The National Wine Awards of Canada – 2022

With Co-Founder Anthony Gismondi.

 

THE SHOW:

 

 Our guest is the highly respected wine writer, reviewer, and industry leader Anthony Gismondi.

Anthony Gismondi is a Canadian wine journalist and one of North America’s most influential wine voices. His twice-weekly column in The Vancouver Sun, which he has written since 1989, is read across Canada through Postmedia Network, reaching close to 10 million readers.

His comprehensive wine review website www.gismondionwine.com, one of the first such sites on the internet, features over 30,000 tasting notes, added daily. It is an important resource for trade and consumers in Canada and 114 other countries.

Anthony hosts BC Food & Wine Radio Show the longest-running, weekly wine and food show on Canadian radio for 25 years. The one-hour show is broadcast on 20 radio stations across British Columbia and is available everywhere as a podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, and more.

Gismondi is the co-founder of the annual National Wine Awards of Canada, the largest and broadest competition for Canadian Wine since its inception 21 years ago. Anthony continues to run the annual event as co-chair. He is also the editor of the Canada wine section in the world’s best-selling wine book Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book. In addition, Anthony is a much sought-after moderator and consultant.

He will occasionally post as ‘The Spitter”

The 21st running of the National Wine Awards of Canada wrapped up on June 23 in Niagara.  After much deliberation and number checking,  the results rolled out on July 15th, starting with Sparkling Wines. 

SUMMER SPIRITS with Davin De Kergommeaux

THE SHOW

 My spirits education began and ended with the same bottle of  Lemon Gin.

My brother and I were the youngest members of the Kamloops Rube Band.

All the other band members were college-age or dads.

 

Denis and I tried to keep up with “the boys” when we did parades or road trips.

As much as we liked the first taste of lemon gin, we HATED ourselves the morning after.

For me, it only took one bottle and I never went back to spirits. That is until I met Davin de Kergommeaux at the Canadian Whisky Championships in Victoria.

Davin has been an author and whisky reviewer/judge for over two decades.

His books Canadian Whisky The Portable Expert, The New Portable Expert, and The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries are invaluable to those of you seeking support and deep information on whisky and spirits.

www.canadianwhisky.org

So.  When I decided to do a Summer Spirits special – Davin was a natural co-host.

I asked two things of him:

Please recommend spirit makers who are also storytellers

and…   stop me when I get stupid.

He was great on the first ask and on the second request,  Davin almost gave up on me.

 

Davin’s recommendations were:

Caitlin Quinn – Head Distiller at Eau Claire Distillery, Turner Valley, Alberta.

Negroni. Old Fashion. Rupert’s Whisky Sassafras.

www.eauclairedistillery.ca

 

Jake Clark –  Consumer Engagement Manager  Strait and Narrow – Custom Handcrafted Gins/Pacific Coast Cocktails

Grapefruit Rosemary/Pear Rhubarb/Peach Elderflower/Lemon Lavender  (Makers of 1908 Gin)

www.straitandnarrow.com

 

Bob Baxter – President & Co-founder Yukon Brewing Company

Spiked Seltzers –  Cherry and Lime/Pineapple Ginger/Raspberry/Basil/Mango Hibiscus and a great Lemon Lavender Radler (German Shandy)

www.yukonbeer.com

Bryce Parsons – Master Distiller  Last Best Brewing. Calgary.

The man who created 52 different gins in one year.

Last Best Afterglow Gin & Soda – Savage Love  Tom Collins – Fortunella Citrus Iced Tea

 

www.lastbestbrewing.com

 

Colin McDougall – Corby’s Spirits Portfolio Consultant.

JP Wiser’s 18-year-old Whisky and Lot 40 Dark Oak 100% Rye Whisky

The man is a storyteller. Enjoy the tales.

www.corby.ca

 

Thank you Davin De Kergommeaux, Letittia King, Rob Roycroft and Heather Gillespie at Yukon Brewing.

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON:

 

Fort Berens – Releases and Awards

Aug 4 Cowichan pour at Brentwood School

Wine Align – National Wine Awards

Township 7 New Wines

HaltWhistle Cowichan Cheese and Unsworth Pairing Session

Hester Creek – Foating down The Creek

 

 

The Wonderful Wines of OZ

 We start with Tim Dolan, the Senior Winemaker at  Peter Lehmann Wines in the Barossa Valley.

 

Tim Dolan is the third generation of his family to make wine in the Barossa, following his father Nigel and grandfather Bryan – two of the most influential winemakers of their respective eras.

