BC Chardonnay for Summer Sips

Chardonnay. Some people love it; others are not too crazy about it. From my speaking with people, I think it is mainly the heavily oaked chardonnays that are not as enjoyable for many people. But the good news is that there are many unoaked chardonnays which are lighter in body and show more fruit character. Mission Hill brought worldwide attention to Okanagan wines when their 1992 Mission Hill Grand Reserve Chardonnay was awarded the Avery Trophy for the Best Chardonnay at the International Wine & Spirit Competition.

Chardonnay can show a wide range of character including peach, pear, apple or tropical fruits, mineral notes and rich full-bodied buttery, toasty flavours if aged in oak. It can be a heavy white wine with oaking, and can be a replacement for some red wines. Try with a bbq'd steak.

Checking the www.EverythingWine.ca website, for $15-$25 BC Chardonnay, I came up with 33 wines:

Arrowleaf Chardonnay 750 mL	Chardonnay	$17.99
Blasted Church Chardonnay Musque 750 mL	Chardonnay	$21.99
Cassini Cellars Chardonnay 750mL	Chardonnay	$23.99
Cedar Creek Estate Chardonnay Chardonnay 750ml	Chardonnay	$15.99
Cedar Creek Platinum Chardonnay 750ml	Chardonnay	$23.99
Crowsnest Vineyards Stahltank Chardonnay 750ml	Chardonnay	$21.99
Desert Hills Unoaked Chard 750 mL	Chardonnay	$18.99
Dirty Laundry Chardonnay unoaked 750ml	Chardonnay	$23.99
Dragonfly Hill Chardonnay 750ml	Chardonnay	$19.99
Gray Monk Unwooded Chardonnay 750 mL	Chardonnay	$16.99
Herder Vineyards Chardonnay 750ml	Chardonnay	$23.99
Jackson-Triggs Grand Reserve Chardonnay 750 mL	Chardonnay	$17.99
Kettle Valley Chardonnay 750 mL	Chardonnay	$21.99
Mike Weir Chardonnay 750 mL	Chardonnay	$16.99
Mission Hill Family Estate Reserve Chardonnay 750ml	Chardonnay	$18.99
Mission Hill Family Estate Reserve Chardonnay 750ml	Chardonnay	$19.99
Mt Boucherie Summit Reserve Chardonnay 750ml	Chardonnay	$23.99
Mt Boucherie Unoaked Chardonnay 750ml	Chardonnay	$17.99
Nk'Mip Cellars Chardonnay 750ml	Chardonnay	$15.99
Pacific Breeze Winery Sangiacomo Vineyards Chardonnay 750ml	Chardonnay	$22.99

Peller Proprietor's Reserve Chardonnay 1.5 L	Chardonnay	$15.99
Quails' Gate Chardonnay 750ml	Chardonnay	$18.99
Quinta Ferreira Chardonnay 750ml	Chardonnay	$24.99
Robin Ridge Chardonnay 750 mL	Chardonnay	$22.99
Sandhill Chardonnay 750ml	Chardonnay	$17.99
See Ya Later Ranch Unleashed Chardonnay 750ml	Chardonnay	$19.99
See Ya Later Chardonnay 750ml	Chardonnay	$19.99
Sonora Ranch Chardonnay 1.5 L	Chardonnay	$17.99
Summerhill Estate Winery Chardonnay, Organic 750 mL	Chardonnay	$24.99
Thornhaven Chardonnay 750 mL	Chardonnay	$18.99
Tinhorn Creek Vineyards Chardonnay 750ml	Chardonnay	$19.99
Township 7 Semillon 750mL	Chardonnay	$19.97 | $22.99
Township 7 un-oaked Chardonnay 750mL	Chardonnay	$21.99

Chardonnay is quite a popular grape amongst BC wineries. Some chardonnay's in my tasting notes are:

• Therapy Vineyards Chardonnay, 2007 - Pale lemon. Vanilla, apple, and butterscotch aromas. Butterscoth, leees, citrus, and orange peel flavours. Round mouthfeel.
• Dirty Laundry Vineyard Unoaked Chardonnay, 2007 - Light lemon colour. Tropical fruit, lemon, and honey on the nose. Some roundness in the mouth. Vanilla, apple and pear flavours.
• Greata Ranch Reserve Chardonnay, 2006 - Single vineyard. Slight oaky aroma and lime. Topical fruit flavour with a vanilla finish. Medium body, some roundness on the palate.
• Greata Ranch Chardonnay, 2006 - Pale straw coloured. Oak, vanilla, and pineapple aromas. Oak, apple and citrus flavours. Light acidity, but very fruity.

