Author Archives: winellama

Unknown's avatar

About winellama

I love wine...and finally decided to do something about it.

Aging a Wine for 14 Years – Garnaxa, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, Laurel, Daphne Glorian, Clos i Terrasses, DOQ Priorat, Spain, 2012, 15% abv.

When I received my WSET Diploma at the graduation ceremony in London, England in 2015, we took a trip following the big event to Priorat DOQ in Spain. Take a moment to read at this link how I managed, against … Continue reading →

Posted in cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon / Blends, Grenache / Garnacha, RED, Red, red wine, Shiraz / Syrah, Spain | Leave a comment

What does an 86 year old Port wine taste like; Barros, Colheita 1940, Douro DOC, Portugal, 20% abv., 40 euros for 15 ml

If you’ve every travelled to Portugal, you will have left knowing every street in the country  goes up hill, both ways. There we were – at the bottom of yet another hill, when we decided to go into Garrafeira Soares, … Continue reading →

Posted in FORTIFIED WINE, OTHER, Port, Portugal | Leave a comment

The Truth About Mocktails; My Foray into a Non-Alcoholic Summer

Last month, I decided to go alcohol free for 5 weeks.  What? Why!? You are not the only one to have expressed surprise.   Drinking good quality wine and other alcoholic beverages has been a personal goal for a while and … Continue reading →

Posted in OTHER | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Some Top BC Wineries to Visit: Tasting in the Similkameen and Okanagan Valleys

We have some lovely friends who have moved recently to the West Coast.  They’re trying to get to know British Columbia – so we decided to take them to some of the best spots. That’s how we spent a week … Continue reading →

Posted in BC, British Columbia, Cabernet Franc, cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon / Blends, Chardonnay, Gamay, Marechal Foch, OTHER, Pinot Noir, RED, red wine, ROSE, Rousanne, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, Washington State, WHITE | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bratislava’s National Wine Salon Experience

In April 2026, we visited Bratislava, Slovakia – smack dab in the centre of Europe, a brief riverboat trip down the Danube from Vienna, and located directly on what used to be a heavily militarized segment of the Iron Curtain … Continue reading →

Posted in cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon / Blends, Dunaj, OTHER, RED, red wine, Rudava, Slovakia, WHITE | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Top Wine Picks: Notes from Recent Tastings

What a terrible problem to have – too many wines, shrinking drinking windows, and not enough time made to write about them or catalogue the tasting notes clogging up my phone.   Here is a synopsis of some of the better … Continue reading →

Posted in Burgundy, Chardonnay, France, Furmint, Hungary, Oregon, OTHER, Pinot Noir, RED, Tokaji, WHITE | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why Tracking Your Wine Journey Matters – Viura, Viña Gravonia, White Crianza, López de Heredia, Rioja DOC, Spain, 2004, 12.5% abv.

This is EXACTLY why I keep track of the wines I enjoy. I opened a bottle of this wine 11 years ago in 2015 – and then again in February 2026.  Now I can compare the two – and congratulate … Continue reading →

Posted in Spain, Viura / White Rioja, WHITE | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Pinot Noir, Clone Collection Dijon 777, CODE Wines, Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley VQA, British Columbia, Canada, 13% abv., 2022

I had wanted to visit CODE Wines for some time. They’re relatively new to the Okanagan, BC wine scene, but they landed in it with accolades and awards, and I’d heard nothing but wonderful reports of them and the quality … Continue reading →

Posted in British Columbia, Chardonnay, OTHER, Pinot Noir, RED, red wine, Shiraz / Syrah, WHITE | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Chenin Blanc, Le Haut-Lieu, Demi-Sec, Domaine Huet, Vouvray, Loire Valley, France, 2015, 13% abv, US$50

When we visited the Loire, and went to Vouvray and Domaine Huet in June 2014, I fell in love quite seriously with these wines. Then, when I did my Court of Master Sommelier, level one exam in August 2014, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Chenin Blanc, France, Loire, OTHER, WHITE | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Toast to Memories – Pinot Blanc (Weisser Burgunder), “Kalkgestein”, Weingut Friedrich Becker, Deutscher Qualitatswein trocken, Pfalz, Germany, 13% abv., 2023 and Merlot, Château Fombrauge, Bernard Magrez, Saint Emilion AC, Bordeaux, Grand Cru, France, 15% abv., 2009, C$55

My mom would have turned 84 this May, so to remember her, we joined with one of my sisters, her husband and a niece to enjoy dinner at one of Mom’s favourite restaurants, toast her and laugh over some great … Continue reading →

Posted in Cabernet Franc, cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon / Blends, France, Germany, Merlot, OTHER, Pinot Blanc, RED, Red, red wine, WHITE | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments