Introduction Lesley Brown has been a part of the Canadian Wine Industry for the past 17 years and works with several high profile wine agencies. She holds an International Sommelier Diploma and has taught wine courses to hundreds of students. Lesley is currently the BC Regional Sales Manager for The Bacchus Group and she also sits on the board of directors for the Import Spirit and Vintners Association and has recently taken over as the President of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS) BC and the Vice President of the CAPS National Board. Highlights How did Lesley’s travels […]
Riesling
Bottle of the Sexes: Women versus Men on Wine
Introduction Are men from Bordeaux and women from Burgundy? In my 20 years of studying and writing about wine, I’ve encountered a lot of differences in how men and women approach the subject. There are also several studies that show the same thing. In honour of International Women’s Day this week, I’m diving deep into “women’s wines”, whether they’re actually any good and how wines marketed to women are affecting the industry. Highlights Are the “chick wines” on the market any good or are they simply marketing gimmicks? What are my thoughts and tasting notes for three of the […]
Wines for Seduction: A Vine Romance for Valentine’s Day
Introduction Do you want to seduce someone this Valentine’s Day? Forget the lingerie, lipstick and silk-tie handcuffs – just share a glass or two of wine with your amour. Just in time for V Day, I’m going to share with you my favourite wines for seduction, including some melt-in-your-mouth pairings with chocolate. Highlights Why do almost 60% of women prefer wine over candy for V Day? Why has Champagne, in particular, has long been the drink of romance Why is Pinot Noir called the “heartbreak grape”? How can you avoid ruining your wine with chocolate? Is chocolate an aphrodisiac […]
Video: A Sensory Journey Through Austrian Wines
This spring, I attended a stellar tasting of Austrian wines at Toronto’s Alo, named Canada’s Best New Restaurant by several publications. In the video above, Birgitta Samavarchian of the Austrian Wine Marketing Group, explains why the country’s iconic grape, Gruner Veltliner, is a white wine unlike any other. This is a sampling the wines we tasted, but you can access more than 300 Austrian Wine Reviews here, along with those of our team members at Ottawa-based tastings. The dishes that Alo presented to pair with the wines were simply spectacular. These pictures tell a thousand words (and sensory sensations). […]
A Wine Waltz through Austria’s Weinviertel Region
By Rebecca Meïr-Liebman of Chef & Somm In North America, many of us are entranced by commercialism, shopping, the latest must-have piece of tech, and novelty. Sometimes, it feels as if we’ve lost touch with our history and our past. This is especially true you have an opportunity to compare and contrast our values with those of another culture, as I have recently. Then you gain insight into a culture that very much holds on to, and celebrates, its history, music, art and architecture, fashion and food. This contrast became vivid when I visited Austria, courtesy of the Austrian Wine […]
Icon: Flagship Wines from British Columbia’s Best Wineries (Video)
I consider our guest this evening the godfather of Canadian wine writing, such is both the quality and the quantity of his work. Beginning with regular wine columns in the Financial Post and the Vancouver Sun in 1974, he published his first book, The World of Canadian Wines, in 1984 and has since written fourteen books on Canada’s and British Columbia’s wines and wine culture. And he joins me live now from Vancouver: Welcome to the Sunday Sipper Club John Schreiner! Note: YouTube has the audio and video out of sync. So either close your eyes and listen, or you […]
Fancy Farm Girl Sue-Ann Staff Makes Down-to-Earth Wines (Video)
Our guest this evening is a fifth-generation grape grower who grew up on the largest privately-owned vineyard in Canada, the Sue Ann Staff Estate Winery. Today, she is one of Canada’s top winemakers, winning more than 500 national and international wine awards, including being twice recognized by the International Wine and Spirits Awards of London, England as one of the top four “Women in Wine” in the world . And she joins me live now from her winery: Welcome to the Sunday Sipper Club Sue-Ann Staff! What was the exact moment when you realized that you wanted to make wine? […]
Tasting Spring Fresh #Wine from Austria with Rudi Rabl
We were joined by special guest, Rudi Rabl, founder and winemaker at Austria’s Rabl Winery discussing the Ultimate Wine for Spring. Click on the arrow above to watch the video. Listen to Rudi’s story about becoming the 12th generation of Rabl winemaking. Learn about the flexibility of Grüner Veltliner. Discover the best pairings for Grüner Veltliner. If you’d like to read the 33 comments for this tasting, or make a comment yourself, visit: https://www.facebook.com/natdecants/videos/10155115055649845/ You’ll find upcoming and past Live Tasting Videos here. Here’s a sampling of our lively discussion from our tasting… Lynn van der Linde · […]
New Zealand Wine: An Unexpectorated Journey
Awatere River vineyards Photo: David Skinner By David Skinner When Peter Jackson decided upon his native New Zealand to serve as middle earth for his rendering of the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, nationalistic nepotism served him less than the splendor of the rich and varied landscapes found in his home islands. The films depicted rugged terrain and lands carved from the mountains by the relentless influence of wind and water and there is still a sense of that primal constitution to the landscapes that now support modern viticulture in the “Shaky Isles”. Marlborough The South Island […]
Discovering the Jewel Grape of Austrian Wine
By Alex and Priya, A Vine Romance Austria. The first thing that comes to mind when most people hear this country is The Sound of Music and Julie Andrews singing My Favorite Things! However, this little European country is known for something else that will likely become one of your favourite things, Gruner Veltliner. Read on as Alex sheds light on this versatile grape as well as other wines that are made in Austria. Priya: I don’t even think I knew Austria made wine! Why do you think it’s such a little-known region to non-sommeliers? Alex: For one thing, Austrian […]
