WHITES 89 Paul Mas Viognier 2008 L'Hérault, Vin de Pays d'Oc, Languedoc, South of France, France BC $14.00 specialty listing Jean Claude Mas blends viognier fruit from cool and warm sites using young and old vines and relatively low yields
A few thoughts this week, beginning with the very positive update on the Cellared in Canada (CiC) issue. As we reported Friday, the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch (BCLDB) has completed its investigation into the murky labelling issue and, after
The current October-November issue of Wine Access magazine is on newsstands across the country, touting some of the best value wines in the country -- at least the ones that retail for less than $25. This year more than 1,000 wines were reviewed at the
The final details are still being worked out before the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch introduces provincewide changes to its store layouts and signage in response to the Cellared in Canada label controversy. Customers are also likely equally
St. Emilion, Bordeaux. Remarkable, incroyable, fantastique and amazing are only a few of the positive descriptors I heard the normally ultra conservative Bordelais winegrowers utter last week to describe the quality of the 2009 harvest in the St. Emilion/Pomerol/Fronsac
When you meet Antonio Bravo it is not hard to understand why his wine has that special something you can't put your finger on. The 39-year old winemaker began his working life as an agricultural engineer but it wasn't long before he turned his attention
Attending a tasting featuring 30 Sonoma County producers reminded me of how much I enjoy the style and poise of northern California wines. Sonoma owes most of its quality and refinement to its geographical position alongside California's cool Pacific
Last week's stories on "Cellared in Canada" have touched a raw nerve with wine drinkers and have been the topic of conversation just about everywhere I've been this week. While many people think the labelling issue should be cleaned up, just as many people
It has been a tough summer for Canada's wine image, under attack from the likes of respected English wine writer Jancis Robinson, the esteemed newsweekly the Economist, the world's largest-selling wine magazine the Wine Spectator and several unhappy Canadian
Hands up if you purchased a ticket to a winemaker dinner only to discover upon arrival that no winemaker was in attendance. While I'm often disappointed at this scenario, too, I've also attended enough winemaker's dinners to know that public speaking
There is often no way to describe Canadian liquor laws to foreigners other than to turn to Oliver Twist and the logic of Mr. Bumble. When faced with a charge of stealing jewelry, he outed his wife, claiming she was the guilty one: "It was all Mrs. Bumble."
Earlier this summer we mentioned feeling -- or should I say tasting -- a surge from the B.C. wine industry led by some individual producers with lofty personal goals and even higher aspirations. The push to raise the quality bar appears to be back on,
Bits and pieces waiting for columns that never materialized are the story this week, beginning with a thought that B.C. wines are much improved this year. There's a lot of hometown hype in this market, but that aside, I see some positive developments
When a single grape makes you think of a specific country or region, people in the wine business refer to it as a signature variety. Some well-known pairings include sauvignon blanc and New Zealand, pinotage and South Africa and cabernet sauvignon and
Our current Top Ten tasted plus ties...ag 91 CedarCreek Cabernet Sauvignon Platinum Reserve 2006 Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada BC $45.00 winery direct, VQA and private wine shops This has about as elegant styling as you will find
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