Tag: Ripasso

Italy has been making a big push into Vancouver, and Canada, over the past few years.  Over the past 2 weeks, there have been 3 different Italian wine delegations come to Vancouver to show us their wines.  In some cases the wineries already have representation, but there are many other wineries that are looking for representation.  So this article is…

Wine Meridian a web-based wine magazine celebrating Italian wine dropped by Vancouver this week with 20+ wineries and some of their wines from across Italy to sample.  From Piemonte to Puglia, from Sicilia to Veneto, we had plenty of interesting wines to try. I worked my way through Prosecco and other sparkling wines, through many interesting white wines made with…

What Are Valpolicella Wines? Canada loves Valpolicella wines.  We import 34% of the Valpolicella DOC and 18% of Valpolicella Ripasso DOC according to the Consorzio. According to the Consorzio per la Tutela dei Vini Valpolicella, “Valpolicella is the top red PDO wine in the Veneto region and amongst the most important in Italy. On a regional level, it comes second…

This is my second year attending Top Drop Vancouver, where small-scale producers from around the world show us their hand crafted wines. According to Top Drop, “Our focus is terroir-influenced, handcrafted wines, and the people behind them. W e believe in the importance in farming one’s own fruit and/or being constantly engaged with grape-growers to ensure sustainability and a high…

I must say that Giusti has an outstanding collection of wines from Italy that we are fortunate to be able to purchase and enjoy here in BC.  That is in part because the owner, Mr. Ermenegildo “Joe” Giusti, born and raised in Italy, moved to Vancouver, where he became a very successful businessman in the construction industry.  With this wealth,…

One of Italy’s best known, and expensive wines, is Brunello di Montalcino, which is made from 100% Sangiovese grapes that are grown around the town of Montalcino, which is located approximately 80km south of Florence.  With that being said, why was I in a quaint, family-owned restaurant in Montalcino, drinking wines from Veneto (Venice)? The answer is quite simple.  Simply put, I…

Veneto is a region in Northeastern Italy that has a wide range of wines and styles that you probably have tasted and enjoyed, but never knew where it came from.  When people say “Chianti“, you probably think Tuscany, but if someone says “Prosecco” or “Amarone“, does Veneto jump to the tip of your lips?  Veneto makes a range of wonderful…

Bottega S.p.A. is located in Bibano di Godega (TV), in the Prosecco DOC area and a short distance from the vineyards of Collio, Cartizze, Amarone and Picolit.  We are a few km from Conegliano, the capital of grappa. Halfway between Venice (approximately 50 km), capital of art and culture, and the Dolomites, spectacular mountains, that can be spotted on clear days. It is a…

It is always a special time when a wine agency opens their portfolio of wines for you to taste, review, and recommend.  This past week I had a chance to try the wines from Select Wines’ annual portfolio tasting.  With any tasting of this magnitude there will always be more wines than time to taste them.  I try my best…

We all can learn.  Nothing stays the same.  Things change.  This is true about ourselves, but also about wine regions.  In this case, I attended a seminar to learn about what changes have been going on the last few years in Argentinean wine making.  Barb and Ian Phillps, from Barbarian Wine Consulting, were our hosts for this seminar; both having…