Category: italy

The theme country for the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2024 is Italy.  If you have not yet checked out the website to see the participating wineries, I can tell you that Monte del Frá will be pouring their wines for you from the area bordering the south and east of Lake Garda and west of Verona.  The red grapes from…

The Grandi Marchi, is a collaboration of eighteen winemaking families across Italy to promote the culture and commercialization of Italian high-quality wine on world markets.  All the wineries are family-owned, have been in operation for at least 25 years (some for centuries), own their estate vineyards, are innovators, and much more.  We had nine of the eighteen families visiting in Vancouver to…

Tignanello, the renowned Italian wine, has achieved iconic status and widespread adoration. Tignanello’s unique aging process in French oak barrels imparts a distinctive character, characterized by rich, velvety tannins and a luscious, full-bodied texture. Its ability to beautifully marry tradition with innovation, by introducing non-indigenous grape varieties in a region steeped in tradition, has made Tignanello a trailblazer in Italian…

Lambrusco is a sparkling red wine from Emilia-Romagna, Italy, that you may have heard of, but never tasted.  In the past, there were low-quality sweet versions of this wine in the market, but in recent years the quality of Lambrusco has increased and we are getting nice examples in our market.  I received a bottle of Tomato Wheels Reggiano DOC…

Sparkling wines are fun to enjoy on their own, but why not add sparkle to a cocktail?  I received these three recipes using sparkling wines, two are BC wines, and one is Italian Prosecco, which you may enjoy.   Sparkling frosé 750 mL See Ya Later Ranch Sparkling Rosé 2 cups strawberries sliced 1/2 cup Granulated sugar 1/4 cup lime juice…

Did you know that there will be a selection of great-value Chianti Classico wines will be featured in BC Liquor stores throughout the month of August?  There will also be a FREE consumer tasting at the 39th and Cambie Signature BCL Liquor Store on Friday, August 18th from 2:30 – 6:30pm.  As a peek into the aromas and flavours of…

Rosé wines are a hot commodity. Recently we had a one-day Rosé wine festival held outdoors with beautiful sunny weather to complement the wine. Rose wines are made around the world. I picked two rosé wines that I have in my cellar. One is from BC, Stag’s Hollow Blanc de Noirs 2021, and the other hails from southern Italy, Tormaresca…

East meets west at Cult Wine Canada in Vancouver. I attended a small portfolio tasting of Chinese distilled spirits and European wines distributed by Cult Wine Canada.  In this article, I will cover their European wines and in my follow-on article, I will cover the distilled spirit called baijiu.   If you have not heard of Cult Wine Canada, they describe…

This August, the BC Liquor (BCL) stores will celebrate Tuscany with displays of Chianti Classico wines in 30 BCL locations, as well as a consumer tasting at the 39th & Cambie Signature Liquor Store on Thursday, August 17th, 2023. In the meantime, I received a few Chianti Classico wines to taste and review for you. Today I opened two wines…

“According to the Greek poet Homer, Venus was the daughter of Jupiter and the ocean nymph Dione. The goddess was born emerging from the sea on a large shell. Botticelli depicted The Birth of Venus as one of the most iconic works of art of the Renaissance. Completed in 1485, the painting was commissioned by the court of Lorenzo the…