Cheers!

LaStella winery food, dinner and music @ YEW Restaurant, June 9

LaStella is the sister winery to Le Vieux Pin in the Okanagan. They produce some very nice wines, and are having a special wine, food, and music paired dinner at YEW Restaurant, next week, Wednesday, June 9. I'm passing this info along to you, as there are still tickets left. The music pairing with the food is also a unique experience!

LaStella is situated at Osoyoos Lake in the sunny South Okanagan valley of beautiful British Columbia. Just like music, LaStella likes to names their wine after Italian music notes, such as Allegreto, Vivace and Maestoso.

Join LaStella on Wednesday June 9th at 7pm at YEW Restaurant in the beautiful Four Seasons Hotel, Vancouver for a celebration of La Dolce Vita. They collaborated with the culinary team at YEW as well as Mrs. Robin Braun of Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) to pair each of our wines with a dish and a solo violin piece that captures the essence of the name given to each of their wines.

Think of their Leggiero Un-Oaked Chardonnay (meaning elegant and minimal) paired with raw fresh fish preparation, farm fresh salad while listening to "Come Primavera"{"Like Spring"} by Il Divo

Or

Maestoso Merlot (meaning majestic or a musical note that sits at the very top of the crescendo) paired with a rich, massively flavorful braised short ribs while listening to "Nessun dorma" by Puccini

How interesting! Very limited seating available. Please call Yew Restaurant directly to secure your spot for a night to remember... 604-692-4939

Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Fair - Day 3

Yesterday was my last day at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Fair. I tried many wines from the theme countries of New Zealand and Argentina, and gave you my picks. Today I'll give you some of my picks for the rest of the world.

If you like Italian wines, Altesino is a nice coice. I particularly liked their Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2004 and their Alte d'Altesi "Super Tuscan" IGT 2003. The Brunello was pale reddish orange. Light strawberry and woody nose. Light body with strawberry and oaky flavours. Medium tannins. The Alte d'Altesi was fuller bodied. Medium garnet. Smoky, earthy, oaky nose. Cherry flavour with very firm tannins.

A South African winery I had not tried before but will now look around for is Alto. South African wines tend to have a different aromatic profile than other New World wines. There is something earthy about many of their wines. Alto's Rouge 2007 and Shiraz 2006 were wonderful. I was told their Fine Old Vintage Port 2006 was really good, but never got around to trying it. The Rouge 2007 was light/medium garnet in the glass. Capsicum and cherry nose. Cherry, meaty and spicy flavours. Their Shiraz 2006 was deep purple coloured. Sweet black fruit aromas. Firm tannins and bursting with blueberry flavours. Very full bodied. Nice!

Back here in Canada, a must try is Cedar Creek Estate winery's Platinum Malbec 2007 and their Platinum Syrah 2007. The Platinum Malbec 2007 is their first single varietal release. Medium purple colour. Plum and dark fruit aromas. Rip, black cherries with some green stemminess. Very smooth. Vanilla and medium spice. The Platinum Syrah 2007 had nice blueberries and plum aromas. Quite spicy on the palate with black cherry flavour. Medium tanning and long length.

Another BC wine to try is the Chardonnay 2007 from Church & States Wines. The Chardonnay 2007 is medium lemon colour. Nice apricot nose. Vanilla, sweet spice, pineapple and apricot flavours, with a bit of spice. Lots of flavours coming out the glass the more you swirled it around in your mouth.

If you like biodynamic wines, there is the Cadenizia 2008 from Gemtree Vineyards in Australia. This wine is a blend of Grenache, Tempranillo, and Shiraz). Medium garnet. Nice nose with butterscotch, cherry and vanilla. Lots of cassis flavour with black cherry and spiciness. Firm yet fine tannins.

My third recommended BC wine is the Mission Hill Family Estate Quatrain 2006. This is a Syrah, Merlot, Cab Sauvignon, and Cab Franc blend from the Black Sage area of the Okanagan. Deep purple coloured. Blueberry and plum nose. Cherry and plum flavour, peppery with firm tannins.

