Sam The Wine Teacher 
Who are the ‘small guys’ of the BC wine world? They are several small, wineries, both physical and virtual, which are very specialized and thus produce what’s called ‘small lots’ or under 2000 cases of wine per year. These small artisan producers are modeled on the ‘garagiste’ winemakers of France, who gained attention producing … Read more
Quini is a free wine tasting and rating app developed in Vancouver. While it is designed primarily for the average consumer, it is useful for neophytes and geeks as well. The language is simple, but useful. The whole idea behind Quini is to help consumers discover their wine palates quickly, and wine pros to … Read more
2012 Sauvignon Blanc Mud House Marlborough, New Zealand $18.99 Bronze Medal Lemon yellow with medium-light intensity. Aromas of grass, mineral and grapefruit rind on the nose. Good balance. Crisp on the palate with flavours that echo the nose. A medium finish with lingering acidity. Serve this with fresh oysters or other shellfish. 2014 Brooklyn’s … Read more
I just got back from a quick trip to the southern Okanagan and had just enough time to stop by two favourite wineries, La Stella in Osoyoos and Meyer Family in Okanagan Falls (more on them in later articles). It occurred to me that most people visit this wine region in the summer or early … Read more
There are so many outstanding wineries on the Naramata Bench that it took two floors of Vancouver’s Terminal City Club to host their spring release event. Twenty-four wineries were in attendance including Poplar Grove, Monster Vineyards, Lake Breeze, Terravista, Deep Roots, La Frenz, Perseus, Kettle Valley, Serendipity, Howling Bluff, Upper Bench, Elephant Island, … Read more
2011 Horizon (Bordeaux blend) Wild Goose Okanagan Falls, BC $18.00 Bronze Medal Horizon is a blend of 55% Reserve Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Petite Verdot. Garnet red in colour with deep intensity. A delicate, layered nose showing aromas of earth, plum, cassis, leather, spice and smoke. Good balance with medium plus body. Pleasing … Read more
The 26th Annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards just took place at the Sheraton Wall Centre. It was a wonderful afternoon of sampling bites prepared by the best of Vancouver’s chefs as well as sampling great BC wines to accompany them. Vancouver is home to over 500 restaurants and half of these were nominated for awards. … Read more
Mediterranean? Mmmmmm, my favourite cuisine. You can’t go wrong when you cook with olive oil, lemon, garlic, parsley, fresh seasonal vegetables and seafood all prepared simply with a focus on flavour. Miradoro takes its inspiration from the traditional simple dishes of Italy, Portugal and Spain. These dishes are paired with the best wines the Okanagan … Read more
2011 Gamay Noir Mount Boucherie West Kelowna, BC $15.50 Bronze Medal The 2011 gamay is lighter and brighter than the 2010. Cherry red in colour with medium-light intensity. Earth, smoke and tangy red cherries on the nose. Good balance with medium body. Clean and bright on the palate with flavours of cherry and red currant. … Read more
Evolve Visionary design – dream and ask yourself, “What if . . . ?” Look at things in a new way and try to be kinder to the environment at the same time. Evolve. Rather a good name for this development as the design challenges us to change preconceived ideas about living spaces. How can … Read more