Tag: pinot noir

Privato Winery is one of the newest wineries in BC, and the second winery in Kamloops, along side Harper’s Trail winery.  Privato opened their doors in August this year with the release of their Pinot Noir and opening of their Tasting Room in Kamloops. In the latest WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada 2013, their Privato Chardonnay 2011 won a…

Burgundy and Bordeaux; two famous wine regions in France with different grapes, red and white.  Back here in BC, you can grow the grapes from both regions and produce wine.  Burgundy is famous for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, while Bordeaux for their blends, which may contain Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Carmenere.  SpierHead Winery recently sent…

Terry Nicholas Threlfall was announced as the 2012 Sommelier of the Year here in Vancouver, and with that a very interesting perk; to work with Okanagan Crush Pad to produce a limited production wine using whichever grape variety they want.  For Terry it was Chardonnay, with a view back to Burgundy.  The resulting wine, “TNT”, is the third wine release…

Portfolio tastings with a wine agency is always very fun and interesting as you get to taste the range of their wines and spirits at one time.  This was my first Charton Hobbs Portfolio tasting, so I was not aware of all the wines and spirits that they handled.  I was quite impressed.  They arranged the wines by table, with…

It is always a treat to have a chance to meet a winemaker pouring their wine and telling you the story behind it, the vintage, the winery, or themselves.  Recently, I had a chance to meet Tim Heath, the wine maker for the New Zealand winery Cloudy Bay, on a sunny fall day.  Cloudy Bay winery, located in Marlborough, is…

Have you ever heard of a portfolio tasting?  Most people probably have not, unless you attend wine tastings on a fairly regular basis.  A portfolio tasting is when a wine agency, like Select Wines & Spirits, pours their selection of wine (and spirits) in a casual (usually) walk-about fashion, where you can taste the wines and talk with the rep…

Have you ever felt like you have a daunting task, but persevere with the hope you will discover a few gold nuggets? I’m sure many BC prospectors felt this as they searched for gold in Barkerville and further north. This is also how I feel when I attend the Colour BC VQA tastings. There are so many BC VQA wines…

Greata Ranch Estate Winery has an envious location.  Just south of West Kelowna, right on the shore of Lake Okanagan.  It’s a beautiful spot to look at the lake, the scenic hills across the water, and to sip wine.  I was recently in Kelowna and thought I’d drop by to visit Greata Ranch as the last time I was there…

Better known by the tremendous success of its white wines, particularly Marlborough’s Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand’s red wines are mostly off the radar for the global market, with the visible exception of Pinot Noir. The “heart break grape” has made its home in Martinborough, at the southern tip of North Island, and in Otago, in the southern end of South…

Chile is blessed with perfect conditions to grow grapes; a varied climate, warmer and drier in the north, and wetter and cooler in the south.  A dry climate and soil types not conducive to the phyloxera louse allow Chilean vineyards to be grown on their own rootstock, not grafted.  Some say that this allows you to taste the “true” flavour…