Tasting Room Radio

OK Falls Welcomes The Wine World   THE SHOW   Every Spring the wine regions of BC show up on the West Coast. This week it’s Okanagan Falls.  The wineries of the region share Skaha Lake – just south of Penticton. Just a head’s UP – They throw a great Summer event called Party in the Park  July 6th in Kenyon Park (on the beach) Starts at 5PM.  What a night!!   Winemakers and Principals pouring and taking us through the wines include: Evan Saunders – Winemaker at Blasted Church https://blastedchurch.com Christie Mavety – Family Member/Owner  www.bluemountainwinery.com Gerry Thygesen – Owner –Winemaker  Skaha/Krase Legz  https://www.krazelegz.com Alison Moyes – Winemaker  Liquidity Wines https://www.liquiditywines.com Janice Stevens-Meyer  – Co-Owner Meyer Family Vineyards https://www.mfvwines.com Daniel Bibby – Co-Owner Nighthawk Vineyards  https://www.nighthawkvineyards.com Jim & Leslie D ‘Andrea – Owners Noble Ridge Vineyard and Winery www.nobleridge.com Lauren Skinner – Family member Painted Rock Estate Winery www.paintedrock.ca Julie Rennie – Co-Owner Pentage Winery https://pentage.com Larry Gerelus – Co-Owner Stag’s Hollow Winery https://stagshollowwinery.com Alan Dickinson – Owner/Winemaker Synchromesh Wines www.synchromeshwines.ca Roland Kruger – Owner/General Manager  Wild Goose Vineyard https://wildgoosewinery.com Back row * Evan Saunders, wine maker, Blasted Church * Jim D’Andrea, Proprietor, Noble Ridge * Ian MacDonald, Proprietor, Liquidity 2 back row * Larry Gerelus, Proprietor, Stag’s Hollow * Linda Pruegger, Proprietor, Stag’s Hollow * Roland Kruger, Proprietor,  Wild Goose * Janice Stevens, Proprietor, Meyer Family Vineyards * Julie Rennie, Proprietor, Pentage 3 back row * Dan Schell – Agent (Nobel Ridge) * Michael Garrett, Agent (Pentage) * Alison Moyes,  winemaker Liquidity * Barb Mills, Agent (Liquidity) * Leslie D;Andrea, Proprietor,  Noble Ridge * Lauren Skinner, Director of Sales, Painted Rock Front row * Tysha Pope, Crescent Hill Winery * Carson Pope, Crescent Hill Winery * Terry David Mulligan * Daniel Bibby, Proprietor, Nighthawk Vineyards * Christie Mavety, Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars   https://www.ofwa.ca

  NEW SPRING RELEASES FROM THE NARAMATA BENCH:    THE SHOW   SPRING!   Renewal. Bud Break. Real warmth in the day. Sunrise at 6am. AND new releases from BC’s wineries.  Perhaps, the very best time of the year. We spent almost 5 glorious years on the Naramata Bench. It was everything we had hoped it would be. A mix of farms, food, wineries and really fine people. Now, when they make their annual Spring Wine Release trip into Vancouver and Victoria  it feels like old home week.   I have the wonderful job of sitting down and getting re-acquainted with familiar faces and new wines. For you wine fans  joining us, it’s a chance to perhaps,  find your wine of the year or at the very least your Spring/Summer.   Our guests this week include: Val Tait  – Winemaker and GM at Bench 1775  www.bench1775.com Senka Tennant – Co-Owner &  Winemaker at TerraVista www.terravistavineyards.com Dominic McCosker – Winemaker at La Frenz www.lafrenzwinery.com Riley Hollenbach – Winemaker at Red Rooster www.lafrenzwinery.com Kathy Malone – Winemaker at Hillside www.hillsidewinery.ca Matt Mikulic – Winemaker at Three Sisters  www.3sisterswinery.com/Wines Bob Ferguson – Co-Owner & Winemaker at Kettle Valley  www.kettlevalleywinery.com/ Del Halliday – co-owner and winemaker at Elephant Island www.elephantislandwine.com Gavin Miller – co-owner and winemaker at Upper Bench  www.upperbench.ca Lindsay O’Rourke – Co-owner and Winemaker at Tightrope  www.tightropewinery.ca   www.naramatabench.com/our-wineries http://www.winesofcanada.com/naramata.html STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON:     www.tastingroomradio.com          