Tim worked for pocket money after school in just about every part of the winery, from crushing to cleaning. With a degree in Oenology from The University of Adelaide, in the five years that followed Tim set out to amass as much international experience as possible working vintages in eight different regions across the USA, Italy, Canada, and  Australia. He spent several chilling vintages in Niagara but was impressed with Canadian wines.

In 2011 Tim joined the Peter Lehmann team under the stewardship of then Chief Winemaker, Andrew Wigan. Since that time he has proven himself to be a talented and highly competent winemaker brimming with passion and ideas. Tim is now the Sr Winemaker at Peter Lehmann.

It didn’t go unnoticed that one of his winemaking team at Peter Lehmann is Brooke Blair,  who spent many years winemaking in Canada. Most of it with Jackson – Triggs in the South Okanagan.  She was often a guest in the first years of Tasting Room Radio, I hope to follow that info up and reconnect with Brooke.

Tim Dolan brings two solid wines to the show.

The Barossan Shiraz and The Barossan Chardonnay.  Both will go great with your Summer BBQ.

The Barossan Shiraz:  Best with an Angus beef burger – extra cheese, dill pickle, and a side of crunchy chips.

The Barossan Chardonnay:  Perfectly paired with BBQed chicken or Salmon, or pair it with a coconut and turmeric fish curry. This Chardonnay was made specifically for Canadian Wine Fans.

These wines are well made, balanced, and best of all – affordable!! Both under $20

www.peterlehmannwines.com

 

Back to Australia

We’re staying with Australian wines and winemakers for the last segment of this week’s TRR.

An interview from the archives from a  busy Top Drop gathering several years ago.

Behind  the Australian pouring, table were Wines of Australia ambassador Mark Davidson, Brendan Keys (BK Wines/Handmade Wines), and  Matt Fowles (Ladies who shoot their Lunch & Are you Game?)

www.wineaustralia.com

 

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON

The Cheese and Wine special

Fort Berens

Township 7

Aug 4 pour in Mill Bay

 

Cowichan Valley Wineries Party and Pour Aug 4

A blend of stories from Cowichan Valley  and  Naramata Bench.

Starting with master storyteller Lorin Inglis, the GM of Enrico Winery in the Cowichan.

Then off to Upper Bench Road in Naramata and a visit with Wilbert and Joka Borren, the owners and winemakers at Four Shadows Winery.

And finally to the epi-centre of the Naramata Bench. We meet Nathan Todd,  President and GM of legendary Foxtrot Winery.

It’s the wine version of “something for everyone”

Lorin Inglis – Enrico Winery  GM (Cowichan)

13 Cowichan wineries will kick off their August wine month on August 4th,  on a glorious Summer evening outside, on the lawn of the classic Brentwood College School in Mill Bay.

Lorin takes us through how the evening will unfold.

Wines poured by owners and winemakers, food from the Brentwood College kitchens, and music from Roland Barrett.

It’s such a great location and the people who made the wines are pouring, so you know  It will sell out.

If you can’t make the Aug 4th – then pick any other day in August. They’re ready to welcome you.

Details at www.cowichanwineries.com

 

 

* Alderlea Vineyards

* Averill Creek

* Blue Grouse Estate Winery

* Cherry Point Estate Wines

* Damali Lavender and Winery

* Divino Estate Winery

* Emandare Vineyard

* Zanatta Winery and Vineyards

* Deol Estate Winery

* Enrico Winery

* Unsworth Winery and Restaurant

* www.cowichanwineries.com 

 

 

 

Wilbert and Joka Borren – Co-owners of Four Shadows  (Upper Bench Naramata)

What a great story.

Joka and Wilbert were pig farmers in Lacombe Alberta with four growing sons. They had dreams of moving to the Okanagan and farming. That’s exactly what they did.

They bought a forgotten property on Upper Bench Road and decided to bring back the vineyards and plant their own vines to then sell the fruit to wineries.

Along the way, it made much more sense to become a winery and Four Shadows was born. The name is from a photo of their four sons.

Did I mention they had no wine knowledge but they knew how to farm pigs. I mean, how tough can it be to grow grapes?

They had amazing mentoring from Lindsay and Graham O’Rourke at Tightrope and consultant Pascal Madevon.  It paid off. They learned well.

You say “Pigs to Pinot”  They say “Swine to Wine.”

