Sunday morning was filled up by registration; and visiting old friends Some producers were that I wanted to see would only arrive on Monday, so one of my highlights was re-acquainting myself with Fabiana Brooks, now export director for a brand new winery in Uruguay, Narbona. Taste all 6 wines that they produce and while
read more...Another quiet day (the calm before the storm) as we visted Château Guiraud in the wonderful town of Sauternes. Even though these visits were organized by our Bordeaux negociant, most wineries are empty of key personnel due to the upcoming Vinexpo. So again our vist to Guiraud was a general guided tour of vineyards, cellars
read more...Our Saint Emilion day started off by picking up our car at the Gare St. Jean station in downtown Bordeaux, a nice VW Polo, perfect for two. Ivan was the navigator, I the driver. But I can tell you I was forewarned not to act Italian in my driving technique as France has really hit
read more...After an easy night flight from Toronto, we arrived in Paris where we took our connection to Bordeaux. Charles de Gaulle airport is so congested and busy that it took us over one hour just to drop off our bags. Weather in Paris was extremely muggy, so bottles of water became a survival necessity at
read more...Hi everyone. As you can guess this is my bi-annual ( every two years) trip to Bordeaux what many wine aficionados call “the greatest show on earth”. I have yet to arrive in France so there is not much to mention except that I am waiting here at Pearson’s airport for my flight to be
read more...Hi all, As previously promised here is my “compte rendu” of the incredible Global Chefs Challenge that occurred on Friday, May 04, 2012. I have already chatted about how the Challenge occurred in my last blog. This time I would like to offer you the dishes that each finalist prepared for the judges. As the
read more...Hi everyone, Friday was an actual very busy day full of scheduled educational and informative events, but I was soley concentrated on a very specific one: The Global Chefs Challenge. Crowning the Top Chef in the World came down to 7 final contestants which I mentioned in yesterday’s blog. I arrived at the Challenge quite
read more...Good day everyone. Thursday had been my slowest day yet. As previously mentioned, I was able to sleep in, so by 9 am, I went down for breaksat and then off to write my Wednesday blog. By the time I had finished it was time to grab a cab for the Convention Centre for lunch
read more...Good morning everyone, As Thursday events are about to start, Wednesday was very much a repeat of Tuesday. Participating chefs were involved in 3 categories. Todays”R” teams which included strong teams from Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong were prepping seafood (halibut) while the “D” teams were involved in the Gourmet Challenge and Categories A, B,and
read more...Hi everyone, Tuesday has been a long day. But exciting! Getting up at 5 am to relate about the previous day events can be hard on the system but let me tell you, very worthwhile. By 7:oo am I was ready for another sauna experience and like the day before, a westerner in a Korean sauna
read more...Well today started my official involvement with WACS Congress. So to get in the right frame of mind, I went to the renowed Spa annexed to my hotel. At 6:30 am it was already quite busy with buisness men and seniors washing, bathing and steaming themselves. I went from a warm bath to a hot bath
read more...As I mentioned yesterday, Sunday was a day of repose with nothing to do but relax. I am hoping I am not confusing you all with my time and dates as Daejeon is 15 hours ahead from Edmonton. My day of real work starts Monday as I will need to prep myself so as to
read more...Hi everyone, As previously mentioned I have been invited by WACS as a key note speaker to their bi-annual Congress. So here I am. My very first day and first time in Korea. Arrived late Saturday night after 13 hours of flight and layover time (Edmonton-Vancouver-Seoul) and with a 15 hour time difference. The trip with Air
read more...As Vines’ principal sommelier I have been invited by the prestigious World Association of Chef Societies to their Bi-Annual Congress, which will be held in Daejeon, South Korea from May 01-May 06, 2012. My main role at the conference will be assisting the young chefs’ delegates as well as seasoned chefs to further comprehend the
read more...I’ve finally returned to the Okanagan after a 10 year absence. Customers and wineries alike have told me that the Okanagan has matured, improved and needs to be rediscovered by as many people as possible, including me. So when the opportunity arose I took it. While the spring and early summer in the Okanagan
read more...With fall arriving from all sides; the weather turning, school about to start, the colour of leaves about to change, I generally find myself also changing my wine habits. We are all creatures of climate. It is amazing how the weather influences our buying and drinking patterns. Those dear rosés that I truly enjoyed during
read more...Imagine warm weather, lazy afternoons, cheese and cured meats on a picnic, etc. All of this just begs for a nice chilled glass of dry rosé. And why not! While Rosé wines have been a staple on almost every table in Europe for centuries, it is now becoming popular the world over. And here in
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