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- news
A Journey Through The Menus on An Avalon Waterways River Cruise
One of the most profound joys of river cruising is the realization that the view changes as often as the courses. As a food and wine reviewer, I find the true success of Avalon Waterway’s program lies in its balance of the modern traveler’s desire for healthful dishes as well as the culinary traditions of the European heartland. I downloaded...
- news
Haywire Winery and Provence Marinaside Sparkling Wine Collaboration
Created through a collaboration between Provence Marinaside and Haywire Winery, this newly released, limited edition, Brut Nature Sparkling wine is all about purity, precision, and place. Crafted from 66% Pinot Noir and 34% Chardonnay grown at Haywire’s organically farmed Garden Valley Ranch estate vineyard in the high-altitude Okanagan, the wine carries a subtle shade of pink in the glass. Bottled...
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The History and Issues of Parker Wine Scoring
I have a short quiz for you about the Robert Parker 100-point wine rating scale, which many wineries, companies, and people hold in high regard. Here are the questions: You would like to buy a bottle of Riesling. In the store, side by side, one wine has a sticker showing 89 points, and the bottle beside it with a...
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What to Expect for Wines on a Rhine River Cruise With Avalon Waterways
Many people have taken an ocean cruise travelling up to Alaska or around the Caribbean, or maybe the Mediterranean Sea, but fewer people have taken a river cruise, as far as I know. I decided to go on a Rhine River cruise hosted by Avalon Waterways, travelling from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland. It was an eight day trip and included...
- news
Ontario Chardonnay Review: Dobbin Estate Winery Chardonnay 2020_PR SAMPLE
Ontario’s Dobbin Estate Winery does not talk a lot about itself. It lets their wines do the talking. Last year I tasted their Dobbin Estate Cabernet Blend 2020, which I rated as one of my top wines for 2025. They are located on the highly acclaimed Twenty Mile Bench, and they note their calcium-rich soils are ideal for producing Chardonnay,...
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Two Elegant Big Reds from BC’s Township 7: Reserve 7 2022 and NBO 2022_PR SAMPLE
BC’s Township 7 Vineyards & Winery has two elegant red wines that should go well with our beautiful summer plans of a BBQ with family or friends. The wines I received to review are their Township 7 Vineyards & Winery Benchmark Series NBO 2022 and Township 7 Vineyards & Winery Benchmark Series Reserve 7 2022. Both wines are blends. The...
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Growing the Blue Grouse Estate Winery Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Potential_PR SAMPLE
Blue Grouse Estate Winery from Vancouver Island has changed hands a few times. The latest owners are the second and third-generation Jackson family (California) members Katie Jackson, Julia Jackson, Chris Jackson, Hailey Jackson-Hartford Murray, and MacLean Hartford. The family sees tremendous potential in Cowichan’s cool-climate maritime winegrowing region and plans to embolden the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines. I have...
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Ontario Chardonnay Review: Wending Home Estate Vineyards & Winery Chardonnay 2023_PR SAMPLE
I received three vintages of Chardonnay from Ontario’s Wending Home Estate Vineyards & Winery as part of my Ontario Chardonnay Review. I reviewed the 2020 and 2021 vintages previously (see article), and today I am reviewing their 2023 vintage. Without further delay, here are my tasting notes for this wine. My Wine Tasting Note Wending Home Estate Vineyards & Winery...
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Côtes du Rhône, Makes It Fun for the Summer!_PR SAMPLE
French wines from the Côtes du Rhône and Côtes du Rhône Villages AOCs are here to show a new generation of drinkers just how delicious and versatile these appellations can be. I have a rosé and 2 red wines from these AOCs to review: Louis Bernard, Cotes du Rhone, Rosé, 2024 Mas de Sainte Croix Tendresse d’un Climat, Cotes du...
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Düsseldorf: A Deep Dive into German Altbier
As you may have noticed, I was on a Rhine River Cruise starting in Amsterdam, ending in Basel, Switzerland. But inbetween, I spent many days in German cities. In one city, Düsseldorf, I signed up for a German Altbier walking tour. Here is what I learned about this style of beer from a local guide as he brought us to...
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The Last Two Wines From My Rhine River Cruise
Here are my tasting notes for the last few wines I enjoyed on my Avalon Waterways cruise of the Rhine River. I did try several German beers while on excursions during the day and will try to write an article on German beer later. My Wine Tasting Notes Christoph-Seydel-Str 2024 Spätburgunder trocken Reinhessen. Crystal clear. Medium minus red cherry colour. ...
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A Few More Wines From My Avalon Rhine River Cruise
The ship has sailed and I am halfway through this trip on the Rhine River with Avalon Waterways. I saw many steeply sloped vineyards yesterday south of Koblenz as well as a few castles perched on hillsides. Today we passed by Heidelberg. Here are my tasting notes for a few more wines I enjoyed during my dinners. I have been...