They poured

2020 Rose,  2020  Riesling Classic, 2020 Riesling Dry, 2020 Riesling sparkling, 2018 Pinot Noir and 2018 Merlot.  From Swine to Wine.

www.fourshadowsvineyard.com

 

Nathan Todd  President and GM  Foxtrot Winery (Naramata Bench) 

Even though he made his name working in very serious wine sales out of  New York City he did have an early connection to the Okanagan Valley.  Harvesting fruit to make ends meet.

Years later he blind-tasted a Foxtrot Pinot. It may have changed his life.

He never forgot that wine and years later convinced his wine friend Douglas Barzelay to eventually buy the winery from the Allander family.

Barzelay is one of the  World’s leading authorities on Burgundian wines. Their wine consultant is Veronique Drouhin from Domaine Joseph Drouhin. Torsten Allander’s son Gustav was retained as winemaker. Quite a team.

Nathan poured:

2 versions of Foxly Rose 2019/2020 (both instantly likable. $24)

An Estate Vineyard 2019 Pinot Noir.  (everything a great Pinot should be. texture. balance. Defines a long finish.)

www.foxtrotwine.com

 

Thank you, Tina Baird, Naramata Bench. Thank you, Barry and Carol Beecroft for “the swim”.

 

Two of the Best in the West –  New releases from  Ann Sperling (Sperling) & Michael Clark (Clos du Soleil)

It’s a slippery slope to call anyone “Best”. It’s like saying blue is the best color. Totally subjective.

However, tasting is believing. The wines from Sperling and Clos du Soleil are consistently beautifully constructed and always memorable.

Best of all,  their wines are organically grown through regenerative farming.

“Committed to grasslands, permanent cover crops, biodiversity, and farming that benefits the environment instead of degrading it.”

 

Ann Sperling – Winemaker,  Co-owner,  Family Member. Sperling Vineyards (East Kelowna)

Ann’s family has been farming their land for 135 years.

These are not just fine wines she’s producing, they’re grown and made to honour those who came before her.

You may notice when I ask Ann about her two Pet Nat releases her voice goes up an octave and she leans into the words. One of the strongest elements in all her wines is passion.

 

Ann brings these new releases..

2021 Pinot Noir Rose  $25 (215 cases 11.5%)

Planted in 2008 – 3 pinot clones 282. 777. 114

Stainless Steel Barrels – on lees for 4 months. Wonderful texture.

 

2021 Vision series – Ruby Pet Nat 85% old vines Marechal Foch  $32– 15% Pinot Noir ( 189 cases-12%)

2021 Speritz Pet Nat $32 (9% – 135 cases)

Thirds of Perle d’Csaba – Bacchus and Chardonnay. Dry. Pet Nat and Pizza!!

Again…9% alcohol!!

2021 Pinot Blanc $22 (10.1%- 112 cases ) Stainless Steel cellared.  BONE Dry.

 

Planted in 1980..deep roots bring forth flavors of tropical fruit and quince.

From the Heritage Series  “honoring the decisions of the past in the location of the vineyard and varietals planted”

It’s all about Ann’s family history.  She passionately explains!

 

2016 Old Vines Riesling ($35 – 11.5% 200 cases)

“Made in the vineyard” Meaning,  light hands on the vines and fruit. It is what it is”

It is grown in limestone and calcium – the flagship wine. 2 years in bottle before release.

And again.. honoring the past.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2021  Natural Amber Pinot Gris ($35 – 915 cases)

“it’s not the vessel,  it’s the grape”

Notes and flavors of guava and tea.

Bone dry. Can cellar for 5-7 years.

Pairs well with strong and savory food.

And friends.

Thank you Ann.

www.sperlingvineyards.com

 

Michael Clark – Winemaker, GM, and Co-Owner of Clos du Soleil (Keremeos. Similkameen Valley)

 A winery that proudly makes wines of substance.

The wines are shaped through organics & biodynamics,  combined with low intervention winemaking.

Michael’s wines reflect their terroir and letting the fruit shine.  It’s “hands-off” winemaking.

Clos du Soleil wines are always beautifully balanced.  Your nose and mouth will know.

Michael proudly tells us the stories behind  his Spring/Summer 2021 releases, which includes the iconic 2019 Signature (Bordeaux inspired)

(all prices retail)

2021  Pinot Gris Winemakers Series. Whispered Secret Vineyard (23.90 – 750 cases. 13.3%)

Crushed right after harvest. Pressed the whole cluster and fermented in stainless steel barrels, tanks, and French Oak Puncheons.

Aged on lees for 3 months.  That’s it. More hands-off winemaking.