Full Natural Wines  with Lock & Worth &  Bella, Top Drop 2018 and The Okanagan Wine Initiative   THE SHOW   Matthew SherLOCK and Ross HackWORTH.  Lock and Worth.  Jay Drysdale and Bella…  Want to get a sense of BC’s wine future?  Matt and Jay will be a the very front, leading the movement. Honest, single vineyard wines of time and place – priced for everyday consumption.  “We strongly believe that one should be able to drink high quality, single vineyard (non-commodity), small production wines that are priced reasonably from British Columbia. We plan to be around 20 years from now, not by becoming a large company but by creating a sustainable business within our community. For us part of that means making wines that always over deliver”  Sherlock and Hayworth farm organically and work the vineyards by hand whenever possible. They use native yeasts for fermentations, limited sulfur, and a gentle touch that avoids punch downs or pumping over or racking during élevage. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration. Up the road at Bella, is a winery owned by Jay Drysdale and his wife, Wendy Rose. Bella only makes sparkling wines and only works with Chardonnay and Gamay Noir. Bella ’s annual production is 2000 cases, split between a vineyard series and a natural series. Each wine in the vineyard series highlights a single grape, from a single vineyard, and single vintage. Dry-farmed and organic vineyards from Kelowna to Kamloops supply the fruit. The natural series uses the same vineyards, plus Bella’s four-acre estate vineyard. The vineyard series wines are made using the traditional Champagne method, with commercial yeasts and sugar added to the wine to trigger a second fermentation. Jay and Wendy make the natural series wines by pressing whole cluster grapes and allowing wild yeast fermentation to begin in neutral barrels. No additives, allowing fermentation to finish in the bottle.  This process is called méthode ancestral and Bella is the first winery in western Canada to use it.   The natural process causes some of the bottles to be cloudy.  As Jay has said “Yes, they’re cloudy. Get over it” Here’s a quote from a go-to wine human Kurtis Kolt in the Georgia Straight Natural wine.  It’s wine made with minimal intervention. This means organic (and sometimes biodynamic) farming (without the use of pesticides and such), naturally occurring ferments with wild yeasts in the cellar, and winemaking without fining, filtration, or manipulation.   Kurtis Kolt –  Top Drop 2018 Wonderful and Unique two-day festival brings together international wineries, craft breweries, cideries, gastronomy & more. At Roundhouse Mews in Yaletown. On May 17th and 18th 2018, Top Drop Vancouver returns, with a continued focus on sustainably-farmed, handcrafted wines offering a distinct sense of place, without heavy-handed winemaking trickery to get in t...

13 guests for The Annual “Locals Only 3.0″The Artisans of Vancouver Island & The Gulf Islands.   THE SHOW   It was an afternoon exploring the diversity & creativity of our coastal producers. Through the interviews below we get to meet the farmers, fermenters and distillers that define our cool climate coastal appellation.     This is Locals Only 3.0 – 2018 No fancy marketing campaigns or graphic trickery.  Just an opportunity to taste clean honest products from the producers who are defining our cool climate coastal appellation.  * Speak with the producers who were natural before it was fashionable * Learn more about distilling while speaking with a Master * Meet and taste with the people who planted the vines and then made the wine Locals Only is about keeping it real, real honest and really local.   Organic estate farming , clean winemaking , neutral barrels & vessels, amphora, orange wines, concrete, spontaneous ferments, dry farming + way more. Discover the next destination you just have to check out. Off Shore craft makers.   Guests include:  Massey Wines –  Louise Fedyk.  Co-Organizer of event  http://www.masseywines.com/  Mike Rathjen – Rathjen Cellars  https://www.instagram.com/p/Bgo92Vuntu8/ Mike Nierychlo –  Emandare Vineyards  http://www.emandarevineyard.com/     Dave Brimacombe – Wayward Distillery (Unruly Gin/Vodka) https://www.instagram.com/p/BgpPVn3Hw0U/ Jason MacIsaac – Sheringham Distillery  https://www.sheringhamdistillery.com/ Andy Johnson  – Averill Creek  https://www.averillcreek.ca/ Loretta Zanatta – Zanatta Vineyards https://zanatta.ca/ Chris Turyk – Unsworth  https://www.instagram.com/p/Bgr0mocH0rh/ Bailey Williamson – Blue Grouse https://www.bluegrouse.ca/Home Dan Dragert – Kutatas Vineyards ( Koo Tah Tass) You’re on your own. Well worth The Search. Brenda Hetman-Layne – 40 Knots  https://www.instagram.com/p/BgkFfRknXdL/    Marilyn Venturi –   Venturi-Schulze Vineyards  https://www.instagram.com/p/BgraOj7nK_o/ Julia Powell – Alderlea Vineyards  https://www.instagram.com/p/Bgtz5m0HCrX/  

