The Friday Files: News & Notes from Canada's Wine Scene

In The Vancouver Sun, Anthony Gismondi suggests a few bottles for bringing to holiday parties (I hope I'm at the party where someone brings Diebolt Vallois).

Speaking of gift ideas, check out the Saturn Wine Glass. It's engineered not to spill a drop if it tips over. Perfect for the clumsy friend you don't mind spending $55 on (ahem, per glass).

In The Globe and Mail, Beppi Crosariol asks and answers: Once opened, do ‘better’ wines last any longer than cheap wines?

In case you missed it, the great CBC satirical radio show This is That pits the Okanagan Valley against Niagara and it ended in a fistfight. As always, I wonder how many listeners were duped.

The Toronto Sun offers up holiday guidance when it comes to pairing sweet wines with dessert, including a delicious Brachetto d'Acqui Sparkling Rosé.

I think everyone will take some issue with notable exclusions on this list (or perhaps, some inclusions), but Wine Country BC boldly attempts to rank the Grand Cru and Premiere Cru wineries of BC. If anything, it'll spur some debate. Many My Wine Canada winery partners are included like Tantalus, Laughing Stock, JoieFarm, Painted Rock, and Meyer Family Vineyards.

My Wine Canada winery partner Kacaba Vineyards has released small quantities of library wines going back to 2004 just in time for the holidays.

In Wines in Niagara, Rick VanSickle reviews a schwack of Niagara wines including some from Tawse and Flat Rock.

One of my all-time favourite wine producers Jacques Puffeney has sold his vineyard in Jura. It's a sad day, but I take some comfort in the fact that the buyer is the great Volnay producer Domaine Marquis d'Angerville.

If you're as entertained as I am by brazen wine thefts, check out the list in The Drinks Business of the top ten wine thefts.

 

Jake Skakun is a writer and sommelier from Vancouver, currently living in Toronto. He can be found most days pulling corks and twisting caps at the Black Hoof. He Tweets and Instagrams @jakeskakun.