(Almost) Time for a BC Wine Country Tour
Time for a wine tour, along with wine reviews and more
TIME Winery: Moving the Clocks Ahead
Last week I Zoomed into a catch-up with the team at Time Winery. The idea was to celebrate not only International Women’s Day but also Time’s revitalization since its sale after Harry McWatters’ passing. Between tastes of winemaker Lynzee Schatz’s increasingly impressive portfolio were revealed snippets of what’s to come [...]
A Memorable Lunch—with Robert and Margrit Mondavi
Two lunch invites that you don’t turn down: One might be the Queen. The other? Robert Mondavi and his wife Margrit.
Corcelettes’ Flagship Talus: Quintessential Similkameen
When Corcelettes Winery owners Jesce and Charlie Baessler were looking for a name for their new flagship wine they didn’t expect it to come to them on a river, on a rare day off. “We were actually floating on the Similkameen River and enjoying a really different perspective of the [...]
Make TIME to see how this Penticton Winery is Evolve-ing
Time marches on. Indeed, it does. Although, who imagined in 2019 that 2020 would turn out quite like this? It’s well over a year since we lost the ‘grandfather’ of BC wine, Harry McWatters. But his legacy and vision endure. And the McWatters family is still very much a part [...]
L’Acadie Vineyards: Nova Scotia’s Sparkling Stalwart
I’m intrigued (and inspired) by winemakers who really do ‘push the envelope.’ And Bruce Ewert is one of those winemakers. Ever since Ewert left BC for Nova Scotia to make wine in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley I’ve been following his progress—and, in particular, L’Acadie Vineyards’ success in sparkling wine. Born in Prince George, and a [...]
2020 BCLG Platinum Awards Highlight Syrah and Riesling
For reasons related to the pandemic, while invited, I wasn’t able to judge at this year’s British Columbia Lieutenant Governor’s Wine Awards. But having just seen the results, there are a few things that strike me as being worth noting in particular. In 2018 the BC Wine Awards (formerly the long-running Okanagan Wine Festival judging) [...]
Okanagan Wine Guide is a Tour de Force
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve written about John Schreiner’s ‘latest’ book. But over the years there have been more than a few. I have to chuckle as I still recall John’s ‘retirement’ party, when he wrapped up his career with the Financial Post. Since then we’ve become friends and colleagues, often [...]
Somm Smackdown: ‘Kids’ in the Hall Edition
This week’s Vancouver Somm Smackdown turned out to be a fitting way to celebrate 30 years of BC VQA, on many levels. The BC Wine Institute and CAPS BC-sponsored ‘Smackdown’ featured dishes from three chefs, their plates matched with a wine pairing from each of three sommeliers. Our task was to pick what we considered [...]
BC Bubbles on the Rise: A Sparkling Selection
BC Sparkling wines continue to enjoy growing success and acceptance, with good reason.