Jann Arden returns To The Tasting Room. (joined by  Ricasoli, La Crema, Giant Head and Gurvinder Bhatia)   THE SHOW Gurvinder Bhatia   (Quench magazine)        The first two interviews took place at this year’s VanWineFest. After 2 One hour specials,  I grabbed my  recorder and sought out journalist Gurvinder Bhatia and  Winemaker Craig McAllister,  at La Crema. Gurvinder is well known in wine circles. As a judge, educator and reviewer. Wine Editor for Quench Magazine, columnist for The Edmonton Journal and  for Global TV (Edmonton). He’s currently the wine buyer for  UnWined in Edmonton.  He specializes in Italian wines. Because of his legal background and the fact he lives in Alberta, I thought we could talk about wines and BC’s  wines banned in Alberta. http://quench.me/   Craig McAllister – Winemaker at Le Crema (Sonoma) A New-Zealand native, Craig McAllister spent his first 20 years in Christchurch, New Zealand, then lived in London for six years. He has travelled extensively throughout the world. He found himself drawn not just to the wine industry, but to the wine lifestyle due to his love of cooking, traveling and being outdoors. This led him to Lincoln University in New Zealand, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in viticulture and enology.     Craig’s deep passion for winemaking has taken him all over the world, from New Zealand to Australia, Chile and Cyprus. Craig first joined the La Crema team in 2007 as the Harvest Enologist. After gaining additional experience abroad, he joined the La Crema team full-time in 2009. He has been a steward of La Crema’s Monterey program and worked extensively on the Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. He also helped to further develop La Crema’s esteemed collection of single vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines. He was promoted to head winemaker in 2017. https://www.lacrema.com     Francesco Ricasoli  – (Barone Ricasoli) The name Ricasoli has been associated to wine since 1141, when Brolio Castle was acquired by the Ricasoli family.   Bettino Ricasoli (1809 – 1880) was the promoter of the most famous Italian wine in the world today: Chianti. Today it is the largest domaine in the Chianti Classico area: Castello di Brolio, where Baron Bettino Ricasoli came with the Chianti formula in 1872, is surrounded by 1,200 hectares in the towns of Gaiole and Castelnuovo Berardenga. Since 1993 Francesco Ricasoli  is the 32nd  family member to lead  the family winery. Second oldest in the World and oldest in Italy.

