Category: Washington

Food and wine pairings can be exciting, with each dish and wine bringing out aspects of the other.  I will be taking on four different food and wine pairings, with this pairing of Township 7 Vineyards & Winery Interlude wines with a Chicken Tikka Masala from Canadian, Cardinal Meats. Sous Chef by Cardinal™ entrées, were created by Executive Chef, Caleb…

We had another successful year at the Vancouver International Wine Festival for 2025.  There was some controversy with western USA states being the theme region this year, but I appreciated that these western states, California, Oregon, and Washington, supplied BC Okanagan wineries that asked with grapes so that they could produce wines for the 2024 harvest.  It is good to…

From my recent tastings of white and sparkling wines from west coast USA during VanWineFest 2025, a few key trends emerge. Chardonnay remains a dominant varietal, showcasing a range of styles from richer, rounder textures with lower acidity in Paso Robles to fresher, more mineral-driven expressions from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. There is a clear emphasis on texture and mouthfeel, with…

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, one of Washington State’s most influential wineries, has played a leading role in showcasing the region’s world-class wines. With deep roots dating back to the 1930s, the winery has helped put Washington on the global wine map, crafting elegant and expressive wines that highlight the state’s diverse terroir. Their Cabernet Sauvignon is bold and structured, with…

At every Vancouver International Wine Festival, when I attend the International Festival Tasting Room, I have a plan for which wines to taste.  Luckily, as an accredited media person, I can attend the International Festival Tasting Room several times.  But each time, is different.  For this one session, I visited the theme region, west coast USA, and tasted only red…

We all love to get good value from our purchases, especially in wine when the quality of the wine exceeds bottle price. In this VanWineFest 2025 seminar, “Value & Variety, West Coast Style“, we were introduced to 10 different wineries along the USA west coast. This trio of states offer every climate, terroir, grape, and wine style to tempt wine…

VanWineFest 2025 starts next week and one of the attractions of the event is attending the International Festival Tasting Room where there will be 121 wineries from 15 countries, with winery principals pouring and discussing their wines.  Each year there is a different theme country or region.  This year it is the United States; specifically California, Oregon, and Washington states. …

One of the most exciting up-and-coming wine regions in the USA is the Columbia Valley AVA in Washington State. While it has been recognized for some time, the region’s wines are gaining increasing acclaim and attention, particularly in recent years. Columbia Valley encompasses a diverse range of terroirs and is home to more than 99,000 acres of vineyards, producing a…

January 29th, 2025 is the Chinese (Lunar) New Year of the Earth Snake. In the Chinese zodiac, the snake is associated with wisdom, charm, elegance, and transformation. Snakes represent the symbol of wisdom. They are intelligent and wise. They are good at communication but say little. Snakes are usually regarded as great thinkers. Some famous people born in the Year…

This year’s harvest in the BC interior was extremely different from past harvests as the winter cold snap killed most of the grape vines.  Coastal and Fraser Valley wineries did not suffer the same fate.  The amount of grapevine loss varied a bit in the interior, depending on how close the vineyards were to interior lakes and the slopes where…