Sam The Wine Teacher 
At the end of July, I was lucky enough to attend the International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) at Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon. The 27th annual event was held over three days with many activities, including lectures, guided tastings, winery tours and a salmon barbecue. Lectures covered subjects in geology, history, chemistry, and geography. … Read more
As the end of September approaches, many men and women are busy checking their supplies, checking last year’s notes, cleaning equipment and getting ready for the upcoming harvest. Who are these people? They are home winemakers who are eagerly awaiting the arrival of this year’s grapes. Some have put their orders in months ago … Read more
Yes, there’s a new restaurant in town and what a place it is. The media launch for the Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar was held earlier this month and a lavish event it was. We were greeted outside by a string trio and welcomed with a glass of Taittinger Brut Reserve Champagne. Inside, David … Read more
“Summer’s almost gone” or so the Doors sang. Well, not quite, there’s still lots of good weather ahead and lots of time to enjoy drinking that quintessential summer quaff, rosé. Rosés are made in the same manner as white wines, in that they are fermented after the grapes have had a short contact … Read more
2013 Pinot Noir (Red Carpet) Cassini Cellars Oliver, BC $17.87 Bronze Medal Tasted 2014 07 Garnet red colour with medium intensity. Sour cherry raspberry, vanilla with a hint of earth on the nose. Good balance with a sweet entry. Ripe cherry and red current flavours. A medium finish. 2010 Chardonnay Meyer Family Okanagan Falls, … Read more
2012 Freudian Sip (White Blend) Therapy Naramata, BC $17.50 Bronze medal 2014 07 This secret blend is pale straw in colour with medium-light intensity. Granny Smith apple, peach juice and citrus aromas on the nose. Good balance. Dry apple, melon, citrus and mineral on the palate. A medium-long finish. 2012 Pink Freud (Rosé) Therapy Naramata, … Read more
What do you get when two retired school principals join forces to start a small business? A tutoring service? A consulting service for school districts? Those would be good guesses, but you would be way off base! What you get is a most unlikely business: creating gemstone and multi-metal jewelry! So how did these two … Read more
Pacific Breeze is a small urban garage winery located in an industrial park in New Westminster, just off Stewardson Way. Opened in 2005, it has had more than it’s fair share of acclaim, picking up numerous awards for its wines starting with its very first vintage. Until 2014, it didn’t make any wines that qualified … Read more
If you find yourself in Bellingham and are in the mood for sushi, give Kuru Kuru a try. This place is different from the typical Sushi restaurant where you sit down and order from a menu. Here, you can sit in front of a conveyor belt (also known as a ‘sushi go around’ or … Read more
Backyard Vineyards Changes in ownership and the resulting name changes are not uncommon in the BC wine industry. Backyard Vineyards, located at 3033 232nd Street in Langley, opened up in 2002 under the name Glenugie. Gary Tayler, the original owner named it after his wife’s family’s farm in Scotland. Unfortunately, Gary’s wife Christina died … Read more