Orange, pear, green apple, nice stony minerality. Beautiful long finish.

2021 Rose $26.90  (404 cases – 12%)

Perfect pairing with salmon, and roasted chicken. Great picnic wine.

Checking in with The Neighbourhood!!

 

THE SHOW

 Tasting Room Radio has been celebrating Canadian wine and food for 15 years.

We could not have stayed the course and grown without  the support of our segment sponsors

Thus, each year we make a point of making a feature fuss about our neighbors.

Thing is, we’d be doing feature stories on them anyway because they’re all winners.

When we decided to have a sponsor for each segment we had one bottom line

“if we have to talk about someone for a year,  let’s make sure we like them!  As great people and as singular artisans”!

 We are honored to welcome our in show  neighbors into the feature spotlight (in the order in which they became available)

Jason Parkes Customs – Jason Parkes  (Founder) and Develyn Barker (Dreamer and Doer)  West Kelowna, BC

Their story just keeps on growing.

Came on board as The Hatch Winery. Well named, as they released well-crafted and accessible wines but they also “hatched” a series of new labels,  all heading in different wonderful directions.

The Hatch, Gobsmacked Series, Hobo Series.

Then came Black Swift, Crown and Thieves, The Hatching Post, Truck 59 Cider House, and SmokeShow BBQ plus  wines such as  Screaming Frenzy, 14 house beers, The Angel Share rooftop restaurant, The Broken Hearts Club speakeasy (house band is Proper Man, also home to Hangover Church, etc)

They have created their own JPC Wine Trail – a 5-hour adventure you will talk about and might even remember.

…And the wines? Bigger and better every season!  Beautifully crafted and pushing the boundaries – much like the people who make them!

JPC is one of the great success stories in BC wine. Best of all, they did it their way!  Rock on!

(there is no known photo of Jason Parkes but he did send this message “wine is just yeast poop”

www.jpcfanclub.com

www.crownthieves.com

www.thehatchwines.com

Unsworth Vineyards – Dan Wright (Winemaker) Christle Pope (Manager) Karen Newington (Tasting Room Manager)  Cowichan Valley, Van Island

Mere minutes from our home in Mill Bay, it’s also top of mind when we think, “it’s time for wine and dine”

The Turyk Family has created a beautiful destination is perhaps the most gorgeous small farming valley in the area.

The bonus is , the wines are outstanding and the restaurant is hugely popular.

They have just received a Silver Medal and  91 points for their 2019 Pinot Noir from Decanter Magazine. A first for Vancouver Island winemaking.

The new owners have their own family roots deep into the history of Napa and Sonoma. One of the first decisions was to let the Unsworth team carry on making better and better wines and the second was to start production on a new vineyard outside Duncan.

The future looks very bright for Unsworth Vineyards – so we have much to talk about!

www.unsworthvineyards.com

Moon Curser Vineyards – Beata and Chris Tolley (Owners/Founders) Osoyoos, BC

At the very bottom of the Okanagan Valley is Osoyoos. It’s right up against the US border and surrounded by some of the very best vineyards in Canada.

One of them is Moon Curser. It’s the winemaking passion of Beata and Chris Tolley. It’s also their home.

Well, it was,  until they just had to move off-site to get a break from the daily weight of farming. It’s a hard road,  no whining is allowed.

In wine circles, they’re famous for the amazing varietals they make – several are the only ones being made in Canada.

However, what they do make are wines judged to be as good as anything in Canada.  That’s how they were named The WineAlign  Best Small Winery in Canada in 2019.

Our yearly Pinot Noir Geek Out – with  15 top experts and a  Pinot  Blind Tasting!

THE SHOW

 Bordeaux is made by man, Pinot Noir by God.

Pinot Noir may not be the most planted grape in the World but no other varietal even comes close to the dialogue that takes place between winemakers and wine fans about the place of Pinot in today’s wine world.

Whether they love Pinot Noir or not, wine people all have an opinion on this grape. Described as “the diva of the wine world”, it takes a really focused winemaker and farmer to grow, harvest, and cellar this beauty.

The payoff is spectacular.

Notes and flavors of Clove, Cherry, Mushroom, Floral, Soil, Tea, Vanilla, blackberry, and plum. Lush and lengthy.

High acidity and lower tannin make Pinot Noir perfectly paired with pork, mushrooms, duck, and chicken.

I’ve been doing Pinot Noir interviews for 15 years and I’m still learning from the many stories being told.

