Sam The Wine Teacher 
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
2013 Sauvignon Blanc Santa Rita 120 Valle Central, Chile $10.99 Bronze medal Tasted 2014 07 Very pale straw in colour with light intensity. The nose shows varietal character – grass and gooseberries with a hint of peach. Good balance, crisp and refreshing. Citrus and mineral on the palate with peach flavours lingering on the finish. … Read more
Nestled along the northeastern coast of Italy is the region of Veneto, famous for many things other than its scenic capital of Venice. In the hills 50 km north of the capital are the best wine growing areas. This is land of gently sloping vineyard covered hills, mountains and valleys. While each valley has … Read more
2010 VIP (Port Style) Saxon Estate Winery Summerland. BC $17.32 Bronze medal Tasted 2014 05 This Port style Pinot Noir is garnet red in colour with deep intensity. The nose shows aromas of prunes, black cherries and dark chocolate. The balance is good and the flavours follow the nose with a medium finish. … Read more
Perched atop Burnaby Mountain is Horizon’s Restaurant surrounded by scenic gardens and stunning views of Vancouver, the inlet and the North Shore mountains. I was there recently to celebrate my son and daughter-in-law’s seventh wedding anniversary. It was a beautiful warm summer evening and as we arrived a half hour early, we spent some … Read more
2012 Chardonnay Cedar Creek Kelowna, BC $17.95 Silver medal Tasted 2014 06 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 … Read more