Sam The Wine Teacher 
New Westminster’s Vagabond Players must be doing something right, as this is their 77th season. I just attended their production of Fawlty Towers, written by the legendary team of John Cleese and Connie Booth. The play features three of the original twelve television episodes: Gourmet Night, Waldorf Salad and The Germans. Director Casey Por … Read more
At Westwood Wines this week, they are tasting wines from 50th Parallel Estate on Friday, June 13th and new releases from Cassini Cellars of Oliver from Saturday June 14th to Tuesday June 16th. Alice, a representative for 50th Parallel will be in the store on Friday, from 4 to 7 to pour wines. … Read more
What could be better than tasting some wines at a winery and then walking a few steps to have lunch with one of the wines just tasted? Located at Chaberton Winery, Bacchus Bistro is a hidden gem located at 1064 216th St. in south Langley. It was a Wednesday afternoon and after a scenic … Read more
2011 Pinot Noir Synchromesh Okanagan Falls, BC $28.99 Dark cherry red in colour with medium intensity. Faint dark cherry and sweet spice on the nose. Good balance with firm tannins and medium body. Some pleasing flavours on the palate. A medium short finish. This young wine needs time to develop. 2012 Pinot Noir … Read more
Monday, May 5th, Cinco de Mayo, and this cool overcast day is not a day for Spanish wines, but it is appropriate for French wines and I’m off to the Renaissance Vancouver Harbourside Hotel for the French Wine Connection, a trade tasting of wine, spirits and beer. My plan is to focus on the … Read more
What should you expect when you walk into the Calabash Bistro on Carrall Street, between Hastings and Pender? Expect the unexpected. Some people go for the food; others go for the music. This is a friendly, unassuming eatery decorated in bright Caribbean canary yellow and red. Owner Roger Collins, originally from St Kits, has … Read more
Well if you are looking for an app to help you pair food and wine, help you decipher wine terms, or store photos and notes of your favourite wines, there is indeed an app, or more accurately, many apps for that. Here is a sampling of some of them. Wine Terms A dictionary of wine … Read more
Two weeks ago, in Vancouver, Haywire and Bartier/Scholefield went head to head with their Rosés. It was a good publicity event as Michael Bartier and David Scholefield have been winemaking partners at the Okanagan Crush Pad for some time and produce wines under a variety of labels. Upon my arrival, Leann Froese, of Town Hall … Read more
A friend from Ottawa was in town for a meeting, so we met downtown at his hotel and went for a walk along English Bay to Third Beach in Stanley Park. Then we headed back via Lost Lagoon and Robson Street. We were debating where to eat and passed by Earl’s and Milestones looking for … Read more
Tucked in off Goldie Road in Winfield, just north of Kelowna, is one of the more recent Scenic Sip wineries. In 2008, Roger Wong, his wife Jillian and another couple, Ross and Geri Davis, opened the winery. Roger is a noted winemaker, having worked previously at Gray Monk and at the former Pinot Reach (now … Read more