abbatoir in Gastown, covering these wines and some ideas for wine pairings that was hosted by Wines of Bordeaux.   Our speaker was Emma…

Passport to Global Wines flight of wines The 47th Vancouver International Wine Festival seminar, “Passport to Global Wines,” was a strategic exploration of the global viticultural map through the lens of cultural identity. Moderators Christine Campbell, Lisa Giovanella, and James Nevison established a “Passport” metaphor as a vehicle to navigate international “ports of entry,” moving beyond the standard technical data…

A Tour de France in Your Glass Food and wine go together, especially in France.  I attended the VanWineFest 2026 seminar, A Tour de France in Your Glass.  With Moderator, Arnica Rowan, we took an oenological journey through seven classic French wine regions, each with their own unique characteristics and history. We crossed the country from Champagne to South West…

I attended one dinner during the Vancouver International Wine Festival this year, courtesy of the Festival.  It was with Maison Chapoutier at  L’Abattoir.  It was a truly spectacular evening with Mr. James Leonardo De Sá from M. Chapoutier telling us about the winery and the wines we enjoyed that evening.  Did you know that Canada represents Chapoutier’s largest market outside…

Once prized in the courts of Europe and poured for royalty, Riesling was long considered one of the continent’s most noble wines, especially in regions along the Rhine River. In the 19th century, top bottles from Germany often commanded prices rivalling the great growths of Bordeaux. Today, Riesling is revered by knowledgeable wine drinkers for its remarkable range, from bone-dry…

Here are two more delicious wines that you should buy and enjoy right now while we are drowning in our winter rains, or snow, in BC.  The two wines from the Okanagan’s Hester Creek Estate Winery are their Columbia Valley Collection  Viognier 2024 (grapes coming from WA state), and their Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 (grapes coming from estate fruit).  I bought…

Here are my last two Interlude wines from Township 7 Vineyards & Winery.  In case you don’t remember, Interlude, is their wines, crafted in BC, but coming from grapes outside the province, due to our cold winter snap that killed most grape vines in the Okanagan.  The first wine, their Township 7 Vineyards & Winery Interlude Pinot Noir 2024, is…

The Italian Trade Commission had their 19th Annual Italian Wine Tasting in Vancouver.  There was the opportunity to meet the principals of 40 distinguished Italian wine estates.  I tasted mainly white and sparkling wines at this tasting and at the very end tried a few Italian red wines.  What I like about Italian wines is that many of the grapes are…

This week we had a trade event featuring the latest BC white wines, many from 2024, as well as some red wines.  In 2024 we had a terrible winter freeze that killed most of the grape vines in the interior of BC, so BC wineries were given permission from the BC government to source grapes from outside BC.  Many winemakers…

Here are my next two red wines from Osoyoos’ Bordertown Vineyards & Estate Winery to review for you.  I previously tasted their Bordertown Merlot 2020 and Bordertown Cabernet Franc 2021.  I now have their Bordertown Reserve Malbec 2020 and Reserve Cabernet Franc 2019; a step up in quality.  It will be interesting to see how their entry level Cabernet Franc compares to this…