seen from Croatia
seen from United States
seen from Spain
seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from Algeria
seen from United States
seen from Spain
seen from Colombia
seen from Colombia
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from Canada
seen from Maldives
seen from Mexico
seen from United States
A Grape Escapes Wine Tour in Okanagan Falls, British Columbia Canada
Usually every April the wife and I, spend about 10 days taking a road trip down to the Okanagan Valley in southern British Columbia to celebrate our anniversary, and what better way to do that then exploring wine country!
In 2019 we opted to take a wine tour through Grape Escapes Wine Tour Company and chose the Okanagan Falls wine tour also known as OK Falls.
I chose this area because we…
View On WordPress
Warm Wine Rant for Restaurants
Warm Wine Rant for Restaurants #DOVF @winebcdotcom #vancouver cc @vanfoodster
Dine Out Vancouver is well underway. I went to a restaurant to enjoy their special Dine Out meal, paired with a red BC VQA wine. The food was very good, but the wine was served warm to me. Not the right temperature at all for this wine. The fruit flavours did not come through. And this dampened my enthusiasm for the meal.
This is also not just a one-time serving issue. Last year during Dine…
View On WordPress
My Interview with Sandra Oldfield - A Heart Beating for BC Wine
My Interview with Sandra Oldfield - A Heart Beating for BC Wine @sandraoldfield @tinhorncreek #bcwine @bcwas
If you are familiar with BC wines at all, you should know of Sandra Oldfield and the winery she helped start with her husband Kenn Oldfield and friends Barb and Bob Shaunessy, called Tinhorn Creek in Oliver in 1993 and first vintage in 1994. This year, 24 years later, life changed for Sandra and Kenn when Tinhorn Creek was sold to a large Canadian winery called Andrew Peller, which owns wineries…
View On WordPress
Fall into Autumn with BC VQA Wine Events in BC Liquor Stores this October by My VanCity posted on My VanCity
View New Post: http://myvancity.ca/2015/09/30/fall-into-autumn-with-bc-vqa-wine-events-in-bc-liquor-stores-this-october/?utm_source=TR&utm_medium=My+Vancity+Tumblr&utm_campaign=SNAP%2Bfrom%2BMy+VanCity
Fall into Autumn with BC VQA Wine Events in BC Liquor Stores this October
D’oro Jam
32 Events and Delicious Giveaways in BC Liquor Stores this October
Fall flavours abound in BC Liquor Stores throughout the month of October with an extensive tasting program – 32 FREE events, hosted by the BC Wine Institute and its myriad BC VQA member wineries as part of their BC VQA – Or You could call it BC DNA Buy Local program. Adding spice to the mix is a jar of gourmet Vista D’oro jam attached to 12 participating wines in 20 liquor stores throughout the Lower Mainland – perfect compliments to a delicious Thanksgiving feast!
As BC’s annual winegrape harvest celebrates its earliest start on record, shoppers in BC Liquor Stores have 32 opportunities to ‘try-before-they-buy’ during the month of October. Eight Signature BC Liquor Stores around the Lower Mainland will feature FREE tastings of select BC VQA wines on 17 different dates. Each tasting booth will be hosted by knowledgeable staff who will guide consumers through three different BC VQA wines. A total of 12 different wines will be featured at various events throughout the month.
Thanksgiving feasts were the inspiration behind the gifts adorning select BC VQA bottles this month – 40mL jars of Vista D’oro’s Spiced Apple and Gewurztraminer jam. 5,000 jars of our province’s most prized preserve will be applied to participating bottles inside 20 Signature Liquor Stores in Burnaby, Port Coquitlam, Richmond, Surrey, Vancouver and West Vancouver.
The BC Wine Institute launched their BC VQA – Or You could call it BC DNA Buy Local program earlier this summer to engage British Columbians sense of local pride and drive home the message that when you choose a BC VQA Wine, you are enjoying a product that is 100% from British Columbia. The program features promotions in nearly 30 top Vancouver restaurants, 24 private wine stores in the Lower Mainland, and at BC Liquor Stores and BC VQA Wine Stores throughout the province.
“We are very excited to have partnered with the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC on this extensive campaign,” explains BC Wine Institute Marketing Director Maggie Anderson. “Through this program, we are able to reach BC wine consumers at multiple touch-points and inspire them to support their local grapegrowers and winemakers by choosing a BC VQA Wine.”
