Category: california

One of the coolest things about VanWineFest is that each winery represented at the Festival has to bring a winery principal, who could be the owner or a family member, or their winemaker.  When you ask them to pour you a glass of their wine at the Festival tasting room, you can ask them about that wine:  How was it…

Tickets to the Vancouver International Wine Festival events sell very quickly and you can miss out on some great events.  All Festival events are very good but depend on what you are interested in doing, like attending a dinner, a seminar, or a mingler.  I thought I’d give you my suggestions, based on my interests in seminars and dinners primarily,…

This year I had many wines that I tasted this year that almost made my 5-star category; 27 white wines and 45 red wines.  These wines I rated as 4.5-5 stars.  When I check over them again, I can remember how much I enjoyed these wines.  Having a 4.5-5 or a 5-star rating does not mean that you need to…

I am always interested to hear about the growing season and grape harvest for wine regions around the world.  Earlier this week I received a press release from the Napa Valley Grapegrowers letting us all know that harvest is underway and I post it for you below to read.  I look forward to trying some of their white wines next…

DISH stands for Drink, Indulge, Savour, Help.  The DISH event supports the BC Hospitality Foundation.  Many of the BCHF’s beneficiaries have been in accidents or illnesses which necessitated financial support.  This is the 9th annual event and over the years the BCHF has helped 217 beneficiaries and granted scholarships to 188 students in the hospitality, culinary arts, beverage, sommelier and…

A Chinese proverb says, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step“.  Walking through the Vancouver International Wine Festival tasting room, tasting wines and speaking with winery principals, I walked many steps, and my journey is now complete.  I’ve finished compiling all my articles and videos that I created and posted them for you.  I learned more about Chardonnay and…

Besides tasting wine and attending seminars during the Vancouver International Wine Festival, I meeting with winery principals at the Festival Tasting Room and doing short video interviews with them.  Here is the list of all the interviews I did.  Many are from California, as this was the theme region for the Festival, but I also have an Australia, France, and…

Besides all the fun of drinking wine from around the world with friends or family at the Vancouver International Wine Festival, there is also a more serious component, such as the seminars you can attend to learn about a grape variety or region in more detail.  There are also Trade-only events where we can learn or discuss what is happening…

While busily moving through the swell of people interested in tasting big Napa Cabs at the Vancouver International Wine Festival, I wedged myself into tables, and indeed tasted Napa Cabs, but also Pinot Noir, Merlot, Petite Sirah, etc. from various regions in California.  With the short amount of time I’m able to spend at each table, my tasting notes are…

As California was the theme region for VanWineFest 2019, you would expect Chardonnay to be prominent in my list of favourite white wines, and you would be right.  But there is also Viognier, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc.  I put the region in California with the wine name if the winery shows a specific area.  If you like any of these…