Category: france

My first Trade tasting for 2019 was this week, with agents showing the latest new wines they have brought to Vancouver or new vintages of wines that are currently in our market.  I was quite surprised by how many sparkling wines I had a chance to try.  I normally see a peak interest in sparkling wine leading up to the…

Grapes may have different names depending on where they are grown around the world.  How much do you know?

February 5, 2019 is the Chinese New Year of the Brown Earth Pig.   In Chinese culture, pigs are the symbol of wealth. 2019 is supposed to be a great year to make money, and a good year to invest. According to chinesenewyear.net, “Pigs might not stand out in a crowd. But they are very realistic. Others may be all talk…

Did you know the Rhone Valley is the 2nd largest French AOC wine area?  Or that 27 different grape varieties are grown in the Rhone Valley?  Or that Canada imports 6% of Rhone Valley wines in the world? There is a lot to like about Rhone Valley wines.  Not to get too involved in the details of the area, it can be…

We are getting closer to VanWineFest 2019 and the stars are aligning.  The stars you can see at the Vancouver International Wine Festival Tasting come from our theme region, California, as well as from around the world, and even from our own Province!  What is a vine star?  A vine star is a term the Festival uses for winery principals…

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…

I tasted through many years this year through Trade tastings with agents and BC VQA wineries, the Vancouver International Wine Festival, visits to wineries, and personal purchases.  I rate all the wines I taste from 1 to 5 stars.  Fortunately, the quality of many wines is quite good, giving them at least a 3 out of 5-star rating.  At the…

One of the perks of being a wine writer is an invitation to a portfolio tasting from a wine agent.  The agency can bring out winery principals in some cases, who you can have a chat to about their wines.  They also pour wines that are available at regular retail, specialty wine shops, and special orders.  Having access to these…

One of the great names in the Champagne region is Taittinger.  Champagne Taittinger was founded in 1734 by Jacques Fourneaux.  It is the third oldest Champagne house in the region.  The current family that owns Taittinger started in 1931 with the purchase of the Forest-Fourneaux vineyards by Pierre Charles Taittinger. Taittinger concentrates on using Chardonnay grapes for their wines but…

If you have ever attended the Top Drop tastings in Vancouver, you will have experienced many 4.5 to 5 star wines according to my rating scale.  I recently attended a portfolio tasting by Vintage Corks, and this tasting was in that same quality range.  Vintage Corks offers premium wines from US, Italy, Canada and more.  You can find Vintage Corks’…