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Posts Tagged ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’

[Wine] 2016 Vancouver Wine Fest Tasting Room

Posted in Culinary Events, Drinks, Kathryn, Product Reviews, Vancouver, Vancouver International Wine Festival, Wine Series, tagged Bolgheri, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, Vancouver International Wine Festival, VIWF, wine on tap, Wine Tasting, Zinfandel on March 23, 2016| Leave a Comment »

The Vancouver International Wine Festival 2016 Tasting Room had, in my mind, great potential to be the best I have experienced to date. Why? One word…Italy! Yes, the romantic, bold and fabulous world of Italian wines was featured at this year’s wine fest. However, to my surprise, there were more wines I preferred from other countries. Perhaps it was the hype I had built up in my mind that made me expect a taste sensation, but instead, I got a sub-par flavour experience. Having said that, I will still one day venture to Tuscany and drink wine all day while my husband, Bryan the beer columnist, writes his novels (not unlike Joshua Jackson in Shadows in the Sun).

Most of the wines available for tasting were reds…very rich and very heavy. I love my bold reds but it also has to be balanced and have some complexity to it to make it interesting, and I just didn’t find that with any of the Italian wines. Perhaps some aging would have helped soften the wines and bring out the flavours. That is what some of the winery representatives mentioned as I was sacrificing myself trying as many wines as I could in such a short time…what a tough life!

Please note: Prices listed below are mostly based on the BC Liquor Stores website and may vary depending on monthly promotion, and it will be priced differently at private, independent liquor stores as well. (more…)

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[Wines] Discovering Californian Zinfandel & Chardonnay at the Wine Festival

Posted in Culinary Events, Drinks, Joyce, Product Reviews, Vancouver, Vancouver International Wine Festival, Wine Series, tagged Bonterra Organic Vineyards, Brazin Old Vine, Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Chardonnay, Concannon Vineyard, Delicato Family Vineyards, Edge Wines, Geyser Peak Winery, Lodi, Merlot, Michael David Winery, Napa Valley, Pinot Grigio, Robert Mondavi Winery, Seghesio Family Vineyards, Sterling Vineyards, Vancouver International Wine Festival, VIWF, Waterview, Wine Tasting, XYZinfandel, Zinfandel on March 3, 2016| 9 Comments »

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At the California Cruisin’ event of the 2016 Vancouver International Wine Festival, vineyards of the Golden State were showcased at the beautiful Waterview by the False Creek.

In California, Zinfandel is considered the state’s signature red, and Chardonnay is the most widely planted grape, so naturally, my tasting focused on these two varietals.

Chardonnay

Around the room, the chardonnays weren’t the typical chardonnay I would have expected. Most of them were light, crisp, some of them refreshing, which frankly I didn’t mind. I’m not a huge chardonnay drinker because of its rich, buttery mouthfeel, so I actually quite enjoyed this selection of chardonnays. Here are my favourites:

Bonterra Organic Vineyards Chardonnay 2013 ($16.99 at BC Liquor Stores) – This was aged in 50/50 stainless steel and American oak, this has more of a citrusy flavour. It kind of reminded me of Pinot Gris.

Concannon Vineyard Founders Chardonnay 2013 – It’s from the Monterey County. Oaked in American oak, it has apple, pear and some tropical fruit note.
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2013 Advanced #Bordeaux Wine Tasting with Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux

Posted in Culinary Events, Drinks, Joyce, News, Product Reviews, Vancouver, Wine Series, tagged Barbara Philip, BC Liquor Stores, Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Fairmont Pacific Rim, Merlot, Petit Verdot, red wine, Sauternes, Semillon, sweet white wine, Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux, white wine, Wine Tasting on February 5, 2016| Leave a Comment »

For the first time, the Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux, an association of 133 grand crus estates in the Bordeaux area of France, has made a stop in Vancouver for their North America wine tour. Held at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, this ticketed event gave participants an opportunity to have an advanced tasting of the 2013 Bordeaux release that will be available at BC Liquor Stores this October.

Speaking with the winemakers at the event, 2013 wasn’t a typical year for the Bordeaux region. Winter 2012/2013 was cold and wet, bud-break was delayed, and it wasn’t until July when it really started to warm up. The summer was short-lived, only resulting in perhaps just two-thirds of usual yield at the end. The reds were the most impacted. That being said, years and years of experience combined with careful technique, the winemakers were able to make a decent lineup, producing fruitier reds with softer tannins. It was pretty apparent as each estate was pouring its 2013 vintage as well as an earlier vintage. The mouthfeel was quite different.

In contrary to the red wine production, 2013 was a great year for whites. The Graves and Pessac-Leognan areas are known for their whites. 2013 whites should have intense fruit flavours and would be great for aging.

2013 Bordeaux Reds

Here are a few that I quite liked from the tasting:

Chateau La Dominique (Saint-Emilion): 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Chateau de Lamarque (Haut-Medoc): 45% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot. The 2010 vintage is more round, and has a deeper red hue. (more…)

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[Wines] Icon Fine Wine & Spirits – Annual Portfolio Tasting

Posted in Culinary Events, Drinks, Joyce, Media Events, Vancouver, Wine Pairing, Wine Series, tagged 8th Generation Vineyard, BC wines, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chateau de Sancerre, De Martino, Icon Fine Wine & Spirits, Lapostolle Casa, Malbec, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Saxon Estate Winery, Shot in the Dark Wines, Zorzal on February 19, 2014| 1 Comment »

I was invited to the annual portfolio tasting of Icon Fine Wine & Spirits, which represents a huge portfolio of wineries around the world.

There was a lot of wine for tasting and I don’t think I even went through 1/4 of them! After talking to some sales rep and fellow guests, I picked out a few to try and here I’m highlighting what I liked. Keep in mind I’m not a wine expert so this is purely my own personal taste. Unfortunately I didn’t get to try any of the beer & spirits they represent so this will only focus on wine.

I sampled three sauvignon blanc, of which I most enjoyed the Chateau de Sancerre Blanc. (more…)

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[Wines] Lucky Penny Wine

Posted in By Invitations, Food Bloggers, Joyce, Mr., Vancouver, Wine Pairing, Wine Series, tagged Australia wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Les Amis du Fromage, Lucky Penny Wine, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Shiraz, Viognier, [yellow tail] on April 8, 2011| 3 Comments »

Mr. and I were invited to an event to try a new line of wine by Australia’s [yellow tail]. It’s called Lucky Penny and it comes in one white blend and one red blend. Apparently BC is the first place in the world to be selling it.

Held at Les Amis du Fromage, we joined other bloggers to try the wine as well as canapes that highlight the distinct flavours and aromas in the wine. It’s also a potluck event, so each participant was encouraged to bring a homemade dish that may complement the wine as well.

Lucky Penny Wine

Before we start commenting on the wine, please keep in mind that both Mr. and I are no expert in wine; in fact, we’re fairly new to this. But we believe in sharing our thoughts about what we tried, just to give you another set of opinion.

Lucky Penny White

The white wine is a combination of Chardonnay, Viognier and Pinot Grigio, and contains the notes of honey, apricot and pear. I personally like my white wine fruity and slightly sweet, so I quite enjoyed this wine. It’s fruity and you can definitely get the apricot note.

Lucky Penny White

Mr. Says: This white is sweet and crisp, with a whole range of aromas and flavours for your senses. If that doesn’t mean anything to you, just know it’s delicious. It’s great on its own, or paired with food. I was on my third glass at the end of the night—it would’ve been the third bottle if no one was looking.

Here are the canapes at the event that were supposed to be paired with the white: