Malbec—and more To be honest, over the years I’ve developed a bit of a love-hate relationship with Malbec. Don’t get me wrong. Just like the rest of the world, I appreciate the value that Argentine Malbec offers. I have even more time for Malbec in Bordeaux based blends. Agreed, there’s no shortage of good Malbec [...]
Over decades of following BC wineries, I'm convinced few have been as well planned as Quails' Gate. I've watched the Stewart family's operation blossom from tanks in a garage to a full-service hospitality complex. It's now among the most sophisticated and well-run I've encountered. During a recent visit, I was again struck by the sheer [...]
Updated: Sea Star 2018 reviews 94 Sea Star Salish Sea 2018 (Gulf Islands) A blend of 60 percent Ortega with 40 percent Siegerrebe lures with seductive rose petal hints and orange blossom on the nose, before a complex blend of grapefruit and citrus notes almost reminiscent of Riesling, which is a parent of Siegerrebe. Superbly [...]
Tap & Barrel is no longer the new kid on the block. That was apparent when this casual eatery landed downtown at the Convention Centre. And became even more clear when Tap & Barrel Shipyards launched, about three years ago. This week they pulled the wraps off (yet another) patio at Shipyards. It couldn’t be completed [...]
Buy BC: Eat Drink Local? Sounds like a plan! Although, hard to believe now but there was a time when the last thing anyone wanted was to ‘eat local.’ And don’t even get me started on the wine thing. Or maybe you should. I’m truly pleased to see the return of Buy BC, especially with [...]
The Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence in BC Wine in its present form has changed, as of today. From now on the ‘LG’s Awards’ will be managed and paid for by the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society. The competition will now be known as the The British Columbia Lieutenant-Governor’s Wine Awards. On reflection, I’ve concluded that this change presents [...]
UPDATED February 21, 2018 Coming up fast is this year's not to be missed Parksville Uncorked—the 10th Annual—March 8th-11th. The 2018 edition features Untapped at the Beach Club Resort and Swirl at Tigh-Na-Mara, as well as a couple of superb winemakers dinners: Dirty Laundry Vineyard at Tigh-Na-Mara and Orofino Winery at the Beach Club Resort. The festival wraps [...]
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley's boycott of BC wines to force the BC Government's hand on agreeing to the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion was a bold move, though perhaps with unintended consequences.
Iberia calls! There’s both a happy and sad reality to the Vancouver International Wine Festival (Feb 24th to March 4th). It really is a case of "too many wines, too little time." Not only does it enjoy the reputation of being among the best of its kind, anywhere, this year’s festival has the added distinction of [...]
Sparkling wine time is here. And I’m late to the party. My apologies. We’re a tad backed up here in the executive suite at Hired Belly HQ. Plus most of the staff has been down with the flu... Sparkling has evolved. These days—from Cava to Sekt, Prosecco, Crémant (and, yes, Champagne) you can pretty well [...]
