Category: Roussanne

Many people think of red Rhône wines, but there are terrific white wines as well.  I received a bottle of Louis Bernard Côtes du Rhône 2023 to tell you about.  It is a blend that features Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Clairette, and Roussanne grapes.   Grenache Blanc is a full-bodied white grape with a round mouthfeel, offering ripe pear, green apple, and…

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…

As I was out in the Okanagan in September visiting a few wineries, I took a few pictures of different grape varieties. We all know the names of different grapes, but what do they look like? Did you know that ripe Pinot Gris skins are not yellow? As they mature they turn a pinkish brown and then purple colour. Below…

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…

Have you heard about District Wine Village, which opened this summer in Oliver, BC?  It is unique in that a group of wineries, have their production facilities in the same location at the Village.  Many of them are smaller, new wineries, while there is one large, and one medium well-established winery that have production facilities offsite at their winery.  There…

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…

Here are two more white Rhone Valley grape varieties that are made by Church & State Wines.  The Viognier and Roussanne grapes come from their Coyote Bowl and Bella vineyards in the south Okanagan.  The soils in these vineyards consist of sand and gravel.  How do these soil types affect wine’s aromas and flavours?  Sand gives fruitiness, elegance, less colour,…

With France being the theme country for the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2020, there were many more French wineries in attendance than in other years.  And with that many more wines to taste. Which made me very happy.  France has a great variety of red, white, rosé, and sparkling wines, from the range of noble grape varieties.  I spent several…

My first Masterclass at the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2020 was about the wines from the Languedoc region produced by Gérard Bertrand and moderated by Anthony Gismondi.  Gérard Bertrand is the ambassador of the fine wines of Languedoc-Roussillon around the world and owns 16 estates with their unique terroirs in the region.  The Languedoc has, in general, had a poor…