Tag: france

The Tulalip Resort Casino always has served me top quality dishes and wines.  I was invited to a wine dinner at the Tulalip Resort Casino, and have below the fantastic hand-selected wines by Sommelier Tom Thomson to pair with the dishes that I, and some other food, wine, and travel writers from WA, had the chance to enjoy together. The…

Rhone, there is so much to discover, from scintillating Syrah, to ripe summer fruits from Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne, to full-bodied, ripe red and black fruit blends from Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  I’ve travelled twice to France and both times I stopped in the Rhone Valley.  To see the Tain Hermitage hill, to get a chance to walk the hill and overlook Cornas…

Valentine’s Day is a special day, and enjoying a glass of sparkling wine with your significant other is a great way to cap, or start, the evening together.  Below are 6 different sparkling wines that I tried last year, from BC and overseas, that I think are exceptional.  Enjoy these wines on their own, with an appetizer, your main course…

One of the great things about the Vancouver International Wine Festival is that in the big Festival Tasting Room at the Conference Centre is that you can meet a winery principal and talk to him or her about their wines.  You can often find out info that is not widely known, such as how they decided to plant an obscure…

I’ve traveled to France twice for vacation, and both times I made sure to stop in the Rhone Valley.  I love the Syrahs from the northern Rhone, as well as the famous Chateauneuf du Pape blend from the south.  I also have to note that the Rhone has very aromatic and flavourful white wines, coming from the Viognier, Marsanne and…

Top Drop Vancouver is a collaboration between Vancouver’s wine industry, that focus on smaller boutique and terroir-focused wineries from BC and around the world, and offers these wines to taste at a public event, this year held at the Roundhouse in Yaletown on September 8.  I was fortunate to be able to attend this walk-about event, with a glass in…

Buying French wine can be daunting.  The name of the grape is not seen on the bottle.  There could be the name of the village or vineyard on the bottle.  None of which probably helps many people here in Canada.  But with perseverance and a bit of knowledge you can learn a bit about a wine region, such as the…

Icon Fine Wines & Spirits is a wine and spirit agency located in Yaletown that features predominantly family-owned boutique wine produced from major wine regions of the world, as well as niche spirits and imported craft beer.  I was invited recently to try the latest wines, and vintages, in their portfolio.  Following are some of my favourite wines from the…

Today is a first for me;  Actually 2 firsts.  One of my firsts is that I will be meeting and interviewing Mr. Harry McWatters, who established Sumac Ridge winery and See Ya Later Ranch.  Harry has overseen many firsts in the BC wine industry and has been active for 40+ years here in BC.  I’m not sure why I haven’t…

The Near I recently reviewed Duncan, BC’s Blue Grouse Estate Winery, and mentioned in the article that I was going to cover their sparkling wine in a separate article.  The time is now!  Their sparkling wine is called “Paula“, after their only daughter, Paula, who is an aspiring opera student. The wine is a blend of Pinot Gris 38%, Ortega…