Tag: Whitehaven

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…

Whitehaven Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020 (NZ $22) Classic, punchy, passionfruit-packed and citrus-saturated Sauvignon Blanc here from one of Marlborough’s original wine families. Its whipcrack acidity gives it a cleansing, texture and accentuates the basil, lime and tomato leaf layers. It’s a soothing, saucy wine that’ll satisfy even the fussiest of crowds. For more information about this wine go to http://www.whitehaven.co.nz…

New Zealand is well-known for producing fresh vibrant Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir wines; both cool climate grapes.  But with global warming warmer climate grapes like Chardonnay, Merlot, and Syrah are also successfully grown and produce quality wines in New Zealand.  Recently I attended a New Zealand trade tasting, and many of my favourite wines were Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot…

Did you know the first recorded planting of grapevines in New Zealand was at the Bay of Islands in 1819?  Wine was being made by Scottish, French, and Croatians making a new life in New Zealand.  But powdery mildew, phylloxera, and prohibitionists together brought a halt to wine production.  In the early and mid-1900’s wine production grew very slowly, but the…

Beside the theme country every year in the Festival Tasting room of the Vancouver International Wine Festival, there are all the other wineries from countries around the world offering their wines for you to try.  Below are 15 wines that I thought were excellent.  Some may be in BC liquor stores and others may have only been available during the Festival….

Yes, Pinot Noir is the signature red wine grape for New Zealand, and Sauvignon Blanc is their signature white grape.  I asked this question as Sauvignon Blanc can get most of the world’s attention with its greater extent of vines (at 20,497 ha as of 2015), compared to the next largest production of Pinot Noir at 5,514 ha.  Pinot Noir…

Did you know that Sauvignon Blanc has been grown in New Zealand for over 40 years?  It all started in Marlborough on the South Island in 1973 and has spread north and south.  Before there was Sauvignon Blanc growing in Marlborough there were sheep grazing.  New Zealand still has a lot of sheep; many more than there are people, but…

Easter is a big holiday for many of us, where we get together with family and enjoy a big dinner. Easter is also leading us into Spring. Flowers are already blooming here in Vancouver, and I’m sure it will come soon in the rest of Canada.  Below are a few suggestions that I posted a few years ago.  As I…

New Zealand, a land with maritime and mountain plateau climates nearby, each producing wines from the same grapes with different styles, flavours, and aromas.  Unique terroir.    For such a small island, they produce a significant amount of wine.  The vineyards cover 34,270 hectares in 2012; growing at least 25 different varieties of grapes (more than Pinot Noir and Sauvignon…

Wow, the Vancouver International Wine Festival was sure busy for me. I attended a dinner, a lunch, a seminar, and visited the Festival Tasting room 3 times. I was able to speak with many winery principals from California, which is always interesting. They can tell you background information about the winery or a particular wine they are pouring for you. Some…