Category: Marsanne

The Fall release of BC VQA wines was in late September.  Due to skytrain issues getting to the venue, I did not have as much time to taste the new wine releases, so I concentrated on white wines.  There were also red wines, but not enough time to taste.  There are a few sparkling wines on this list, which you…

Musical notes We are used to seeing European wine labels with names of places, or other identification, other than the name of the grape varieties in the bottle. In North America and BC, we tend to have the name of the winery and the grape variety or varieties on the label.  But today, I have two BC wines that have…

I and other Trade people were invited to “explore the Pacific Wine Route with us. In the spirit of expedition and discovery, take a page from Lewis and Clark: come taste through the green, gentle slopes of Oregon’s unique beauty, and emerge through Columbia River to find the stern, mighty desert of Washington State…One, powerfully raw. The other, raw power.” …

Canadian Thanksgiving is on Monday, October 10, 2022.  You may be making a list of ingredients to buy for your Thanksgiving dinner.  A traditional / historical dinner with turkey or ham, brussel sprouts, yam, and mashed potatoes with gravy.  Or you may go other ways with roast beef, salmon, Beyond Meat, or other meat substitutes.  I like to think of…

Today we are going on a journey tasting Rhone grape varieties; Syrah for red grapes, and Roussanne and Marsanne for white grape varieties. You may have heard of Syrah. BC Syrah is quite well-known for its quality, but Roussanne and Marsanne may be new to you. These two white grapes are grown in the northern Rhone region and are typically…

I have two interesting finesse wines from Gerard Bertrand from the sunny south of France.  Gerard Bertrand’s Orange Gold 2020 is an organic wine made with a blend of Chardonnay, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Marsanne, Mauzac, Muscat, and Clairette with skin contact.  The other wine is the Gerard Bertrand An 806 AOP Corbieres 2017 a Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre red blend.  One…

While we may want to go big on Valentine’s Day this year for our significant other, COVID still lurks and most of us are not yet vaccinated.  Maybe you would consider ordering dishes from your favourite restaurant and enjoying it at home with some tasty BC wines?   Various foods, for their texture, scent, colour, shape and/or taste has an effect…

This was a crazy year due to COVID, which limited my usual number of wine tastings, but when I checked through the wines, I realized that of the wines I did taste, many almost made my 5-star category.  These wines I rated as 4.5-5 stars.  They are fantastic to drink now and would be OK to cellar for a short…

Canadian Thanksgiving is going to be very different this year for many of us who are accustomed to getting together with our parents, brothers and sister, and maybe aunts and uncles for dinner.  It will be smaller, and may be just you, but you can still enjoy your turkey, ham, or vegan Thanksgiving meal with a glass or two of…

Today I’m tasting two white grape varieties from Alsace and from the Rhone Valley, but grown in BC!  Church & State Wines grows both Pinot Gris (Alsace) and Marsanne (Rhone) grapes.  And have done them very well.  Church & State Wines originated on Vancouver Island near Victoria, and later added a second winery in Oliver in the south Okanagan.  The…