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Posts Tagged ‘Wine’

Whistler Cornucopia: 10 Great Value French Wines under $37

Posted in Beverage, Culinary Events, Joyce, Whistler Cornucopia, Wine, Wine Series, tagged Cheap Wine, French wine, Value Wine, Whistler Cornucopia, Wine, wine event, Wine Guide, Wine Seminar, Wine Tasting, Wine under $37 on November 29, 2022| Leave a Comment »

When I went to Cornucopia in Whistler, I had the pleasure to attend a few seminars to zero-in on certain aspects of food and wine. One of my favourite sessions was Ohh La La, where we sipped and learned about 10 French wines that cost CAD$37 or less. Besides BC wines, I have always been a big fan of French wines. I love me some bold Bordeaux blend, and French Viognier was one of the first wines I fell in love with. I was really excited about attending this seminar, facilitated by wine experts Christine Campbell and Dr. Damien Wilson, who have both lived in France before.

Here are the 10 wines we tried, ranging from sparkling to rose, to white to red. I will highlight the ones I enjoyed the most.

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[Wine] TIME Winery & Kitchen, Penticton

Posted in Drinks, Joyce, Okanagan, Travel, Wine, Wine Series, tagged BC wines, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Christa-Lee McWatters Bond, ENCORE Vineyards, Harry McWatters, Meritage, Okanagan, PenMar Theatre, Penticton, Riesling, Rose, Thompson Okanagan, TIME Winery, Viognier, White Meritage, Wine, Wine Tasting, Winery on July 6, 2018| 1 Comment »

It was two years ago during our visit of Evolve Cellars, we learned from Christa-Lee that her family winery business ENCORE Vineyards had acquired the PenMar Theatre in Penticton and was converting the space into a winery. Now, we just got a sneak preview of the soon-to-open TIME Winery & Kitchen.

At the time this was written, the winery was just one inspection away from getting the permit needed to open its door to the public. So during our visit, the staff was still putting on some finishing touches.

The PenMar Theatre was a four-auditorium theatre, originally built in the 50s with just one auditorium. Harry McWatters, CEO of ENCORE, has some fond memories of the theatre. He pointed to a corner of the now winery, and told us that’s where he sat on a date decades ago, as a boy, when the movie and popcorn was just 25¢.

The reconfiguration from movie theatre to winery took longer than expected.

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Postmark Brewing & Vancouver Urban Winery + Giveaway

Posted in Beer, Contests, Drinks, Joyce, Wine, tagged #MadeinStrathcona, BC Beer, BC wines, Belgard Kitchen, contest, craft beer, Ginger Wit, giveaway, Merlot, Postmark Brewing, Railtown, Strathcona, The Settlement Building, Vancouver Urban Winery, Wine on March 5, 2018| 4 Comments »

Have you been to the Settlement Building in Railtown? Did you know you could find wine, beer AND food in that one place?

The Settlement Building is home to the Vancouver Urban Winery, Postmark Brewing, and Belgard Kitchen. The Vancouver Urban Winery (VUW) produces wines from 100% BC grapes. For example, the VUW 2014 Merlot was made with 100% Merlot grapes from Osoyoos and Naramata. You would taste dark cherry fruit and sweet spice. Not only do they source grapes from a number of Okanagan vineyards and produce their own labels, but they also collaborate with other wineries such as Road 13, Seredipity, and Backyard Vineyard.

Vancouver Urban Winery Merlot 2014

Postmark Brewing mixes west coast lifestyle with the love for one (or two) great pint. Postmark Brewing was also the winner of the SMaSH Brewers Challenge at the 2017 BC Beer Awards event. Postmark makes some interesting beers; recently they just launched the Ginger Wit – it’s a Winter Ale balancing North West hops with the warmth of dark, rich malts. It’s hazy yellow, with a subtle ginger note.

Postmark Ginger Wit

Giveaway

Now is your chance to try some wine & beer from Vancouver Urban Winery and Postmark Brewing. (more…)

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[VanFoodies eat Okanagan] Wine & Dine at Evolve Cellars

Posted in Bistro, Dessert, Great Views, Joyce, Lunch, Meat, Neighbourhood Gem, Okanagan, Outdoor Dining, Patio, Restaurants, Seafood, Travel, West Coast, Wine Pairing, Wine Series, Winery Dining, tagged BC wines, Beef Carpaccio, Bottleneck Drive, Bruschetta, Cabernet Merlot, cheesecake, Cherry, Cioppino, Duck Confit, Evolve Cellars, Gewurztraminer, Okanagan, Pinot Grigio, Rose, Route 97, scallops, Summerland, Thompson Okanagan, Wine, Wine Pairing, Wine Tasting, Winery on August 4, 2016| Leave a Comment »

While we were in the Okanagan, of course Hester Creek wasn’t the only winery we visited. On this trip, we ventured out to Summerland, specifically the Bottleneck Drive area, and we discovered Evolve Cellars.

Evolve Cellars was open in 2015 and above the tasting room is e, its dining room. Simple decor – white wall, white table cloth, with big window panes overlooking a gorgeous view of its vineyard and Lake Okanagan. Bryan, Kathryn, Mr. and I made a lunch reservation prior to getting there, and we’re patting our back for making a good choice.

Food

e’s lunch menu is quite interesting. I like that they incorporate their wine into many of the dishes. We shared a few appies, including the Seared Scallops. There was nice caramelization on one side of the scallops, the scallops were cooked to the right temperature, tender and sweet. The roasted corn salsa gave it some smokey flavours and crunch. For us, they were served on a spoon and it made a perfect bite (Mr. really liked it, because he always wants “a bit of everything in each bite”).

The Bruschetta was probably my least favourite appetizer. Don’t get me wrong, it was quite good.

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[VanFoodies eat Okanagan] Hester Creek: Terrafina, The Villa & the Winery

Posted in Breakfast, Dinner, Great Views, Italian, Joyce, Okanagan, Outdoor Dining, Pasta, Pizza, Restaurants, Tasting Room, Travel, Wine Series, Winery Dining, tagged B&B, BC wines, Bed & Breakfast, Beef Carpaccio, Beignet, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Merlot, Character Red, Golden Mile Bench, Hester Creek Estate Winery, Hotel, Okanagan, Oliver, Pizza, Route 97, Semifreddo, Terrafina Restaurant, The Villa at Hester Creek, Thompson Okanagan, Vesuvio, Wagyu Carpaccio, Wine, Wine Tasting, Winery on July 21, 2016| 9 Comments »

For the Canada Day long weekend, Mr. and I went to the Okanagan with Bryan and Kathryn. Last year, we received a certificate for a two-night stay at The Villa at Hester Creek Estate Winery, so we took the opportunity to spoil ourselves on this getaway.

Terrafina Restaurant

During our stay, Mr. and I also had dinner at the Terrafina Restaurant at Hester Creek.

To start, we shared the Wagyu Beef Carpaccio. There was so much on the plate you can barely see the thinly sliced wagyu beef. The flavour combination was quite typical — capers, parmesan, arugula, aioli — what came as a pleasant surprise was the little sprouts sprinkled on top. They gave a slight crunch, an earthy note, which brought a new dimension of flavour.