With Golden Gate Bridge in the background, and a wealth of wine within, not a bad place to taste, Tim Pawsey photo ZAP may well be the most fun you can ever have at a wine tasting ... We’ve been to a few tastings in our time but nothing quite compares with ZAP—the no holds [...]
Citrus and vineyard at Quinta da Nespereira, Dao - Tim Pawsey photo Vineyard detail, tiles at Caves Sao Joao, Beiras - Tim Pawsey photo Just back from Portugal, and we’re playing serious catch-up! After a week of tasting a wide variety of sometimes unfamiliar table wine varieties—from Siria and Encruzada (whites) [...]
Two hours after landing in Oporto, we’re hot on the trail of two essentials: sardines and octopus. Oh—and wine! Well, that’s not too hard to find around these parts. Nor are the first two. Down a narrow side street, not far from our hotel, in the centre of the old town, we discover [...]
Even though Vancouver prides itself on being a forward thinking dining scene (and has no end of choice and variety to prove that point), introducing new tastes and ingredients can still be a challenge. Just ask Mark Hills. He’s the founder of Hills Foods, which has been single-handedly elevating The Game Game in Vancouver since [...]
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, [...]
30+ Kiwi wines you won't want to spit Wine tastings can be a gruelling affair—especially when there are several hundred wines in the room. Spitting is a necessity—though not always easy. In November we visited almost all of the wineries who've come to Vancouver and were impressed above all by the consistency and [...]
Oyster Bay's new winery is just visible - photo by Tim Pawsey Why Kiwis are closer to home than you think ... With the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival upon us, the city’s wine focus will be firmly on New Zealand (along with co-theme region Argentina). Vancouverites might ponder a few salient facts and [...]
Green is the New Red & White Owner Peter Yealands prides himself on creating wetlands at his Awatere winery, Tim Pawsey photo Updated October 11, 2022. It's been many years since I visited Yealands. However, Peter Yealand's vision has grown beyond all expectations. You can see more about Yealands today [...]