In addition to the in-store events and branding, the Wines of British Columbia is running a BC VQA Pour & Pair Contest on Instagram and Twitter (contest ends December 31, 2015) with a chance to win a fabulous five day multi-region BC Wine Experience for two (valued at $5,600). This amazing prize features Island-hopping on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands; float plane, paddle board and a Great Estates Okanagan tour in the Okanagan Valley; and a leisurely Similkameen River float wine tour. To enter, all you have to do is take a photo of your favourite BC VQA wine (including the label) paired with your favourite dish and post to either Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #BCVQAPourandPair. For full contest details, visit WineBC.com/PourandPair
Be sure to keep an eye out for the BC VQA – Or You Could Call it BC DNA commercials also on Global BC and Global Okanagan, as well as billboards throughout the Lower Mainland. For more information about the program, visit www.WineBC.com.
Funding support provided, in part, by the BC Government’s Buy Local Program; delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC with funding from the BC Ministry of Agriculture.
ABOUT THE BC WINE INSTITUTE (BCWI)
Since 1990, the BCWI has played a pivotal role in taking BC’s wine industry from a vision to an internationally recognized niche region producing premium wines and providing exceptional wine tourism experiences. The BCWI markets the wine and regions of BC; delivers quality trade, media and consumer tastings; and acts as the voice of BC’s wine industry by advocating to government on behalf of industry that contributes $2 billion in provincial economic growth annually.
The BCWI represents all wineries in British Columbia to grow the premium market share for the Wines of British Columbia, while driving awareness of our world-class wine tourism product – currently drawing 800,000 visitors with $476 million in tourism and tourism employment related economic impact every year.
The BCWI’s voluntary membership consists of 151 member wineries whose dues enable participation in various trade and consumer promotional events and retail marketing activities here in BC, across Canada and in select international markets, exclusively featuring BC VQA (100% BC) Wine. BCWI members produce 94% of BC VQA Wine sold in British Columbia.
ChefmeetsBCGrape celebrates 11 years pairing BC VQA wine and food by My VanCity posted on My VanCity
View New Post: http://myvancity.ca/2015/09/23/chefmeetsbcgrape-celebrates-11-years-pairing-bc-vqa-wine-and-food/?utm_source=TR&utm_medium=My+Vancity+Tumblr&utm_campaign=SNAP%2Bfrom%2BMy+VanCity
ChefmeetsBCGrape celebrates 11 years pairing BC VQA wine and food
Photo by Roger Allen (Judges Tim Pawsey, Sid Cross, DJ Kearney, Rhys Pender and David Scholefield with Emcee Dawn Chubai & the BCWI marketing team at the 11th Annual ChefmeetsBCGrape).
After 11 years ChefmeetsBCGrape is still going strong. With an increase in ticket sales and attendance by 90 wineries and ten restaurants, ChefmeetsBCGrape is continuing its tradition of wine and food pairing success in Vancouver.
“This event not only supports a great organization, with all proceeds going to the Arts Club Theatre Company, but it is an excellent opportunity for us to bring the British Columbia wine country experience to the city,” says Miles Prodan, President and CEO of the British Columbia Wine Institute, which organizes the event.
Held for the third year as a fundraiser for the Arts Club Theatre Company, ChefmeetsBCGrape took place at the Vancouver Convention Centre on Wednesday, September 16 with 530 wine and food enthusiasts packing in to experience the best of BC. The event, hosted by Dawn Chubai, featured 90 BC wineries pouring over 350 BC VQA wines and 10 restaurants each creating a dish to pair with a BC VQA wine.
“It was such an incredible celebration of the best of B.C.,” says Peter Cathie White, executive director of the Arts Club. “We would like to give thanks to the British Columbia Wine Institute for partnering with us again, and to all the wineries and restaurants for donating both time and expertise. We raised $37,800, which is outstanding! The proceeds will go to fostering local talent in the theatre arts.”
“This year marks the 25th anniversary of Wines of British Columbia as a modern wine industry and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the amazing quality of BC VQA wines we are producing,” says Prodan. The event offers many wineries a chance to showcase their fall releases to the public, and it’s a great opportunity for consumers to experience the versatility of 100% BC wine paired with various styles of cuisine, made from local ingredients prepared by some of Vancouver’s favourite restaurants.”
Chefs competed at the event to win two coveted awards: Best BC VQA Pairing and Best Dish. A panel of wine and food experts, including DJ Kearney, Sid Cross, Tim Pawsey, Rhys Pender and David Scholefield, tasted through each of the 10 wine paired dishes. “We’re seeing a lot more creativity with the dishes this time compared to previous years,” noted Rhys Pender MW during the tasting.
