Nota Bene 2022: An Impressive Milestone
Nota Bene 2022: An iconic BC wine marks a milestone; Black Hills winery background and review
Haywire Wine Groundbreaking Lunar Red Turns 10
Haywire Lunar Red is here again! Hard to believe but it’s a decade since Haywire launched its inaugural Lunar New Year wine in 2014. Released today, this latest Lunar wine is a nod to the Year of the Dragon, which will be formally welcomed on February 10th. And, yes, for sure, there will be dragon [...]
How to Plan a Race Around the World by Land and Sea
More from the “In the Footsteps of Champagne Charlie” chronicles The other day I was trying to explain to someone much younger than me our race around the world with Charles Heidsieck Champagne. Not only were we talking about the race itself but, more specifically, just what was entailed in [...]
Raising the Bar at Silver Star
No time like the present to plan a trip up Silver Star Mountain (near Vernon) for a four day day food and wine extravaganza. The Silver Star Wine Festival runs August 10th – 13th, 2023. Way back when (at a time when some people were still wondering if BC wines [...]
8+ Stellar BC Sparkling Wines to Toast BC Day
BC sparkling wines continue to be one of the fastest growing categories in the domestic market. No wonder. There’s an array of well made BC bubbles from which to choose. Here’s a short list (mainly) of what I’ve tasting recently, any of which would do justice to your table or [...]
Garnet Valley Ranch: Dynamic Wine at 600m. Above and Beyond
Garnet Valley Ranch is not one of those places you stumble across. You really need to want to go there. And now you can—see below. It’s actually not that complicated, just a wee bit tucked away, a couple of kilometres above and beyond Summerland. That ‘above and beyond’ element is [...]
TWB at Provence is Back + 48 Terrific Taps
TWB (The Wine Bar) at Vancouver's waterside Provence restaurant has reopened with impressive wine by the glass and on tap offerings.
La Maison Osoyoos Larose: Unique Wine Club celebrates 25 years
Osoyoos Larose has unveiled La Maison Osoyoos Larose, a truly unique wine club—likely the only one of its kind in Canada. Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin has evolved into one of BC’s iconic wines in a pretty short time. Especially when you consider it’s only just over a couple of [...]
O’Rourke Family Estate Shines at Chardonnay du Monde
O’Rourke Family Estate has been recognized by Chardonnay du Monde for its O’Rourke Family Estate 2020 BC VQA Estate Chardonnay—the wine’s inaugural release. You could say it was a pretty good St. Patrick’s day present for owner Dennis O’Rourke—whose bottles sport “Sláinte” (Irish for ‘good health’) on the label. The [...]
Fattoria Colmone della Marca : A Passion for White from Red
Recently I was delighted to meet Giovanni Meschini, charming proprietor of Fattoria Colmone della Marca, for a tasting of some unique wines. They come from one of Italy’s smallest DOC’s—I Terrini di San Severino Moro, in the heart of the Marche. Fattoria Colmone is the sole producer. They make only [...]