When you order, ‘a glass of white wine’, chances are you’ll be served a chardonnay, as these days, it tends to be synonymous with white wine. However, there was a time, before the late 1970’s when Riesling was THE white wine. And for good reason: Riesling tends to pair with a wide variety of … Read more
Taking advantage of the fact that Vancouver was teeming with winery owners and winemakers, the BC Wine Appreciation Society held it’s own mini wine festival. It was scheduled to coincide with the weekly Wednesday night #BCWineChat that takes place on Twitter. BC Wine Chat is the brainchild of Tinhorn Creek owner Sandra Oldfield. Each week, … Read more
2013 Pinot Noir (Optimum) Gehringer Brothers Oliver, BC $20.99 I wasn’t impressed when I first opened this wine. I was quite surprised that I purchased it, if it hadn’t been very good at least. Then after it had some time to breathe and open up, wow. Garnet red with medium-deep intensity. The nose is layered … Read more
Two things that we can be very proud of in British Columbia are our wines and food. An annual event that brings those two together is ChefmeetsBCGrape. The event was held last Thursday at the Convention Centre East. The evening featured more than 90 BC wineries pouring over 350 award-winning Wines of British Columbia, with … Read more
My son and I recently got back from a three-day road trip. We headed up to Whistler and then Pemberton, stopping at Nairn Falls Provincial Park for a short hike. After that it was on to Lillooet and Fort Berens Winery. Being a wine writer, what else am I going to do on a … Read more
Are you ready for some great adventures? The place to be for guaranteed adventures is Lillooet for the inaugural Lillooet Outdoors Festival coming up on May 27-28. Neil Curtis from Green Earth Strategies, and one of the organizers of the festival explained, “Lillooet offers an incredible bounty of outdoor activities. The Lillooet Outdoors Festival … Read more
This week it’s all winter warming BC reds including a trio of Cabernet Franc. 2012 Syrah C.C. Jentsch Cellars Summerland, BC $29.90 Garnet black in colour with deep intensity. Aromas of earth, dark fruit, spice and cocoa on the nose. Good balance. Bright fruit dominated the palate followed by a medium-long finish. A good wine … Read more
The Rise of British Columbia Wine Tourism A stellar wine touring year for BC wineries, and the season is far from over! Wine tourism in BC is on the rise, reporting a record high in visitors and sales this year, and gaining accolades as a world-class wine destination from publications and wine critics around … Read more
Backyard Vineyards Winemaker James Cambridge took us on a tour of Backyard Vineyards. He greeted us with a glass of Blanc de Noir – a refreshing Pinot Noir sparkling wine – very nice with delicate fruit on the nose and palate and good mousse. This winery, which opened as Glenugie, has been around since 2002 … Read more
When I read Chef Jean-Francis Quaglia’s recipe for Heirloom Tomato and Nectarine Salad with Grilled Prawns and Basil Oil, my mouth watered. Sounds delicious doesn’t it? Drop into Provence Marinaside, at 1177 Marinaside Crescent (at the foot of Davie Street) and give it a try. For a salad, I’d opt for a light white fruity … Read more