  Untapped and  Uncorked in Parksville – with special guests!!   THE SHOW   A truckload of fun. Heading for the 10th annual Parksville on Vancouver Island. Half of the weekend takes place at the Beach Club Resort and the other half at Tigh Na Mara. https://www.beachclubbc.com www.tigh-na-mara.com 10th Annual Parksville Uncorked Wine, Food & Beer Festival Join us for the 10th Annual Parksville Uncorked : Sip savour, mix and mingle while sampling some of BC’s best: – The craft brewers, Cider makers  and Spirits gathered at Untapped at The Beach Club Resort on the Thursday – The Wine Tasting signature gala event, Swirl was  at Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort & Conference Centre on the Friday.   – Orofino and Dirty Laundry winemakers dinners on the Saturday at both resorts. – and the whole weekend ended, as it should, at  Bubbles & Brunch at Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort & Conference Centre on the closing  Sunday. Feature interviews with: John Weber – Orofino Winery. Owner and Winemaker  (Similkameen Valley) Mason Spink – Dirty Laundry. Winemaker.   (Summerland) Joseph Luckhurst –  Business Manager/Leader  Road 13  (Golden Mile Bench Oliver) Chef Eric Edwards – Executive Chef  (Tigh Na Mara)   Also quick chats with: Chris Silvestri –  Category 12 Brewing  (Victoria) Dave Paul – Brew master and Owner at Love Shack Libations ( Qualicum) Dave Woodward – Head Brewer  Mount Arrowsmith Brewing  (Parksville) Carmen Parry  Dominion Cider  (Summerland)   www.dominioncider.com www.dirtylaundry.ca www.road13vineyards.com www.orofinovineyards.com www.tigh-na-mara.com www.beachclubbc.com www.arrowsmithbrewing.com www.category12beer.com www.visitparksvillequalicumbeach.com/things-to-do-parksville-uncorked   STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON:   * IVSA Pour in Victoria * BC Cider Festival. North Vancouver * Locals Only – Granville Island * John Glavina – Giant Head Wines * Craig McAllister – Winemaker at La Crema Russian River * Gurvinder Bhatia – Edmonton Wine Expert at VanWineFest * Naramata Bench Pours on the Coast * Spring releases from OK Falls * Matt Sherlock (Lock and Worth/Nichol Vineyards) and Jay Drysdale (Bella) Natural Wine...

Heading to The Home of true Mexican Cooking in Oaxaca with Susana Trilling.   The SHOW   Cheers and welcome to Year 10 of Tasting Room Radio. You can find the Podcast on iTunes, Airs at 11am Pacific every Saturday at Roundhouse Radio 983 Vancouver. Alex Chen – Canadian Culinary Championships – Gold Medal Winner   Chef Alex Chen wins GoldWe start in Vancouver at the Boulevard Restaurant at The Sutton Place Hotel with Gold Medal Winning Chef Alex Chen. He’ll be answering the question – How did he do it?  How did he beat the very best chefs in Canada in the Canadian Culinary Championships. He’s a totally engaging and passionate guest, very much like his cooking. Alex  was one of 11 chefs who won Gold Medal Plates regional competitions held across the country in 2017 to earn the right to compete in the national championships, which began with a Mystery Wine pairing event on Friday night and continued Saturday with a Black Box competition that allowed chefs just one hour to prepare a dish using seven mystery ingredients. The two events culminated in Saturday night’s grand finale, where Chen prepared the same signature Parfait of Wild BC Shellfish, ‘Chowder’, Northern Divine Caviar and Bull Kelp ‘Brioche’ — paired with Sea Star Estate Farm and Vineyards’ 2016 Ortega from Pender Island, BC — that earned him top spot at the Gold Medal Plates regional competition in Victoria, BC last October. Please meet our first guest Chef Alex Chen.  Pure Gold! www.boulevardvancouver.ca /blvdyvr on Facebook / @blvdyvr on Twitter and Instagram.   Susana Trilling – Seasons of my Heart  –  Oaxaca, Mexico   SusanaTrillingOaxaca (Wha-haka) is the home of traditional Mexican cooking. It’s also the epicenter of Mescal and Mole Sauces. How lucky was I to find a place to sit in the shade in a small courtyard and see her sign right in front of me? Surely,  here was a perfect guest for the show. A chef and author who discovered the historic centre of true Mexican cooking and never left. Teaching and advocating as she went.     Check out just a small part of Susana’s personal history.   Susana Trilling is a chef, teacher, caterer, author, TV hostess,

