Category: biodynamic

It was nice to have a long weekend to celebrate with family or friends.  Pinot Noir makes wines that are food-friendly, as they typically are not overpowering with fruit, oak, and tannins.  Red fruit aromas and flavours, light tannins and bright acidity are a good formula for many food pairings.  I have two Pinot Noir wines from Ramification Cellars, who…

This is my third interview with Ezra Cipes, CEO of Summerhill Pyramid Winery.  His family has a long history in the BC wine industry and has been leading in organic, and now biodynamic agriculture, in my opinion.  Ezra is also a director of the Canadian Vintners Association and Vice-Chair of the British Columbia Wine Institute.  I arranged this interview as…

Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre blends (GSM) are full-bodied, full of flavour, and please people that enjoy big, hearty red wines. This blend of grapes also makes the famous red Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines. I have two GSM wines from Gérard Bertrand from the Languedoc region in the south of France to review for you: Gérard Bertrand Terroir Corbieres, 2017 Gérard Bertrand Gran Terroir…

If you attended the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2020, you may have had the opportunity to meet Gérard Bertrand and taste his wines from the Languedoc region. I was lucky to also attend his Masterclass where he went in-depth into the history of the Languedoc, his estate, his promotion of biodynamic viticulture and winemaking, and then tasted through 10 of his…

New Zealand is well-known for Sauvignon Blanc, but are there any other grape varieties we should know about?  Yes!  I attended a webinar with David Keck MS (USA), John Szabo MS (Canada), Ronan Sayburn MS (UK) and Cameron Douglas MS (New Zealand) as the speakers who talked about the differences in aromas and flavours of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir produced…

My first Masterclass at the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2020 was about the wines from the Languedoc region produced by Gérard Bertrand and moderated by Anthony Gismondi.  Gérard Bertrand is the ambassador of the fine wines of Languedoc-Roussillon around the world and owns 16 estates with their unique terroirs in the region.  The Languedoc has, in general, had a poor…

In an earlier article, I wrote about the flight of wines that I sampled with Bernard Duseigneur from his Chateauneuf-du-Pape vineyards.  Before we started to taste his wines together, I asked Bernard a few questions about how he grew into running a winery and his philosophies on how to manage vineyards and produce his wines.  I very much enjoyed hearing…

Please welcome Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aîné, an iconic winery from Hermitage in the Northern Rhone Valley to the Vancouver International Wine Festival.  Let them introduce themselves to you today. About Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aîné In 1834, a full 100 years before the introduction of the A.O.C. system, Antoine Jaboulet began to transform a sleepy region into one of the most…

Let’s welcome Maison Joseph Drouhin from Burgundy to the Vancouver International Wine Festival.  Read about this winery’s long history and the wines that they will be pouring for us, in their own words. About Maison Joseph Drouhin With close to 90 different appellations, Maison Joseph Drouhin offers a fascinating array of Burgundy terroirs in all their authenticity and subtle variations….

We have new to our market in BC some exceptional wines from the Lirac and from Châteauneuf-du-Pape made by Domaine Duseigneur.  I had a preview of these wines and was able to interview Bernard Duseigneur, tasting through these wines and trying them with a light lunch.  I have been a great fan of Rhone Valley wines but had not yet…