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A Few Wines From My Avalon Rhine River Cruise
Cruising on the Rhine River with Avalon Waterways cruise line, the wine list at dinner changes daily. Here are a few of the wines I tasted from my first two dinners. All wines from the cruise are European. Many are from Austria. None of these wines are currently available through the BC Liquor store, but who know, they may be...
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Ontario Chardonnay Review: Wending Home Estate Vineyards & Winery Estate Vineyard Chardonnay 2020 and 2021_PR SAMPLE
Last year I was tasting through Ontario Cabernet Franc wines, and I adored the wines from Wending Home Estate Vineyards & Winery Estate Vineyard, so I had great expectations when I received Chardonnay wines to review as part of my Ontario Chardonnay Review study. I was not disappointed. These are excellent wines. In case you wanted to know about the...
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How to Enjoy the Sweeter White Wines of Bordeaux Seminar
How often do you drink white Bordeaux wines? Do you know that they range from bone dry to lusciously sweet? Do you know which grape varieties go into white Bordeaux wines? I recently attended a seminar at L’Abbatoir in Gastown, covering these wines and some ideas for wine pairings that was hosted by Wines of Bordeaux. Our speaker was Emma...
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Celebrate Sunny Weather With Township 7 Provenance Series Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris 2025_PR SAMPLE
With our brilliant blue sky, green leaves on our trees opening, and robins singing, it is time to enjoy BC white wines. Here are two that I received from Township 7 Vineyards & Winery; their Provenance Series, Blue Terrace Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2025 and their Provenance Series Pinot Gris 2025. 2025 was a fantastic year for BC grapes and winemaking...
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Two Vancouver Island Wines from Blue Grouse Estate Winery_PR SAMPLE
I’ve been tasting and writing about Chardonnay recently, so I thought I would change things up and write about some other wines. I received several wines from Vancouver Island’s Blue Grouse Estate Winery and decided to start with their Rosé 2024 and their Pinot Gris 2024. These are from estate grown grapes and select partner vineyards. Vancouver Island is really...
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That’s a Wrap! All My Posts for VanWineFest 2026
We had another successful year at the Vancouver International Wine Festival for 2026. The Festival was a little smaller in size, I think, due to the ongoing political developments happening around the world. Hopefully, these events will resolve themselves before the end of this year so that next year will have more wines and wineries for us to enjoy at VanWineFest...
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Ontario Chardonnay Review: Niagara Peninsula Winegrowing Regions
You may have noticed that I have been reviewing and writing about southern Ontario Chardonnay wines, from the Niagara Peninsula in particular. I have undertaken my “Ontario Chardonnay Review” where I review a selection of wines from across southern Ontario, then using the tasting notes and soil maps of the region, to investigate how Chardonnay in the region expresses itself...
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Ontario Chardonnay Review: Two Wines from Henry of Pelham Part 1PR SAMPLE
The next Chardonnay that I am tasting for my Ontario Chardonnay Review comes from Henry of Pelham. I received four bottles of their Chardonnay wines. Today I am tasting two of them: Henry of Pelham Family Estate Classic Chardonnay 2025 and the Speck Brothers Family Tree “The Goat Lady” Chardonnay 2023. The winery follows Sustainable Winemaking Ontario’s world-leading standards in their farming...
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My French White and Sparkling Wine Picks at the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2026
I started my wine tasting at the International Festival Tasting Room during VanWineFest 2026 with French white and sparkling wines. Below are my favourite white and sparkling wines. I noticed after making my list that almost all the wines are made from the Chardonnay grape. I am not sure how many of these wines are still available for purchase, but...
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From Veneto, Italy: L’Antico Amorini Rosso Imperatore IGTPR SAMPLE
When I first read the label, I almost thought that this is an Amarone from Veneto. But on closer inspection the label says Amorini. There is no official tasting notes from the winery that I could locate. I did find a few other websites that reviewed this wine and it appears that this wine is a blend of two or...
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Pizzeria Spacca Napoli: Celebrating 10 Years of Business in Port MoodyPR SAMPLE
This April, Port Moody’s Pizzeria Spacca Napoli marks 10 years of wood-fired Neapolitan craft – a milestone that arrives with a new addition to the kitchen and two firsts for the restaurant. Recently arrived from Naples, pizzaiolo Salvatore Russo brings more than 25 years of experience in Neapolitan pizzerias, including overseeing multiple kitchens. His arrival deepens a program already rooted in traditional...
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My French Red Wine Picks at the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2026
I spent Friday afternoon at the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2026 tasting French red wines. Here are my favourite French wines from the International Festival Tasting Room. There is a fairly even distribution of red wines from different regions of France (and therefore different varietals) in my picks below. Enjoy. My French Red Wine Selections Castel Frères Exclusive Aspirant de...