I’ve been filling my well worn and wine-stained Moleskine with tasting notes for few years now and from looking around at tastings, I know a lot of you are doing the same. From Moleskine’s Passion collection, which also includes a Recipe Journal, comes the very appealing Wine Journal. I’m not sure how I’d adapt to [...]

This post is mainly relevant for readers in the San Francisco Bay Area, as I witnessed some pretty ridiculous deals last night and wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t pass them along. Spencer & Daniel’s, the hit-or-miss discount wine store, has pulled in a huge selection of wines primarily from Chile and Argentina that are [...]

Today, BC Liquor Stores has launched their “Best of BC Fall Release” where they have partnered up with local wineries to offer higher-end and smaller production wines for a limited time. There are 26 wines available at the Signature stores as well as select regular stores, which are not normally stocked on the shelves.
Here’s the [...]

Last week, I posted impressions from my first couple days in SF. Since then, I’ve had a chance to visit some of the destinations (still only a fraction) I’ve been wanting to and very few have disappointed. Thanks to those that have emailed and commented on suggestions of places I try.
Since Terroir has been closed [...]

The first day at my parents house in Castlegar (Yup, thats where I’m from…) and I’m already thankful that I brought some good wine for the weekend (plus I can always tap into my cellar if need be). I stopped at three liquor stores today, one BCLDB and two private shops, in search of some [...]

My wife and I had to run some errands at Metrotown last week on a ridiculously busy Saturday afternoon, which is about as fun as a kick in the nuts.
One of the last stops, as stress and exhaustion set in and before we totally hit our wall was Superstore where, incidentally, you can find great bath towels at [...]

Get thee to Kitsilano Wine Cellar this Friday, Saturday or Sunday (October 2, 3 or 4) to pick up the holiday edition of Veuve Cliquot enveloped in a swank neoprene ice jacket!  The best part?  It’s not available at the government liquor stores yet, and this weekend only, they’re selling it at a great $65 [...]

Man!
So, over at Salt, we’re hosting Road 13 Winery + Vineyards‘ Michael Bartier on September 8th (tix here, by the way).  I’m so enamoured with both the winery and Michael’s mad winemaking skills, that it’s really like a kid counting down to Christmas for me.
In anticipation, last night I bought a bottle of his ‘07 Syrah at [...]

John Clerides, owner of Vancouver’s very popular Marquis Wine Cellars writes a manifesto of sorts on the tangle he (and all of us, really) is caught up in when it comes to dealing with our government-run BCLDB booze monopoly.  Click here to read what led him to say:
There is no doubt in my mind that [...]

And there it was, on an eye-level shelf in the cooler at The Wine Thief in Gastown, mocking both me and most of the wine education I’ve had over the years…

Lindeman’s Bin 70 Chardonnay Riesling 2007
There are the classic grape blends we’re all used to, based on the various wine regions of France.  The Savuvignon [...]

I love Sherry. 
I can attribute this to starting at Salt Tasting Room almost three years ago, and having Canada’s largest Sherry list thrown in my lap.  When I did my wine education years ago, I just started to grasp the wonders of Sherry, only to quickly forget most of what I learned quite quickly, as [...]