Category: Chateauneuf-du-Pape

The history of Rhône Valley wines dates back to ancient times, with evidence of winemaking in the region dating back to at least 600 BC. The Romans further developed viticulture in the area; over the centuries, the region’s wines gained renown for their quality.  Rhône Valley wines remain popular due to their diverse range of styles, from bold and spicy…

Châteauneuf-du-Pape, situated in the southern Rhône Valley of France, is a renowned wine region celebrated for its exceptional wine production. This historic appellation is located in the department of Vaucluse, where the terroir is characterized by its distinctive rocky soils and a Mediterranean climate that basks in the warm, sun-drenched days. Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines are highly esteemed and have gained worldwide…

With France being the theme country for the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2020, there were many more French wineries in attendance than in other years.  And with that many more wines to taste. Which made me very happy.  France has a great variety of red, white, rosé, and sparkling wines, from the range of noble grape varieties.  I spent several…

Andrew Jefford is an English journalist, radio presenter, poet, magazine editor, a wine writer for Decanter magazine and much more. He lives near Montpellier in France. Why am I telling you this?  Andrew lead our French Terroir Talk during this seminar at the Vancouver International Wine Festival.  If there was anyone with the background knowledge of wine and experience of…

Did you know that at the Festival Tasting room for the Vancouver International Wine Festival this year there will be 700 wines for you to try?  France is the theme country and there will be 42 French wineries pouring their wines for you.  This is very exciting as there will be wines from Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Alsace and more to…

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…

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…

This is Part 2 of my top rated wines for 2018.  I earlier released my list of 40 white and sparkling wines for 2018, which you can read at this link.  This red wine list came from Trade tastings with agents and BC VQA wineries, the Vancouver International Wine Festival, visits to wineries, and personal purchases.  I categorized the wines below to…

In my previous article about Maison Ogier and their wines from Chateauneuf-du-Pape, I told you about the four different soil types and their effects on the grapes’ flavours in the wines.  In this article, I take you through tasting some of Maison Ogier’s wines with food paired at Provence Marinaside in Yaletown. Our Pairings Seared scallops with hedgehog mushrooms, roasted…

What do you know about Chateauneuf-du-Pape?  How many grape varieties are permitted in the blend?  How many soil types are there in Chateauneuf-du-Pape?  Raphael Pommier, an Associate Winemaker at Maison Ogier, spoke to us about the history of the winery and about the Chateauneuf-du-Pape AOC.  Raphael has his own vineyard but also works with Ogier, joining about 17 years ago.  Ogier’s…