Category: Vancouver International Wine Festival

Who We Are The Serrano Mira family is one of the oldest families involved in wine production in the Alentejo region of Portugal. Clay containers used for winemaking dating back to 1667 have been conserved on its properties. In 1955 the maternal great-grandfather of the two brothers Carlos and Luís – the sixth generation of winemakers in the family –…

Who Is Cellars Baronia del Montsant? Private initiative of Xavier Canals, winemaker and owner of Bodegas Baronia del Montsant began in the mid-90s with the desire to achieve a dream: to find an ideal area to produce high quality wines. And it is here, where he discovered the Priorato area, more specifically in the beautiful village of Cornudella de Montsant. Its vineyards, its native varieties, natural…

Bodegas Vivanco Vivanco Winery is located in Briones, a privileged enclave in La Rioja Alta, on the foothills of the Sierra de Cantabria and on the banks of the River Ebro in Spain. It is an area with a mild microclimate and extraordinary chalky-clay soils. Around the winery we find the Finca El Cantillo, whose name comes from the large…

Quinta de Soalheiro, a pioneer in the creation of Alvarinho wine in Melgaço, is an international benchmark for the wines of this grape variety, blending perfectly into the distinctive Minho landscape surrounding it. Located in Melgaço (Portugal’s northernmost point) it is protected by a range of mountains that create the conditions necessary for the best ripening of the Alvarinho grapes. History of the Family and the Brand…

Our Founder José Alberto Calvo Casajús was born in Quintana del Pidio. This small town is located on the foothills of the north side of the Duero Valley that shapes the appellation of Ribera del Duero. He had the privilege of growing up in the bosom of a winemaking family, thus, he was exposed at a very young age to…

The History of Marques de Murrieta Marqués de Murrieta´s foundation is linked to the origins of the Rioja wines since Luciano Murrieta produced in 1852 the first Rioja wine and was also the first one to export his wines. Luciano, appointed Marquis by King Amadeo of Savoy thanks to his work in Rioja, travelled to Bordeaux to learn the winemaking…

About Bodegas Arráez Our family winery was founded in 1916 by local growers for the promotion of their own harvest, afterward becoming Don Antonio Arráez Garrigós’ property in 1950. It was in those years that sales of his wines, both in bulk and bottled, started. In 1980, under Don Antonio Arráez Ibanco, the company became incorporated and international and became…

History of Sanguinhal Wines One of the oldest wineries in Lisbon, Portugal, Agricola Sanguinhal was founded In 1926, by Abel Pereira da Fonseca. He was an innovator, with a passion for his family, grape-growing, and winemaking. He planted Sanguinhal’s first vines on virgin land, which has been farmed without the use of any harsh chemicals ever since, and is now certified…

The History of the House of Ramos Pinto The House Ramos Pinto, in Portugal, was founded in 1880 and for several decades, its history has been marked by a balance between innovation and respect for tradition. In the production and selection of the best grapes, in the systematic knowledge of the terroir and being the pioneer in the launching of…

At the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2017, I sat in on some seminars that had wine makers across Canada speaking about their wines.  As they spoke, we in the audience tried their wines.  One thing that struck me is that many of the wine makers from Ontario would say how “mineral” their wines are; and I thought mineral?  But then…