Tag: Washington

Have you ever heard of Top Drop Vancouver?  It is a festival where 40 hand-selected wineries from around the world come to Vancouver and pour their wines for you.  These wineries have to have a certain level of quality and status in order for them to be invited so that you know you are going to enjoy premium wines. Yes,…

Welcome to Part 2 of my article on the wines of Oregon and Washington that made a visit to Vancouver.  In Part 1, I covered the wines from three Oregonian wineries, which you can read here.  There are so many AVA areas in Washington from the coast to the interior.  I in particular really like the Walla Walla Valley, Red…

Do you know that the most predominant grape variety grown in Oregon is Pinot Noir? It tops out both red and white grape varieties at 59%.  For white grape varieties, 14% of vineyards grow Pinot Gris and 7% grow Chardonnay. I was very surprised that Chardonnay has half the vineyard coverage to Pinot Gris, as I am more familiar with…

As we get to know our wine regions and sub-regions better in North America, in the USA and Canada we have been defining GIs (in BC) and AVAs in the USA.  Today I was notified of two new AVAs across the border in Washington State.  It will be interesting to see how the wines from these two new AVAs differ…

Candy Mountain is the second new AVA in Washington State recently.  It is near the Red Mountain area in WA that produces wines that I really think are great quality.  Here is the Press Release. ~~~ Candy Mountain Becomes Washington’s 16th American Viticultural Area Candy Mountain is smallest AVA in state, with well-drained soils on south-facing slopes SEATTLE (September 25,…

Just as we in British Columbia try to more rigorously define unique small grape growing regions, sub-geographical indication (sub-GI), the same is happening just south of the border with our Washington state neighbours.  Here is a press release about their newest AVA. ~~~ Royal Slope is WA state’s 15th AVA, defined by variation in elevation, slopes and aspect SEATTLE (September 2,…

The Vancouver International Wine Festival 2020 had a GLOBAL CRU Seminar where top wineries from around the world discussed what is meant by “CRU”.  Help put this puzzle together.  There are lots of red wines to make the puzzle challenging.  You can also read about my GLOBAL CRU article here. Here is my source photo to help you along.  …

Although France was the theme country this year at the Vancouver International Wine Festival, there was a great contingent of wineries from around the world and from BC to pour their wines for us.  Below are wines that I enjoyed from countries other than France.  Enjoy! White and Sparkling Wines Cantine Giacomo Montresor Rose Royal Brut NV, Italy – Light…

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…

Valentine’s Day is coming up soon.  Sharing a bottle of sparkling wine with your significant other over a nice meal is always a nice way to go.  Here is a list of 9 sparkling wines that I tasted over the past year that are in the BC market (or available across the border) that I thought you may like to…