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The grapes for the 2019 Tumble Wines Riesling were sourced from the Sandbar Vineyard in southeast Kelowna. Grapes were whole cluster pressed before the clean juice was transferred to stainless steel tanks for fermentation. Fermentation was halted early resulting in 11.8% alcohol and residual sugar. With 23 g/L residual sugar, this off-dry Riesling is perfect…
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In Vancouver we have been blessed with sunny weather over the past several weeks. This sunshine is definitely making physical distancing a lot more palatable and also causing me to reach for fresh, white wines. Vinos Santa Ema was founded in 1956 by Félix Pavone Arbea and the winery is now in the hands of…
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It’s hard to believe that not even two months ago wine lovers packed themselves into the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre to learn about and try new wines from around the globe. On the last day of the Vancouver International Wine Festival, I was fortunate to find myself at an intimate dinner with Laura Catena…
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How do you feel about oak influence in your wine? I’ve had several wines recently that I feel were overly oaked, which made this Cabernet Franc from the Okanagan Crush Pad a welcomed pour. The 2016 Narrative Cabernet Franc ($29.90) is a blend of Cab Franc grapes sourced from the Black Sage and Golden Mile…
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Where have you been travelling to in your glass? Recently I travelled to Sicily where I tasted a wine made from a varietal called Grillo. The grapes for this wine were grown on bush-trained vines. The vines are on average twenty years old and they grow about one mile from the sea at an elevation…
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Have you been cooking or baking more while in social isolation? If so, what have you been making? This weekend we made our own pasta, meatballs and marinara sauce and paired it with the 2016 Upper Bench Estate Grown Pinot Noir ($41.40). Upper Bench Winery & Creamery in Naramata is offering free shipping on all…
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Everyone, without exception, is experiencing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but I am inspired by people’s drive to stay connected to each other and survive these strange days. The wine community is of course not exempt from the negative impact of the virus. In British Columbia many of our wineries are small, family-owned businesses…
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It was recently brought to my attention that Riesling celebrated a Birthday on Friday. March 13th, 1435 is designated as Riesling’s Birthday. This is the earliest recording of Riesling vines and the documentation took place in Germany. One of my favourite Rieslings is the Old Vines Riesling from Tantalus, which is produced from vines that…
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Are you a Merlot fan, or do you find Merlot to be mundane? If you fall into the latter category, I think this Merlot might just change your perception. After two hours in the decanter, the 2016 Upper Bench Estate Merlot offers aromas of ripe blackberries, cassis, cherries, black liquorice and clove. The body is…
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What is a Super Tuscan? The term was apparently coined in the 1980’s and has been attributed to several people, including wine critic Robert Parker. It is kind of a catch-all term for wines that evolved from the frustration of winemakers in Tuscany; they were growing to resent the rules that governed and restricted their…
Continue reading Super Tuscan: 2017 Marchesi Antinori Il Bruciato