Category Archives: OTHER

Saignée, Culmina, Okanagan Valley VQA, BC, 2013, 14% abv.

It’s a beautiful, sunny, June afternoon and Canada’s women’s soccer team is getting ready to play in nearby BC Place stadium.  What better time than to enjoy a rosé that has been sitting in the wine fridge, just waiting for … Continue reading

Posted in British Columbia, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon / Blends, Merlot, OTHER, ROSE | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Market White, Sperling Vineyards, Okanagan Valley, BC, 2013, 11.6% abv, C$17

Sign me up for more of this pleasing white made from Bacchus, Pinot Blanc and Gewürztraminer grown on the Sperling vineyards located in East Kelowna. The colour is a medium lemon with aromas of springtime flowers, lychee, peach, nectarine, apricot … Continue reading

Posted in Bacchus, British Columbia, Gewurztraminer, OTHER, Pinot Blanc, WHITE | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Muga, Reserva, Rioja DOC, Spain, 2010, 14% abv, C$26

This bottle of Muga Reserva 2010 travelled all the way around the world from Rioja Alta to a patio off the far west coast of Canada in Ucluelet, BC. One day, I will visit Rioja DOC and the Bodegas Muga … Continue reading

Posted in Graciano, Grenache / Garnacha, Mazuelo, OTHER, RED, Spain, Tempranillo | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Notre Histoire, Bourgueil AC, Domaine de L’Oubliée, Loire, France, 13% abv, 2011

This is a wine made by Xavier Courrant who used to work in Paris as a wine retailer.  In 2009 he purchased 6 ha of vines (five Cabernet Franc and one Chenin Blanc) in Bourgueil near Saint-Patrice and went to … Continue reading

Posted in Cabernet Franc, France, Loire, OTHER, RED | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Domaine Jules Desjourneys, Moulin-à-Vent, Cru Beaujolais, France, 2009, 13.5% abv.

Moulin-à-Vent is one of the most special of the Beaujolais crus and the wine can most closely resemble fine Burgundy when aged.  In fact, this bottle doesn’t even mention Beaujolais on the label but instead, refers to red ‘Burgundy’. Make … Continue reading

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Cachaça Envelhecida, Reserva do Gerente, Brazil, 42% abv, C$18

Here is a drink you don’t see every day.  In fact, in our market on Canada’s west coast, there is only one cachaça available – and it’s not this one. What exactly is cachaça?   Is it rum?  Well, not … Continue reading

Posted in Brazil, Cachaça, OTHER, SPIRITS | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Lammershoek, Lam, White, Paardeberg, WO Swartland, South Africa, 2012, 10.5% abv.

This was an awesome South African addition to The Drinking Group‘s afternoon get together. The bottle got us all excited just for starters being a Lillet lookalike.  Lammershoek dry farms some 40+ year old bush-trained vines on granitic soils.  The 2012 vintage … Continue reading

Posted in Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, OTHER, South Africa, Viognier, WHITE | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Domaine Serene, Pinot Noir, Two Barns Vineyard, Dundee Hills AVA, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2010, 13.7% abv, US$85

The usual course of action in Oregon’s wine country has been for some of Burgundy’s most renowned winemakers to pick up and put down stakes in the (now) famous Willamette Valley.  Take for example the Drouhin family and their 1980s move to the … Continue reading

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La Guita, Manzanilla, Hijos de Rainera Pérez Marín Bodega, Sanlúcar de Barrameda DO, Spain, 15% abv, C$23

This Sherry comes with a little string draped across the neck of the bottle – apparently signifying a guitar string and hence the name, La Guita. It’s aged under a thick layer of flor (or yeast) near the coast at the … Continue reading

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Graham Beck, Cabernet Sauvignon, The Game Reserve, W.O. Western Cape, South Africa, 2011, 14.5% abv, C$19

The Western Cape is a very large geographical unit that encompasses most of the eastern wine lands of South Africa – including the Breede River Valley, the Coastal Region, Klein Karoo and Olifants River.  It’s massive.  Enormous.  And there’s a lot … Continue reading

Posted in cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon / Blends, OTHER, RED, South Africa | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment