How to Tour the Okanagan Valley in VIP Style

By |2018-01-21T15:05:00-08:00September 2nd, 2017|Wine, Travel|

VIP Tours: Are they worth it? At the height of summer, wine touring in the Okanagan can get pretty busy. But as the region evolves, so does the range of tasting options. A nominal tasting fee is now the norm—almost always refunded with a purchase. Yet, at a few wineries you can escape the crowds by spending [...]

Tony Aspler: The Five Minute Wine Book

By |2021-06-03T18:23:22-07:00November 26th, 2014|Wine|

Tony Aspler — "a card-carrying member of Pack Rats Anonymous." Tony Aspler—one of Canada’s most prolific wine writers—has again put pen to paper, this time with a fun-to-read memoir that spans 35 years of what he describes as “chasing the grape.” The world of wine is writ large, so what makes Aspler’s ‘The [...]

Vancouver International Wine Festival 2015: Early Bird savings

By |2018-01-21T15:05:14-08:00November 7th, 2014|Wine|

Vancouver Trade & Convention Centre, home to Vancouver International Wine Festival It’s never too early to be thinking about this coming spring’s wine festival—especially if you’re a wallet watcher. Some serious deals are afoot for early birds, right through December 31. This year’s theme country is Australia. And the global focus is Syrah—which [...]

8 Tasting Tips (and more) for the Vancouver International Wine Festival

By |2019-09-23T17:33:38-07:00February 20th, 2014|Hired Belly's Best Wines, Top Drops, Wine|

Next week’s Vancouver International Wine Festival will be one of the most well attended  in the festival’s 36 years. How come it’s so popular? There are a couple of key reasons: Arguably North America’s most important combined consumer and trade wine gathering, it’s a great opportunity for wineries to meet their customers face to face—in [...]

5 Reasons Why You Should Check Out the New Marquis Wine Cellars (Video)

By |2018-01-21T15:05:23-08:00October 17th, 2013|Wine|

Marquis Wine Cellars: a sign of good wine! One of Vancouver's first private wine stores When John Clerides forged ahead with Marquis Wine Cellars in 1986 we were, truly, still in the dark ages of wine retailing in BC. Hear what he has to say about his 27 years in the wine biz—and [...]

Alsace Puts a Spring in Our Palate

By |2018-01-21T15:05:35-08:00April 14th, 2012|Hired Belly's Best Wines, Top Drops|

Up in the lofty surrounds of a marble clad tower high above downtown Vancouver, HiredBelly.com’s cutting edge IT department is still grappling with the challenge of how to present our ongoing Belly’s Best wine picks in a timely and easily accessible way. We’ll let you know when they finally get it figured out. (If they [...]

Winners announced for the Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence in British Columbia Wines

By |2018-01-21T15:05:39-08:00July 5th, 2011|Hired Belly's Best Wines, Top Drops|

VICTORIA – The winners have been chosen for the 2011 Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence in British Columbia Wines. This year 309 wines were submitted from 83 wineries across the province. The winners are: • Howling Bluff Estate Winery 2009 Pinot Noir • Laughing Stock Vineyards 2010 Pinot Gris • Mt. Lehman Winery 2009 Viognier Reserve [...]

When the lens speaks louder

By |2018-01-21T15:05:40-08:00June 27th, 2011|Belly's Budget Best, Top Drops, Wine|

One of our few regrets, we never seem to have enough time to get the photograph we really want. Images are becoming even more crucial these days, especially in the more visually driven on-line world. We like this shot of winemakers Howard Soon and Stephanie Leinemann for any number of reasons, none the [...]

Go to Top