Tag: france

Sauvignon Blanc‘s home is France, but it has spread around the world, like many other vitis vinifera.  It typically is served as a single varietal wine but does show up in blends, most notably in Bordeaux. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words sauvage, “wild”, and blanc, “white”, due to its early origins as an indigenous…

This past week Business France, the national agency to develop the French economy through export growth, brought in several French wineries to Vancouver.  These wineries do not yet have representation in British Columbia.  You currently cannot purchase these wines.  This article is meant for wine agents in BC that are interested in adding more French wines to their portfolio.  Below…

I had a lovely chat with Marine Séon, Export Sales Manager, from Hacienda Araucano from Chile at VanWineFest 2023.  The winery has a French influence with French owner François Lurton as well as being the winemaker.  Marine tells me a bit about the winery, which has organic and biodynamic vineyards, and the Sauvignon Blanc she poured for me from the…

I enjoy attending the Top Drop Canada wine tasting each year.  It is probably my second favourite event after the Vancouver International Wine Festival.  If you have not heard of Top Drop before, the organizers describe it as “Top Drop’s focus and mandate is providing a platform for terroir-influenced, handcrafted wines, and the people behind them. We believe in the…

June 10 is National Rosé Day, but what do you know about Rosé wines?  Here’s some background so you can further appreciate these wines and toast a glass or two on June 10. What are Rosé Wines? Rosé wines, often referred to as rosé, are a category of wines that bridge the gap between red and white wines. They are…

If you have not yet purchased your ticket for Top Drop, which is on May 23 and 24 evenings, you should as the tickets are almost sold out.  Plus the ticket sales help support the BC Hospitality Foundation which provides financial support for hospitality workers coping with extraordinary health crisis costs. Here are the full details of Top Drop.  See you there!…

François Schmitt took over the family winery in Alsace, Domaine François Schmitt, joined by his son, Frédéric, in 1998, and his wife, Myriam in 2010. I spoke with Frédéric and Myriam about their wines.  Frédéric views their wines as gastronomic, built for food.  Today I tasted all still wines, but they also make a significant amount of cremant wines.  One…

Domaine Barmès-Buecher was created in 1985 by Geneviève Barmès (née Buecher) and François Barmès, her husband, who combined the lands of their respective families, who owned vines since the 17th century, in Wettolsheim.  I was fortunate to interview Sophie Barmes, their daughter, about the winery and its wines, through the Millésimes Alsace online tasting event held this week. The winery…

March 8 is officially International Women’s Day.  The Côtes du Rhône and Côtes du Rhône Villages AOCs in the south of France put out this press release to show what women are doing in all aspects of grape growing, wine production, and sales in their AOCs.  We too in BC have women working in our wine industry.  It is great…

Many of us have probably had a snifter of Hennessy, Martell, or Remy Martin cognacs, but what about having a snifter of Armagnac de Montal or Chateau de Laubade?  There are similarities and differences between these two distilled spirits.  Let me tell you about them. About Cognac and Armagnac Cognac and Armagnac are both French brandies, but they come from…