IRELAND IN AN HOUR! How better to celebrate St Patrick’s Day than presenting A One hour special from our  2 weeks in Ireland.     We start our tour  in the South of Ireland..through Clonakilty, Cork and we end on the historic streets of Dublin. Guests include Connor Higgins,   Michael Lawlor (Irish Whiskey Tours), Michael Reddy (Teeling Whiskey) and Willie Ahearn from The Palace Pub on Fleet St.   THE Show         Deasy’s Harbour Bar and Seafood Restaurant. Ring Village, Clonakilty Chef Caitlin Ruth   Caitlin Ruth and owner celebrate 10 years.    Even though the address says Ring Village..I drove this part of the coast a dozen times..never really saw a village..a gathering of various houses yes but a village..not so much. Crumbling ancient buildings and stone walls – yup! A strong sense of history on this part of the road..you can see what attracted people even 3-500 years ago. And there, surrounded by the ocean and a small fishing fleet stands Deasy’s. It came highly recommended by the locals. The trick was getting there early enough for one of 6 parking spots just off the highway (its on a nasty little corner) and gets busy very quickly. The reason – the amazing cooking talents of Caitlin Ruth – The Chef. Originally from the USA, she married an Irishman and found her way back to the homeland from Belgium. What a fine fine chef she is.. The menu features – as expected – many different fish, in many exceptional dishes. Paired with a very smart wine list. It used to be an old pub..so it still has that comfortable pub feel but the windows give everyone a brilliant look at the ocean just across the highway. Highly recommended destination. Memorable meals. Great hang!! Wicked parking.  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Deasys-Harbour-Bar-Seafood-Restaurant/126741324027491    Then it’s off to  Cork City… South of Dublin on the West Coast of Ireland.  It’s the home of Café Paradiso, one of the best vegetarian restaurants anywhere. It’s also the home of Chef Denis Cotter.  Except for a pal Sharon Kelly, Denis is the only person  I know in all of Ireland. Denis Cotter We had met at Hastings House on Salt Spring Island several years ago. He was cooking recipes from his award winning book For the Love of Food. Denis’ frustration with the limitations of the vegetarian industry sparked the opening of Cafe Paradiso in 1993, to create an environment where he could evolve a personal style of cooking focused on the pleasure of food rather than the perceived negativity of vegetarianism. Among the many awards bestowed on Cafe Paradiso, Denis Cotter was named “Chef of the Year” by the Irish magazine ‘Food & Wine’ in 2005...

Hour Two of 2018 VanWineFest   THE SHOW   Last week’s show focused of Spain and Portugal. This week its friends and neighbours. BC, Washington, California, Nova Scotia and a final Spanish Winemaking Star Alvaro Palacios. Loved doing this hour.  Winemaking friends from all over sharing thoughts and opinions.   We talk about the Alberta Wine Ban and its effect. I felt it was important that I ask the question “What are you pouring here today and why?” Co-hosts were Sandra Oldfield and Daenna van Mulligen (The Wine Diva). They did a great job! www.WineDiva.ca  /  https://sandraoldfield.com Guests include:   DJ Kearney – Wine Director www.NewDistrict.ca Christine Coletta – Co-Owner of Okanagan Crush Pad (Haywire)   https://okanagancrushpad.com Galen Barnhardt – Winemaker at Monte Creek. Kamloops https://www.montecreekranchwinery.com/ Chris Turyk – Brand Ambassador Unsworth. Cowichan Valley https://www.unsworthvineyards.com Bruce Ewert – Co-Owner/Winemaker L’Acadie Vineyards. Nova Scotia www.lacadievineyards.ca Howard Soon – Head Winemaker Vanessa Vineyards www.vanessavineyard.com John Skinner – Owner Painted Rock www.paintedrock.ca Nikki Callaway – Winemaker Quails Gate https://www.quailsgate.com Kurtis Kolt – The Bottle / Georgia Straight. Top Drop Vancouver. www.kurtiskolt.com Calla Bischoff – Sileni Estates NZ https://www.sileni.co.nz Jim Robertson – Stoneleigh  NZ  www.stoneleigh.com Alvaro Palacios – Spanish wine legend  www.rarewineco.com/producer/alvaro-palacios Ray Signorello –  Owner Signorello Estates. Napa  https://signorelloestate.com Randy Ullom  – Chief Winemaker – Kendall-Jackson.  Sonoma www.kj.com Eugene Mylnczyk.  Master of Wine . Charles Smith Wines. Washington https://www.charlessmithwines.com STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON   Alex Chen – Gold Medal Winning Chef John Glavina – Giant Head Wines Naramata Bench pours on the Coast Susana Trilling – Seasons of my Heart Oaxaca, Mexico Craig McAllister – Head Winemaster  La Crema Russian River Valley

