Category: Uncategorized


  • April is BC Wine Month: a time to sip local and celebrate resilience

    April has officially been proclaimed BC Wine Month by the Government of British Columbia — and for those of us who have spent years exploring vineyards, tasting rooms, and the people behind the bottles, it feels both well deserved and perfectly timed. As winter gives way to spring, something special begins to happen across BC…

  • Noble Ridge 2025: New Vintage, New Label, Strong Return to Form

    Reading Time: 4 minutes The 2025 release from Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery marks a true reset after two challenging seasons. Early tastings show a vintage defined by balance, purity, and strong varietal expression, particularly across Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, and fresh Okanagan rosé styles.With a refreshed label and renewed vineyard health following the 2024 cold…

  • A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1014: Seder Night

    Monday, March 30th: Spent much of the day getting papers together for the renewal of my British passport. Tuesday, March 31st: A meeting at Ted Van Geest’s house (a two-minute walk) to discuss a project for the Ontario wine industry. Ted opened a bottle of Marramiero Incanto Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2015. Delicious. Wednesday, April 1st: A…

  • Single-vineyard wines: terroir truth or marketing hype?

    As producers across the Okanagan Valley and Niagara Peninsula zero in on their most distinctive vineyard sites, single-vineyard wines are reshaping how Canadian wine expresses place—and why it matters The names of vineyards are appearing more frequently on Canadian wine labels. Is this just marketing hype or is there something special, or even superior about…

  • From the Cellar with @Sam_WineTeacher

    In addition to the weekly wine review and the various other, usually wine-related, articles I write for My Van City, I am going to include a new one that will appear from time to time.  I’m calling it, ‘From the Cellar’. It will be similar to the wine reviews, except that it will feature wines…

  • Casale del Giglio Bellone 2023 (Lazio) – Wine Review

    Tonight’s white wine review is a lovely white crafted with the indigenous and quite rare Bellone (bel-LOH-neh) varietal. It made its debut at the LCBO a couple of weeks ago in the March 21st LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection. It is produced by Casale del Giglio, a winery with roots as a wine merchant that…

  • Best Red Wine: Top Picks from WineCollective

    Best Everyday Red Campos De Luz Garnacha 📅 2005💰 $18.79 CAD Campos De Luz is part of a bigger picture called Vinergia, which was a wine project started in 2005 by two individuals who shared a mutual love and desire to showcase the best in new modern technology with their wineries. “Vinergia” the name, is…

  • SERENA WINES 1881 AT VINITALY 2026: “AUDACE”

    SERENA WINES 1881 AT VINITALY 2026: “AUDACE”, THE METODO CLASSICO THAT MARKS A NEW PHASE OF EVOLUTION, DEBUTS The historical company based in Conegliano, a leading producer of Prosecco DOC DOC and DOCG, is expanding its offering with a value-oriented strategy aimed at an ever-expanding audience Serena Wines 1881 will also be a protagonist at…

  • Kim Uncorked: Welcome to my weekly wine recommendation.

    Kim Uncorked: Welcome to my weekly wine recommendation. Hi, I’m Kim, a passionate lover of wine, food, and any experience that brings the two together! In this weekly blog post, I share my thoughts on a wine that I’ve recently purchased from one of our local independent wine merchants. If you’d like to know more…

  • Licenciado Reserva 2020 (Rioja) – Wine Review

    For the long weekend, tonight’s red wine review is a lovely Tempranillo from Rioja that arrived at the LCBO as part of the feature on wines for Easter in the recent March 21 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection. Like the 2020 Burgo Viejo Reserva I enjoyed last year, this red wine is also produced by…