Wines of South Africa Event in Vancouver

I received this note from the Wines of South Africa (WOSA) and I thought I'd pass it along to you. In celebration of the World Cup happening in South Africa, South African wines are going to be celebrated as well in June. Below is the note I received. I hope you get a chance to try some South African wines during the World Cup. South Africa is known as the Old World of the New World. Their wines have the "fruit" that you associate with other New World wines, like from California or Chile, but they also have some of the restraint, tannic structure, and earthiness of Old World wines, such as from France and Spain. There are some excellent producers in the list of wines below, such as Boekenhoutskloof, Graham Beck, and Glen Carlou. Enjoy the World Cup!

The Announcement from WOSA:
On Friday, June 11th 2010, a unique South African wine tasting will be held at the 39th & Cambie Signature Liquor Store. Open to the public, this event will sample high quality and value of South African wines paired with savoury bites and a complimentary mini spa. The food will be prepared by Hart House Restaurant’s Kris Kabush and the complimentary mini spa treatments are from Spa Utopia.

The event at 39th & Cambie will feature a dozen stellar wines:

Nederburg Cabernet Sauvignon 111526 $ 12.99
Sebeka Cabernet/Pinotage 793067 $ 12.99
Spier Chenin Blanc 659037 $ 13.95
K.W.V. Roodeberg Red 7187 $ 14.99
Boekenhoutskloof The Wolftrap 138479 $ 14.99
Excelsior Shiraz 183995 $ 15.99
Bellingham Sauvignon Blanc / Chardonnay 848622 $ 14.99
Boekenhoutskloof Porcupine Ridge Syrah 592873 $ 17.99
Saxenburg Guinea Fowl Red Blend 316992 $ 18.99
Graham Beck Game Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 40428 $ 19.99
Glen Carlou Grand Classique 153882 $ 19.99
Thelema Mountain Red Wine 487967 $ 24.95

These wines will be shown to their best advantage paired with tasty bites prepared by Hart House’s talented Executive Chef, Kris Kabush. In addition to indulging their tastebuds, guests can also enjoy an onsite spa experience from Vancouver ’s much-loved Spa Utopia. Spa Technicians will give each guest a relaxing five-minute mini treatment. The combination of good wine, savoury food, and a turn in a massage chair is sure to help iron the wrinkles out of your day!

In conjunction with the month-long promotion, Wines of South Africa is also offering a deluxe prize package featuring Spa Utopia and the Pan Pacific Vancouver. The winner will enjoy a $225 spa gift certificate, lunch for two, and one night’s accommodation at the luxurious Pan Pacific all valued at $1000.

For details, and to enter the draw, visit www.wosa.co.za.

Wines of South Africa Consumer Tasting

Friday, June 11 2010

3:00 – 7:00 pm

BCLDB 39th & Cambie Signature Liquor Store

5555 Cambie Street, Vancouver

South World Wine Society's 5th Annual 5 Nations Cup

One of my favorite wine events is coming up on January 14, 2010. It is the South World Wine Society's "5 Nations Cup". It is a blind wine tasting. We select a red and a white wine from each of the 5 southern hemisphere countries: Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, and South Africa. In the previous years, Australia and Chile have split the glamour of winning the 5 Nations Cup.

This year we are having a signature red and white varietal from each country. It is fun to see if people can, for example, blindly tell the difference between a Malbec and a Shiraz, or between a Chenin Blanc and a Chardonnay. There are usually lots of theories amongst the tasters as to which glass has which wine in it. I'm disqualified from guessing as I help to select the wine, but it is still educational for me to taste the wines and make my own notes.

If you are in the Vancouver area, i'd like to suggest for u to sign up to this tasting. It is really fun. It is also an idea for a Christmas gift if you have a friend or family member that likes wine. There will also be appetizers so that you can enjoy the wine with food too. Sometimes you will find that you like a certain wine more with food.

I hope to see you there. You can register online at http://www.southworldwine.com

The Globe in Your Glass Media Tasting

This evening in support of Canuck Place, was the Globe in Your Glass tasting, with wineries from around the world. There was also a Media component, which usually has a person telling you something about the wines for the evening, BUT this evening was different. We were presented with 15 wines (8 white and 7 red) that were poured into carafes. Our task as Media was to taste each wine and guess the winery that produced it and the varietal or blend. We did get a hint for each wine, but it was still really hard. Also, all the wines were under $20, so good value.

The wines were of course unveiled at the end and the person(s) with the most right guesses, wins. Believe it or not, yours truly guessed the most correct wines. The wines we had to guess were:
- Hardys Stamp of Australia Riesling Gewurztraminer 2008 ($10.49)
- Sumac Ridge Private Reserve Gewurztraminer 2007 ($12.99) *
- Nk-Mip Cellars Pinot Blanc 2007 ($17.01)
- Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Sauvignon Blanc 2008 ($9.99)
- Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2009 ($15.99) *
- Banrock Station Unwooded Chardonnay 2007 ($11.99)
- Jackson-Triggs Esprit VQA Chardonnay 2007 ($12.99)
- Inniskillin Okanagan Dark Horse Chardonnay 2005 ($19.99) *
- See Ya Later Ranch Unleashed Pinot Noir 2007 ($17.99) *
- Hogue Cellars Genesis Merlot 2004 ($19.99)
- Clos du Bois Merlot 2005 ($19.99)
- Barossa Valley Estates E-Minor Shiraz 2008 ($19.99)
- Hardys Chronicles "Butcher's Gold" Shiraz Sangiovese 2007 ($16.95) *
- Robert Mondavi Private Select Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($19.99)
- Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel 2006 ($19.99) *

The easiest for me to guess was the Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc, the See Ya Later Ranch Pinot Noir, and the Ravenswood Zinfandel. The toughest was the Nk'Mip Cellars Pinot Blanc and the Hardys Chronicles "Butcher's Gold" Shiraz Sangiovese.

The ones I enjoyed the most I put a "*" beside in case you are looking for a tasty wine under $20. Enjoy.

New Zealand Wine x2
April 29, 2009 09:44:57

There are two New Zealand wine events coming up in May in Vancouver that I thought you might be interested in attending. The first is with the South World Wine Society, titled "Planning a New Zealand Vacation". This event is on May 21. It combines tasting a range of red and white wines from across New Zealand along with getting travel tips from a travel agent that has travelled extensively in New Zealand. It should be a lot of fun, plus the travel agent is offering discount coupons on travel to New Zealand. Go to www.southworldwine.com to sign up. $44 for members and $55 for non-members. Comes with food too. And I am the speaker for the wines at this event.

The other event is the New Zealand Wine Fair on May 28 at the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre. This is a yearly event and is a walk-about, with agents and/or winemakers at tables pouring their prized New Zealand wines. There are many tables where you try wines that have never been in Canada before, so be the first to try something new! Besides their trade mark Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, there are also lots of other varietals to try, like riesling, merlot, and pinot grigio. To sign up for this event go to http://www.nzwine-events.ca/nzwines_content.htm

Starting over again

For those that have followed my blog on www.MyWinePal.com, welcome to my new blog site. The old site had a limitation on storage and I hit the limit. So what I am doing is porting over my existing blogs here, then will add to them with my latest wine adventures.

For those that are new to the MyWinePal.com blog, welcome! I do enjoy travelling to wine regions of the world and telling people about them, as well as local wine happenings in Vancouver, BC, and general wine education. You will see in the upcoming blogs that I transfer about my trip to Burgundy and Alsace in France. Later this year you will read about my trip to Oregon and then about Chile.

I do like answering people's questions about wine, so do not hesitate to contact me.

Enjoy!