Category: france

I enjoy meeting winery principals and having a short chat with them at their table as they are pouring their wines during the Festival Tasting at the Vancouver International Wine Festival.  Here are a few of my recorded video chats for you to hear what they have to say about their winery and/or their wines. France – Theme Country Fabrice…

What is meant by a “Cru” in wine?  The term “Cru” is most often used for the French classification system, but the “Cru” concept can apply to any vineyard region recognized for their superior wine quality. My last seminar during the Vancouver International Wine Festival was on the topic of “cru”.  What it is and how it is expressed.  We…

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…

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…

The Vancouver International Wine Festival always kicks off with their Bacchanalia Gala Dinner and Auction.  That great event happened on Saturday, Feb 22 and of course, it was a great success.  Below is the press release from the Festival about the event and the results of their auction.  Enjoy. ~~~ VANCOUVER, BC (February 24, 2020) — The Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction,…

It’s official.  I’ve received my Media accreditation for the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2020.  As part of the accreditation, I will be attending various events.  Besides meeting winery principals and tasting their wines, I’m always happy to chat with anyone that has an interest in wine.  So if you are going to attend some events this year, remember France is…

One of the things that the Vancouver International Wine Festival is known for is winemaker dinners.  One upcoming winemaker dinner I think will be exceptionally good.  It will be a pairing of the Rhone Valley’s wines by Jean-Luc Colombo with dishes by Provence Marinaside. There is a surprising, long relationship between the owner of Provence Marinaside and Jean-Luc Colombo.  I…

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…

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…

For those Burgundy lovers out there, as well as lovers of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Marquis Wine Cellars is offering a wonderful wine paired dinner.  Here is their announcement. ~~~ Join John Clerides, owner of Marquis Wine Cellars and our resident Burgundy expert, at the Origo Club on Wednesday, February 5th for a dinner featuring a selection of wines from…