Flight of fancy, complete with 'silver bullet' Last week I was privileged to spend the best part of three days with a very focused group of wine judges from BC, across Canada and Kansas City. I’m convinced that, aside from an overall willingness to truly work together, the right setting enhances the process. As it [...]
Okanagan Falls: not a bad spot for a scenic tasting! The more focused evolution of the Okanagan’s specific wine regions continues, as sub-appellations seem likely to become a reality. Witness the progress of the Okanagan Falls Wineries Association. Last Friday night’s Party in the Park was just that: a delightful evening of wine [...]
2014 Lieutenant Governor Award winners for Excellence in BC Wine The winners of last week’s keenly contested Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence in BC Wine are announced by Government House this morning. As always, the final outcome was interesting because somehow we managed to select (from 436 entries between 119 wineries) just 12 wines [...]
Joie Noble Blend: Topping the list ... (note this is my glass, look below for the glass in question...) I’ll admit that I am a little bit late to the party on this one. But it’s still a deal worth mentioning. All of last month and into June, local Vancouver BC VQA wine [...]
The View's Hail Mary white blend. More than just a wing and a prayer Yesterday’s BC Bloom spring release tasting yielded up a wealth of wines, especially in the category of decent white blends, which I’m gearing up for summer. (We also judged a whole bunch of them at the All Canadian Wine [...]
Golden Mile Bench member and Fairview owner Bill Eggert talks soil: ultimately, it really is 'all about the dirt' My notice regarding yesterday's news about the Golden Mile Bench arrived too late for me to add anything to the release. Here's what I've written for the North Shore [...]
A plethora of rosés It’s always interesting to see what pops out at the end of major competitions. And this past week’s All Canadian Wine Championships proved no exception. Fourteen judges from across Canada (plus one from Michigan) were hunkered down in cosy 100-year-old Angeline's hotel, in Bloomfield, Prince Edward County. It’s the [...]
I remember quite vividly the first time I tasted Synchromesh. It was at Okanagan Falls Wineries Association’s (OFWA) inaugural Vancouver tasting.
Osoyoos beach from the Watermark Resort The Osoyoos ‘Oyster’ Festival? Seriously? I must admit, I was just a tad surprised when I first heard of the idea. After all, burgeoning bivalves is maybe not the first thing that come to mind when you consider the sandy (rock free), shores of the South Okanagan’s [...]
A ground-breaking collaboration: Marc du Soleil, made by Long Table Distillery, TP photo The Hired Belly has attended more than few winemaker dinners. But some remain etched in my memory. The very first was when Howard Soon (now Peller Estates’ chief winemaker, then Calona Vineyards’) dropped by the original Raintree, in [...]
