Category: biodynamic

I had a wonderful time speaking with Valérie Beyer about their Alsatian wines recently.  I interviewed Valérie two years ago together with her husband, Christian, about their wines.  I was curious to taste the 2020 vintage wines and compare them to their 2019 wines.  Valérie mentioned that 2020 was a hotter vintage than 2019. She mentioned that the 2020 vintage…

The Waterford Distillery was launched by Mark Reynier in Ireland, drawing inspiration from the greatest wineries around the world.  Mark managed the Bruichladdich Distillery before launching  Waterford with the goal of transparency to reveal the terroirs of barley which is used to make whisky. The whiskies are made from 100% Irish barley, with each bottling being the result of a harvest…

François Schmitt took over the family winery in Alsace, Domaine François Schmitt, joined by his son, Frédéric, in 1998, and his wife, Myriam in 2010. I spoke with Frédéric and Myriam about their wines.  Frédéric views their wines as gastronomic, built for food.  Today I tasted all still wines, but they also make a significant amount of cremant wines.  One…

Domaine Barmès-Buecher was created in 1985 by Geneviève Barmès (née Buecher) and François Barmès, her husband, who combined the lands of their respective families, who owned vines since the 17th century, in Wettolsheim.  I was fortunate to interview Sophie Barmes, their daughter, about the winery and its wines, through the Millésimes Alsace online tasting event held this week. The winery…

I was fortunate to be invited to taste two vintages of Seña wines from Chile paired with dishes at Black + Blue restaurant in downtown Vancouver.  The wine luncheon and tasting was led by Mr. Michel Couttolenc, Fine Wines Director for Viñedo Chadwick and Seña. Seña is a joint venture winery started in 1995 between Napa Valley’s Robert Mondavi and Chile’s…

Have you ever had a chance to taste a wine made from biodynamic methods in the vineyard and at the winery?  I have found that biodynamic wines have a brightness or liveliness to them. You have an opportunity to enjoy a winemaker dinner with Frédéric Sigonneau of Loire’s Domaine de l’R.  There will be two dinners; one in Victoria and…

When I am on vacation, if there is a winery nearby, I will usually drop by.  In this case, 40 Knots Winery is in Comox, just 30 minutes away from Campbell River, so I popped in to say hi to Brenda Hetman-Craig, Owner of 40 Knots, and to sample some of her wines on their patio.  This was my first…

I had an educational and fun tasting experience at the 2022 Northwest Wine Expedition Masterclass: Sustainability. We had Barbara Philip MW host the event with Alex Sokol Blosser, co-owner and winemaker, from Sokol Blosser Winery from Oregon, and Cam Matches, Sr Director of Sales, from Aquilini Beverage Group (Vancouver) from Washington to give us information about each state as it…

New Zealand has fresh, vibrant wines as we make in BC.  It is fun to taste wines from around the world, possibly giving you insights into new grape varieties or styles of winemaking.  You may also have an interest in organic or vegan wines.  New Zealand has these to offer.  In BC we do have a selection of wines from…

As I mentioned for my five-star wine ratings this year, COVID limited the number of events and thus wines that I could taste that came from around the world to BC.  That being said, I am grateful for the BC wineries that sent me wines to taste, plus wines from wine agencies.  There are many wines that fit into my…