Category: italy

Italian wines can make any day feel like a holiday. But we do have holidays upcoming so here are a few Italian wines that I recently tasted in downtown Vancouver that you may want to consider purchasing.  Of particular note are the white wines made with indigenous grapes you may not have heard of; Carricante and Grillo exclusively grown in…

Did you know that Italy has more than 500 DOCs, more than 2000 Italian grape varieties, and covers nearly 700,000 hectares of vineyards?  That dwarfs BC and all of Canada’s production and grape variety.  Recently Wine Meridian, a wine magazine from Italy brought fifteen wineries to Canada to show us about lesser known, smaller wineries that are in the more…

Indigenous grapes excite me.  Learning about these grapes and their flavours and aromas make wine tasting interesting.  We can travel around the world and sample Cabernet Sauvignon, and it will in general have a very similar flavour and aroma profile, depending if you are in a cooler or a warmer climate.  Indigenous grapes, that are from their original country and…

A wine agent’s portfolio tasting typically gives you the chance to try both listed as well as spec wines; wines that may only show up in specialty wine shops or restaurants, in limited quantities.  I have been to Mark Anthony Wine and Spirits‘ portfolio tasting now for a few years, and I am always very impressed by the wineries that…

O Canada!  Our 150th birthday is next year, 2017, and we need to celebrate.  The Vancouver International Wine Festival felt the spirit and chose Canada as the theme country for the Festival in 2017.  It is not just wineries from BC that you will get to see at the Festival.  There will also be wineries coming from Ontario and Nova…

One of Italy’s best known, and expensive wines, is Brunello di Montalcino, which is made from 100% Sangiovese grapes that are grown around the town of Montalcino, which is located approximately 80km south of Florence.  With that being said, why was I in a quaint, family-owned restaurant in Montalcino, drinking wines from Veneto (Venice)? The answer is quite simple.  Simply put, I…

Brunello di Montalcino is one of the great wines of Italy.  To try it where it is made; to see the vineyards for the grapes; and to visit the winery, was special for me.  I was invited by Bottega Spa, to visit their winery in Montalcino while I am in Italy.  I could not pass it up.  Getting picked up…

The BC Hospitality Foundation’s Dish N’ Dazzle is coming up May 18.  I tantalized you with 3 Australian Semillon in a previous article, and now a quick review of three completely different white wines from Australia.  The grapes are: Chardonnay Roussanne Vermentino Chardonnay and Roussanne are grapes that originated in France.  Chardonnay is grown in the Burgundy region of France….

Icon Fine Wines & Spirits is a wine and spirit agency located in Yaletown that features predominantly family-owned boutique wine produced from major wine regions of the world, as well as niche spirits and imported craft beer.  I was invited recently to try the latest wines, and vintages, in their portfolio.  Following are some of my favourite wines from the…

Another successful Vancouver International Wine Festival has passed, and I was able to try many bottles of fantastic wines.  But do you know the reason for the Vancouver International Wine Festival? Tasting and learning about wine; yes of course, but the main reason is to raise funds for the Bard on the Beach Theatre Society.  The reason for Bard on…