Tag: grenache

Provence rosé wines have been conquering the world.  Their growth has been double digits for several years in Canada and the USA; it is spreading in China; French people drink more rosé than white wine.  Need I continue?  I had a chance to interview Valerie Lelong, Marketing & Communications Export Manager from Vins de Provence about the current state of rosé…

It’s Spring.  We should be putting on our shorts, getting out on the patio and enjoying some wine, cheese, fresh seafood, and some grilled lamb chops.  These wines from the latest IVSA should fit the bill. White and Sparkling Wines Beau Joie Champagne Brut NV, France (~$120) – Nice strawberries and lees on the nose; medium intensity.  Dry, high acidity…

Sometimes the best wines around are the ones that are not generally listed in BC Liquor stores.  They are known as Spec or Special Order wines.  You can find these wines through some private wine shops, or you could order them through these shops, but you may need a minimum order size. I attended Select Wines‘ portfolio tasting and enjoyed…

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…

Do you know how many wines will be presented at the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2017 Tasting Room?  Around 800.  Picking wines you really would like to try in your 3 hours of wine tasting would be like finding a needle in a haystack.  I had a chance to try some of the wines that you can find at the Festival,…

Italian wines can make any day feel like a holiday. But we do have holidays upcoming so here are a few Italian wines that I recently tasted in downtown Vancouver that you may want to consider purchasing.  Of particular note are the white wines made with indigenous grapes you may not have heard of; Carricante and Grillo exclusively grown in…

You know we all want to change the world, and wine making is one of those areas that has been undergoing a revolution to past wine making techniques recently.  I attended a seminar on the past, present, and future of Australian wine making, and it was interesting to see changes that are going on in this country, but it can…

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…

I was shocked when I heard about how many wines by the glass are available for you to buy and enjoy with your meal at Provence Marinaside in Yaletown.  This may be the largest wine by the glass offering in North America.  The development of the FreshTAP and TORR system kegs that keep wine fresh are still relatively new technologies,…

You have probably tried a southern Rhone wine, such as a Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  Maybe not knowing the grapes that go into it, these wines are quite enjoyable and very food friendly.  The Rhone Valley is located in southeastern France between Lyon an Avignon.  The Northern Rhone is cooler and the valley has steep hillsides, and produces primarily red wine from Syrah…