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Another year older, not feeling much wiser, but more wines to taste. This week’s column.

Though the calendar says summer is here, more often then not the days this year are trying hard just to feel like spring. Ah well, our glasses are always half full anyways, in this column we look at wines to pair with summer.

Bring on the Chardonnay, Ugni Blanc, and Cabernet Sauvignon too…

This week’s column.

Last week’s Province column focused on wines of the Souther Hemisphere:

“Time to take a wine trip down south — the southern hemisphere to be exact, where the year’s harvests have all come in and the vineyards are getting ready for winter.”

Continue.

Wine guy goes beer covert in Belgium. Behind every good wine there’s a (lot of) beer, just ask a winemaker. At the end of the day most vintners, with grapes weighing heavily on the mind, opt for a cleansing ale.

It’s the end of my day in Brussels and I find myself savouring a Waterloo Dubbel at Monk Bar off Place Ste Catherine. Pubs like this abound in Bruxelles, cool pubs that still whiff of Art Nouveau with their opulent woodwork and exquisite tile floors (I only have to question the music. I mean, one Suzanne Vega song for nostalgia’s sake is fine, but I do believe this is the first time I’ve heard the album run in its entirety. Ever).

They say there’s some 800 beers in Belgium, this pub has give-or-take 40 and I’m only sitting in for one. So needless to say I could drink myself around the city and still have a ways to go to get through the beer list.

Not that I’d get very far even if I pushed hard. Back to the beer in hand, at plus 8% ABV the Waterloo is a serious sipper. It’s even served in an old ceramic tankard, giving it a real Medieval, don’t mess appeal.

Beer culture in Belgium can go bottle-to-bottle for intellectual potable with the wines of any country. The care, passion, rituals, etc. involved with these brews bring brewskis to a higher form. I’d talk more but there’s a another bar to hit.

Can’t talk, must sip, the 30th Annual Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival has begun…

If you missed our primer in The Province last week, go catch up. If you haven’t bought your tickets yet, you can see if any are left.  One wine down, 1599 to go!

In this week’s column, we took a look at some interesting French wines from beyond the BIG three AOCs (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne). Definitely think we’ll be seeing more (and varied) bottles from the heart of the Old World.

Or at least three bottles with interesting labels, in last week’s Province’s column…

“Like a well-written cereal box, wine labels can provide some good mealtime reading.” Read more.

It’s true, sometimes you just want to uncork something reliable. The good ‘ol comfort wine. Like tonight, sipping on a dandy Saumur Champigny, almost afraid to talk about it lest it disappear off the shelves…

Spend more time shopping and find more interesting sips.

More wine resolutions in last week’s column.

And, drum roll please… Had a Glass has reached #1 on the BC “Adult” Bestseller list! Thanks to all that bought a copy, gave a copy, are reading a copy, etc.