Hey there, Mr. Mayor! I know you’re incredibly busy, so I’ll try to keep this fairly brief. I am not writing this post from the standpoint of someone who habitually votes for you and the Vision Vancouver party (though I do,) nor am I writing this as someone who happily consumes a few gallons of various [...]

I first had my eyes opened to Lambrusco by a producer called Lini 910, while in San Francisco a couple years back. Most people reading this now likely have a negative or neutral impression of Lambrusco – maybe even the idea of something tasting like sparkling Welch’s grape juice with a little alcohol in it. [...]

It was in Margaret River after visiting a good handful of wineries (and starting to get exhausted) that we were picked up by this gentleman, Mr. Nigel Gallop, who proceeded to drive us to Fraser Gallop Estate, his stunning (almost Napa-esque) vineyard and winery surrounding his tasteful, stately manor on a small, man-made lake. We [...]

From Absinthe Bleu in 2008: …I’m now on a mission. To learn as much as possible about Giuseppe Quintarelli as I can. And let me tell you, it’s not an easy task. If you Google him, you only get so much before the information becomes redundant. Why Wine Spectator, particularly in it’s most recent edition [...]

I’ve been tossing it around for months, but I think I’m finally going to go ahead and buy Gissen’s Metro Wine Map of France…

The trailer for Somm, an upcoming documentary about four guys looking to achieve Master Sommelier status, has just been released!  

I honestly shivered when I logged onto Facebook this morning and saw this photo and status update from my friend Stephanie, who works with her husband (winemaker David Paterson) at Tantalus Vineyards. This photo is of -10 weather at 5:30 in the morning, when the conditions were finally optimal to pick Syrah grapes for their [...]

The annual Tourism Vancouver Dine Out Vancouver Festival is almost upon us, reservations went live yesterday and with 225 restaurants participating, it’s going to be the biggest one yet! I was reading Scout’s synopsis of this year’s event, and while there’s some killer looking menus from Hawksworth to Cin Cin and beyond, it’s a late [...]

Cool Champagne infographic from Wine.com, created by Killer Infographics. Just click to see it full-sized!

When I was in Australia touring wineries, meeting winemakers and principals last November, there were a few statements I found myself saying commonly that rendered whichever company I was keeping speechless. Any idea how insane something has to be to make an Aussie speechless? The conversation, which would usually be about something else, would usually turn this way: [...]

I’m more than a little fascinated by lists at this time of year. The oft-scorned and over-played list. A guilty pleasure, yet hard not to love when presented by the right compiler. The last couple of years, I’ve enjoyed the All Songs Considered podcasts of their top albums of the year as well as the [...]

Tickets go on sale for the various Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival events on January 10th, so you have a good couple weeks to do your research! Wines of Chile is the regional theme, so definitely take in a Chilean event or two, plus I’m presenting the Sherry Renaissance tasting on Saturday, March 3rd and would love [...]

It was three weeks ago today, returning from an impromptu visit in Toronto, that I had to double-take to see what my neighbour and fellow WestJet traveler was drinking as his in-flight beverage. Behold! It was a mini-bottle of Chardonnay made the world’s largest family winery Ernest & Julio Gallo – a product that a [...]

I’m happy to finally re-launch my East Van Wine Academy in 2012 with the following 3 events! There’s also a special “Holiday 3-pack” deal at EastVanWineAcademy.com as well, so if you’re lookin’ for more information on any of these, that’s where you should head! Around The World in 80 Minutes! Tuesday, January 10th | 6:30 pm [...]

Click the above image to watch CTV’s news clip on the update. If you haven’t heard yet, it looks like BC’s wine laws prohibiting interprovincial shipping could be changed by next year. It seems there are very few politicians opposed to the change and even Premier Christy Clark has very cautiously added her support. Possibly [...]

Finding a new, delicious wine is always fun and all, but when we find a new, delicious wine that’s CHEAP as well? That’s the best. I’d received a bottle of Mt. Boucherie’s 2010 Gamay Noir last week and decided to bust it open to go with some pasta we were having for dinner. Having some [...]

A RUN DRC shirt with a photo of Aubert de Villaine – I think that’s how you know you’re a total wine nerd… but I still.. kinda… want one. Available here. A friend recently relayed stories from his Las Vegas-based brother-in-law sommelier who sold two bottles of 1982 Petrus last week to the same guy [...]

Big props to my pal, Winnipeg wine journalist Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson, for passing along The Celebrity Guide To Wine, a gem from 1990 featuring Herbie Hancock, Whoopi Goldberg, Steven Seagal and more (as if those three weren’t enough!) (Direct link here.) Gold.

November 10th, 2011: While I was incredibly excited to visit the Pewsey Vale Winery, I learned upon arriving in the Eden Valley that there was, in fact, no such thing. Arguably the most stunning Rieslings in Australia are made under the Yalumba umbrella, along with the lovely Chardonnays of Heggies. No matter, it was the [...]

The above video is from The Black Keys‘ appearance on Jian Gomeshi’s Q on the CBC, with the boys discussing the idea of “selling out”, I’d just got it a few minutes ago and it gave me pause. Whenever the “selling out” concept is brought up in conversation, usually in a dismissive or sneering manner, [...]

I was honestly just minding my own business. Clicking away, some good old fashioned web surfin’ – and BOOM! The Huffington Post, in the right-hand column about halfway down: Yao Ming Starts Napa Valley Wine Company Nope, not a link to The Onion, but an article explaining that the recently-retired NBA star had started his [...]

Value isn’t one of those words effortlessly or commonly thrown around whenever wines from Bordeaux are involved, but I feel very comfortable using it in this instance. Last week, I sat in on a blind tasting of twelve different Bordeaux wines from twelve different producers and ten different vintages conducted by Barb Philip MW. It [...]

OK, so it was a mere three weeks ago that I was promising many dispatches from the Australian wine trail, full of wit, whimsy and recommendations. Trouble was, as I quickly learned, that touring 37 wineries in eight days along with other travels leaves hardly any time for blogging AND there was pretty much NO wi-fi to be [...]

Once again, it’s Pfaffenheim’s ’08 Pinot Gris from Steinert Grand Cru for the win. I’m writing about studying, because right now, that is what I know. This week I’ve been reading about Alsace and I’m reminded about how fascinating a region it really is. Much history and much controversy. I wish I spent time exploring [...]