Tag: Vancouver International Wine Festival

What do you know about the wines from Uruguay?  One winery that has consistently been attending the  Vancouver International Wine Festival is Bodega Garzón.  I have enjoyed speaking with Mele Sosa from Bodega Garzón about their wines and tasting them as well for several years.  Uruguay is well-known for red wines made from the Tannat grape, but they also produce…

One of the things I enjoy doing is talking with winery principals at events like the Vancouver International Wine Festival.  This year I spoke with several winery principals from Chile, Argentina, and one from Uruguay.  Here is the first interview at did at VanWineFest 2023 with Jaime Merino the North America Sales Director of Vina Santa Ema from Chile.  Enjoy…

On my last day at the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2023, I attended the Sabor Sudamericano grazing lunch where all participating South American wineries gathered and poured their wines by a selection of South American dishes were being served, and we listened to live music by a Latin band.  It was the best way to end the Festival in my…

Three years ago, in March 2020, I interviewed Dr. Laura Catena from the Bodega Catena Zapata Winery in Argentina at the Vancouver International Wine Festival.  The next week, there was the COVID lockdown that went around the world.  Luckily now that the Festival is back this year to its full program, Dr. Catena came back to the Festival, in part…

This seminar at the Vancouver International Wine Festival helped us learn how California’s landscape and climate shape the Golden State and its wines. Each wine we tasted explored a different aspect of California from the coastline to the mountains, with a winery principal talking to us about the wine and the region.  Our Moderator was DJ Kearney while our panelists…

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…

As I sat down for lunch at the Vancouver International Wine Festival, Evan Goldstein MS provided this year’s keynote speech exploring the importance – and the evolving role – of “place” in wine.  Evan Goldstein is one of just 269 Master Sommeliers worldwide, has authored four books, and co-authored several more. He is a Founding Board Member of the Best…

One of the world’s best vineyards, Marqués de Riscal lives by wine and lives for wine. I joined Brand Ambassador José Luis Maguro Jr. at this perfectly paired dinner dedicated to the shared love of wine. The evening began with canapés, followed by a four-course dinner exquisitely prepared by the team at Homer St. Cafe and Bar. Let me get…

In my previous article, I talked about the top wines that I tasted at the International Festival Tasting Room during VanWineFest 2023.  Those were wines that are in my 4.5 – 5 star range. But as I checked my notes, I saw that I had many enjoyable wines in the 4 – 4.5 star range.  Below are my tasting notes…

To start off the Vancouver International Wine Festival, I attended this masterclass which featured 11 British Columbia wines from across the province, “Defining the Root of BC Terroir“.  Our panellists, the winemakers at the wineries, discussed the unique growing conditions of their vineyard and terroir of the area. There was also some discussion on what BC winegrowers are doing in…