Sam The Wine Teacher 
In late September I was fortunate to be invited to a tasting of the Mark Anthony portfolio held high above the city on the 24th floor of the Telus Gardens (more about that in another article). The best part of the afternoon for me was a guided tasting of CheckMate Chardonnay. These are exclusive wines; … Read more
Kurtis Kolt, Owen Knowlton, Terry Threlfall, Samantha Rahn and Mike Bernardo. If you enjoy dining out and are a fan of BC wines, you likely recognize a few of these names, but do you know what they have in common? Yes, they are all involved in the hospitality world, but more than that, they … Read more
From the sundrenched rolling hills and narrow valleys of Veneto in northern Italy to Vancouver. . . . . . . To properly explore the wine regions of Italy, the world’s largest wine producer, would likely take a person a lifetime. There are so many regions and unfamiliar indigenous grapes. There is so … Read more
Sometimes when you live in the area, you can be the last to know about new places. When Tasting Plates Port Moody was announced, it gave me the perfect opportunity to visit places I had heard about or driven by, always with good intention to try them some other time. Registration took place at Gabi … Read more
It all began with an email from a major Vancouver media outlet and a name I didn’t recognize. Probably spam, but maybe not, so curiosity got the better of me and I opened it. After all, the subject line said, “Looking for a mead judge”. The person in the email mentioned that the BC Honey … Read more
I have written before about a private tasting group that I have been invited to sit in with from time. The most recent event contrasted BC and Argentinian wines. There were four whites and four reds, of which there were two white varieties and two red from each region. It was a blind tasting as … Read more
One of the things I most enjoy doing is conducting wine tastings for private parties. The most recent one was close to where I live and I knew a few of the dozen or so people who had been invited. It had been decided that we would do three wine wines and three reds at … Read more
Non Vintage Cipes Brut Summerhill Winery Kelowna, BC $25.49 This wine was chosen to celebrate a special occasion and a good choice it was. This traditional method, pyramid-aged wine is a blend of Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay. Pale lemon in colour with a medium-light intensity. The nose shows aromas of wet stones, citrus and … Read more
Colour, is the name given to the BC VQA Fall Release Tasting where BC wineries get to showcase their new wines. For wine aficionados and geeks, this event is like being a kid in a candy store. So many well-made and interesting wines to try and never, never, enough time. People in the wine … Read more
BC Wine Studios’ Mark Simpson is quite a philanthropist. Each year he selects a charity or cause and makes wine to help support them. His first launch helped to build a neighbourhood playground. This year his Neighbour’s Blend was made to help support Mount Pleasant Family Centre. The Neighbour’s Blend is primarily Riesling, … Read more