Sam The Wine Teacher 
Look out! Pacific Breeze, New Westminster’s urban winery, has just released their latest AssasZin vintage. The grapes for this Zinfandel wine come from Lake County in northern California and it is delicious. People who dropped by for this latest tasting were treated to four tastings, their ‘I Can’t Remember’ white blend, the Reserve Chardonnay, an … Read more
2010 Garnacha Breca Calatayud, Spain $24.99 Silver Medal This wine, now four years old is ruby red in colour with medium-deep intensity. Blackberry, earth and spice aromas on the nose with a hint of bright cherry. Well balanced with firm ripe tannins. The flavours echo the nose with a medium finish. Serve with roasted meats … Read more
Well, I’m not a student of history, but I am willing to bet that there has never been a “Battle of Pinotage”. However, such an event took place just recently at my home. Let me explain. It all started out when I was in my local VQA store and noticed that The View Winery had … Read more
2011 Chardonnay (McLean Creek Vineyard) Meyer Family Okanagan Falls, BC $26.09 Silver Medal Lemon yellow in colour with medium intensity. Toast, butter, apple and citrus on the nose. Well balanced with good mouthfeel. Varietal character on the palate and a medium-long finish. 2010 Chianti Rufina (Sangiovese) Frescobaldi Nipozzano Riserva Italy $24.99 Bronze Medal … Read more
Commercial Drive Brunch Crawl When’s the last time you spent a day strolling along Commercial Drive? From Venables, south to 12th Avenue, there are a plethora of funky shops and eateries. You could spend a month eating your way around the world with restaurants featuring cuisine from Mexico, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Jamaica and Italy to … Read more
2012 Shiraz Serafino McLaren Vale, South Australia $27.99 Silver Medal This highly rated Australian shiraz is certainly a cut about the others. Garnet black in colour with deep intensity. The nose shows aromas of red and black fruit with layered chocolate, spice and earthy notes. Well balanced with firm ripe tannins. Bright fruit and spice … Read more
So sometimes we get a little busy and overlook a post that should have been published awhile ago. This is exactly what happened with Wine Weekend. But because the reviews are still relevant today we thought it would be a shame to not share. Well, it was a busy wine weekend. On Saturday, I was … Read more
2012 Chardonnay Cedar Creek Kelowna, BC $17.95 Silver Medal This chardonnay has a small amount of pinot gris added to it. Lemon yellow in colour with medium-light intensity. The nose shows aromas of tropical fruit, pineapple and a hint of banana. Good structure. Eleven months of sur lees aging give it a creamy mouthfeel. Well … Read more
A friend was in town for a visit and mentioned he wanted to check out the craft beer scene so we checked on line for craft beer Vancouver, made a list and headed off for East Vancouver. Parallel 49 at 1950 Triumph Street was our first stop. We went in, met Angie and selected four … Read more
I caught up with BC wine guru John Schreiner at the Clearbrook library recently where he was speaking on wine as a part of their Fine Food Series. Other lectures in this series focus on Olive Oil and Vinegar, Honey and Coffee. John discussed his latest book, “John Schreiner’s Okanagan Wine Tour Guide” and a … Read more