line up of rosé wine at Vancouver Magazine Wine Awards

The rosé flight. Every home should have one!

I’m working on a redesign for hiredbelly.com wine recommendations, which will include all of the Belly’s Best selections as they run elsewhere. It’s time consuming but I think will be worth the wait and effort. In the meantime, here’s a link to the best list of readily available (in BC) value wines: the results of the 2014 Vancouver Magazine Wine Awards—the tenth edition.

It’s a true honour for me to be included on this panel that includes so many stellar people.

I’m also always gratified—even maybe a tad relieved—when the results of these competitions are released that I’ve already highlighted a number of the winners for “Belly’s Best” over the previous year.

Take time to read Chief Judge D J Kearney’s comments. I think you’ll find them interesting—especially concerning the diversity, regional and varietal spread of the results.

As she says, “The wine world is perpetually in flux.”

Of particular note, the rise of Riesling, (from BC, Germany and Australia), which suggests the variety that once ruled white wine, finally, really is regaining at least some of the respect it deserves.

Overall, there’s a shift, that seems to gather momentum every year, to more structured, less extracted, more finessed and ultimately more food friendly wines—a happy comment on our ever-growing culinary culture.

There’s also a great lineup of bubbles, just in time for the holiday season, including Louis Bouillot and The Bub—among many.

Tuck this list in your wallet, iPhone or whatever PWD (Personal Wine Device) you use. You’ll be glad you did.