Category: Sangiovese

The Italian Trade Commission had their 19th Annual Italian Wine Tasting in Vancouver.  There was the opportunity to meet the principals of 40 distinguished Italian wine estates.  I tasted mainly white and sparkling wines at this tasting and at the very end tried a few Italian red wines.  What I like about Italian wines is that many of the grapes are…

My last winery visit while I was staying in the Osoyoos area was the La Stella Winery.  I met with tasting room manager, Wade Martin, as he poured me their recent wine releases and discussed wines in general.  Their winery like other Okanagan wineries was affected by the 2024 winter blast.  Out of 70 acres of planted vines, they were…

I enjoy working with wine agents.  They gather wines from around the world and offer the wines to us for our enjoyment.  This year is the 10th Anniversary of World Wine Synergy (WWS), and I was fortunate, along with other wine trade people to celebrate this anniversary at La Quercia restaurant.  Over those 10 years I’ve been invited to meet…

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After attending the Chianti Classico: Digging into the Region’s UGA Masterclass, there was a walk around tasting from the wineries from the masterclass plus other wineries in the region; 26 wineries in total, each pouring three wines, so 78 different Chianti Classico wines to try from the foundation, Annata, wines, to Riserva middle tier, and the top tier, Gran Selezione. …

I was honoured to attend the Chianti Classico: Digging into the Region’s UGA Masterclass lead by Michaela Morris. The masterclass, hosted by the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico, focused on the region’s evolution, particularly the introduction of the Gran Selezione category and the newly established Unità Geografiche Aggiuntive (UGAs). The presentation highlighted the historical significance of the region, the hierarchical structure…

Here are two big red wines.  One from a grape you may not know too well, Tannat, and the other wine is a Chianti Classico, but at the top tier, Gran Selezione.  The Tannat wine comes from Argentina, which is uncommon, as Argentina is best known for Malbec.  But this Tannat shows that it also does well in Argentina.  Let…

I and other Trade individuals were invited to Discover Extraordinary Italian Wines.  Some of the wineries at the event were searching for local representation, while other wineries already have an agent and their wines are in BC Liquor stores or private wine shops and restaurants.  I’ve put a “*” beside those wineries that have local representation, so you should be…

I was invited to sit down with Mr. Beppe d’Andrea, Ruffino‘s Senior Global Brand Ambassador, to taste a selection of their wines and talk about the winery and other wine topics while Beppe was attending VanWineFest 2024. In 1987, Beppe began his career with Ruffino and has never looked back. Initially working in the vineyards, he soon joined the winemaking…

For VanWineFest 2024, I joined Barone Francesco Ricasoli from Tuscany for an unforgettable dinner featuring his Chianti Classico wines paired with traditional Tuscan fare prepared by the culinary team at Italian Kitchen.  The Barone provided us with background to his family winery as well as information about each wine.  He is the 32nd Barone of the family, living in the…