Category Archives: OTHER

Cabernet Libre, Rose, Vista D’oro, Campbell Valley, British Columbia, Canada, 2013, 12% abv

Here’s a grape I virtually guarantee you’ve not tried before – Cabernet Libre. It’s an uncommon hybrid developed by Valentin Blattner in Switzerland that has found a home on Canada’s cool, wet coasts.  There’s a Blattner white and a red – … Continue reading

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Simi, Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, California, 2005, 15.5% abv.

Start with two wine geeks – one with a broken finger suffered on a recent trip at the Simi winery and one with extreme WSET pre-exam stress. Throw in a Friday evening and three bottles of Simi Russian River Valley … Continue reading

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Misadventures at #WBC2014’s Writer’s Workshop

Recently, I had the misfortune to have one of my wine blog pieces publicly critiqued by a print writer at the 2014 Wine Bloggers’ Conference held in Santa Barbara, California. I had been naively looking forward to this part of … Continue reading

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Wapiti Cellars, Viognier, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, BC, 2011, 12.5% abv

Viognier – who would have thunk? Fun facts It’s either a half sibling or a grandparent to Syrah. It’s related to Freisia, which means it’s also distantly related to Nebbiolo. Fifty years ago, there were only 14 ha planted of … Continue reading

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Castelmaure, Corbieres AOP, Languedoc-Roussillon, France, 2012, 13.5% abv, US$9.99

Corbières is an Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) (or since 2012, Appellation d’origine protegee, AOP) for wine in France’s Languedoc-Roussillon region. Located in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains, near Narbonne and close to the France-Spain border, it’s the region’s largest … Continue reading

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L’Acadie Vineyards, Prestige Brut, Methode Traditionnelle, Nova Scotia, 11.5% abv, 2007, $39.99

Nova Scotia – Canada’s second smallest province, land of the intrepid Acadians, the Mi’kmaq nation, maritime beauty, outstanding liberal arts universities and….quality sparkling wine? As odd as that may sound, it shouldn’t really be too surprising. Consider that Nova Scotia … Continue reading

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Wine Tasting and Celebrations at the Wickaninnish Inn

The weekend retreat we took to Tofino to celebrate two special occasions demanded some special feeding and drinking to go along with it. We found no shortage of folks at the Wickaninnish Inn willing to assist with the creation of … Continue reading

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V O D K A – WSET Unit 4 Spirits Preparation

V O D K A The word ‘vodka’ comes from the Slavic ‘voda’ meaning ‘little water’. One of the oldest spirits around, there are references to it being distilled as far back as the Middle Ages – as early as … Continue reading

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RUM – WSET Spirits Unit 4 Preparation

R U M Known in past times as ‘kill devil spirit’ or as ‘rumbullion,’ no other spirit has as many types or ‘marks’. It can be light, golden, spiced, dark, old vatted, navy, or vintage, made from a mixture of … Continue reading

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Laughing Stock, Syrah, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, 2011, 14% abv, C$36

I was looking through the ‘cellar’ (if one can really call it that considering we live on the 35th floor), for a red from the Okanagan’s Naramata Bench to enjoy with friends about to embark on a tour of the … Continue reading

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