Category: italy

The Christmas holidays and New Years Eve are fast approaching, and with that, you will probably be invited to parties, or invite people over to your party.  But what wines to serve?  I always like to have at least one sparkling wine at my parties, usually served at the start of the evening.  There are a ton of choices of…

Italian wines put a smile on my face and many other wine lovers I know.  Grapes that are native to Italy, and not as widespread around the world like Barbera, Nebbiolo, Rondinella and Corvina produce wines that are very interesting and flavourful.  But Italy still has to work hard to get the general wine drinking public knowledgeable about their wines. …

A portfolio tasting is a great place for a restaurateur, liquor store staff, and wine media, like me, to find out about the latest vintages of wines, and brand new wines, for a wine agent’s portfolio.  With a change in season, for example, restaurants may want to change their cooked dishes, and to these dishes they should match up /…

One of the definitions in The Free Dictionary of “portfolio” is “A group of investments held by an investor, investment company, or financial institution.” I thought that for a wine & spirits agency those bottles of wines and spirits are an investment to them.  They search out and try to find value, and then share these gems with the public. …

With September, comes the new season of tasting wines which have arrived in British Columbia, through the IVSA.  There can always be found wines from every corner of the world, and also beer and spirits too.  My wine picks come from across the world, and I hope you have a chance to try them sometime soon. Where I had the…

Prosecco is one of the sparkling wines coming out of Italy, and probably the most well-known.  There are different levels of quality, with of course different price points.  I have been told that some retail shops and hair salons in Italy that each customer is handed a glass of prosecco to sip while they shop or get quaffed.  Prosecco may…

Tre Bicchieri; The Best of the Best of Italian wines.  The Tre Bicchieri World Tour recently came to Vancouver for us to experience their top rated Italian wines.  This is only the second year this event has stopped in Canada, and only visits a few cities around the world each year, so we should be very proud to be selected…

LaStella Winery, located in the South Okanagan, tries to bring Italian style to the wines they produce.  They do this in part through the use of Italian grapes, such as Sangiovese, and through using the production methods undertaken in Italy.  Besides their love of Italy, and bringing it here to BC, they also look to the environment trying to produce…

Easter is a big holiday for many of us, where we get together with family and enjoy a big dinner. Easter is also leading us into Spring. Flowers are already blooming here in Vancouver, and I’m sure it will come soon in the rest of Canada.  Below are a few suggestions that I posted a few years ago.  As I…

It’s Spring!  I have at least 5 tulips blooming in my front yard, the sun is out, and I’m looking to find some new and exciting white wines for the patio for me and for you.  Last week was the latest Import Vintners & Spirits Association (IVSA) Trade tasting to introduce the wine & spirits trade to the new libations…