A memento of Coonawarra There’s something about this shot of the old Coonawarra train station that pushes so many buttons for me. Yes, I’m a bit of a sentimentalist. I love trains—and have probably taken more than my share of them over the years. I’m also a big fan of Australia—and this photo [...]
Spierhead: an emerging, consistent contender ©Tim Pawsey Looking to to buy for the BC wine lover in your life? Here’s a clutch of more interesting but not that hard to find wines, which individually and collectively show just how much the bar has been raised in the last few years. These bottles, beyond [...]
Wringing more wine from your buck: good value drops under $20 ©Tim Pawsey photoAside from expanding my horizons, one of the reasons I enjoy traveling is the chance to exchange ideas with people from elsewhere. During last week’s swing through Galicia we got chatting about the retail price ‘sweet spot’ that everyone covets. Interestingly, my friend [...]
A rugged coastline reminiscent of Cornwall, maybe Ireland, even Galicia: I’m resigned to the fact that I’m a wee bit obsessed with the place. I’ve just returned from my second visit. It was whirlwind tour of only three days, into which we managed to pack visits to wineries in three sub-regions; enjoy a smorgasbord [...]
Grapes being harvested in Oliver, BC. (courtesy BCWI) Fancy yourself a wine geek? How about this? This week I went to one of the more unusual tastings in which I've participated. The idea was to bring the excitement of the harvest right to Vancouver—for those of us city slickers who aren’t able to make [...]
Izele Van Blerk One thing about the wine biz: it’s always changing—and usually for the better. It’s been a few years since I was in South Africa. But I vividly recall a visit to KWV’s hallowed Cathedral Cellar, for so many years the heart of the ‘old’ South African wine industry. At the [...]
Portugal's stunning Douro Valley. These days, though, there's a whole lot more to Portugal than Port. Portugal is back in the table wine game with a vengeance. No better proof of that than a recent Vancouver visit by a couple of score of key producers. Judging by the excitement in the room the [...]
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 [...]
One of my most memorable moments in New Zealand came when Peter Yealands proudly assured me there were now more vines than sheep, which seemed a good thing. Peter knows a thing or two about sheep: he brought in the first Baby Dolls—Australian miniatures that offer a truly sustainable answer to weed control in [...]
I remember quite vividly the first time I tasted Synchromesh. It was at Okanagan Falls Wineries Association’s (OFWA) inaugural Vancouver tasting.
