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Posts Tagged ‘Sauvignon Blanc’

[Wines] Affordable Wine Tasting Party

Posted in Drinks, Kathryn, Product Reviews, Wine Series, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 10, 2015|

Friends and I (including Joyce and Bryan) have formed a beer club called Garibaldi Club. To date our Garibaldi Club has had 13 beer nights, so it was about time we had a wine night. Plus it was good timing for not one, but two couples in our club, who are getting married this year, to obtain some feedback/ideas on potential wines for their nuptial-day shenanigans. 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.

Wine Tasting Party

Whites

Sumac Ridge Private Reserve Gewurztraminer (2012/2013)
Canada – Alc 12% – Sweetness 02

If you are looking for something light and crisp to go with a spicy meal (or samosas, which we just so happened to have whilst sipping on this semi-sweet Gewurz) then this is a great choice. It’s got a lovely balance of flavour and sweetness without being too much. Out of 11 people there was only one or two people who said it wouldn’t be their choice, but overall it was quite enjoyable. BC Liquor Stores: $13.29 – good price for a VQA

Saint & Sinner Pinot Grigio (Vintage Not Specified)
Canada – Alc 12% – Sweetness 00

Now for someone who isn’t usually a Pinot Grigio fan I actually really enjoyed this white. It’s sweetness rating is 00 yet in my palate’s opinion it was closer to a 01 – not super dry as a 00 rating may suggest. Overall there wasn’t a negative comment in the house – it was easy drinking and quite refreshing – this may very well be seen at one (or both) of the weddings! BC Liquor Stores: $11.29

Gazela Vinho Verde (Vintage Not Specified)
Portugal – Alc 9% – Sweetness 00

I’m not going to lie, this was just not my style. (more…)

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[Wines] Sipping Our Way Through the Wine Festival #VIWF

Posted in Culinary Events, Drinks, Kathryn, Vancouver, Vancouver International Wine Festival, Wine Series, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 10, 2015| Leave a Comment »

[Editor’s Note: Please give a warm welcome to Kathryn, our new blogger. With her experience working in the wine industry and sipping her way through many bottles, Kathryn is going to bring some new insight in wine tasting. Check out her debut post below!]

Hello foodies! Thank you for inviting me into your food/beer/wine loving homes. And what is the best way to start my wine blogging debut? It’s to talk to you about the 37th Annual Vancouver International Wine Festival of course!

Joyce and I attended the Restaurant Australia and International Festival Tasting events together. What terrific events full of food and wine to tantalize and quench anyone’s craving for flavour and variety. I will leave the food portion to Joyce (needless to say I enjoyed the food) and focus on the wines of the day.

Restaurant Australia Event at Vancouver International Wine Festival

The first event, Restaurant Australia, wet the whistle and eased us into the day by pairing food with wine for 2.5 hours. It was then followed by the 2-hour afternoon International Festival Tasting – such a short time to give the tasting room, filled with 170 wineries, justice! However, I sacrificed myself and tried as many wines as possible so I could share some tasting notes plus provide you with some behind-the-scenes information that perhaps you can’t just read on a wine label or website.

Vancouver International Wine Festival International Tasting Room

Firstly, if you are not a fan of the herbaceous or mineral flavours that Sauvignon Blanc usually provides, then do I have a Sauv Blanc for you!
(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 , , , , , , , , , , , , 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.

Icon Fine Wine & Spirits Tasting

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.

Wine Tasting

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

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[Wines] A Tour Along the Langley Passport Wine Route

Posted in Drinks, Food Bloggers, Joyce, Langley, Media Events, Travel, Wine Pairing, Wine Series, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 15, 2013| 1 Comment »

Before we took a brief break for our holiday in the Mediterranean, I was invited by Jelly Marketing to experience the Langley Passport Wine Route. It is a new program that encourages visitors to check out the seven wineries in Langley. Yes, there are indeed 7 wineries in Langley. I knew about 5 of them prior to this tour — in fact, I visited 3 of them just three years ago — so some were new to me and I was quite excited about visiting them. Especially after our wine getaway in Oliver this summer (see Part 1 and Part 2 here), I was keen to find out what’s available much closer to home.

Beginning of the Langley Passport tour

Beginning of the Langley Passport tour

The premise of the program is quite straightforward. You pick up a copy of the passport at any of the participating wineries or partner hotels in Langley, then you take your time to visit each winery, get a stamp after each visit, and then you will be entered into a draw for some great prizes. Don’t worry, you don’t have to visit them all on the same day, because that would be quite irresponsible to ask you to drink that much in one day. Well, we did on the tour, but we had the luxury of travelling on a coach bus.

First stop, Township 7. Manager Jason gave us a background on Township and explained each wine in detail. We tried 2 whites and 4 reds, including a barrel sample of the Black Dog, which is a wine club exclusive with limited availability (only 118 cases).

Wine tasting at Township 7

Wine tasting at Township 7

We also took a sneak peek at the new wine tasting room and new wine labels. (more…)

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[Wines] Sipping Our Way Through the Black Sage Bench in Oliver – Part 1

Posted in Drinks, Joyce, Okanagan, Wine Pairing, Wine Series, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 17, 2013| 3 Comments »

Many people go camping on the Labour Day long weekend, taking advantage of the last few days of summer. We were no exceptions. This past Labour Day weekend, Mr. and I, along with CC and DF, went camping in Oliver. You know what Oliver is known as? The Wine Capital of Canada! Obviously we didn’t waste our 4.5 hour drive to Oliver – we spent quite some time at local wineries, and here are some highlights.

Welcome to the Wine Capital of Canada

Welcome to the Wine Capital of Canada

About The Black Sage Bench

The Oliver/Osoyoo area has two premium growing areas, known as the Golden Mile (along Highway 97) and Black Sage Bench. As suggested by its name, the Black Sage Bench covers the dozen or so wineries along Black Sage Road.  Just about every square inch is filled with grape vines.

Rows and rows of vines

Rows and rows of vines

With the short stay it’s impossible to swing by every winery on the Black Sage Bench. We picked out ones that we know of, or simply made an impulse turn-off based on how the winery looks. (more…)

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