Vinexpo 2013-Day 5

William

Monday, June 17, 2013
William

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

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Vinexpo 2013-Day 4

William

Sunday, June 16, 2013
William

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 

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Vinexpo 2013-Day3

William

Sunday, June 16, 2013
William

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

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Vinexpo 2013 – Day 2

William

Thursday, June 13, 2013
William

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

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Vinexpo 2013 – Day 1

William

Wednesday, June 12, 2013
William

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

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WACS 2012- Global Chefs Challenge

William

Sunday, May 13, 2012
William

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

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WACS Day 6/7- Daejeon

William

Saturday, May 5, 2012
William

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

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WACS Day 5 – Daejeon

William

Thursday, May 3, 2012
William

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

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WACS Day 4 – Dajeon

William

Thursday, May 3, 2012
William

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

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WACS Day 3-Daejeon

William

Tuesday, May 1, 2012
William

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

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WACS- Day 2 Daejeon

William

Monday, April 30, 2012
William

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

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WACS- Day 1- Daejeon

William

Sunday, April 29, 2012
William

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

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World Association of Chefs Societies Congress – Daejeon 2012- Arrival Day

William

Sunday, April 29, 2012
William

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

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William @ World Association of Chefs Societies Conference-South Korea

William

Saturday, March 31, 2012
William

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

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Reporting Live from the Okanagan!

William

Thursday, September 29, 2011
William

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

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Welcoming Fall

William

Thursday, September 1, 2011
William

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

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Think Pink!!

William

Monday, June 20, 2011
William

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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