Category: Napa

Tickets to the Vancouver International Wine Festival events sell very quickly and you can miss out on some great events.  All Festival events are very good but depend on what you are interested in doing, like attending a dinner, a seminar, or a mingler.  I thought I’d give you my suggestions, based on my interests in seminars and dinners primarily,…

While busily moving through the swell of people interested in tasting big Napa Cabs at the Vancouver International Wine Festival, I wedged myself into tables, and indeed tasted Napa Cabs, but also Pinot Noir, Merlot, Petite Sirah, etc. from various regions in California.  With the short amount of time I’m able to spend at each table, my tasting notes are…

As California was the theme region for VanWineFest 2019, you would expect Chardonnay to be prominent in my list of favourite white wines, and you would be right.  But there is also Viognier, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc.  I put the region in California with the wine name if the winery shows a specific area.  If you like any of these…

As stated by the Vancouver International Wine Festival, “Cabernet Sauvignon is king in Napa Valley. Explore the quality and ageability of the region’s signature grape variety while savouring a 10-year retrospective from Napa’s finest. Taste for yourself why these wines are considered to be among the most coveted wines in the world.” Our Moderator was Anthony Gismondi.  We had a winery…

As you may know, the Vancouver International Wine Festival theme region is California, and the most well-known region within California is Napa Valley.  After you attend the Festival and taste some of the Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay that come from Napa, you may want to go there to visit the tasting rooms and experience more of what Napa has to…

What do you know about California wines?  Most people probably think of it as a place for high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay wines.  But that is not all there is to California wines.  There are many other wines available from California that are very enjoyable; some cool-climate wines like Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. To help prepare you for the California wineries attending the…

This is Part 2 of my top rated wines for 2018.  I earlier released my list of 40 white and sparkling wines for 2018, which you can read at this link.  This red wine list came from Trade tastings with agents and BC VQA wineries, the Vancouver International Wine Festival, visits to wineries, and personal purchases.  I categorized the wines below to…

We are very lucky to have Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars visit us at the VanWineFest 2019 and pour their wines for us.  Read about their achievements and wines they will be pouring in their own words. The New World Wine That Made the Wine World Notice Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, notably known for being the winery that won the Cabernet…

Welcome to the Hess Family and The Hess Collection who will be at the VanWineFest 2019.  Read about their history and wines, in their own words. About the Hess Family and The Hess Collection Donald Hess arrives in Mount Veeder (located within the Napa AVA) in 1978 and acquires his first land on Mount Veeder with a purchase of 900…

One of the perks of being a wine writer is an invitation to a portfolio tasting from a wine agent.  The agency can bring out winery principals in some cases, who you can have a chat to about their wines.  They also pour wines that are available at regular retail, specialty wine shops, and special orders.  Having access to these…