With the holidays quickly approaching, we would like to get some ideas from you for entertaining this season. Everyone is always looking for that perfect wine and food match, and there is no better time to try out new combinations than during the holidays. We want you to send us your favourite food and wine pairings. Log in to your …
What role does alcohol play in wine?
“A woman drove me to drink and I never even had the courtesy to thank her” – W.C.Fields. Is wine just a delivery vehicle for alcohol? What would wine be without it? Apart from the salubrious effects on our psyche, why is alcohol important in the life of a wine? It turns out that wine is an incredibly complex, dynamic …
In Search of Premium Wines, Marcus & Rachel in South Africa Days 9-13
Day 9 – Being Saturday we thought it was a good day to visit the local markets where artisans are selling African made crafts and souvenirs. This was quite an experience – every tent we entered we were immediately met by a vendor who tried to interest us in various items they were selling. They often went straight over to …
In Search of Premium Wines, Marcus & Rachel in South Africa Days 5-8
Day 5 – Woke to our first rainy day in South Africa…and this is supposed to be the rainy season. First stop was Zorgvliet winery. We pulled up to a colossal and extravagant cape Dutch building set amongst stunning mountains and beautiful vineyards. We walked up the stairs into a modern tasting room. A friendly cellar door employee tasted through …
In Search of Premium Wines, Marcus & Rachel in South Africa Days 1-4
Day 1 – We arrived in Cape Town at 10:00 after a long trip. Luckily we stopped in London on the way through to break up the trip and visit Marcus’s sisters who are both currently living there. The trip would have been 40 hours with the layovers otherwise. The 9-hour time difference from British Columbia to Cape Town is …
These Wines Are Great!…What do you think?
Now that we have a few shipments under our belts and into our cellars, I thought it would be interesting to see what you all think about the wines you have received thus far. Starting with the McLaren Vale shipment, my personal favourite is the Hoffmanns Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a unique flavour profile that I can’t recall tasting my …
In Search of Premium Wines, Marcus & Rachel in Marlborough Days 6-7
Day 6 – Today is the much-anticipated Marlborough Food & Wine Festival. Unfortunately we did not know the festival was on until we tried booking accommodation and the tickets were all sold out….weeks ago so we were told laughingly when we asked where we buy tickets. However not all was lost as we woke up to a beautiful sunny day. …
The Good and The Bad on Sediment
As a winemaker I was constantly battling the question of whether to filter and/or stabilize my wines or leave them “au naturelle”. After many years of trial and error I am convinced that some wines can definitely show better in the bottle when they are not stabilized and/or filtered. Pinot Noir is notorious for “taking a dive” after filtration, and …
In Search of Premium Wines, Marcus & Rachel in Marlborough Days 4-5
Day 4 – We are up first thing today for an early start to a full day of tasting. Today is rainy and cool…perfect day for wine tasting! Marcus and I drink a lot of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc back home in Canada so we are excited to taste and find some amazing small producers not currently available for our …
In Search of Premium Wines, Marcus & Rachel in Marlborough Days 1-3
Day 1 – Arrived in Christchurch to an overcast day. The temp is cool around 20 degrees. We were feeling pretty tired and jet lagged after a long trip. We stayed one night at a hotel in Downtown Christchurch to adjust to the time and catch up on sleep. We arrived to our hotel after Dark so we are excited …