Tag: Rhone

Today I have a bottle of Lou Coucardié Red 2012 from the well-known winemaker, Monsieur Michel Gassier from AOC Costieres de Nimes in the south of France, part of the Rhone Valley. This red wine is a blend of 49% Mourvedre, 35% Grenache, and 16% Syrah, coming from his organic vines. If you wonder what is Lou Coucardié, the winery…

Today I am pleased to open and taste a bottle of Château Pesquié Terrasses Red 2019 from the Ventoux AOC. A wine made with 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah. I will be interviewing one of the owners, Frédéric Chaudière, about his wine and about the AOC Ventoux. The AOC is very interesting as Mont Ventoux controls the temperature of the…

To celebrate BC Liquor Stores’ 100th year anniversary, a collection of rare, premium, collectible wines and spirits will be released on March 13, 2021, at participating Stores.  The collection features many top-rated wines, along with a selection of classics from the finest wine regions of the world. For spirits, BC Liquor Stores will feature whiskies from the most iconic distilleries in…

It’s TIME to review a Viognier and a White Meritage, Bordeaux, blend from TIME Winery. Both are from the 2018 vintage; the first vintage for TIME Winery by winemaker Lynzee Schatz. These were two of the wines offered for tasting during TIME Winery’s International Women’s Day Celebration. At that time I tried their Evolve Cellars Pink Effervescence and their TIME…

Here are two more white Rhone Valley grape varieties that are made by Church & State Wines.  The Viognier and Roussanne grapes come from their Coyote Bowl and Bella vineyards in the south Okanagan.  The soils in these vineyards consist of sand and gravel.  How do these soil types affect wine’s aromas and flavours?  Sand gives fruitiness, elegance, less colour,…

Rhone Grapes Do you know which are the main grapes grown in the Rhone Valley? Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Viognier and Roussanne.  Syrah is making a mark for itself in BC’s Okanagan Valley.  Some say that it could be our signature red grape  I do like Syrah from BC.  Viognier is an aromatic white grape that also does well in the Okanagan…

I was very busy at the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2020.  There were lots of terrific wines from France and around the world, plus the dinners, seminars, and Masterclasses were top notch.  I worked very hard making tasting notes, interviewing winery principals, and trying to learn more about wine so that I can educate you as well.  Below is a…

With France being the theme country for the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2020, there were many more French wineries in attendance than in other years.  And with that many more wines to taste. Which made me very happy.  France has a great variety of red, white, rosé, and sparkling wines, from the range of noble grape varieties.  I spent several…

I enjoy meeting winery principals and having a short chat with them at their table as they are pouring their wines during the Festival Tasting at the Vancouver International Wine Festival.  Here are a few of my recorded video chats for you to hear what they have to say about their winery and/or their wines. France – Theme Country Fabrice…

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…