If you are a Pinot Noir lover, try the Freedom Hill Pinot Noir 2006 from Panther Creek in Oregon. The Freedom Hill Pinot Noir 2006 is light cherry coloured. Smoky, strawberry aromas. Earthy, cherry flavours, with a bit of spiciness and low tannins.

There are many more wines for me to write about for you. That will be happening over the next week. Hopefully you would have tried some of these wines and/or purchased some. Enjoy!

Wine for Easter

Easter is a big holiday for many of us, where we get together with family and enjoy a big Easter dinner. Easter is also leading us into spring. Flowers are already blooming here in Vancouver, and i'm sure it will come soon in the rest of Canada.

Ham, roast chicken or turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes and vegetables are traditional dishes for many people's Easter dinner. But maybe you are wondering what wine(s) to serve? Before starting dinner you may want to consider something sparkling? An easy to sip wine would be an Italian prosecco or a Moscato. These wines tend to be quite reasonably priced. Mionetto Prosecco Frizzante $21.99 or Batasiolo Moscato D'Asti $21.99 are two wines you may want to consider.

For the main course, a roasted ham, if you are a red wine person, you could try a Pinot Noir or a Gamay (the most famous being Beaujolais). Serve slightly chilled. Here in North America, you could go with a Pinot Noir from British Columbia, such as the Quails Gate Okanagan Valley Pinot Noir. A Gamay such as Georges Duboeuf Brouilly, France would also be nice. The Gamay would also work with turkey. What if you prefer white wine? Then I would suggest a riesling. The Kettle Valley Winery Riesling 2008 (BC) has a bit of residual sugar with some apple, flower and citrus aromas, and apple with a bit of petrol flavours. If you prefer a drier riesling, how about the Plantagenet Great Southern Riesling 2008 from Australia? Quite minerally. Light green and petrol aromas. Apple and citrus flavours.

For roast chicken or turkey, there is Pinot Noir, as mentioned earlier. A lightly oaked Chardonnay would also work well. The oakiness and butteriness from some secondary malolactic ferementation would make the Chardonnay nice and round in your mouth to complement the richness of your roast chicken or turkey. If you would like to support Chilean wineries, after the earthquake, you may want to try the Carmen Nativa Vineyards Chardonnay (organic) or the Vina Errazuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay from Chile. The Errazuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay is always a winner for me. From my last tasting notes, I noted 100% barrel fermented in French oak for 9-10 months. 1/3 of wine goes through malolactic fermentation to add some extra body and butteriness. Full lemony colour. Lots of vanilla, caramel and tropical fruit on the nose. Very aromatic. Medium-full body, with tropical fruit and vanilla flavour. Has some acidity and slight spiciness to balance the creaminess. An excellent wine.

I hope some of these wines give you ideas for what to serve with your Easter family meal. Enjoy!

Bubbles for New Years eve 2010

We are on the precipice between the 2000's and the 2010's New Years. Shouldn't we be celebrating the end of the first 10 years of 2000 with some Champagne or other sparkling wine? What fun things could you try? How about buying a vintage champagne, or other sparkling wine from the year 2000. It might be difficult and cost a bit more money but it would be memorable.

If you don't have the time or money to hunt down one of the 2000 vintage bubbles, I have a few suggestions. The wines I list below, I've tasted and have tasting notes on www.MyWinePal.com under the Wine Reviews tab. The reviews are stored in a spreadsheet format which you can freely download and use to help you select bubbles and other wines. Please download and make use of my notes.

Some sparkling wines I enjoyed:

