Category: Napa Valley

Learning about wine is a great experience.  It leads you to try new grape varieties, buy more expensive wines to see the difference with lesser priced wines, travel to wine destinations like the Okanagan or Napa Valley, and maybe start your own wine cellar. Winestains Wine Academy is a new venture that has opened up in Richmond, that offers WSET…

Trying to think of an exceptional quality wine to buy for someone in your family or a special friend?  I have a few suggestions from the wines that I tasted over this past year.  These wines cover all regions of the world, and have different price points.  There should be something for everyone to love.  16 white and sparkling wines,…

A daunting task, picking my favourite wines from a total of 1750 wines being poured at the Vancouver International Wine Festival.  Thankfully I was able to visit the Acura International Festival Tasting Room 4 times as Media, splitting time between France and the rest of the world.  I have already covered my favourite French wines in a separate article.  In…

Portfolio tastings with a wine agency is always very fun and interesting as you get to taste the range of their wines and spirits at one time.  This was my first Charton Hobbs Portfolio tasting, so I was not aware of all the wines and spirits that they handled.  I was quite impressed.  They arranged the wines by table, with…

I look forward to the Import Vintners & Spirits Association (IVSA) Trade tasting.  You get to try the new wines, liquor, and beer coming into the BC market, and be the first to tell you what to search out in your local wine shop, or BC government liquor store.  With the latest IVSA, here are my picks.  I hope you…

This is my second year at the Taste of Tulalip. Last year I was getting my feet wet, trying to learn the ropes.  Here is the  link to my Celebration Dinner notes last year.  This year, I came prepared with a plan, and how to pace myself.  The Taste of Tulalip starts off with the Friday evening Celebration Dinner, where…

Last year I attended the Taste of Tulalip and had a great time.  The food and wine were top quality.  The tickets for this year’s event are now on sale, so I thought I would give you early notice so that you can buy your tickets before they sell out.  The event has a Friday night Gala Dinner, which has…

When people hear Napa Valley, they think big Cabernets.  Which is true, you can get some huge Cabernet Sauvignons there, but they also produce other wines, such as Chardonnay, Riesling, and Pinot Noir.  Did you know that the Napa Valley is one-eighth the size of Bordeaux and produces just 4% of California’s wine grape harvest, and 95% of its wineries…