Tour Number 2 of New Zealand begins in Hawkes Bay where Syrah is King..through the legendary Gimblett Gravels… and finishes on the south Island  in Nelson at NZ’s first Maori owned and operated winery.   THE SHOW   Part 1 of our wine tour of New Zealand took us through the Auckland area and on to Hawkes Bay and that’s where we begin Part 2.   Elephant Hill Elephant Hill is a stunning and innovative winery estate and restaurant located on the idyllic Te Awanga coast, in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. They create 2 very fine chardonnays piggyslots , Sauv blanc, a white & red blends called Le Phant Blanc/Rouge and a 5 star Viognier and favour Syrah on the Red side.. We sit down in their fabulous restaurant with Viticulturist Jon Peet and sales and marketing leader Vince Labatt. The word I get from the NZ wine business is… watch these guys..they’re very good.   http://www.elephanthill.co.nz/   Pask Staying in the Hawkes Bay area on North Island NZ we head for Pask.   On our tour of NZ #1 we talked to Kate Ranburnd the famous winemaker at Pask. This time we take to the Gimblett Gravels fields and meet the guys who grow in that stunning region. Gimblett Gravels     Pask’s 59 hectares of vineyards are located on Gimblett Road where Chris Pask was first to plant in the region now known as the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District®. Formed over 100 years ago when the Ngaruroro River changed its course, the light, stony soils of the region are low in nutrients, completely free draining, and create the perfect environment for growing premium quality grapes. Their  very first vintage of 1985 Cabernet Sauvignon was awarded 5 stars in Cuisine Magazine. Since then Pask wines have consistently enjoyed gold medal and  trophy success in London, Australia, Asia, the United States, Canada and New Zealand across a range of varietals and winestyles. Pask is one of New Zealand’s leading wineries with an enviable reputation for excellence  around the world for over 25 years. Pask has been a member of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) since its inception. Kate Radburnd spent five years as Chair of the SWNZ advisory/working group. I get to  meet Danny van Selm  the vineyard manager and Greg Allinson – direct sales and marketing manager. Interview takes place on a picnic table under a large tree  in the middle of Gimblett Gravels.   http://www.pask.co.nz/ Trinity Hill Their  story began in 1987 when John Hancock met Robert and Robyn Wils...

Alberta Bans BC Wine. Here’s the Pushback!           THE SHOW BC/ Alberta showdown  Nobody saw it coming. We all woke up on a recent Monday morning to the news that the Alberta Government in retaliation to the BC Government’s environmental concerns about the interprovincial pipeline took the highly unusual step of banning BC Wines from sale in Alberta. That’s 30% of BC’s wine sales. That’s just as many tourism  visits every year from our neighbour. At first I could definitely hear the voice of Albertans. They were pissed and mad as hell! BC was messing with their livelihood. After all the highs and lows what they really didn’t need in Alberta was a neighbour creating more hurdles to jump. BC  responded that they were protecting their invaluable coastline but in the middle of all of this were the farmers, growers, small businesses and stores of the BC wine industry and Alberta partners. So I went to talk to the winemakers and stores. . I sought out people who had a sense of the battle ahead and why they were having a battle at all. Some remarkable comments here:  Guests include: Christine Coletta – Okanagan Crush Pad/Haywire  https://okanagancrushpad.com John Skinner – Painted Rock Winery  www.paintedrock.ca John Clerides – Marquis Wine Cellar  https://www.marquis-wines.com Michael Bartier – Bartier Bros.  (his brother/partner lives in Calgary)  www.bartierbros.com Bob Shaunessy – Former Albertan and former owner of Tinhorn Creek.  (currently in NZ) Bruce Ewert – L’Acadie Vineyards Nova Scotia. Removed from the fray but former BC winemaker www.lacadievineyards.ca www.winebc.com   Roberto Roberti – Beverage Manager  Fountana Group Canada (Canadian Rockies Whisky) This interview with Roberto was supposed to be included in our coverage of the Victoria Whisky Festival but we ran out of time in the show.   The interview is timely because their feature whisky Canadian Rockies is made from Alberta grain and corn. It’s  welcomed and sold in BC. Lots of great whisky information included.     www.fountanagroup.com     STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON:   Francesco Ricasoli – Oldest winery in Italy Alex Chen – Gold Medal Plates wins Gold in Canada. This is how he did it. 2018 Van Wine Fest            