I’ve gone back into the Tasting Room Radio files to share some of the stories and people who’ve stayed with me over the years.

Check this out:

Nigel Greening – Owner Felton Road Winery (Central Otago NZ)

Grant Stanley – Spearhead (South East Kelowna)

Mike Rathjen – Rathjen Cellars (Saanich)

Daniel Dragert – Kutatas (Salt Spring Island)

Layne Craig – 40 Knots (Comox)

Barb and Ian Phillip – wine educators  (Vancouver)

Christina Coletta –  Okanagan Crush Pad/Haywire (Summerland)

Chris Turyk – Unsworth (Cowichan Valley)

JAK Meyer – Meyer Family Vineyards (OK Falls/Skaha)

David Patterson  – Tantalus Vineyards (South East Kelowna)

Kurtis Kolt – Wine Educator – Judge – Sommelier (Vancouver)

Vikram Vij –  Chef – Author  (Vancouver)

This pinot noir  special concludes with a Blind Tasting of 2018 Pinots

It was organized by John Glavina – the owner of Giant Head Winery in Summerland. John wanted to include several of his pinots to discover how they stood up to the competition. (He didn’t tell anyone that his wines were in the mix)

Tasting on the day were two of the very best wine minds.  Great guys.

John Schreiner – The Dean of Canadian wine writers (15 books in total) Master Blogger.

Brent Gushowaty – A Pinot specialist. Founder of  bcpinotnoir.com

I was delighted to be judging in such fine company.

The discussion went on for several hours and I’ve done my best to edit the prime points down into a segment of the show.

I couldn’t get all the comments on the blind wines when revealed but we did talk about the top two and several others not in the room.

The Pinot Noir poured on the day were…

2018 Giant Head Estate Winery Flagship Pinot Noir

2018 Fox and Archer – Brent G. choice

2019  Canyonview Wines Brand – CVW – Pinot Noir

2018 Spearhead- Saddle Block Vineyard

2018 Lake Breeze Aura

2018 giant head Pinot Noir Reserve

The segment is memorable just to hear the conversation between John Schreiner and Brent Gushowaty.

I thank John Glavina for the invitation for myself and the microphone plus John & Brent for the Pinot Masterclass. I also thank Harbour Air for the beautiful trip over and back.

 

 

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON

Next Week

Hillside

The Hatch/Jason Parkes Customs

Moon Curser

Unsworth

 

Clos du Soleil

Aug 4 Cowichan Pour

Sperling Vineyards

Scorched Earth

Robert Belcham /Cooks Camp

Bill Jones – Shrooms

 

 

THE SHOW   

Every year is a growing year for the wine farmers and winemakers.

And because farmers are dealing with the whims of the planet..all bets are off until the harvest is in.

Heat, frost, hail, insects,  wind, smoke, leaf infestation, drought, floods etc  all either assist the vineyards or shut the whole growing process down.

Most farmers and winemakers  I interview are a happy bunch, after you get past the premature grey hair and dark humour.

It’s a hard road they’re walking but some of our favourite wines become  the end result.

That’s why the annual Wine Growers of BC Vintage Preview is so important.

The 2021 growing season featured Heat Domes and Smoke Taint. Laura Kittmer and her Wine BC team gathered winemakers from all regions of BC to exchange growing problems and solutions.

 

 

There were some surprises along the way. One of them  is how similar the hurdles are, whether its Cowichan or Golden Mile.

So, the next time you’re shopping for BC wine and the year on the label  is 2021 – think about the winemakers below and their journey through that year.

Interview guests are bolded:

Chris Tolley, Winemaker, Moon Curser Vineyards  (Osoyoos)   www.mooncurser.com

Dwight Sick, Winemaker, Seven Stones Winery (Similkameen) www.sevenstones.ca

Galen Barnhardt, Winemaker,   (Kamloops) Monte Creek Winery www.montecreekranch.com

Lyndsay O’Rourke, Winemaker, Tightrope Winery (Naramata) www.tightropewinery.ca 

Mark Holford, Winemaker,  Rocky Creek Winery  (Cowichan) www.rockycreekwinery.ca

Mary McDermott, Winemaker, Township 7 Winery & Vineyards (Naramata/Frazer Valley) www.township7.com

Laura Kittmer Wine Growers of BC – Kelowna  www.winebc.com

We promise to get caught up with Lyndsay O’Rourke and Mark Holford.

Enjoy your 2021 BC wines. Each bottle has a story to tell.

