Fort Berens, in Lillooet, BC may well be the province's most remarkable winery. Think about it. In vine terms a decade is a barely a blink of an eye. And a couple of decades might be a wink. Yet, where many thought it couldn’t be done—Fort Berens has made its mark in well under 20 years.
After 36 years, a period in which he was instrumental in transforming the Vancouver scene, John Bishop leaves a monumental legacy.
Sustainable seafood trailblazer and pioneering chef Robert Clark has been named a Member to the Order of Canada. (C.M.). The honour comes in recognition of his leadership in helping to found and develop Ocean Wise.
Howard Soon, in Canadian wine terms, is ‘a living legend.’ Yes, I know. He’ll hate me for saying that. But it’s true. And this week it was confirmed by Howard being recognized with one of the highest awards in the country: the Order of Canada. That had me digging back to 2017, for a story [...]
I’ve been following the adventures of Sooke’s Sheringham Gin almost since Day One. So I’m beyond thrilled to hear their Seaside Gin won ‘Best Contemporary Gin in the World’ at the World Gin Awards. I’m especially delighted for Sheringham, in that they embody so much of what it takes to succeed as a small, remote [...]
This year’s Judgment of BC left more than a few BC wineries smiling. In fact, it delivered one of the more even results for the home team in the four years since the tasting started. Most impressive, though, was BC’s showing in the red flight. It’s important to note that the Judgment was never intended [...]
The Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence in BC Wine in its present form has changed, as of today. From now on the ‘LG’s Awards’ will be managed and paid for by the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society. The competition will now be known as the The British Columbia Lieutenant-Governor’s Wine Awards. On reflection, I’ve concluded that this change presents [...]
The Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in BC Wine is unique among wine competitions. Nowhere else, as far as I know, does a panel of judges work so hard to whittle down 486 entries to just 12 wines. (Although, Ontario stages a similar contest, which is modeled on BC’s.) The contest has grown considerably as [...]
Howard Soon has just announced he's retiring from his job as Master Winemaker at Andrew Peller Estates, aka Calona Wines, Sandhill, Red Rooster ... and so on. I figure it’s a really good time to tell the truth about Howard. He’s one of the most sincere people you’ll ever meet in the wine industry—an industry [...]
The just concluded BC Lieutenant Governor's Awards for Excellence in BC Wines is surely one of the most unique competitions anywhere. I'm not aware of any other judging that starts out with over 500 wines from 132 wineries and manages to single out a mere dozen for recognition. (The similar, Ontario LG Awards, modeled on [...]