New Zealand	Lindauer	Brut	Sparkling	NV	Biscuity and citrus aroma and flavours. The bubble was small and elegant.
Australia	Banrock Station	Sparkling	Chardonnay	NV	Pale straw colour. It has pleasant acidity. There are flavours of peach, lime and melon.
Australia	Skillogalee	Sparkling	Riesling	NV	Petrol and citrus nose. Good acidity, bright citrus flavour with lingering petrol. Medium length.
South Africa	Graham Beck	Sparkling -Brut	Pinot Noir / Chardonnay	NV	Brillant golden colour and had honey, apple, biscuity aromas and flavours.
Italy	Cantina Breganze	Prosecco Extra Dry	Prosecco	NV	Pale lemon in colour with a tinge of green. Lemon and juicy orchard fruit on the nose. Orange, lemon, and rose petal flavours.
Italy	Cantina Breganze	Blanquette de Limoux Demi-Sec		NV	This is a semi-sweet, organic sparkling wine. This one has a nice white flower nose. Bright lemony colour. Flowery, light spice, and orangy flavours. Nice.
Spain	Codorniu	Sparkling Brut	Pinot Noir	NV	Light orangy pink in colour. Light strawberry aroma. Very bracing in your mouth, with strawberry and raspberry flavours.
Hungary	Hungaria	Grand Cuvee		NV	Quite a deal for this sparkler. Light lemon in colour, with lemon/lime aromas. Light bubble with lemon flavour.
France	Cuillier Pere et Fils	Brut Selection	Pinot Noir / Chardonnay	NV	Fine bubble with green apple and pear aromas. Fine bubble with lemon and pear flavour. This wine was like enjoying a fresh pear. Very tasty!
South Africa	Moreson	Blanc de Blancs Brut Method Cap Classic	Chardonnay	NV	It had a very fine bubble. Red apple, citrus, light spice and bready flavour. It had a long finish. Nice.

If you are in the Vancouver, BC area, you should be able to get these wines (but not necessarily some of the exact vintages) at a BC Specialty liquor store, or some private wine stores like Everything Wine.

You may also want to celebrate the coming of 2010 with a BC sparkling wine. Here is a list of some sparkling BC wines from Everything Wine (you may be able to get these at BC liquor stores too):

Blue Mountain Gold Label Sparkling 750 mL	Sparkling	$29.99
Charles Meunier Sparkling 750ml	Sparkling	$13.99
Gray Monk Odyssey Brut Sparkling 750 mL	Sparkling	$26.99
Starling Lane 'Celebration' Brut 750 ml	Sparkling	$30.99

I hope I've given you a few ideas for a sparkling wine for New Year's Eve. FYI, I'll probably be enjoying a bottle of Summerhill Cipes Brut N/V from the Okanagan. Cheers!

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

Wine Spectator's Top 100 List for 2009

Today was an interesting and surprising day. I opened up the Top 100 list for 2009 from Wine Spectator, expecting to find a European wine as #1, but it was actually a wine from Washington State. Congratulations go to Columbia Crest and their Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley Reserve 2005 (US$27).

Some other observations about the Top 100 list for 2009:
- Numanthia-Termes Toro Termes 2005 (a Spanish Tempranillo) gets number 2 spot
- Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau 2007 gets number 3. This is the first European wine on this list, and it's not Bordeaux. The Rhone Valley produces very good wines. I hope more people enjoy them.
- the first white wine shows up at number 9. Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc from the Russian River Valley 2007 (not a Chardonnay). Very interesting. Merry Edwards though, is a known premium producer.
- No BC wine was listed. Hopefully next year!
- 16 of the top wines are from Italy. Lots of Brunello and Chianti.
- the first Chardonnay shows up at 21 and it's not from Burgundy. Neyers Chardonnay Carneros 2007
- the first bubble shows up at 18 and it's not from Champangne. Argyle Extended Tirage Willamette Valley 1999
- the first Chilean red shows up at 57 spot. Viña Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon Maipo Valley Medalla Real Special Reserve 2006 (one of the wineries I visited in October this year. One of my recommended wines.)

Well there are many other things I can glean from the Top 100 list for 2009, but I'd suggest that you get a copy of the list and see if there is anything interesting or surprising for you. Enjoy!

Liquid Art Fine Wines - 20th Anniversary tasting

Today I was invited to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Liquid Art Fine Wines in Vancouver. Liquid Art Fine Wines is an importer of premium wines from around the world. They are specialists in sourcing some of the world's finest and most sought-after wines. You can find their wines in restaurants in Vancouver as well as you can purchase the wines from them if you are an avid collector of hard to get wines.

I enjoyed sparkling wines, white and red wines from around the world today. A very nice Champagne from France was the Varnier-Fanniere Brut Grand Cru NV ($71.90). This champagne had a nice bready nose. Very fine bubble, with green apple, oak and citrus flavour. The fine bubble, I learned from my trip to France last year comes from the Chardonnay grape. This champagne is 100% chardonnay from different vintages blended together. It is aged in bottle for 3 years. It is not heavy and I'd enjoy it as an aperitif with some light canapes.