The pairing of Okanagan Crush Pad Haywire The Bub NV and LIFT Bar Grill View’s beet juice cured wild salmon gravlax, candy cane beets and foraged wild mushroom took the top Prize of Best BC VQA Pairing. “It was a beautiful use of the salmon, beets, wild mushroom, very fresh and really tapped into the ageing of The Bub Sparkling Wine – very fantastic,” described Pender.
Coming in a close second was the Burrowing Owl Cabernet Franc 2012 paired with slow braised oxtail and tomato ragout by Torafuku.
Best Dish went to Chicha Restaurant’s coconut scallop ceviche served on house made aji Amarillo Peruvian Chili rice crackers (whose dish was paired with JoieFarm Winery’s Riesling 2013). “We loved the flavor combination in this dish, so complex, so balanced! The Riesling was great with it, we just thought it was masterful!” accredited DJ Kearney in congratulating Chef Shelome Bouvette and her team on their dish.
ABOUT THE BC WINE INSTITUTE (BCWI)
Since 1990, the BCWI has played a pivotal role in taking BC’s wine industry from a vision to an internationally recognized niche region producing premium wines and providing exceptional wine tourism experiences. The BCWI markets the wine and regions of BC; delivers quality trade, media and consumer tastings; and acts as the voice of BC’s wine industry by advocating to government on behalf of industry that contributes $2 billion in provincial economic growth annually.
The BCWI represents all wineries in British Columbia to grow the premium market share for the Wines of British Columbia, while driving awareness of our world-class wine tourism product – currently drawing 800,000 visitors with $476 million in tourism and tourism employment related economic impact every year.
The BCWI’s voluntary membership consists of 151 member wineries whose dues enable participation in various trade and consumer promotional events and retail marketing activities here in BC, across Canada and in select international markets, exclusively featuring BC VQA (100% BC) Wine. BCWI members produce 94% of BC VQA Wine sold in British Columbia.
BC VQA WINES SHOWCASED AND SOLD IN A BC GROCERY STORE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME by My VanCity posted on My VanCity
View New Post: http://myvancity.ca/2015/04/01/bc-vqa-wines-showcased-and-sold-in-a-bc-grocery-store-for-the-very-first-time/?utm_source=TR&utm_medium=My+Vancity+Tumblr&utm_campaign=SNAP%2Bfrom%2BMy+VanCity
BC VQA WINES SHOWCASED AND SOLD IN A BC GROCERY STORE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME
100 per cent BC Wines now on shelves in Surrey’s South Point Save-On-Foods provide consumers with food pairing convenience, and further boost BC’s “buy local” agrifoods philosophy.
Some of BC’s highest quality wines are now on sale next to BC-grown produce, meat, seafood and dairy products at the South Point Save-On-Foods store in Surrey.
The South Point grocery store has become the first one in BC to stock and sell BC VQA Wines under the Province of BC’s new liquor regulations which took effect today, following the government’s province-wide Liquor Policy Review.
Under the new legislation, grocery stores fitting criteria laid out by the new regulations may offer BC VQA Wine products for sale on designated shelves under a third party operator arrangement with the BC Wine Institute (BCWI), which holds longstanding licences to operate BC VQA-only stores. Starting today, those specialty store licences may now transfer their operation into grocery stores and offer 100 per cent BC Wine on grocery store shelves.
“What it means is that shopping for locally-made, high-quality BC agrifood products is even more convenient as of today,” says Miles Prodan, President and CEO of the BC Wine Institute. “That convenience was something wine consumers consistently requested during the provincial public consultation process. We’re pleased that the provincial government has listened and made it possible for BC producers to offer their premium-quality wines to pair with other great BC agrifoods that British Columbians know and love.”
The wines offered at Wines of British Columbia Save-On-Foods South Point reflect a broad range of brands, varieties and price points from all regions of BC. Smaller wineries will be able to market themselves alongside some of BC’s larger producers on a level playing field. As with any agrifood product, adjustments in the product mix for these shelves will be made by retailers based on customer feedback, market trends and seasonal availability of product.
The new policy gives BC’s premium wine producers greater exposure to a broader consumer base, and effectively updates the BC VQA Wine Store licence structure, initially set up 25 years ago, to foster the thriving agricultural and winemaking industry we see in British Columbia today.
As for the rationale for choosing Save-On-Foods to be its first grocery store partner, Prodan says the company’s longstanding “buy local” vision aligns with the BCWI’s own values.
“Save-On-Foods, and its parent company, the Overwaitea Food Group, have a proud 100-year heritage in BC. The company has built a reputation as a tremendous partner in showcasing locally-produced foods, and providing a retail platform for all types of growers and manufacturers to access its high-quality, consumer-focused network. BC’s wine producers count themselves among those local agrifood producers and appreciate the extra effort Save-On-Foods makes in promoting BC producers. It’s a very natural fit for us to locate this store.”
