Even in this accessible age of the internets, there is one hard copy, hefty, tactile tome that I use more than any other resource out there. Wine Grapes is worth its 3kg weight in gold to me, a complete guide to 1368 vine varieties, including their origins
After a long weekend of drinking, eating and drinking (I mean tasting), the GOW team are back at it. Anthony heads down to Sonoma this week, is busy prepping for a trip to Australia next month and I'm working out upcoming travels for Italy. With fall's
Somehow we're a week into October, and mere days from Thanksgiving. As ever, things are busy at GOW with fall releases streaming in the door and planning well underway for our winter holiday coverage. Today, however, we're focused on Top Ten wines for
As Anthony mentioned in his National Wine Awards of Canada article, and as the detailed coverage on WineAlign reveals, competition at the Nationals was tight this year, with the quality of the wines higher than ever before. BC did incredibly well in 2015,
This is the last little lull for a while, the brief pause between the height of summer and the highs of harvest. We've just returned to BC from judging the World Wine Awards of Canada; you can read Anthony's Final Blend report on the competition posted
The countdown is on to Top Drop Vancouver, the city's two-day celebration of craft. The independent event, now in its second year, brings together international terroir-focused wineries, craft breweries, cideries and foodstuffs with the people that
On May 24, 1976, a youthful Steven Spurrier held a seminal tasting of French and American wine known as The Judgment of Paris. On August 25, 2015, Mr. Spurrier, now a consulting editor at Decanter Magazine and Chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards,
The 2015 harvest began in the Okanagan last week, approximately two weeks earlier than 'normal', if there is such a thing as normal anymore. A hot, dry spring and summer has forced the hands of numerous growers to pick earlier than expected, and while
Today, it poured. At least on the south coast of BC, pounding driving rain, thunder and lightening - albeit briefly - before a late afternoon return to blue skies and calm sun. Such is the new reality of global climate change. The weather, the world over,
There’s a place where all devout pinot-philes go. No – it’s not heaven (the golden slopes of Burgundy) or hell (where MegaPurple flows from the faucets). It’s the International Pinot Noir Celebration, colloquially IPNC, and widely
I love drinking rosé wines any time of year, though there is little better than sitting in the warm summer sunlight enjoying a refreshing glass of crisp, dry rosé. Think Pink. Rosés really are the best of both wine worlds, especially
Back home to B.C., and what a glorious weekend for it. After a few months of travel, sights are now squarely focused on preparing for the National Wine Awards of Canada. Anthony and Earl have been busy organizing the 1500 or so wines into appropriate
I'm writing this halfway through a week in Washington State wine country, an intensive tasting and touring adventure to try and determine what makes Washington State wine unique. We're practically neighbours, and I've certainly seen my share of sagebrush,
There's a lot to learn in forty vintages. Of course there's the change in the vines themselves, growing from nimble slender plants to gnarled, burly trunks. There's change in viticultural practices as well, watching the pendulum swing from old school
When you’re buying a bottle of wine for mom, the sky’s the limit – even if your budget isn’t. I’m sure she’s told you many times – it’s the thought that counts. And mom is right, as always. So whether you’re