Category: france

Yesterday afternoon was beautiful and sunny, and the Dockside Restaurant perfectly placed in Granville Island looking over the water.  With this as our backdrop we were enticed to try wines from around the world by 17 different wine agencies here in Vancouver.  The name of the event is Pelican Bay Wine Tasting.  As I had not attended this event before,…

Today I was looking forward to the latest wine releases from Le Vieux Pin and La Stella wineries. In case you haven’t heard or tried wines from these two wineries, Le Vieux Pin makes wine in a French style, while La Stella takes the Italian route.  What do eggs have to do with this?  Read on about the wines first….

My last event at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival was “Speaking Frankly About Franc“. I was eagerly waiting for this seminar as I really enjoy drinking Cabernet Franc. A grape that is at home in Bordeaux and in the Loire Valley. It is used as a blending grape in Bordeaux, as a minor partner to Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot….

There were more wineries than those from Chile at the 2012 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival.  It took a while to drag me away from the Chilean wineries, and to try the wines from the rest of the world attending the Festival.  There were many nice wines, and now it’s my time to share them with you. Red Wines (and…

November is always a special time for tasting new wines at the Import Vintners and Spirits Association (IVSA).  It’s just one month away from the Christmas and New Years holidays.  And that means lots of sparkling wines to taste.  So with this in mind, I spent almost all my time at the IVSA tasting bubbles.  And my picks are here…

I really do enjoy finding wines that excite me, and I think you will also like. I’ve been to a Mark Anthony Brands Portfolio tasting and really enjoyed it. There were wines from all price points, and styles from red, white, dessert, fortified and bubbles. So when I was invited to their latest Portfolio tasting, I couldn’t wait. White Wine…

What is a Portfolio Tasting? If you have never been before, it is a wine tasting held by a wine agent of all, or many of, the wines that they represent.  It is a great place to taste many different wines, typically from different countries, and learn a bit about the style of wines that they carry.  Are they focused…

I recently was invited to try some exceptional Burgundies from Maison Louis Latour. In front of me as I sat down was 3 verticals: – Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru – Meursault 1er Cru “Chateau de Blagny” – Chateau Corton Grancey Grand Cru Maison Louis Latour is one of Burgundy’s oldest merchants. They are well known for both their red and…

In Part 1 of my Tasting at M. Chapoutier, I introduced you to the winery and my view standing on the Hermitage hill overlooking other surround appellations. It was an excellent tour of the Hermitage vineyard, followed by an extensive tasting of their wines.  In Part 1, I gave you my tasting notes about Chapoutier’s Tradition level of wines.  And…

One of my overall favourite wineries in the world is M. Chapoutier.  Like Domaine Huet, that I wrote about earlier, M. Chapoutier, is also a biodynamic winery.  I arrived at the winery around 10:30am.  Already hot and sunny in the Rhone Valley.  I was met by Mr. Samuel “Sam” Boissy.  To better understand the wines I would soon be tasting,…