The wine on shelves launch comes as the BC Wine Institute celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Since 1992, annual BC VQA Wine sales have grown from $6.8 million, to $225 million. The number of grape wineries has grown from 17, to 240, in the past 25 years, and acreage planted has mushroomed from 1,500, to 10,260 acres.
For details on BC VQA and the Wines of British Columbia, go to WineBC.com, like the Wines of British Columbia Facebook page and follow @WineBCdotcom on Twitter.
BACKGROUNDER
BC VQA Decoded
BC VQA (British Columbia Vintners Quality Alliance)
Put very simply, the BC VQA designation is a guarantee that you are purchasing 100 per cent BC Wine. BC VQA certified wines are also tasted by a qualified panel to ensure that they are fault free prior to being able to use BC VQA on their labels.
Wines made from 100 per cent BC grapes are submitted to the BC Wine Authority for an assessment to determine if the wine meets BC VQA requirements and technical specifications set out in the Regulation. Only BC Wine Authority approved BC Wines are permitted to utilize the BC VQA appellation on their labels. Most importantly, the BC Wine Authority performs audits on all participating wineries and their BC grape suppliers, as well as inspections of retail outlets, to ensure that the wine standards and other requirements of the Regulation are being complied with - and thereby guarantees to consumers that if BC VQA appears on a wine label, the wine is 100 per cent BC grapes.
Wine Review Jan 31 - 2012 Bachelder Bourgogne Chardonnay - 2013 Calliope Figure Eight
This is a special review this week... and not Ontario as you can see. But they still have Canadian connections.
2012 Bachelder Bourgogne Chardonnay (France) - Vintages 272005 - $35.95 - ****1/2 - This is very nice Chardonnay. Both on the nose and in the glass this is perfect harmony between clean citrus notes and big buttery vanilla that fills your whole mouth. The acidity on this wine is very nice leaving you with just enough of the finish to make you anticipate the next sip but keeping this wine light enough that it will be easy to pair with chicken or pasta and mushroom dishes.
2013 Calliope Figure Eight (British Columbia) - Vintages 324582 - $17.95 - ***1/2 - Fruit driven and medium bodied. I am looking forward to picking up a few bottles of this wine simply because it's a good BC wine that doesn't cost a fortune. This is a blended wine made with Merlot, Cab Franc, Malbec and Syrah. The fruit is mainly blueberry and raspberry with a hint of pepper on the finish. This is very easy drinking and will make pair with pizza or pasta with tomato sauce.
Into the Ordinary
In a world that is obsessed with pushing boundaries and shining lights into the darkest, most obscure corners, it's easy to forget about the brilliance in the everyday. I am guilty of this, in my surge to expose the weird and wonderful, I often ignore the well-worn and ordinary. Lately, I've been trying to push boundaries and try as much new as I possibly can, but I have to admit that there is something about that comfortable familiarity that makes you wonder why you try to do new things. Why try another California Chardonnay when you can try an obscure Greek wine? Why go to bed early and get a good rest for work tomorrow when you can crawl home at five in the morning with enough time to sleep through the worst of your hangover? Why indeed. Well, we do it because it's fun (mostly), but that doesn't mean we can't revel in the comfort of the known. Burrowing Owl Winery in Oliver, British Columbia embraces one of the most ordinary, (and much maligned) grapes and raises it to a new height with their 2009 Merlot.
The 2009 Merlot was a present from my mother's recent trip to Calgary. I have to admit, I haven't tried as much BC wine as I would like and while I can say that about most wine regions of the world, it's most true in this case. I'm not sure if it was the fault of all the thirsty people between Ontario and BC, or government regulation (which was recently repealed) but there really wasn't a huge selection of BC wine available to me and most of it wasn't cheap. Anyway, Burrowing Owl is by no means a small winery, they produce about 30,000 cases annually and have some 140 acres of vineyards but this was the first time I would actually get to try any of their stuff. I served this wine with a classic roast beef and I must say I was blown away from my first sniff. Rich and opulent, but still with some good structure. Sure, this was comfortable Merlot, but it was like no other Merlot I had ever tried.
So Merlot isn't exactly the sexiest wine, but does it have to be? The answer, for me anyway, is no. I do get all hot and bothered about something weird, but I am most impressed by the great examples of classics, and this is one. Truly impressive, and probably not a wine that I would picked for myself. There is always a time and a place for the new and exciting, but for the rest of the time, embrace the richness of familiarity and celebrate your solitude.
Original Article
