Category: chardonnay

I recently was invited to taste a flight of wines from Sicily and have them paired with a variety of Italian street foods.  The venue was Bar Corso on Commercial Drive.  The setting was casual with the wines poured in a leisurely manner and the Italian appies coming by quickly, giving us a good chance to try all the wines…

Now that school is back and summer holidays are over, we know that the holiday season will be coming up soon.  Whether it is Thanksgiving in October or Christmas in December, sparkling wine has a place.  I attended the latest IVSA trade wine, beer, and spirits event this week, and decided to spend most of my time sampling sparkling wines. …

With recent wins at the IWSC in London, the All Canadian Wine Championships, and WineAlign National Awards, Evolve Sparkling House is turning heads as Canada’s top sparkling producer. Located at the same latitude as the famed Champagne region in France, the Okanagan Valley provides ideal conditions with long sunny days balanced by cool nights, that yield grapes perfect for sparkling…

My last stop on my weekend trip to Lillooet and Kamloops was Monte Creek Winery.  I’ve followed along, tasted their wines, and wrote about them since they opened.  And as luck would have it, on this visit, they were celebrating their 10-year anniversary of opening the tasting room.  People have changed over time, and they planted an additional vineyard, Lion’s…

For many years, I’ve known Privato Winery in Kamloops for their premium Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines.  But times change as original family-owned winery owners bow out, and the winery is either taken over by their children, sold to someone outside the family, or the winery is shut down.  For Privato, the winery has been transitioned over to their children,…

Today, I paired my third dish from Sous Chef by Cardinal™ with a red and a white wine.  The dish was the Marsala Braised Chicken with seasoned long grained rice.  The white wine was the Township 7 Vineyards & Winery Interlude Chardonnay 2024, and the red wine was the Dobbin Estate Cabernet Blend 2020 (85% Cabernet Franc and 15% Merlot)…

Benjamin Mitarakis, Director of Trade Development for Viña Concha y Toro discussing Viña Don Melchor I was recently honoured with the opportunity to sample iconic Cabernet wines by Chile’s Viña Don Melchor with food pairings at Riley’s Fish & Steak in downtown Vancouver. It was a fantastic evening with Benjamin Mitarakis, Director of Trade Development for Viña Concha y Toro,…

Top Drop Canada is a premier wine festival held annually in Vancouver, showcasing a curated selection of terroir-driven wines from around the globe. The event brings together over 40 international producers, including renowned estates from regions such as Piedmont, Champagne, and the Okanagan Valley. 50+ wineries in total.  None from the USA this year.  Attendees have the unique opportunity to…

Domaine Drouhin Oregon is the New World outpost of the famed Maison Joseph Drouhin of Burgundy, France. Drawn by the parallels between Burgundy and Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Véronique Drouhin and her family purchased land atop the Dundee Hills in 1987, recognizing the potential for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This pioneering move brought Old World expertise to a young wine region,…

Easter dinner is a time for togetherness and tradition, often centred around comforting dishes like roast turkey, baked ham, or perhaps even baked salmon. No matter what ends up on your plate, choosing the right wine can elevate the meal from simply delicious to truly memorable. Below are some wine pairings, including suggestions from our local BC wineries, that will…