Category: Uncategorized


  • Hillside Wine Dinner at your Water St. Cafe, sip sip hooray

    Water St. Cafe presents the Hillside Winemaker’s Dinner Thursday May 9th Join us for an unforgettable evening of food and wine as we celebrate the “Best of BC”. Save the Date! Thursday May 9th, we will be welcoming Winemaker Kathy of Hillside Winery to Water st. Cafe for a lush and lively 5-course experience with…

  • April 13, 2024 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Spring Celebrations

    Here’s my top wine picks from the April 13, 2024 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection, in which the theme focuses on “Perfect Pairings for Spring Celebrations”. It is a good-sized release with 95 products on offer, all of which should be available at LCBO outlets across Ontario by this Saturday. We’ll begin with the theme…

  • Addressing Climate Change Challenges through Vineyard Management Strategies, Webinar April 29, 2024 at 11:00 AM ET

    Penn State Extension is offering a virtual webinar on April 29 from 11:00 AM to 12:30 AM on the topic of climate change and dynamic weather patterns’ impact on management of vineyards. This webinar is one of a series of free events involving several Extension programs around the U. S., including the University of Georgia.…

  • Ruffino: historic Chianti producer at Vancouver International Wine Festival

    Photo: Ruffino brand ambassador Beppe d’Andrea It would be hard to think of a Tuscan winery more strongly identified with Chianti than Ruffino. No doubt, that is one reason why it was among the large contingent of Italian wineries at the recent Vancouver International Wine Festival. Ruffino was represented by its veteran brand ambassador, Beppe…

  • Naramata Bench Spring Release – Friday, May 3rd

    Get the first opportunity to try the delicious newly released wines. Read Naramata Bench Spring Release – Friday, May 3rd at MyVanCity

  • 4 sustainability certifications that help tell a wine’s soil-to-bottle story

    For some wine enthusiasts, the topic of sustainability is not top of mind, but for others a wine’s sustainability story – or lack of one – helps them choose one bottle over another. Sustainability often comes across as a complex conversation, but it doesn’t have to be that way. According to a 2021 Kerry Group…

  • Wednesday Wine Reviews with @Sam_WineTeacher

    2021 Chardonnay (McLean Creek Vineyard) Meyer Family Vineyards Okanagan Falls, BC $32.26 Lemon yellow with medium intensity.  The nose is fresh and appealing with aromas of lemon, lime, Golden Delicious apples, butter, toast, and honeydew.  Well balanced with a creamy texture.  The flavours mirror the nose followed by a medium-long lingering finish.  An absolute delight…

  • Babich Winemakers’ Reserve Syrah 2017 (Hawke’s Bay) – Wine Review

    Tonight’s red wine review is an excellent Hawke’s Bay Syrah that arrived at the LCBO last month as an Online & Flagship Exclusive in the March 2nd LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection – with bottles now available at quite a few stores across Ontario. It is produced by Babich Wines, one of New Zealand’s most…

  • Hester Creek Spring Releases

    Reading Time: 7 minutes In March, I had the opportunity to visit Hester Creek Estate Winery and participate in a media event for a new wine to be launched in June. I also tasted some of the new wines. Before going to the tasting notes, here is the background information on the 2023 Harvest. The…

  • A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 921: An Extraction and an Eclipse

    Friday, April 5th: Had a wisdom tooth extracted this morning. I think my IQ has dropped ten points. The dentist says no alcohol for “a few days.” Trying to parse what “a few days” means. Does it mean I can’t toast the eclipse on Monday? No chance. Henry of Pelham’s new sparkling wine Henry of…