THE SHOW   It was windy and wonderful. The invite was from The Mark Anthony Group, who distribute beautifully chosen wines to this part of the World. Would I be interested in interviewing some of their top winemakers from around the World..on the top of the Telus Building on Georgia? Yes Please. If you’re seeking new fresh wines and winemakers here’s some top level suggestions..   Dlynn Proctor – Winemaking Ambassador – Penfolds ( Australia ) Darryl Brooker – Winemaker – Mission Hill Family Estate. (BC) David Adelsheim – Founder and Director – Adelsheim.  Willamette Valley, (Oregon) Thibault Brotte – Export manager – Maison Brotte (France) Vincent Thebaud – Export Director – – Brumont (France) Rachael Watson – Canada Manager – Henkell Co. (Germany) Johannes Hasslebach – Winemaker – Gunderloch  (Germany) We had time to taste and talk about their wines..what were they pouring and why? Whats available in BC and what are the price points. Several of these guests were missing harvest back home and couldn’t wait to get back but they had a  story to tell. About their wines and their home. This was such fun.  Touring the Wine World 23 floors up. Did I mention it was Windy?? www.markanthonywineandspirits.ca   Thank You Aimee Williams   We finish the show with Hometown Blues – in memory of Tom Petty. STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON   Two 1 hour specials from VanWineFest. Alberta Bans BC Wine – Comments Coming next week                  

The 13th Victoria Whisky Festival.  Have a Wee Dram.   also… Harry Hertscheg  on wines at VanWineFest And pairing Cheese and Wine at The Savvy Series with Pam Cohen/Allison Spurrell (The Cheese Queen) And Bill Jones from Deerholme Farm on his Foraging Classes. THE SHOW   Harry Hertscheg  – Executive Director VanWineFest   Harry Hertscheg The 40th annual Vancouver Wine Festival is mere days from now   Feb 24 – March 4. 173 Wineries from 15 countries  Featured regions are Spain and Portugal.  Harry Hertscheg organized a media tasting of some of the participants..more like a serious tease. I am of course,  never without my trusty recorder and fresh batteries. Our starting point was over Steely Dan’s Aja Album which I had played on Mulligan Stew that weekend. I was amazed that it was over 40 years since they released those outstanding tunes.  Harry says “that’s about the same age as this festival – 40 years”  and off we went.  We touch on the wines of Portugal and Spain, some of the many highlights of the festival and as always I ask Harry about his single best tip for the first timer at the consumer tastings which can be daunting.   FYI – Tasting Room radio will have a roundtable studio set up where the Spanish wines are being poured. Our March 3rd show will be hour one and March 11 show will be hour two. Guest list next week. www.vanwinefest.ca The 13th annual Victoria Whisky Festival   Speaking of daunting, I have very little history with whisky. At the 13th Victoria Whisky fest  I was well out of my element but eager to learn and discover. I thank Heather Leary the media contact and thanks as well to  David de Kergommeaux for steering me in the right direction and of course for his invaluable book Canadian Whisky:  The Portable Expert. I set up shop in the lobby of Victoria’s Grand Hotel. It was filled with whisky experts and fans.  Perfect! The festival ran from the 18th to 21st of January and just a heads up – it sells out as soon as the tickets are released.  For some, it means sleeping out overnight to be first in line. Tickets for 2019 will go on sale this November. How popular is this festival?  This year for the first time anywhere all 11 brand ambassadors from around the World for Balvenie attended, taught and poured in Victoria. Guests include:  Davin De Kergommeaux –  Author and host of the Thursday Night Awards Event.   Davin de Kergommeaux describes himself as “a certified Malt Maniac and trained sommelier who has been analyzing, writing, and talking about whisky, as an independent commentator, for nearly two decades.”

