Category: Rhone

As I mentioned in my previous article on my top rated white, sparkling, and fortified wines for 2017, there were so many excellent wines that I tasted this year.  As I review the red wines that I’ve listed below, there are many wines from Italy, in part due to the many visits by Italian wineries to Vancouver this year.  From…

This is my second year attending Top Drop Vancouver, where small-scale producers from around the world show us their hand crafted wines. According to Top Drop, “Our focus is terroir-influenced, handcrafted wines, and the people behind them. W e believe in the importance in farming one’s own fruit and/or being constantly engaged with grape-growers to ensure sustainability and a high…

Sometimes the best wines around are the ones that are not generally listed in BC Liquor stores.  They are known as Spec or Special Order wines.  You can find these wines through some private wine shops, or you could order them through these shops, but you may need a minimum order size. I attended Select Wines‘ portfolio tasting and enjoyed…

Rhone, there is so much to discover, from scintillating Syrah, to ripe summer fruits from Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne, to full-bodied, ripe red and black fruit blends from Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  I’ve travelled twice to France and both times I stopped in the Rhone Valley.  To see the Tain Hermitage hill, to get a chance to walk the hill and overlook Cornas…

I’ve traveled to France twice for vacation, and both times I made sure to stop in the Rhone Valley.  I love the Syrahs from the northern Rhone, as well as the famous Chateauneuf du Pape blend from the south.  I also have to note that the Rhone has very aromatic and flavourful white wines, coming from the Viognier, Marsanne and…

You have probably tried a southern Rhone wine, such as a Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  Maybe not knowing the grapes that go into it, these wines are quite enjoyable and very food friendly.  The Rhone Valley is located in southeastern France between Lyon an Avignon.  The Northern Rhone is cooler and the valley has steep hillsides, and produces primarily red wine from Syrah…

I had not heard of Domaine Saint Jean du Barroux until recently;  a winery located between the Dentelles de Montmirail and Mont Ventoux in the Southern Rhone, owned by Oenologist, winemaker/grower, Philippe Gimel. A tiny vineyard with 4 of 16 hectares covered with fruit trees and shrubbery.  The remaining 12 hectares of vineyards are planted along an eroded fault line…

I love Syrahs.  They stand on their own two feet.  No need for blending with other grapes.  I enjoy their ruby colour in the glass; their aromas, especially blueberries; their full body, red/black berry flavours and sometimes white pepper that plays on your palate.  BC can make some very good Syrahs.  Located in the South Okanagan, one of the wineries…

While the big draw for many people to the Vancouver International Wine Festival this year was sparkling wine, and French Champagne, specifically, there were many other wonderful wines to sample.  For this article, since France was the Theme Country, I would like to concentrate on their wines, sans Champagne.  My Champagne article is here. Every region in France is known…

Perseus Winery in the Southern Okanagan produces a range of red and white wines, growing both Bordeaux and Rhone varieties.  Sometimes Bordeaux meets the Rhone Valley such as in their Syrah Malbec blend.  As a follow on to my article on their latest white wine releases, I also received some of their reds to review, which included a Merlot, a…