What’s very old, feels very new, and very exciting, again. Portuguese wines are in a renaissance, buoyed by the influx of crisp, bright white, and dry, savoury red wines flowing into international markets. Wine lovers, forever on the hunt for new
If any grape has the right to claim an identity crisis, it’s pinot gris. This white wine grape is actually a mutation clone of the black pinot noir grape. The grape’s skin colour varies wildly, sometimes even within the same bunch. Gris,
It’s that time of year again when some of the most interesting winemakers from around the world gather in Vancouver for Top Drop. Now in its sixth year, the little indie festival that could, has, and big time, expanding last year to Calgary, and
Malbec has risen at a comet-like rate the past thirty years, propelled into superstardom by Argentina’s thriving exports. Tucked against or astride the sunbaked Andes, the grape typically showcases full-bodied, intense fruit-forward flavours of
As is the custom, before the current Vancouver International Wine Festival bids farewell to the current theme region, festival chairman Harry Hertscheg announces the upcoming theme region, and in 2020 it will be France. We are thrilled. France is
We're releasing a special Monday Top 10 in honour of the 41st Vancouver winefest. The Vancouver International Wine Festival officially launched last weekend with the extravagant Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction. As you've probably noticed,
This past week has proven that mother nature sure has a sense of humour. After countless photos posted of spring flowers in bloom on the west coast, we've been hit by a snow / ice / wind storm that left us reaching for bigger, warming, comforting reds.
At GOW we certainly advocate drinking sparkling wine liberally and often. But when the temperatures dip, like this frigid week in BC, I reach for sparkling rosé wines. The added fruit, structure and tannin goes a long way in pairing with bigger
I was glad to have a bit of a pause between Anthony's Top 10 most memorable bottles of 2018, out earlier this month, and releasing my personal list. It's not that I needed more time to think of the top bottles I posted on GOW last year; that's easy. It's
Climate change continued to dominate the business of wine in 2018 and has a lot of people looking farther north and farther south for cooler areas suitable for growing premium wine grapes. Note I use the term “premium” as I should, in the
I'm a self identifying wine geek. I have two cupboards full of glassware (though only use Zaltos), a drawer full of corkscrews (though use a trusty white Pulltap) and five bursting shelves of wine books (latest editions are Dr. Jamie Goode's Flawless;
‘Tis the season for entertaining, often unexpectedly. If you’re on your way to an impromptu gathering with friends, or your home is the site for the festivities, it always pays to have some well-priced, well-liked wines on hand. For some crowds,
This week’s top ten recognizes the regionality of BC wine. It’s a concept that, frankly, is taking shape faster in the bottle than on the label, at least from what we see and taste. Until July of this year, there were just five Geographical
There's a reason why Rhône red wines are amongst the most popular blends worldwide. Whether or not from the Rhône Valley, the trifecta of syrah, grenache, mourvedre (GSM) and mates like carignan, cinsault and counoise make for satisfying,
Yes, I know. We've done Top 10s on chardonnay a few times: BC Chard, Cool Climate Chard, NZ Chard just within the last 24 months. But I'm not going to stop. Chardonnay is, quite simply, the best grape ever. It's not just me waxing poetic for this historic