Category: french

Here are two more Gérard Bertrand Côte des Roses wines for you to try. The Pinot Noir 2019 and the Grenache-Syrah-Cinsault 2020 Rosé. The Rosé has been around for a while and has been a favourite of many people.  Again in the stylish bottle with the rose petal base and the glass stopper.  In case you did not know, all…

Today I have another lesser-known AOC in the southern Rhone Valley – AOC Ventoux.  You may be very familiar with one of the wineries from AOC Ventoux, Château Pesquié.  Their wine labels in solid blocks of colour should be very familiar to you when you check on the shelves in the BC Liquor Stores and elsewhere across Canada.  I have…

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…

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…

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…

Tickets to the Vancouver International Wine Festival events sell very quickly and you can miss out on some great events.  All Festival events are very good but depend on what you are interested in doing, like attending a dinner, a seminar, or a mingler.  I thought I’d give you my suggestions, based on my interests in seminars and dinners primarily,…

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…

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…

One of the highlights of the Vancouver International Wine Festival is the Bacchanalia Gala Dinner and Auction.  Beyond the amazing food and wine that you will eat and drink, there is an auction of wines that will make your jaw drop.  Truly an event to open your wallet to try to acquire some of these icon wines, and at the…