Global guzzling at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival

Steel yourself—your palate in particular—for a mass of Malbec, a sea of Sauvignon Blanc, a plethora of pinks… Stop me before I alliterate again!

Bright newcomer Sperling Vineyards scores big

The labelling is elegant and understated—these wines look good on a formal dinner table. They taste even better.

A roundup of 10 red wines under $40

Here today is a quick roundup of recently tasted 30-somethings from California, Italy, Spain, France, and B.C. The best part of this tasting was there really wasn’t a dud in the lot.

Oh, sweet blackberry bliss

Blackberry wine has been a personal favourite for as long as I can remember.

Okanagan Shiraz plays hard to get

The problem with the wines of La Frenz is their scarcity.

Dalmore 12-Year-Old is a handsome Highland malt

This is the dilemma: so many whiskies, so little cash.

Wines to write home about

Maréchal Foch redux…

Poggio Moreno Rosso Maremma Toscana IGT 2007

Well, isn’t this a nice little jar full of fruit: Poggio Moreno Rosso Maremma Toscana IGT 2007, and nicely priced at that.

Olympic Games' wines get the gold

So what wine will the world be drinking when it comes to Vancouver for the Olympics? Presumably, after the initial shock from the prices, anything they can get into a glass.

Pensador Vinho Regional Alentejano

Recognize any of these grapes—Aragonês, Trincadeira, Touriga Nacional, and cabernet sauvignon? They’re all in the mix for a newly arrived three-litre bag-in-the-box Portuguese table wine.

Satisfying sippers under $15

Following the end-of-the-decade excess, it’s perhaps prudent to take a taste and a look at some good wine buys for a broker new year.

Rustic and raunchy, these reds hold steady

French hybrids like Foch may not be abundant, but several Okanagan wineries are still making bottles that have a way with certain foods.

Levin Loire Sauvignon Blanc 2006

Hoteliers David Levin had vineyard property in France on the Loire, and recently one of his wines found its way into the LDB system.

Bubbles add sparkle to everyday occasions

If sheer volume and variety of recent shipments are any indication, we are insatiable for bubble.

Sweet, fizzy, icy wine reflections

And with this column we wave them goodbye, another season of BOYs—Best of the Year wines from all corners, all varieties, all prices. Just this bit of mopping up: rosé and other pinks, icewines and other sweet wines, and, to say “Cheers”, a couple of stellar sparklers.