Awards

The Medal Counts: 2013 BC Wine Award Results

October 3, 2013
A tough job but ...

Yes, I know, there should be a way more sexy pic here. But that’s all there is: a down and dirty get it done, direct from the action shot that exposes the gritty reality of judging the morning’s first flight. We had planned to have all kinds of intellegent analysis of the awards to offer […]

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Winners: 2013 Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence in BC Wines

June 27, 2013
Judging for the BC Lieutenant Governor

It’s tempting to just run the list without any comment, as the wines tend to stand on their own. And that’s the point. At the outset of this competition back in 2002, more than a few thought that selecting ten or 12 wines from a field of over 100 entries was a well nigh impossible […]

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Chef Hamid Salimian bids farewell to Diva at the Met

May 17, 2013
Chaf Hamid Salimian: on the move TP photo

It’s been only a matter of weeks since we were raving about Chef Hamid Salimian and his remarkable Persian inspired tasting menu at Diva at the Met. But Chef Hamid is on the move.  June 4th, 2013, will be his last day at Diva before he leaves to take up teaching in Culinary Arts at Vancouver Community College. When […]

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Bella Gelateria’s James Coleridge Named an Ace Bakery Artisan

March 30, 2013
No half measures in James Coleridge

Bella Gelateria’s James Coleridge We’re big fans of Bella Gelateria. In part it’s because we never know what the extraordinarily talented James Coleridge will get up to next. Another reason: if you walk by his always-busy storefront at the corner of Vancouver’s Burrard and Cordova, no matter what time of day it is, chances are he’ll be there, working at […]

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Forage Chef Chris Whittaker Sweeps Vancouver Aquarium Ocean Wise Chowder Chowdown

November 22, 2012

Just a day after Forage officially opened, chef Chris Whittaker has been crowned Chowder Chowdown Champion at the Vancouver Aquarium’s keenly contested annual sustainable seafood celebration. Whittaker’s dish wowed not only the critics’ judging panel (on which we assisted) but also walked away with the People’s Choice. It was paired with Granville Island Brewing Kits Maple […]

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BC White Blends Gather Steam: Terravista Figaro & Fandango

August 27, 2012

One of the more intriguing winners in this year’s Lieutenant Governor Awards line-up is the well crafted, southern Rhone inspired Road 13 Jackpot White 2011, which artfully blends Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne (mainly from Similkameen) for a luscious, layered honey and stonefruit toned drop ($29). As BC’s industry continues to mature, more winemakers are exploring […]

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Winners Announced for 2012 Lieutenant Governors Awards for Excellence in British Columbia Wines

July 5, 2012

  This week’s announcement of winners of the Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence in British Columbia Wines marks ten years since the competition’s inception.  Check out the Government House website and you can track the winners over that decade. A roadmap to quality, often charting the rise of new wineries, it makes for interesting reading. […]

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

July 5, 2011

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 • Quinta Ferreira […]

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In Praise of Spitting: Random Thoughts on Wine Judging

July 2, 2011

In anticipation of next week’s BC Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence announcement, we thought we’d revisit this column about wine judging that ran in the North Shore News a while back. Some folks have moved on to other things but … well, you’ll get the gist.   Sometime this summer, when you were busy devouring […]

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When the lens speaks louder

June 27, 2011

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 least of […]

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