Week in Review
Sunday, January 26 2025
01 · 26Buckle Up
As climate challenges and the anti-alcohol lobby loom large for 2025, the real issue is soaring wine prices, threatening to dampen consumption if unchecked. Suffice it to say it will be an interesting year, but one thing will never change. The people making the best wine and selling it at a fair price will be sure to survive. They will be our focus in 2025. To those readers on a restricted budget, we recommend using our search tool to scan the thousands of wines our team is tasting to find authentic wines at the right price. Subscribe to our free monthly newsletter which will feature wine picks worth your time and wallet.
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From Disaster to Short Term ReplacementsThis month, the GOW tasting team offers an early look at some of the replacement, or Crafted in British Columbia wines, made in response...

The Rhone Valley is Leaning WhiteI've just returned from the Rhône Valley, France's second largest wine growing region, producing nine percent of the country's...

Vineyards and ValorExplore the rich history of a time when the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada distinguished themselves in the trenches of France. This...

Who is Pouring Their Best WinesBEST BOOTH LINEUPS AT THE FESTIVAL: Our annual best booths list is an ode to wineries that bring their top wines to the festival. Over...

RieslingIn his book, The Best White Wine on Earth, riesling champion Stuart Piggot makes his case for a wine that is “Diverse, drinkable,...

Holiday Wine PicksSelecting wine as a gift is never easy. So, why not let us help you wrap up and gift with confidence a wine that will never be regifted.
We...
Contributors

From the TreveHouseby: Treve Ring


Top Drop 2025 Recap
A lot has changed since Top Drop’s inaugural vintage, back in fall 2014, but the mandate set forward by founders Kurtis Kolt and Jeff Curry remains the same. “Our focus is terroir-influenced, handcrafted wines, and the people behind them. We believe in the importance in farming one’s own fruit and/or being constantly engaged with grape-growers to ensure sustainability and a high standard of viticultural practices...Read More ...

by: Dr. Merje Kuus


What Does Wine Sell?
There is much concern nowadays about what sells wine, especially to young consumers. What happens if we reverse the lens and ask not what sells wine but what wine sells? What changes if our first question is not how to sell BC wine, but what does BC wine sell? This essay is not about marketing. It is, rather, about probing habitual questions from fresh angles. I seek to broaden our focus from sales figures to the emotional resonances that may not be visible on spreadsheets but shape the long-term pathways of wine regions...Read More ...

Cheese Pleaseby: Allison Spurrell


Famille Rapin Le Maréchal
Le Maréchal was created in the 1990s by the Famille Rapin in Grange-près-Marnand in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland. The family had traditionally produced Le Gruyere but decided to change in 1994 and converted their dairy from Le Gruyere to their creation, Le Maréchal. Le Maréchal is named for the family's great-grandfather, and his likeness is on the label. Even before we knew this, one of my coworkers always called him "grandpa" because she said he just looked like a jolly, friendly grandpa! It sounds like he was a hardworking community member, and I'm sure he would be pleased to have such a great product named after him...Read More ...