 

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON

“The Neighbours”

.Moon Curser

.The Hatch

.Hillside

.Unsworth

Pinot Noir Blind Tasting

Clos du Soleil

Sperling Vineyards

Where’s the cider at?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Van Wine Fest Part Two  (plus 2 very special guests)

THE SHOW

Walking into the Vancouver Wine Festival at the Convention Centre, as an interviewer,  is like working the field at an All-Star Game.

Familiar wine star faces and voices are everywhere.

I think I did a dozen interviews and these are the last three.  However,  I needed one more, So I decided to re-run one of my all time favourite interviews.

From our coverage of the 2019  VanWineFest on Tasting Room Radio we present California wine royalty.

Gena Gallo and her winemaking husband Jean Charles Boisset.

Not just talking about their wines but about surviving cancer, raising their twin daughters and their love of Vancouver and the wine fest.

Wine Fest Part Two includes interviews with

Tony Holler – Owner of Poplar Grove (Naramata Bench) www.poplargrove.ca

Ray Signorello – Owner of Signorello Estate  (Napa) www.signorelloestate.com

Mark De Vere – Master of Wine.  Robert Mondavi Vineyards (Napa) www.robertmondaviwinery.com

Gina Gallo, Vice President, Winemaking – Estate Wines. E. & J. Gallo  www.gallo.com

Gina Gallo developed a deep respect for the land early on. After studying winemaking at the University of California at Davis, Gallo became an apprentice winemaker at E. & J. Gallo Winery, under the careful guidance of her grandfather Julio. Today, as the winemaker behind the Gallo Signature Series, she carves out specific blocks on Gallo’s most sought-after vineyards to hand-craft limited batches of wine.

 

Jean-Charles Boisset, Proprietor, Boisset Collection      www.boissetcollection.com

Jean-Charles Boisset was born into the world of wine in Vougeot, Burgundy, France. Under his leadership, the Boisset Collection operates 24 wineries in California, France, and Canada. Decanter magazine has included him on its “Power List” of the 50 most important people in the wine world each year of its publication since 2007.

His many honours include Meininger’s International Wine Entrepreneur of the Year, “Innovator of the Year” from Wine Enthusiast Magazine and the first-ever French-American Partnership Award from the French America Foundation.

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STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON

Sponsor Special

Hillside

Moon Curser

Unsworth Wines

Jason Parkes Customs

2022 Vintage Report

Clos du Soleil

Scorched Earth

Pinot Noir Blind Tasting

 

 

The return of  VanWineFest Part One…

THE SHOW

After a year of events far more important than a wine gathering,

we welcome the 43rd annual Vancouver Wine Festival back into our lives.

The pandemic required a different gathering this year.

Smaller crowds masks not mandatory but encouraged.

Fewer wineries and participants made for a calmer and quieter convention center. We liked it.

Many of the participants who were scheduled to attend and pour last year returned with some wines a year older and lots of new fresh wines from 2021.

There was an unmistakable joy in the room.

For having survived the pandemic and come out the other side.  To see friends and exchange stories about the past two years.

It was a beauty.  People shook hands. They hugged! Almost like the life we used to know.

So… let’s celebrate with the first of two specials at this year’s VanWineFest from the floor of the Vancouver Convention Centre..

Many thanks to Harbour Air for getting me there and back. Also Meriha Beaton – Milk Creative.

Here’s the line up! We have sit down interviews with

 

Harry Hertscheg – Executive Director VanWineFest  www.vanwinefest.ca 

Lynzee Schatz – Winemaker at TIME Family Wines (Penticton) www.timewines.ca

Ross Baker – Winemaker at LA FRENZ (Naramata)  www.lafrenzwinery.ca

Dan Irving – Bread and Butter Wine (Napa) www.breadandbutterwines.com

Mike Raffan – General Manager Township 7 (Naramata) www.township7.com

Howard Soon – Chief Winemaker  Vanessa Vineyards (Similkameen) www.vanessavineyard.com

Taylor Whelan – Winemaker Cedar Creek (East Kelowna) www.cedarcreek.bc.ca

Mark Kuspira – Soft Crush Imports (Calgary) www.crushimports.com

 

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON

* VanWineFest Part Two

* Tony Holler – Poplar Grove

* Mark De Vere – Robert Mondavi Wine

* Ray Signorello – Signorello Wine

* Our Sponsor Special

* Jason Parkes Customs

* Hillside Winery

* Moon Curser Wines

* Unsworth Wines

* Clos du Soleil

* Scorched Earth