It's time for our annual look back at the year in wine. That means an assessment of 12 months of tastings, meetings, tastings, travel and, you guessed it, more tastings. The idea is to use all the information gathered to come up with a dozen affordably
Just in the Nick (ho-ho) of time, here’s a few thoughts on giving wine as a hostess gift as you head out to parties over the holiday season. There are no formal rules about taking your host a gift, nor should one be expected, but it doesn’t
It’s Round 2 of our two-part column of must-have holiday pours this week. Today we explore the all-important world of red wine. Once the powerhouse of retail, red wine has suffered an image setback of late, with so many manufactured wines one
’Tis the season, and holiday parties are in full swing. We kick off the festivities this week with the first of a two-part (white, then red) column of must-have holiday pours. The growing interest in white wines is gratifying to this writer,
Style is one of those words you aren't supposed to use when you write about wine because it means different things to different people. But like it or not, champagne has style and if you taste enough, or simply pay attention to what comes your way over
This year we have focused on a dozen wines you should be able to find in government stores and or private wine shops. Each will give you the confidence that you have put some thought into your purchase. You can dress up any bottle with a set of quality
Some 30 years down the wine path I’m still baffled by the North American resistance to open, share, and drink sparkling wine on a regular basis. Oh sure, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings — almost any life changing moment —
Back in July, Olivier Bernard asked me if I would like to draw up a vintage report on behalf of the Union des Grands Crus, I have been producing my own little report on the harvest for many years now, but this would be different: much earlier and also
You need only meet Nicolás and Elena Catena once to sense they are as genuine as the towering Andes Mountains that frame their Mendoza vineyards. Speaking to a sold out crowd at the 2014 Wine Summit Lake Louise at the Post Hotel &
The summer solstice arrives today and while technically the days will begin to grow shorter, most of us will celebrate the arrival of warmer, drier weather for the next three months. Vancouver will experience an amazing 16 hours, 15 minutes and one second
I learned long ago that colour doesn't really matter when it comes to wine, at least as a guide to quality. It is even easier to say that in 2014, because both viticulturists and winemakers have an endless bag of tricks to draw from when it comes correcting
For most wine drinkers, the holy grail of wine lies somewhere among the grand cru climates of Burgundy and the equally exalted first-growth sites of Bordeaux’s famed Haut-Médoc. Both French regions have been responsible for some amazing bottles
Since the inception of VQA in 1989, B.C. wine bottles have been marked with precious little geographic information. A group effort led by the wineries of the day and government determined five, broad designated viticultural regions that could appear on
After a week in the south of France, I confirmed there islittle doubt the rosé colour of choice is pale pink with a twist of sunsetorange. When it comes to rosé worldwide, the colour of money in2014 is pink, pale pink. True,
Golden Mile Bench Proposes to become Okanagan Valley's First Sub-Appellation Oliver, BC (May 21, 2014) - Wineries located on the Golden Mile Bench wine growing area near Oliver in British Columbia have submitted a proposal to become the first official