A very informative tasting of wines from Valpolicella.
AdVINEtures was fortunate enough to be invited by our friends at Town Hall Brands to a terrific Masterclass and tasting of the wines of Northern Italy’s Valpolicella Region. The event was produced by the Consorzio per la Tutela dei Vini Valpolicella, the association that represents more than 80% of the producers in the appellation. The Masterclass was very capably led by local sommelier and wine educator, Daenna Van Mulligen.
The day was divided into 3 parts: first, the Masterclass to inform us about Valpolicella, then a tasting of 11 wines from the region, and finally a walk about session to meet and taste with some of the region’s producers. This was a great way to get some real context about the region and to taste some of their wines.
When people think of Champagne, it typically evokes visions of well-known houses with historical names that represent a sense of formality and grandeur. Our recent visit there certainly provided plenty of that, but we were most intrigued by Olivier Horiot, a winemaker who is working on the very edge of the region, both literally and figuratively.
Earlier this year AdVINEtures was asked to help some very generous friends put together a list of wines to have at a very special, intimate gathering at a local restaurant. We were given just a theme to guide us in our selections: choose wines that will be the best wines the guests will have in their lives. It was a pretty daunting task, but we couldn’t resist so…challenge accepted.
Though still relatively young as a wine region, British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley has come into its own and firmly established itself on the world wine stage. We recently visited the region for the third time in two years and we continue to be surprised and delighted by both new finds and old favourites. On this trip, we explored Mission Hill Estate winery, Checkmate Artisanal winery, Martin’s Lane and CedarCreek Estate winery, along with the new District Wine Village – all of which provide fantastic wine tasting experiences. Here’s a taste of what we experienced:
Once you visit a couple of Anthony von Mandl’s half dozen wineries, your expectations rise quickly in anticipation of the next. His portfolio includes Flagship Mission Hill Family Estate, Checkmate Artisanal Winery (producer of Canada’s first 100-pt wine) and the ultra-premium Martin’s Lane. Right next door to the latter is CedarCreek Estate Winery, one of the Okanagan Valley’s ‘original 8’, and an excellent stop in its own right for any wine enthusiast.
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