Everyone says it looks like we're getting married here but Richard Carras (left), who helped put it all together, is just showing us where to sign on the contract! Champagne Charlie was my name! ... In the Footsteps of Champagne Charlie: the challenge was to race around the world using only ground [...]
Paxton & Whitfield, Jermyn Street On my way across London to Heathrow the other day, I had a little time to spare so I decided to check out my old neighbourhood, St. James, where I used to work. Well, actually, it was really an excuse to drop by Paxton & Whitfield, at 93 Jermyn St., [...]
La Source des Fées: in the heart of the Burgundian countryside La Souce des Fées is tucked away in picturesque Fuissé When I was in my early teens my parents arranged a summer exchange with my French pen-pal. I’d already crossed the Channel once (to sing at Chartres Cathedral), a trip that marked [...]
La Roche de Vergisson, in southern Burgundy, presides over vineyards with names such as Les Crays (Chalks), Tim Pawsey photo Pouilly-Fuissé, Burgundy. One day into a whirlwind tour of Burgundy, my very obliging guide, Youri Lebault (Bourgogne Gold Tour), is anxious to make sure I understand the importance of “The Rocks”. (More about [...]
UPDATE: There are still a few tix to be had for this year’s Sun Peaks Winter Festival of Wine (January 12-20, 2013). Take a look at last year’s post and you’ll see it’s a lot of fun—particularly if you’re a skier or into any other winter sports. Sun Peaks is one of those ‘just right’ [...]
... A good intro to Patagonia Barely an hour on the ground in Buenos Aires and we were headed for Experiencia Del Fin Del Mundo for an overview of Argentina wine with Andrés Rosberg (president of the Argentina Sommeliers Association), before a regional tasting of wines from Patagonia. The restaurant (owned by the [...]
Louise Wilson's cool idea to colour your approach to wine When time (between wine) permits, The Hired Belly does like to dabble in the odd book review. But it’s been at least a couple of years since he pulled out his crayons for a colouring book. What have crayons and Cabernet in common—Aside [...]
Rocky Creek’s Linda Holford with José’s Tempranillo, Tim Pawsey photo One thing about Taste Victoria: we never fail to be surprised by something or someone. Often the finds are wonderfully esoteric but usually worthwhile. These are tough times for growers on Vancouver Island—of grapes, or of just about anything. Two unseasonably wet, late [...]
Smart decor, covered patio, Golden Mile vista. Works for me... TP photo Beyond test driving our Zagat equipped Acura, the main reason for last week’s Okanagan swing was to take in the Vinos and check out Black Hills snappy new tasting room—aka Black Hills Wine Experience Centre. Black Hills president Glenn Fawcett, [...]
I started my recent wine tour of the Okanagan Valley a little early, right in Vancouver, to be precise. This time I left behind my own car in favour of a swish, spacious and sporty, titanium 2013 Acura RDX Tech, courtesy of Acura Canada—just like the one in The Avengers! Aside from [...]
