Tag: chile

With the lockdown on travel due to COVID-19, I thought I’d look back at some of my trips to wine regions around the world.  One of my memorable trips was to Chile in October 2009 where I toured around Santiago, the capital, then rented a driver with a car to take me the coastal city of Valparaiso and some wineries…

The Vancouver International Wine Festival 2020 had a GLOBAL CRU Seminar where top wineries from around the world discussed what is meant by “CRU”.  Help put this puzzle together.  There are lots of red wines to make the puzzle challenging.  You can also read about my GLOBAL CRU article here. Here is my source photo to help you along.  …

Although France was the theme country this year at the Vancouver International Wine Festival, there was a great contingent of wineries from around the world and from BC to pour their wines for us.  Below are wines that I enjoyed from countries other than France.  Enjoy! White and Sparkling Wines Cantine Giacomo Montresor Rose Royal Brut NV, Italy – Light…

I enjoy meeting winery principals and having a short chat with them at their table as they are pouring their wines during the Festival Tasting at the Vancouver International Wine Festival.  Here are a few of my recorded video chats for you to hear what they have to say about their winery and/or their wines. France – Theme Country Fabrice…

What is meant by a “Cru” in wine?  The term “Cru” is most often used for the French classification system, but the “Cru” concept can apply to any vineyard region recognized for their superior wine quality. My last seminar during the Vancouver International Wine Festival was on the topic of “cru”.  What it is and how it is expressed.  We…

One of the coolest things about VanWineFest is that each winery represented at the Festival has to bring a winery principal, who could be the owner or a family member, or their winemaker.  When you ask them to pour you a glass of their wine at the Festival tasting room, you can ask them about that wine:  How was it…

Most of the excitement about the Vancouver International Wine Festival is with the theme country or region; California for this year.  But, we should not shy from visiting the rest of the Tasting Room and try wines from other parts of the world, as well as Canada.  Below are a dozen wines that I enjoyed and recommend for you to…

This is Part 2 of my top rated wines for 2018.  I earlier released my list of 40 white and sparkling wines for 2018, which you can read at this link.  This red wine list came from Trade tastings with agents and BC VQA wineries, the Vancouver International Wine Festival, visits to wineries, and personal purchases.  I categorized the wines below to…

Chile produces many fine wines at different price points.  Some people though view less expensive wines as simple and not too enjoyable.  But that is not always true.  In part, a wine may taste simple because it did not have a chance to decant and become more expressive.  And many people buying wines around $15 may want to open the wine,…

One of the perks of being a wine writer is an invitation to a portfolio tasting from a wine agent.  The agency can bring out winery principals in some cases, who you can have a chat to about their wines.  They also pour wines that are available at regular retail, specialty wine shops, and special orders.  Having access to these…