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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 wine releases do you wait for each year? Each fall I keep an eye-out for the release of the Syrah and Portfolio from Laughing Stock Vineyards – ensuring that I acquire some to cellar. The founders of Laughing Stock Vineyards, David and Cynthia Enns, vicariously fulfilled many wine-lover’s dreams when they left the financial…
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I have been waiting, for what feels like ages, to take this photo. Our home has been undergoing repairs since mid-October, and we are finally at the point where we have flooring. Definitely an occasion worthy of an extra-special bottle of wine, and the 2016 CheckMate Queen’s Advantage certainly fits that bill. I first tried…
Continue reading 2016 CheckMate Queen’s Advantage Chardonnay
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One last post before the Christmas shenanigans begin! I’ve been drinking quite a bit of sparkling wine lately, including the CedarCreek Home Block Sparkling Brut which retails for $24.99 and is available at Save On Foods and a selection of speciality wine stores. The Home Block Sparkling Brut is made from 100% Muscat Ottonel using…
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What is one of your favourite holiday traditions? I enjoy visiting the festive light display at the Burnaby Village Museum or listening to Festive Cantatas at The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. I recently tried the 2015 Poplar Grove Syrah which, in itself, is very festive; it is like Christmas in a glass! This…
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What wines do you always make sure to have on-hand for holiday entertaining? At $18.99 the 2018 Cedarcreek Estate Grown Chardonnay is a great wine to add to the list. I enjoyed this wine alongside rigatoni with turkey sausage, mushroom, parmesan and kale. It would also pair well with cream sauces or poultry with sage…
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Named after 500-year-old pictographs discovered on the property, Painted Rock is a beautiful estate winery located along the Skaha Bench in Penticton, British Columbia. I was fortunate to have visited this winery in 2016, but I really fell hard for their wines when I tried the 2015 vintage at the Okanagan Falls Winery Association tasting…
Continue reading Painted Rock: Rendering a new Landscape for the Skaha Bench
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I think most people would agree that deciding to sell your home is a big decision. Now, in addition to selling your home, imagine quitting an established career, going back to school in a foreign country, moving to a completely different city and buying a farm. This is essentially what Chris and Beata Tolley did,…
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Earlier this month I had the pleasure of visiting CheckMate Artisanal Winery and catching-up with Natasha Sadowy, Experience Curator. Natasha toured me around the construction of their new facility, which is well underway. The new building has been designed by Tom Kundig and will include a winemaking facility, barrel room, tasting room and spaces for…
Continue reading CheckMate Artisanal Winery: Anything but Chardonnay?