Tag: Masi Agricola

Although Italy contributes approximately 20% of the world’s wine, it remains a relative mystery to many people, due to unfamiliar grape varieties and wine region names.  Wine journalist and educator Filippo Bartolotta led us exploring the rich history, modern innovation, and the renaissance of Italian classic wine styles shaping the current identity of this historical wine region.  The winery principals…

What do you know about certified organic wines?  Do you only have to not spray the grapes with synthetic pesticides and herbicides or is there more to it?  How do you know if a wine is made with organically grown grapes?  Your best method to figure out if a wine is certified organic is if there is a certification symbol…

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…

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…

MASI Costasera Contemporary Art and Indigenous Artist Susan A. Point As MASI notes ” The term “culture” has its origins in the verb “to cultivate”: cultivation of the land is the expression of thousands of years of a people’s knowledge, a knowledge passed on from generation to generation and evolving continuously. So it’s no surprise that two expressions of culture such…

As I mentioned in my previous article on my top rated white, sparkling, and fortified wines for 2017, there were so many excellent wines that I tasted this year.  As I review the red wines that I’ve listed below, there are many wines from Italy, in part due to the many visits by Italian wineries to Vancouver this year.  From…

Italy has a plethora of indigenous grapes.  Some maybe well known to you, like Sangiovese or Nebbiolo, but others, like Barbera may not be too familiar.  I would like to let you know a little bit about the red Barbera grape, as many Italian wineries will be pouring wine for you from this grape during the International Festival tasting during…

A daunting task, picking my favourite wines from a total of 1750 wines being poured at the Vancouver International Wine Festival.  Thankfully I was able to visit the Acura International Festival Tasting Room 4 times as Media, splitting time between France and the rest of the world.  I have already covered my favourite French wines in a separate article.  In…