Tag: Roussanne

March 8 is officially International Women’s Day.  The Côtes du Rhône and Côtes du Rhône Villages AOCs in the south of France put out this press release to show what women are doing in all aspects of grape growing, wine production, and sales in their AOCs.  We too in BC have women working in our wine industry.  It is great…

As I was out in the Okanagan in September visiting a few wineries, I took a few pictures of different grape varieties. We all know the names of different grapes, but what do they look like? Did you know that ripe Pinot Gris skins are not yellow? As they mature they turn a pinkish brown and then purple colour. Below…

Canadian Thanksgiving is on Monday, October 10, 2022.  You may be making a list of ingredients to buy for your Thanksgiving dinner.  A traditional / historical dinner with turkey or ham, brussel sprouts, yam, and mashed potatoes with gravy.  Or you may go other ways with roast beef, salmon, Beyond Meat, or other meat substitutes.  I like to think of…

Can you name the native grapes of the Rhone Valley?  There are the north and south ends of the valley and different varieties.  The main varieties of the north end are Syrah, Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne. The northern Rhone is cooler and the valley has steep hillsides while in the southern Rhone, the climate is more Mediterranean and the terrain…

Today we are going on a journey tasting Rhone grape varieties; Syrah for red grapes, and Roussanne and Marsanne for white grape varieties. You may have heard of Syrah. BC Syrah is quite well-known for its quality, but Roussanne and Marsanne may be new to you. These two white grapes are grown in the northern Rhone region and are typically…

Grape harvest time is special.  There is the beauty of the ripe grapes and the leaves of the vines starting to change colours and the sights, sounds and smells of the grapes as they are sorted, crushed, and pumped to vat or barrel.  And the anticipation of making great wine from the grapes that the winery spent countless months and…

Have you heard about District Wine Village, which opened this summer in Oliver, BC?  It is unique in that a group of wineries, have their production facilities in the same location at the Village.  Many of them are smaller, new wineries, while there is one large, and one medium well-established winery that have production facilities offsite at their winery.  There…

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,…

My first Masterclass at the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2020 was about the wines from the Languedoc region produced by Gérard Bertrand and moderated by Anthony Gismondi.  Gérard Bertrand is the ambassador of the fine wines of Languedoc-Roussillon around the world and owns 16 estates with their unique terroirs in the region.  The Languedoc has, in general, had a poor…

Whatever you are celebrating this December, it’s probably with family and/or friends for a rich meal at some point.  Food loves wine, so here are a few of my recommended wines that should go with many dishes, or to enjoy on their own before or after your meal. My Holiday BC Wine Suggestions White Wines Coolshanagh Chardonnay, Naramata Bench, 2016 ($25.99)…