By the time the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival comes to an end in early April, you should be a lot more comfortable drinking Spanish wine. Spain grows a variety of grapes but the revered tempranillo remains its calling card and like many
If you've been thinking about attending a tasting or lunch or dinner or more at the coming 33rd Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, be forewarned: More than half the events are already sold out. There will be few tickets left by
Premiere Napa Valley -- the annual trade auction of the Napa Valley Vintners -- offered a glimpse recently into the slowly recovering American wine market. It's not all rosy in the wine valley Robert Mondavi built, but a late auction bid of $125,000 for
The F-word, as in fortified wine, will be fully explored at the upcoming Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival and it can't come soon enough for wine drinkers. Diversity has become a dirty word among most mainstream wine buyers who lean far
Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival tickets are selling briskly, so it won't be long before the annual wine bash is upon us. In 2011, it's Spain's year and while the lineup of Spanish wineries is spotty, it more or less reflects the strength
Remember when everyone was drinking shiraz and I don't mean Syrah. Less than a decade ago, Australia wine was the darling of this market and dozens of delicious shiraz produced by mostly family-run wineries, and a few larger brands, were at every house
Most international winery types I meet are stunned by the progressive nature of wine consumers in British Columbia, especially when it comes to screwcaps. It seems we were early adopters and have embraced the closures with barely any resistance. You will
One of the things you get used to when you live on the West Coast is the rain. Add a little fog and a bit of wind and you have a great day for tasting or storm watching. Last week I found myself in Tofino amid the rain and fog and wind and I couldn't
I began the week in the windy, rain-swept Vancouver Island towns of Tofino and Ucluelet and wrapped up my travels in Hollywood, Calif., tasting Australian wine. Despite their proximity to the Pacific Ocean, the three communities are as different as day
How will your restaurant survive another year in Vancouver? Here's an idea: Why not create a wine list that attracts customers instead of driving them away? Before you go listing every wine your customers have never heard of to build a look-what-I
Before we get too far into the New Year I wanted to look back at some of the best and worst moments in wine for 2010. For Chateau Lafite Rothschild its best moment may turn out to be a worst for many of us. On October 29, in Hong Kong, a case of the 2009
On this New Year's Day I've been thinking about what I really want to drink this year and most of the time my thoughts come back to what I do not want to drink: nameless, faceless wines top the list and, I'm sorry to say, it's a long one. It's
What will you be drinking on New Year's Eve? Convention says sparkling wine, and I say why mess with tradition? As suggested earlier this year, under the new 0.05 drinking-and driving regulations most of us will be partying at home where there is no added
It wasn't all that long ago you had a month to get organized for Christmas dinner. Well, for all you procrastinators out there, you now have one week to get the job done. If you have already experienced the weekend's most dreaded question: "Make sure
Just a heads-up today about the remarkable number of LTOs or Limited Time Offers you can find in B.C. liquor stores this month. In essence, they are on-site sales designed to grab your attention while you are in the aisles. I mention them because this
Christmas arrives on a Saturday this year and while there are 20 days ahead, there are only two full shopping weekends left before the big day. Translation: Get those holiday wines organized this week while the stores are less crowded and selection is
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