Sam The Wine Teacher 
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
Earlier this year, I was invited to a trade event at the Tap and Barrel in Coal Harbour, near the Vancouver Convention Centre. The occasion was a release of Clos du Soleil wines. Clos du Soleil is a small ten-acre winery located on Upper Bench Road in Keremeos, BC. It was founded in … Read more
If you have some time available May 1st to the 11th, consider heading up to the Okanagan and taking in some of the amazing events happening there. Whether you head to Osoyoos or Vernon or anywhere in-between (even Kamloops), you’re going to find lots to do with nearly two hundred planned events. Over one hundred … Read more
Gray Monk, the original Scenic Sip winery, is one of BC’s best known. The west facing slopes along Camp Road provide good air drainage and capture the sunlight reflected from the lake below. Situated at approximately 50° north latitude, the vines need to capture whatever warmth they can. Gray Monk pays homage to their location … Read more