Scotch/Wine

I think this is a must, in my time off I've spent way too much time tasting wines and scotches and I figure there must be a few others out there that enjoy the finer beverages of life the way I do! So lets hear em! Brand, approx. cost and why!

Glencadam - Highland single malt 15 YR $150.00
Mcclellands - Highland single malt (I think it's about $35)
Glenfiddich (if you can find it)

Single malts are smooth and.....and........warm.
Serve at room temperature in a small glass and sip. You can add a small amount of water if you wish.

Glenrothes Speyside Single Malt, costs about $300. Picked up 2 bottles 4 years ago for about 1/2 price each at the time. Has a wonderful licorice-lemon demeanor. Good stuff!!!

Scotch/Whiskey - anything from the Isle of Islay. Laphroaig 1989 Special is beautiful. Best served on a cold winters evening by a warm fire. Don't think it is available in LCB's. There is a special bottling of Douglas Laing available in the Lower mainland for $350 +

White Wine - my absolute favourite is Oyster Bay from New Zealand. $19.99 in BC Liquor stores for the chardonnay, merlot or pinot gris, but the best is the sauvignon blanc.

Red Wine - don't indulge often, when I do it MUST be very good. the BAROLO - BONGIOVANNI 03/04 is simply wonderful but pricey at $70. That is a wine for a very special occasion.

As a family we have had an incredible opportunity to live in, work and explore many of the great culinary destinations worldwide - and learn about wines especially. No doubt some very expensive wines have qualities a connoisseur would appreciate but they would be lost on the majority. However, when a good wine tickles the taste palates it's a blessing! Try the Oyster Bay.

anything from the Isle of Islay

yes!

Bowmore is my current "affordable" fav.

When entertaining friends and business associates under the Johnson St. Bridge or in Beacon Hill Park I choose Calona Royal Red.

yes!

Bowmore is my current "affordable" fav.

Thank you gumgum! How about we hold a VV meet and run a live commentary among members through various bottles of available Isle of Islay offerings?

When entertaining friends and business associates under the Johnson St. Bridge or in Beacon Hill Park I choose Calona Royal Red.

Not sure a 'Red' goes with the Blue of the Bridge. I would suggest more a Blue Margarita or Blue lagoon.

Scotch/Whiskey - anything from the Isle of Islay. Laphroaig 1989 Special is beautiful. Best served on a cold winters evening by a warm fire. Don't think it is available in LCB's. There is a special bottling of Douglas Laing available in the Lower mainland for $350 +

I bought that Douglas Laing bottle from the James Bay liquor store back in March. It's really, really, really good. Typically viscous peaty Laphroig flavour, but much more subtle and complex. I just picked up a bottle of Cask Strength in Oregon (for less than 1/2 what it sells here). Initially very harsh, it does settle down after a few sips.

$6,000,000

 

840 CHERRY POINT ROAD

 

The vineyard at Cherry Point was established in 1990 when the founders purchased 34 acres on a former mink ranch a few miles south of Cowichan Bay. Since wine growing was still new on Vancouver Island they planted the vineyard with several grape varieties, for nobody really knew which grapes suited the island's soil and climate. After the grape trials, Cherry Point Estate Wines became one of the first licensed wineries on Vancouver Island in 1994. The Cowichan's long, Mediterranean like growing season and mild maritime winters make it the most important agriculture are on Vancouver Island. Today the 24 acre vineyard is the second largest on Vancouver Island and consists of grapevines that flourish in Cherry Point's microclimate. Ten main varieties and eight limited varieties are planted including Gewurtraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Zweigelt Epicure and Cabernet Libre, Pinot Noir, Agreia, Ortega, Seigerrebe, and Castel. In addition to the vineyard, tasting room and retail area, the Bistro and beautiful landscaped grounds are available to accommodate group functions. The Bistro operates seasonally for casual lunches, business meetings, and other social functions, accommodating up to 90 people. For larger groups, and/or weddings, the garden pavilion and lower lawn are added using event tents. This is an established business & turn-key opportunity. 

 

https://www.realtor....-z3-cobble-hill

Wow, lots of wineries being sold in the valley.

Matt.

The Cowichan Valley has been recognized as a distinct wine region, so you will start seeing "Vancouver Island, Cowichan Valley, BC VQA" on bottles in the future. Named wine regions are protected terms under BC law. via https://www.mycowich...oducing-region/

US figures, source

 

Edited by Rob Randall, 08 December 2020 - 11:23 AM.

that's impressive.  i wonder how many people drink at home while working remotely.  maybe just the last hour or two of the workday?  

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 08 December 2020 - 11:25 AM.

Hand to God, I swear this happened to me last Sunday afternoon.

 

I hear a knock on my front door, I open it and it's a beautiful young woman holding a bag containing scotch from a local distillery. "Hello, are you Patrick?" She says. 

 

I almost said, "Yes."

 

Patrick actually lives next door.

Edited by Rob Randall, 08 December 2020 - 11:38 AM.

Hand to God, I swear this happened to me last Sunday afternoon.

 

I hear a knock on my front door, I open it and it's a beautiful young woman holding a bag containing scotch from a local distillery. "Hello, are you Patrick?" She says. 

 

I almost said, "Yes."

 

Patrick actually lives next door.

 

We have a friend who is a Scotch connoisseur and every month we ask her to retrieve us a bottle based on our preferences in such a manner. It is always a good day when a new bottle arrives.

Well now we know who Patrick is!

The heart of British Columbia’s wine industry is reeling after suffering a litany of climate-related hits, resulting in two years of crop losses in the southern Interior.

 

Record-breaking heat. Wildfires and smoke that repeatedly contaminated grapes. A destructive cold snap in 2022. Then, the hammer blow — another deep freeze this January that is estimated to have inflicted up to 99 per cent crop loss across the province, wiping out this year’s vintage.

 

While vineyards need support, sommelier Van Doren Chan says it’s an opportunity to reshape winemaking in the province.

 

“It’s almost like it’s a clean slate,” she says. “How are we going to structure the next generation of B.C. wine?”

 

Chan says all signs suggest only a limited selection of B.C. wine will hit retail shelves in coming years while vineyards and wineries recover.

 

 

 

https://www.cheknews...rophes-1194522/

“It’s almost like it’s a clean slate,” she says. “How are we going to structure the next generation of B.C. wine?”

It’s almost like BC was never meant to be wine country…

And you structure the next generation of BC wine, by acknowledging that every year is a gamble with a crop that cannot grow naturally here and eventually gets zapped. Like anll other exotics.

It’s just a 30-year-old industry in BC, as far as large-scale production goes. Obviously it’s going to have good and bad years, when trying to maintain crops that aren’t 100% suited to this climate. Booze makers gonna make booze, though.

It’s almost like BC was never meant to be wine country…

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

How do they do it in southern Ontario (Niagara) though?  They must use grapes with a shorter growing period (?).

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 11 March 2024 - 07:10 AM.