In our glass: past and present wine picks

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 [...]

8 Tasting Tips (and more) for the Vancouver International Wine Festival

By |2019-09-23T17:33:38-07:00February 20th, 2014|Hired Belly's Best Wines, Top Drops, Wine|

Next week’s Vancouver International Wine Festival will be one of the most well attended  in the festival’s 36 years. How come it’s so popular? There are a couple of key reasons: Arguably North America’s most important combined consumer and trade wine gathering, it’s a great opportunity for wineries to meet their customers face to face—in [...]

10 Sure Bets: The 2014 Dine Out Vancouver Short List

By |2023-11-03T09:32:03-07:00January 8th, 2014|Belly's Best Bites, Belly's Budget Best, Hired Belly's Best Wines, Uncategorized|

Dine Out Vancouver: It's about food and wine UPDATED, Jan 16, 2014. The Trouble with Dine Out Lists... Is that you're guaranteed to miss not only a few worthy restos but likely many. So be it. However, here, in random order (i.e. as I think about them or hear about them from reliable sources), is [...]

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 [...]

First Tastes at Yaletown’s Good Wolfe Kitchen & Bar with Wines of Roussillon

By |2018-01-21T15:05:23-08:00October 22nd, 2013|Belly's Best Bites, Hired Belly's Best Wines, Restaurant Reviews|

  They had me at the Steelhead pastrami ...   Newly landed Good Wolfe (1043 Mainland St., Vancouver, 604-428-1043) has been on my radar for some time but I just hadn’t managed to get there until a couple of weeks ago. It’s not that I deliberately dodge new opening shenanigans. But the reality [...]

Sipping in Style at Le Crocodile with Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle (Video)

By |2019-06-22T17:13:25-07:00October 19th, 2013|Hired Belly's Best Wines, Wine|

Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle with the latest from Grand MarnierOccasionally, people have accused me of being biased towards French cuisine. I don’t think I am—I love just about all cuisines.  But I do admit, having being raised in pre-culinary aware England, that my awakening to serious food came through early trips to France. This is a [...]

BC Riesling Deal Alert: Peller Estates VQA Private Reserve Dry Riesling 2011

By |2018-01-21T15:05:25-08:00August 2nd, 2013|Belly's Budget Best, Hired Belly's Best Wines|

 Peller Okanagan (Similkameen?) Dry Riesling A few insiders will know that Peller Okanagan Dry Riesling heralded in this year's garlic crop! If you move really quickly you can buy Andrew Peller Private Reserve (VQA) Dry Riesling for just over $11 at BC Liquor Stores.  Believe me, as they say “while stocks last”, it’s [...]

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