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Blue Mountain's refined bubbles
Photo: Blue Mountain winemaker Matt Mavety Just in time for the festive season, Blue Mountain Vineyards and Cellars has released three vintage-dated sparkling wines in addition to its old standby, the...
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Class of 2013: Kismet Estate Winery
Photo: Suhki (l) and Balwinder DhaliwalOn the winery’s website, the Dhaliwal brothers, who own this winery, explain that “the name Kismet is derived from the Punjabi word 'destiny'. We consider...
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Kim Crawford acclaims vintage of a lifetime
Just as New Zealand’s Kim Crawford Winery proclaims its 2013 Sauvignon Blanc as its best ever vintage, Jancis Robinson has rained on the Sauvignon Blanc parade.In a late October article in the...
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An Icewine that should be on your bucket list
Photo: Nk'Mip winemaker Randy PictonThis is the time of year for what the Australians refer to as “stickies” – ports, late harvest wines and Icewine.I accumulated a number of samples of dessert wines...
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Bartier Brothers expands its portfolio
Photo: Michael Bartier at the start of a brilliant careerThe first wines released by Bartier Brothers were The Cowboy, a white, and The Goal, a red. Michael and Don Bartier, who were born in Kelowna,...
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Hester Creek champions Cabernet Franc
Hester Creek winemaker Rob SummersCabernet Franc as a varietal wine is being championed by more and more wineries in the Okanagan.One of the most notable of these champions is Hester Creek Estate...
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Meet Nanaimo's Noble Beast Wines
Photo: Noble Beast's Julian BakkerIf you share my interest in small new labels of British Columbia wines, you will welcome Nanaimo-based Noble Beast Wines.This is the creation Julian and Lisa Bakker, a...
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Quails' Gate Old Vines Foch makes friends
A friend who retired to New Zealand after a fine career as home winemaker in BC ingratiated himself with Kate Radburnd, the chief winemaker at the C.J. Pask Winery by giving her a bottle of Quails’...
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Black Hills releases in 2013
Photo: Black Hills Wine Experience CentreWhen Black Hills opened in 2000, there were only 60 wineries in British Columbia.Not many of those were yet making great Meritage blends. As a result, Nota...
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Adega on 45th and friends: a medley of wine reviews
Photo: Adega on 45th owners Alex Nunes and Fred FarinhaWhat follows are notes on wines reviewed in recent months. Finishing a book and other activities interfered with reporting on them...
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The best new wineries of 2013
Photo: 50th Parallel owners Sheri-Lee Turner, Curtis Krouzel (centre) and Grant StanleyWith a remarkable number of wineries still opening or being developed in British Columbia(more than 260 are...
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The Vibrant Wine's Oops? wins Platinum In Switzerland
Photo: Wyn Lewis of The Vibrant VineThe Vibrant Wine, a Kelownawinery that rarely enters wine competitions, has just won a platinum award and best in class for white wines at the massive World Beverage...
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A vintage tour with Le Vieux Pin and LaStella
Severine Pinte, winemaker for Le Vieux Pin and LaStellaA recent tasting of wines from Le Vieux Pin and LaStella wineries proved to be a mini-tour of recent vintages by Rasoul Salehi, the passionate...
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Oculus: lifting all boats at Mission Hill
Photo: Mission Hill winemaker John SimesA saying with which we are all familiar is that a riding tide lifts all boats.An icon wine performs that role for a winery’s portfolio. There might be no better...
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Anthony von Mandl purchases CedarCreek winery
Photo: CedarCreek's Ross (left) and Gordon Fitzpatrick (credit Albert Normandin)CedarCreek Estate Winery is being purchased by von Mandl Family Estates, the new holding company of Anthony von Mandl,...
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Wineries galore for sale
Photo: Beaufort founders Susan and Jeff VandermolenBeaufort Vineyard and Estate Winery in Courtenay is the second winery within a week to announce it soon will have new ownership.The first, announced...
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Township 7 has a new label and a new investor
Photo: Township 7's Mike RaffanTownship 7 Vineyards and Winery has moved into its second decade with a smart new label and a partial change in ownership.Okanagan restaurateur John Tietzen has sold his...
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Sonoma Wineries on their 2014 tour
Photo: Rodney Strong winemaker Rick SayrePerhaps because the NapaValley casts such a long shadow, the wineries of the SonomaValley seem to have a bit of an uphill battle to get listings in British...
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High V’s from Van Westen
Photo: Rob Van WestenWinemaker Rob Van Westen has “played” through more injuries than the average hockey player.The first time I met him, he was wearing a monstrous cast after having survived a tractor...
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Okanagan Crush Pad thinks outside the box
Okanagan Crush Pad's Matt DumayneIt seems that pushing the boundaries of winemaking is a way of life at Okanagan Crush Pad Winery.Matt Dumayne, one of the OCP winemakers, hosted a Vancouver tasting...
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