Category: Uncategorized


  • Top Rated: A chardonnay that captivates with clarity and complexity

    When a white wine stands out so distinctly in a blind tasting that it compels the entire VineRoutes tasting panel to circle back, you know it’s something special. And that’s precisely what happened with the 2023 Eden Valley Chardonnay from St. Hugo, a wine that was ultimately named VineRoutes’ Most Outstanding White Wine of the…

  • Wednesday Wine Reviews with @Sam_WineTeacher

      2021 Siegerrebe Nagging Doubt Kelowna, BC $19.40 Lemon yellow with medium-light intensity.  The nose is elegant and interwoven with aromas of grapefruit, apricot, ginger, lychee, honeysuckle, and tropical fruit with just a touch of rose petals.  Good balance.  Fresh and crisp on the palate with flavours echoing the nose.  A medium-plus finish. A lovely…

  • Tributes pour in after sudden death of Icellars owner Adnan Icel

    By Rick VanSickle Adnan Icel, the owner of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Icellars Estate Winery, has passed away, a note on the winery’s Instagram feed said early today. “Life is full of sudden goodbyes … @adnanicel R.I.P. … 1966-2025,” the post said in its entirety. Tributes quickly poured in from the Niagara wine community: Kirby Estates owners Scott…

  • From North to South, Côtes du Rhône has an adventure waiting for you!

    Côtes du Rhône has an adventure waiting for you! The post From North to South, Côtes du Rhône has an adventure waiting for you! first appeared on My VanCity. Read From North to South, Côtes du Rhône has an adventure waiting for you! at MyVanCity

  • Black Hills releasing Nota Bene 2023

    Photo: Ross Wise, general manager at Black Hills The 2023 vintage of Nota Bene from Black Hills Estate Winery is the 25th vintage release of one of the great red wines from the Okanagan. For those who have collected verticals of Nota Bene, this is likely the last Nota Bene for a few years, due…

  • Spring Extension Update

    The UC Davis V & E Extension Team organized and presented several programs since the beginning of the year. We hosted two “On Campus” programs.

  • Course Profile: VEN 127L

    VEN 127L, officially known as the “Post-Fermentation Wine Processing” is a hands-on course for V&E students designed to equip them with practical skills in winemaking.

  • 2025 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium

    UC Davis Viticulture and Enology (V&E) faculty, staff, and students represented the department at the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium, January 29 and 30, 2025, at the Sacramento Convention Center.

  • Confessions of a compulsive wine collector

    When wine is more than just what’s in the glass: a humorous inventory of the objects that come with the obsession Recently, my wife Deborah went to an estate sale. She returned home with a framed colour photograph of what must have been an oil painting. Its subject – two dusty bottles, Château Haut Brion…

  • A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 975: A Concert, a Birthday Party, Burrowing Owl and 1755 Cellars

    Saturday, May 10th: A Cappella Niagara performed our summer concert at the United Church in Font Hill. It was a rousing success, though no money was thrown. Monday, May 12th: My birthday. Many messages received from friends. I promised them all a Ferrari in their choice of colour. Our friends Sherri and Stephen threw a…