7 Wines to Rekindle Your Love Affair with Kiwi Pinot Noir

By |2018-05-03T07:50:30-07:00May 7th, 2014|Wine Reviews|

One of my most memorable moments in New Zealand came when Peter Yealands proudly assured me there were now more vines than sheep, which seemed a good thing. Peter knows a thing or two about sheep: he brought in the first Baby Dolls—Australian miniatures that offer a truly sustainable answer to weed control in [...]

Brent Marris: Renewing an Old Acquaintance over Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc

By |2018-01-21T15:05:18-08:00March 20th, 2014|Hired Belly's Best Wines, Wine, Wine Reviews|

The last time I met Brent Marris—the man behind Marlborough’s The Ned, The Kings series, and a whole lot more—was almost exactly 20 years ago. He was part of a New Zealand trade mission that came to Vancouver. At the time, Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc was in the early stages of its remarkable ascent and the [...]

Toasting the New Year in The Right (Riedel) Glass

By |2024-03-05T10:21:15-08:00January 4th, 2014|Top Drops, Wine, Wine Reviews|

Waterford's pretty but ... Does the right glass really matter? You bet it does! Because we have a such a busy holiday season and Christmas, over the years, a restful, decidedly lazy New Year’s Day has become our tradition. Often we move little more than from the couch to the fridge—to extract more [...]

10 Fizzy Faves for the Holidays: Hired Belly’s Best Bubbles

By |2024-03-05T10:21:14-08:00December 14th, 2013|Hired Belly's Best Wines, Wine, Wine Reviews|

Bubbles beckon... Champagne flutes await at Cornucopia Bubbles forever! © Tim Pawsey photo Bubbles 'R' Us! Over here at HB's swank, granite and glass adorned, soaring corporate HQ, we’ve been busy popping a few corks, drafting our list of go-to holiday bubbles. Sparkling wines (and Champagne for some a few [...]

The Must-Have Value List: 2014 Vancouver Magazine Wine Awards

By |2018-01-21T15:05:20-08:00December 3rd, 2013|Hired Belly's Best Wines, Wine, Wine Reviews|

  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 [...]

Kamloops’ first winery, Harper’s Trail Releases Inaugural Cabernet Franc

By |2023-03-03T19:58:17-08:00November 19th, 2013|Hired Belly's Best Wines, Wine, Wine Reviews|

Harper’s Trail has released its inaugural Cab Franc—and my guess is it will get plenty of attention. Well, it should anyway. In fact, you could file this under “One more reason why Cab Franc could be BC’s defining red variety.” I do think this is a ground-breaking wine. If you had asked people a [...]

What’s in a Blend? Don’t Ask Kevin Grant!

By |2022-02-13T08:11:01-08:00September 22nd, 2013|Wine, Wine Reviews|

What’s in a blend? Why worry? One of the many interesting people I met at Beautiful South in London last week was winemaker Kevin Grant. He and his wife Hanli own Ataraxia in Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, on a ridge overlooking the stunningly beautiful, cooler coastal region—whose name (which means "Heaven on Earth") kept popping up during [...]

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