If red wine is more your style, staying in France, maybe you would enjoy their Domaine de la Mordoree "La Dame Rousse" Lirac Rouge AC 2006 ($30.90)? This a blend of 50% Grenache, 50% Syrah. Hand harvested. This was a very intriguing wine. It has a brooding character. Deep garnet in colour, with a sweet dark cherry nose. Full dark cherry flavour. Medium tannins and medium length.

Outside of France, you may enjoy the Roccolo Grassi Valpolicella Superiore DOC 2004 Italy ($57.90). Valpolicella is a blend of Corvina, Rondinella, Croatina and Corvinone. This wine had a very smoky nose with cherries. On the palate there was that smokiness again, with sausage and cherry and nice amount of spice. Long length. Wonderful.

There are many more wines of great quality at Liquid Art Fine Wines. I will be posting my tasting notes for the other wines that tried this evening on www.MyWinePal.com. You may want to visit Liquid Art Fine Wines' online inventory.

Enjoy!

Cavas Submarinas - a unique cellar in Chile

After a long day of wine tasting in Chile, I was flipping through the TV channels and stumbled upon a Spanish speaking channel talking about a winery called Cavas Submarinas. What was interesting is that you order a bottle of Cavas Submarinas wine, and instead of going to the cellar to fetch it, the sommelier puts on a wetsuit, dives into the Pacific ocean, emerges with a bottle, and comes back to your table to open it, dripping wet.

The Cavas Submarinas line consists of a Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir Carmenere blend, Carmenere, Syrah, and a Cabernet Sauvignon. The winery sinks containers of bottles along the coastline at specific depths (in SECRET locations), from 10 to 30 meters with the pressure of the ocean and cool temperatures keeping the wine fresh. The wines are aged beneath the waves from six months to a year. The winery asserts that the constant submarine temperature of 8°C, and the unique combination of ocean pressure, luminosity and wave movement gives the wine “...a roundness, a more Champagne-like flavor.”

With this in mind, I wonder if some enterprising winery in Kelowna or Penticton would try the same with Lake Okanagan, or maybe one of the Vancouver Island wineries?

If you can read Spanish, here is the Cavas Submarinas website.

Saludos!

Celebrate Argentina Wines 2009

Having both the Wines of Chile and the Wines of Argentina in the same week have been taxing, but very fulfilling. I tried many new wines from many new wineries this week, and I look forward to seeing these new wines in our government and private wine shops. On this post I focus on the Argentina event.

Argentina has been making wines over the last 300 years, with most of the consumption within the country. Over the past 20 years exports of Argentinean wine has grown. Canada is now starting to get many more Argentinean wines.

For this tasting, there was of course many bottles of Malbec to taste, but also now a wide range of other varietals such as Semillon, Pinot Noir, Torrontes (the signature white grape of Argentina) and Petit Verdot! I was particularly suprised to see the Pinot Noir as it is such a finicky grape and loves cool climate, while the major wine region of Argentina, Mendoza, is quite hot and Malbec thrives there. I also enjoyed watching the Argentinean tango being danced at the event.

So what were some of the highlight wines that I came across at this evening's event?

- Urraca Chardonnay 2008. This wine had a nice oaky, earthy nose. Round in the mouth with nice lemon flavour and a long finish. Not overly oaked. This winery needs an agent so we can see their wines.
- Juana del Sol Chardonnay 2009. This wine has understated elegance. Pale lemon in colour with a light oak nose. Round. Vanilla and stone fruit flavours. They also need an agent.
- Sur de los Andes Torrontes 2008. Medium lemon coloured. Light pine needle aroma. FULL flavour. Pine needles and apples with a grapefruit finish. Maybe try instead of a Sauvignon Blanc sometime.
- Filus Reserva Malbec 2007. Deep purple in the glass. Ripe sweet red fruit with cherry liquor flavours. Vanilla, red fruit and plum on the nose. Tannic finish, but not unpleasant. This winery needs an agent.
- Aconcagua Malbec 2008. Deep purple coloured. Very aromatic. Smoky, herbal, cherry aromas. Smoky, earthy and dark fruit flavours with a cherry finish. Nice round mouth feel. One of my favorites, and should be around $15 when it comes to BC.
- Sottano Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. Medium garnet in the glass. Classic cassis nose. Cassis and cherry on the palate. Lots of fruit flavour and low tannins.

