Category: biodynamic

Welcome to Jean-Claude Mas and Château Paul Mas who will be at the VanWineFest 2020.  Read about their history and wines in their own words. About Jean-Claude Mas Jean-Claude Mas is a man who relishes a challenge. His story illustrates this perfectly: a 4th generation winegrower but a 1st generation winemaker, he built a business from 17 hectares of inherited vines…

This was my first portfolio tasting for Amo Vino Distributors, a small boutique wine agency co-founded by Marisa Varas and Jessica Luongo.  Their wines are primarily from Europe, but there are also some California and BC wines to be found.  The wines from Greece and Portugal figure prominently, along with their country’s indigenous grapes.  You won’t find a huge list…

Natural wine is a hot topic in the wine world. Maybe you have not heard of it. There is some range of what is a “Natural” wine. It could fall into the organic, or biodynamic, or sustainable categories for some people.  During this seminar at Cornucopia, we had DJ Kearney, wine educator, writing and judge, give her perspective on Natural…

Do you remember reading your science books in school?  How dry the material could be and uninteresting?  Well sometimes, reading a book about the science and legislation about some topic in the world can be interesting.  Case in point, is this book, “Biodynamic, organic and Natural Winemaking: Sustainable Viticulture and Viniculture” by Britt & Per Karlsson.  I received a complementary…

The first biodynamic wine I tasted was at a wine tasting at the South World Wine Society.  The topic was not biodynamic wines at all.  I do not remember the topic, other than it was red wines from Australia, and it happened that one of the bottles was from a biodynamic winery.  That wine tasted more alive and vibrant than…

Do you switch the types of wines you drink throughout the year?  Lighter, brighter White, Sparkling, and Rosé wines for the longer spring and summer, and fuller bodied reds for the cold, rainy (or snowy) winter days?  Of course the fuller bodied reds also go with BBQ in the summer, but in general I think most of us like a…

Where in Vancouver can you taste wines from 114 different wineries across California?  At the California Wine Fair.  The 2014 Fair was last week and it did not disappoint, with sparkling, still and dessert wines for us to savour. And as an added benefit, proceeds to this event went to support the Arts Club Theatre, which is celebrating it’s 50th…

Walking down the hallway, of The Shore Club in Toronto,  with plush carpeting underfoot,  past the wall of wines behind glass case I knew this was going to be an exceptional experience.  The interior of the restaurant in dark colours, with solid wood tables and subdued lighting tells everyone to relax and enjoy a quality time at the restaurant. My…

 Who is Perseus Winery? Perseus winery is located in the South Okanagan, Penticton in particular. It was founded in 2009 and originally known as Synergy Winery & Vineyards. In 2011, three long-time friends—Rob Ingram, Sam Elia, Bob Hole—acquired the winery through their company, Terrabella, and joined forces with the three founding owners and other expert wine-industry consultants to produce high…

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to interview Ezra Cipes, CEO of Summerhill Pyramid Winery, located in Kelowna, BC.  One of the things Ezra told me about was a new line of BC VQA wines that they are producing called “Alive“, making both a red and a white wine.  The wine labels really look alive too with pictures…