Tag: Albarino

As I mentioned for my five-star wine ratings this year, COVID limited the number of events and thus wines that I could taste that came from around the world to BC.  That being said, I am grateful for the BC wineries that sent me wines to taste, plus wines from wine agencies.  There are many wines that fit into my…

Where is Rias Baixas and what kind of wines are made there?  This could easily be a question on a WSET exam.  But luckily for you, this is not a test, and I am going to give you the answer.  Rías Baixas is located in Spain’s northwest region of Galicia.  Coastal and green, this region is said to resemble Ireland…

This year I had many wines that I tasted this year that almost made my 5-star category; 27 white wines and 45 red wines.  These wines I rated as 4.5-5 stars.  When I check over them again, I can remember how much I enjoyed these wines.  Having a 4.5-5 or a 5-star rating does not mean that you need to…

As BC is large with a cooler coastal climate and a hotter, drier interior, our yearly vintages can cover a range from marginal to exceptional.  Luckily we have been closer to the exceptional end of the vintage spectrum these last years.  How was the 2018 vintage?  I attended a media preview of the 2018 vintage and had 4 winemakers from…

What is the Taste Washington Grand Tasting compare to?  If you thought the Vancouver International Wine Festival Tasting Room, double the size, and add in 65 restaurants serving up freshly cooked dishes. I checked the Taste Washington website and it states that there are 235 wineries participating, but it felt like many more to me. Standing on the second level…

Did you know that Spain’s wine heritage is at least three thousand years old?  Yet, you may not know much about Spanish wine, except for perhaps Rioja red wines and Spanish Cava.  Tempranillo is the best-known grape from Spain, being used to produce red wines from the Rioja region, as well as other regions in Spain. Tempranillo comes from the…

Spain has had a long history of winemaking, from classic Riojas, newer Mencia from Bierzo, to Cavas and more. During the Vancouver International Wine Festival, I and several other attendees joined Master of Wine, Barbara Philip to explore a wide range of Spanish wines and to listen to the forward-looking producers behind them. The winery principals speaking to us were: Fernando Gimenez…

Beside the theme country every year in the Festival Tasting room of the Vancouver International Wine Festival, there are all the other wineries from countries around the world offering their wines for you to try.  Below are 15 wines that I thought were excellent.  Some may be in BC liquor stores and others may have only been available during the Festival….

When someone mentions wine from Uruguay, there is usually one of two responses: I don’t like Tannat, it’s too tannic, Uruguay makes wine? Bodega Garzón  from Uruguay hopes to wipe out both of these responses by bringing their wines to you to enjoy.  And that is what they did recently for me and a group of other wine trade people in…

If you read my blog regularly you will know my affection for the Taste of Tulalip event held the start of November every year at the Tulalip Resort Casino in Washington State.  This year is their 5th anniversary of the event.  Besides their wonderful dinner on Friday night, the big draw is “The Grand Taste” on Saturday afternoon, which is…