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

What do you know about Tannat? This grape from the Southwest of France makes big, tannic reds that can offer good value. Bill Zacharkiw from La Gazette tells us more about it. Timely for the fall season that is just upon us.

From a time when understanding oenology became essential to improving wine quality to then going over board with ‘wine made in the winery’, is the pendulum now coming back? Jean Aubry writes a great article on the evolution of wine in Le Devoir.

Serving old wine can be very tricky. Should you decant or not? Highly regarded sommelier Véronique Rivest gives us great tips in her article in La Presse.

If work does not allow you to take any time off in the fall, you can always travel a little through a delicious bottle of wine. Kurtis Kolt shares some great picks in his Georgia Straight article ‘Travel Europe on a budget through these wines.’

With the fall comes a great selection of squash at the local markets. But which wines should you drink with your favourite gourds? In the Westender, Michaela Morris gives us some advice so that you can choose the perfect, seasonal bottle of wine…because the autumn is all about finding comfort through food and wine!

I'm currently traveling in Spain, and you should definitely read Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson's article on looking to Spain for value. I could not agree more. Salud!

Michelle Bouffard is a wine educator and journalist who splits her time between Montréal & Vancouver. She is the president of the BC Chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers. She Tweets @michellebwine and Instagrams @michellebouffard.