The Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in BC Wine is unique among wine competitions. Nowhere else, as far as I know, does a panel of judges work so hard to whittle down 486 entries to just 12 wines. (Although, Ontario stages a similar contest, which is modeled on BC’s.) The contest has grown considerably as [...]
Howard Soon has just announced he's retiring from his job as Master Winemaker at Andrew Peller Estates, aka Calona Wines, Sandhill, Red Rooster ... and so on. I figure it’s a really good time to tell the truth about Howard. He’s one of the most sincere people you’ll ever meet in the wine industry—an industry [...]
Wine Festival! As just about everyone in Vancouver knows, it’s that time of year when the whole city puts on its #winelover hat and heads down to the convention centre. This year, at the 30th #VIWF, however, things are a bit different. The theme region at Vancouver International Wine Festival—for the first time ever—is Canada. [...]
Now Closed. One thing I’ve learned about Eric Pateman: he doesn’t do anything by half measures. The dynamo behind Edible Canada rattled a few people last week by putting seal on his Granville Island bistro’s Dine Out Vancouver menu. In the last ten years, Pateman has built a small concierge-based business into one of the [...]
The impressive, new Blue Grouse, two storey winery and tasting room enjoy a south facing aspect overlooking the Cowichan Valley It was over a couple of decades ago that I first went to Blue Grouse and met its founder, viticulturist and winemaker, Hans Kiltz. German by birth, Hans is a perfectionist, [...]
It's a very Canadian trait that we rarely confer praise on our own until validity is confirmed from the outside. But the fact that British wine expert Steven Spurrier is taking time to visit the Okanagan and Vancouver does mark another major milestone in the still young history of the industry. I'm reminded of the first time [...]
Climb the tower at Tree to Me to enjoy this Similkameen view Who knew that rain in BC would ever be so welcome? Last week’s Similkameen BBQ King took place against a backdrop of six weeks of scorching temperatures and a weekend of lightning strikes. The rain held off for a while. [...]
Orofino sourced its Syrah from nearby Scout Vineyard: classic Similkameen The ingenuity of winemakers never ceases to amaze me. Case in point: the recently released and impressive, concrete aged Orofino Wild Ferment Syrah 2014 (Similkameen Valley). Orofino owners John and Virginia Weber are known for their forward thinking ways: when they moved to [...]
Potential (almost) Lieutenant Governor's award winners, worth a look Sometimes with wine competitions it's well worth checking the list of wines that didn't quite win but came pretty close. Not to take away the glory from the 14 stellar winners of the 2015 BC lieutenant Governor's Awards for Excellence in BC Wine, however, [...]
Sea Star (which has blossomed on the former Morning Bay property) has plenty going for it, starting with a strong team and a keen focus on producing what makes sense for the region.
