Category: interview

My interviews in the past for Vancouver International wine Festivals have always been with winery principals, but at the Festival this year, I came across Chocolats Favoris, offering Canadian-made chocolates, so had to interview them.  Owned and operated by Patrick Robert and Paul Codilla, in Gastown, they had a booth at the International Festival Tasting Room where you could sample…

Do you know about the long history of Domaine Laroche in Chablis, France?  I interviewed Romain Chevrolat from Domaine Laroche in the International Festival Tasting Room during the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2026.  Listen in as Romain tells us about their winery.  He makes fantastic wines, BTW.

I had an interesting conversation with Stephane Dupuch, winery owner, from Chateau Sainte-Marie, in the International Festival Tasting room during the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2026.  Stephane is the fourth generation in this family-run winery, located in the Entre-Deux-Mers of Bordeaux.  They produce red, white, and sparkling wines.  They also have a winery located on the left bank in Bordeaux. …

In this video interview, I spoke with Dimitri Matrat from Chateau Monlot about  their red and white wines from Bordeaux.  Château Monlot is an 8-hectare Saint-Émilion Grand Cru estate in Bordeaux, France, with a 400-year history, specializing in Merlot-driven wines. Listen and watch as Dimitri tells me about their wines, during the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2026.

Amidst the clamour of the Vancouver International Wine Festival, I had a conversation with Evan Saunders, winemaker for Blasted Church Vineyards, to discuss the last two years vintages; one made with WA state grapes in 2024, and the latest vintage with estate BC grapes.  The 2024 Washington Intervention Following a 2023 season that already saw significantly diminished yields, 2024 arrived…

In this video interview at the International Festival Tasting Room at VanWineFest 2026, I spoke with Chloe Hattabe from Domaine Francois Lurton about their Fumees Blanches Sauvignon Blanc wine.  If you have heard about Fume Blanc before, it is not this wine.  The name for this wine is quite unique.  Listen and watch as Chloe tells me about this wine,…

Chartron et Trebuchet from Burgundy makes a wonderful crémant wine.  I’ve enjoyed this sparkling wine over many years.  At the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2026, I had a chance to interview Camilla De Vere Green from Chartron et Trebuchet in the International Festival Tasting Room to talk about the winery and their crémant.  Enjoy the video interview.

This is my eighth year interviewing winemakers or winery principals in Ontario about their latest grape harvest and wine production.  Now that it is late November and the wines are all in tanks or barrels, how did the Ontario grape growing season and harvest fare?  I interviewed three winemakers/winery principals this year: Ryan Oldridge, Winemaker at Colchester Ridge Estate Winery in…

The 2025 BC harvest was one of hope and a bounty of grapes. I travelled to Osoyoos at the beginning of October and all the winery principles I spoke to mentioned how their grape vines were supplying an overabundance of grapes this year, to make up for the devastation last year.   Now that it is late November and the wines…

Growing up in the warm, vineyard-lined landscapes of southern Ukraine, just inland from the Black Sea, Gary (Gennadi) Zhygailo was immersed in the rhythms of the vine from an early age. His passion for wine led him to the Odessa National Academy of Food Technologies, where he earned both a Bachelor’s in Food Science and a Master’s in Fermentation and…