Sam The Wine Teacher 
My son and I recently got back from a three-day road trip. We headed up to Whistler and then Pemberton, stopping at Nairn Falls Provincial Park for a short hike. After that it was on to Lillooet and Fort Berens Winery. Being a wine writer, what else am I going to do on a … Read more
If you happened to see Queen Elizabeth Plaza hidden behind blackout fences recently, I can tell you what was going on behind them. It was the CANCITY Craft Beer Fest. Once upon a time, in the olden days, beer was beer, whether it came from Labatt, Molson or Carling. However, beginning in the early … Read more
2011 Mosaic (Bordeaux Blend) Hillside Estate Naramata, BC $39.99 2011 was a challenging year for making BC red wines, however the better growers cropped heavily, leaving just a few bunches on the vines to ripen and thus were able to make good wines. This wine is garnet red in colour with medium-deep intensity. The … Read more
The Valpolicella appellation of north-eastern Italy is located just north of the city of Verona in the Veneto region and just east of Lake Garda. This is a land of rolling hills covered in vines, olive and cherry trees. This region is steeped in history with impressive villas. The wines here are made from … Read more
Bench 1775, formerly known as Paradise Ranch and later Soaring Eagle, has been rebranded to reflect both a new beginning and its place. Val Tait, with a background in both viticulture and viniculture, joined the team in 2013 and made great improvements in the vineyard knowing full well that this is where good wines … Read more
There were some happy people on Alberni Street the other night. They were the invited guests of The Keg, who were there to sample the Keg’s new Cocktail Hour menu. We were treated to a variety of their new offerings including: Ahi tuna tacos on warm tortillas with cabbage slaw and cilantro, served with … Read more
2016 was the 21st anniversary of the Champagne and Caviar event held at the Vancouver Rowing Club in Stanley Park to benefit amateur sport. This evening of bubbly showcased sparkling wines from many countries and regions other than France, including BC, Italy, New Zealand, Nova Scotia, Spain and California. The Canadian contingent included wines from: … Read more
Earlier this spring, I attended a wine tasting put on by the Okanagan Falls Winery Association. Okanagan Falls lies on the southern shore of Skaha Lake, with Penticton to the north and Oliver to the south. This is the heart of wine country. Okanagan Falls is a wine region often skipped over by wine … Read more
A vertical wine tasting is when you taste several vintages of a given wine from a given winery to see how the wines have changed and developed. Understandably, it is a rare opportunity that few get to experience. The members of the BC Wine Appreciation Society got that opportunity recently when Jeff and Niva … Read more
Have you ever heard of Les Dames d’Escoffier? Probably not. Let me help. From Wikipedia, “Les Dames d’Escoffier was founded in New York City in 1976, in honour of Auguste Escoffier, whom Les Dames’ mission statement credits with having “single-handedly brought the culinary art into the modern era.” Escoffier “elevated the role of cooks … Read more