Tag: Napa Valley

I have a few Riedel glasses at home that I use for red Bordeaux blends, Pinot Noir, oaked Chardonnay, and aromatic white wines, but have not tested the theory that the shape of a glass can really positively or negatively affect the taste of the wine, until I attended this seminar at the Vancouver International Wine Festival, hosted by Alysha…

I was fortunate to be invited to taste two vintages of Seña wines from Chile paired with dishes at Black + Blue restaurant in downtown Vancouver.  The wine luncheon and tasting was led by Mr. Michel Couttolenc, Fine Wines Director for Viñedo Chadwick and Seña. Seña is a joint venture winery started in 1995 between Napa Valley’s Robert Mondavi and Chile’s…

A whole year has passed since my 2021 Wine Quiz, which was related to wines, wineries, and winemakers I was able to interact with and write about on mywinepal.com.  Here is my 3rd Annual 2022 Wine Quiz.  There are 10 questions gleaned from my articles this year. I hope you enjoy it!

It is not every day that you get invited to a portfolio tasting of wines from Italy’s Antinori Estates.  Many of you have probably heard of their most famous wine, Marchesi Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT, a Super Tuscan, that helped lead the way to blend in International grape varieties, e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with Italy’s Sangiovese grape in Tuscany….

While the term “Cru” is most often used for the French classification system, the “Cru” concept can apply to any vineyard or group of vineyards recognized for their superior quality. This seminar at the Vancouver International Wine Festival took us on a global journey to some of the wine world’s greatest vineyards to discover what makes their terroir and wines…

At the Vancouver International Wine Festival, I spent time at the International Festival Tasting room on Thursday and Friday to taste as many wines as possible.  I published my Old World wine selections a few days ago and now it is time to give you my New World wine selections.  New World wines are typically categorized as being from the…

Top Drop Vancouver 2022 was on May 10 and 11.  Part of the event was a large tasting room, with 40 wineries presenting a selection of their wines.  There was also to my great happiness, cider as well, which I will get to later in this article.  Top Drop Canada puts on this event yearly (except during the COVID shutdown),…

Have you ever heard of Top Drop Vancouver?  It is a festival where 40 hand-selected wineries from around the world come to Vancouver and pour their wines for you.  These wineries have to have a certain level of quality and status in order for them to be invited so that you know you are going to enjoy premium wines. Yes,…

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…