It's been said that no one knows all of the indigenous Italian grapes. No one - not even when their Latin winegrowing, vine tending, wine producing genes date back 20+ centuries (and countless before) in Italy. The Etruscans and Greek settlers
You say grigio, I say gris. You think thin and crisp and I think full and rich. And that's just within BC. Poor BCPG. If any grape can claim identity crisis, it’s pinot gris. A white mutation clone of the black pinot noir, gris' skin colour
What is natural wine? As we found out talking to a number of winemakers, growers, consultants and experts at last month's Vancouver International Wine Festival, it's as unclassifiable as Mother Nature herself. The exact definition of natural wine
Though sémillon changes dramatically from youth through old age, it always carries itself with an air of nobility. With berries of golden rose, young sémillon shows bright, sometimes racy acidity, citrus and hay/herb notes. With bottle age,
We survived another busy VIWF week. Between moderating seminars and panel contributions, minglers, dinners, lunches, brunches - not to mention the International Tasting Room floor - we tasted hundreds of wines this week, most of them Canadian. In addition
There are more than 180 wineries at this year’s Vancouver International Wine Festival. While theme region Canada is strong with 76 wineries representing, there are 15 other countries participating. With each producer pourig four wines for the public,
Yes, Valentine's Day is coming. We're all about treating yourself or your special someone to a lovely bottle of wine. Please! But you don't need an excuse to drink pink fizz. However, Valentine's Day may just provide you with a reason to stock up on a
This week the GOW Top Ten takes a look at New World pinot noir, or should we say Next World pinot noir. First time pinot noir drinkers usually succumb to its silky, juicy fruit while veteran swillers simply admire the concentration and depth of flavour
Chinese New Year 2017 begins January 28, kicking off two weeks of celebrations honouring the Rooster. Befitting such an important celebration, there will be much feasting, prompting the familiar question, “Which wine to pair with Chinese food?” That’s
It wasn't so long ago that Aussie and Shiraz were inseparable, at least on our local wine shelves. And while shiraz still led the 2016 red crush by tonnage at 46%, it was down slightly from 2015, while the second place cabernet sauvignon was up by 20%,
We all know them. Maybe we’ve even been one ourselves. That person, come January, who swears off alcohol in a New Year, new start, liver cleansing, clean living, Dryuary. Yes – post-holiday restraint and moderation is a smart and healthy move.
We're continuing into 2017 with a final look back at 2016 and our top scoring BC wines tasted last year. Our Top 10 has expanded into a Top 18, with wines scoring 93 and 92 points. Even so, there are only a dozen wineries represented here. No surprise
We have logged a lot of miles and a lot of wines as we close in on 2000 reviews for 2016. It’s actually just a fraction of the wines we’ve tasted when you consider the bottles presented in tastings, restaurants, vineyards and just about anywhere
Style is one of those words you are not supposed 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