There is a peek at a few of the wines of the evening. There were many more, and I'll be posting them on www.mywinepal.com in the Wine Reviews section. Keep your eyes open for these wines coming soon to BC. Salud!

Muy Gusto Wines of Chile

Today I enjoyed the wines from more than 3o Chilean wineries at the Sutton Place Hotel in downtown Vancouver. There was a range of red and white wines from the northern region of Limari down to the south in Bio Bio. There was Chile's signature grape, Carmenere at many of the agents tables, but also a wide variety of other varietals. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted red grape, followed by Merlot, then Carmenere. For the whites, Sauvignon Blanc is the most widely planted white grape followed by Chardonnay then Moscatel of Alexandria. One interesting varietal that I tried today was a Sauvignon Gris from Cousino Macul. I was told that this is the only Sauvignon Gris being offered in BC. This grape is a "lost" Bordeaux varietal that was brought to Chile before phylloxera infected the vines in France. This wine I believe was sur lie, as I detected some lees as well as lemon on the nose. It was a light bodied wine, with light acidity and peach flavour.

So what were some of the highlight wines that I tasted (I didn't taste all the wines at the event, so i'm sure there are some excellent ones that I didn't get to try)?

- Vinedos Emiliana Eco Bio Bio Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2009 ($12.95). I like this wine as it is organic and a great price. Who says organic has to be expensive? This wine had asparagus aroma. Good acidity with citrus and apple flavours. A New World Style Sauv Blanc.

- Montgras Ninquen. This is a blend of 65% Syrah and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine comes from the Ninquen hill in the Colchagua Valley. This wine was deep purple in colour. Cassis and cherry on the nose. Cassis, dark fruit and black cherry flavours. It is very full bodied and has a spiciness that builds in your mouth as you savour it's flavours.

- Santa Carolina Reserva de Familia Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($19.95). This wine has a nice cassis nose. It is quite round in your mouth and has ripe red cherry flavour, and a dry finish.

- Santa Rita Medalla Real Cabernet 2007 ($19.99) . This wine is medium garnet in the glass. Cassis, red cherry, and sweet red fruit aromas. Ripe cherry and black fruit flavours. This wine is very full bodied and has nice soft tannins. Outstanding value and quality.

That is all for now. There is alot of southern hemisphere wine events happening this week. On Thursday I'll be at the Wines of Argentina event, with more wines to blog about. Salut!

Visiting Everything Wine

I've Twittered about Everything Wine, located in North Vancouver a few times, plus I go there to pick up wines that are not in the regular BC Liquor Stores. Today I thought I'd tell you a bit more about Everything Wine in my blog.

I like this store as I can find Specialty "spec" wines, as well as more premium wines. Everything Wine has a special section at the back of the store with their premium wines. If you want to buy a bottle of Sassicaia, you can find it here (for $168.99). You can also find "cheap and cheerful" wine, such as Lindeman's Bin 65 Chardonnay, which retails for $11.99. They have quite a wide selection of southern hemisphere wines, which is a good place to find good values and high quality.

Also during the weekdays, and maybe weekends, they have free tastings from 2pm to 4pm. These are free tastings. They also have special occasion tastings that you need to pay, but these tend to be more premium wines, and could have a wine maker in attendance talking about his / her wine.

The other nice thing I like about Everything Wine is that if you go to their website, you can query their wine database and see if your favorite drop is in stock. You can order it online, or go to the store to buy it. Their website is www.everythingwine.ca.

When I was there, they were going to have a special tasting of Sonoma wines for free, but I couldn't stay due to other obligations during the day, but I would have liked to try some. The other thing I noticed today is that they have the "Shuttle" bottles from Hardy's winery in Australia. They have Hardy's Chardonnay / Semillon and their Shiraz / Cabernet Sauvignon Stamp series. For those that don't know, the Shuttle is a bottle with glass built into the screw top. It is meant for picnics or just when you want a small bottle of wine to enjoy on your own. The picture of the Shuttle is in my blog.

I hope you have a chance to visit Everything Wine. Tell them Karl from MyWinePal sent you! Enjoy.