Sam Sifton   NY Times Food Editor: Food and Politics DJ Kearney – on NewDistrict.ca Vikram Vij – VIJ. The Life and The Book     THE SHOW   The New York Times culinary  writers last week spent 7 days focusing on  Canadian cooking. Sam Sifton, food editor for The Times lead the team. In Toronto they were taken with the many Syrian refugees who landed in Canada and immediately started cooking Syrian food to an interested  clientele. It’s not something they would see south of the border. Politics would be involved “down there”. The team also went to Montreal and met with David McMillan, the famous chef and co-owner of Joe Beef/Liverpool House. Certainly about the food but also about the unique politics involved in French Canadian cooking. They’re very protective of Quebecoise cooking and nobody muddles those waters better than David. He brings British influences  into the mix and politically that’s a no no. Sam also sent Food Critic. Pete Wells to Vancouver to review Kissa Tanto. This is a very engaging conversation (mainly on Sam’s part) as the dialogue ebbs and flows around people, places and things. A two part interview with Sam Sifton that also includes a brief but involved discussion about – The New York Times – as a headline. As a story unto itself.  Being repeatedly called out by The President of the USA. My first question is “what’s it like in the building these days”? www.NYTimes.com   DJ Kearney  – Director of Wine  NewDistrict.ca   Deej is one of the key tastemakers in Canada and most certainly on The West Coast. She is now making waves as the Director of Wine at NewDistrict.ca It’s a store and a wine-on-line destination. Many many wine fans  believe in her taste and instincts. DJ judges, lectures and instructs but what she does best is choose wines for all of us to consider. Frankly, I’m like many wine fans. If it’s OK with DJ it’s OK with  me. This week DJ runs through recent choices and wine trends we should know about. www.newdistrict.ca   Vikram Vij  – VIJ   A chef’s one-way ticket to Canada with Indian spices in his suitcase   This interview takes us behind the legendary culinary and tv figure that we all know now. Back to the very beginning..life in India. Coming to Canada… overcoming all odds to eventually open his own restaurant. It’s a fascinating story. So many hurdles to cross and hoops to jump. Fragrant with the smells of cumin, turmeric fennel and cloves, Vij reveals the story of Vikram Vij, one of Canada’s most celebrated chefs and entrepreneurs. Co-owner of the world-famous Vij’s Restaurant in Vancouver, his story is a true rags-to-riches tale of a college dropou...

It’s  Dine Out Vancouver Year 16 – Now until Feb 4th! THE SHOW How much fun is this? There are over 300 restaurants signed up to host Dine Out Vancouver Food Fanatics and every year we keep creating bigger line ups. It’s a great success story and one Vancouver and Tourism Vancouver can be proud of. 16 years ago it started as an idea.  As one of the originals Tim Pawsey says the idea was simply – “Let’s put Bums in Seats” This year the food media  gathered in the  H2 Restaurant/Bar   in The Westin Bayshore.  We ate small bites, tasting BC VQA wines and everyone was asking the same question – where are we going? We were rounded up in groups  of 5 to 10 people and off we went in trolley cars and busses. From what I can remember – this is what happened and who I talked to  –what a night! * Lucas Pavan                        Producer of Dine Out.  (Tourism Vancouver) * Jason Ocenas                     Manager of Township 7 Langley * Allison Scholefield           Haywire. Okanagan Crush Pad * Lyndsay O’Rourke           Winemaker/Co-Owner Tightrope Winery * Tim Pawsey                        The Hired Belly * Amber Sessions                Tourism Vancouver * Howard Soon                     Chief Winemaker Vanessa Vineyards * Laura Serena                      Serena PR (original Media contact Year 1) * Laura Kittmer                     Wine BC * Grant Nelson  GM           Victor at Parq Vancouver * Valerio Pescetelli             Exec Chef  Victor * Filippo Bevilacqua            Bev Manager/Sommelier * Jade Dynasty                     Old School Dim Sum * Joscelyn Werner              Canadian Craft Tours * Justin Tisdall                       co-owner Juke Fried Chicken * Jean-Sebastien Dupuis  Homer Street Café  (Beverage Director) * Chris West                          Homer Street Café  ( Chef de Cuisine) https://www.dineoutvancouver.com/ @dineoutvanfest Website: tourismvancouver.com/media Twitter: @TVANMedia Blog: insidevancouver.