You have to hand it to John Clerides. He’s always been ahead of the curve. John’s the man behind Marquis Wine Cellars, which was one of the very first private wine stores anywhere in British Columbia. We were among the first through the door when he managed to wrangle a license in 1986—the [...]
All too often, the role of BC wine has been overlooked... As you can see from elsewhere here, and from the crescendo this week of the on-line buzz surrounding the live launch of this year's 200 plus menus, Dine Out Vancouver has more than earned its place as the country's biggest restaurant promo of its [...]
This is the time of year when a lot of people who don’t buy wine very often find themselves standing in front of liquor store shelves scratching their heads. Here’s a grab-bag of good value labels we’ve featured during the past several months as ‘Belly’s Budget Best’ picks in our various columns. You’ll [...]
Back Yard Vineyards: a fun, eye-catching label, plus plenty to please in the glass, Tim Pawsey photo Looking for a special bottle for that hard to please wine geek in your life? Yesterday we sipped a glass of the first vintage sparkling wine to (officially) come out of the Fraser [...]
A few tastings come around each year which we consider ‘don’t miss’ dates. Some are pretty obvious, such as when Penfolds senior winemaker Peter Gago comes to town, or Yalumba’s irrepressible ambassador Jane Ferrari. However, it might surprise you learn that another worthwhile event on our calendar has turned out to be the [...]
This last week saw one of the highlights of our tasting year: judging for the Annual Vancouver Magazine International Wine Awards. Three panels worked their way through 850 wines over three days to come up with the top 100 Best Values and, ultimately, one in each of the tasting categories for a top [...]
Recently we broke bread (and sipped some excellent '05 Burrowing Owl Cab) with Jeremy Roncoroni. He’s the dynamo behind Vancouver’s St. Regis Hotel (602 Dunsmuir St., 604-681-1135), who’s been busy turning that property into one of the city’s most successful boutique business properties. How successful? You should check out what guests are saying [...]
Followers of BC's burgeoning wine industry will be interested in the results of the 2010 Okanagan Fall Wine Festival judging. The Hired Belly participated in the newly named BC Wine Awards, on one of the best panels we’ve judged with to date, run by Master of Wine Rhys Pender, and including: Benoit Beaudet, [...]
We know of no more fervent advocate for the advancement of sake than Masa Shiroki. The dynamo behind Granville Island’s Artisan Sake never rests in his efforts to convert more people to the idea of matching sake with food. His latest undertaking involved a six course dinner at ShuRaku Sake Bar and Bistro [...]
Blue Mountain produces only estate grown wines from their meticulously maintained and family controlled vineyard, near the town of Okanagan Falls