All photos by Paige Donner c. 2013 – See FULL SLIDESHOW HERE
It’s hard knowing that I’m the envy of all my wine enthusiast friends and colleagues Stateside and in Canada. My only response is, It’s a tough job [continually tasting great grower champagnes] but somebody’s got to do it… ; )
Posted in Buzzworthy, Champagne, Cherie Du Vin, Local Food And Wine, Local Food And Wine Tastings & Tours, Local Food And Wine TV, Paige Donner
Tagged champagne aspasie, champagne coessens, champagne de sousa, champagne eric rodez, champagne vazart-coquart, Cherie du Vin, grower champagnes, Local Food And Wine, local food and wine champagne, Paige Donner, terroirs et talents, vins clair, vintage 2012
by Paige Donner
What do panda bears and wine have to do one another? Now that’s a question I never imagined I’d be posing here on myLocal Food And Wine blog. But, according to the recently released (April 8th, 2013) study from the Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences (Lee Hannah, lead scientist) panda bears will be one more species that is affected by adaptations humans will likely undertake in response to global climate change impacting wine-producing regions.
Let me explain…
In the PNAS.org study of 4/8/’13, Wine, Climate Change and Conservation, several scenarios are outlined as to how our current trajectory of global warming i.e. climate change is impacting the earth’s wine regions by 2050. In one scenario they state that the,
Area suitable for viticulture decreases 25% to 73% in major wine producing regions by 2050.
Alarming? They seem to think so. The 6-page report further reports that the areas most affected will be wine regions in a Mediterranean or Mediterranean-like climate zone. That means parts of southern Europe, Australia, parts of Chile and Northern California. The study does state that the areas that will suffer least, at least by 2050, will be higher elevation zones, coastal zones, and more Northern latitude areas – areas like New Zealand, Northern Europe and Canada’s British Columbia.
OK… so what about the Panda Bears?
This PNAS report includes discussion of how adaptation can mitigate some of these climate change effects on wine regions. Adaptation can take the form of tailored viticultural practices, adaptive irrigation techniques, and also planting at higher elevations to name a few.
In China, where viticulture and the planting of vineyards are firmly in a development phase, this could mean rapid adaptation so as to anticipate regional climate change. In plain English what this means is that some of the areas that are most suitable for high-quality wine grape cultivation in China are the same areas that are the natural habitat for giant panda bears.
… China is not known for its European-style wines, but it
is among the fastest growing wine-producing regions in the
world. It has significant areas suitable for viticulture (Fig. 1), and these areas are in the same mountains that are habitat for the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). Future conservation efforts for the giant panda need to incorporate consideration of viticulture as a potential land use and viticultural suitability trends in response to climate change. – PNAS.org April 8, ’13 Hannah
It seems that we may be seeing pictures of Panda Bears popping up everywhere in the coming decades as the new poster child of climate change, just as we’ve seen polar bears and melting ice caps in the past decade.
For more information about this topic go to PNAS.org or take a look at this short (3′) doc film preview. You can also LIKE Facebook.com/wineandclimatechange.
Sponsored Post
Crate and Barrel Store Opening in Vancouver, B.C., Canada
This past week, Crate and Barrel opened its doors in Vancouver, B.C. to celebrate its sixth Canadian store opening. Guests in attendance enjoyed wine and hors d’ouevres as they shopped Crate and Barrel’s newest collections with friends and family.
Crate and Barrel is a global leader in the home décor retail industry, offering contemporary, affordable housewares in 100+ stores in almost every major North American market.
Crate And Barrel Vancouver Opening – Vancouver Food And Wine
Crate and Barrel celebrates its Vancouver, B.C., Canada store opening
Crate and Barrel Oakridge Center 650 West 41st Avenue Vancouver, BC V5Z 2M9
Posted in Buzzworthy, Local Food And Wine, Local Food And Wine Tastings & Tours, Local Food And Wine TV, localfoodwine, Paige Donner, Vancouver Food And Wine
Tagged Crate and Barrel, Local Food And Wine, Local Food And Wine TV, localfoodandwine, LocalFoodWine, Paige Donner, Vancouver culinary shops, Vancouver Food And Wine, vancouverfoodandwine
by Paige Donner
This title actually began as a chapter heading for my journal entry about my visit to Champagne Louis Roederer in Reims. But I liked it so much that I’m using it here, too. It just works so beautifully. It describes simply what Cristal, the legendary champagne by Roederer, is all about. Or, more precisely, what Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, Roederer’s Chef de Caves – that’s Cellar Master or “winemaker” in French – does with his wines.
Read Entire Post HERE + Picture Gallery
It was at the cellars in Reims where I was treated to a guided tour by none other than Mr. Lécaillon. Yes, a visit to the cellars where Cristal is made, where a million bottles of the golden elixir lay resting before disgorgement, and by the very man who blends this most famous of the world’s champagnes.
It’s required a fair amount of reflection to settle upon a term as to how to describe the man who elaborates the world’s most famous, and perhaps loved, champagne… Read Entire Post HERE + Picture Gallery
Cristal is a wine. It is a celebrated champagne. The most celebrated on Earth, in fact. And it is a singularly unique vibratory energy. It’s a frequency. It’s a vibration. It’s the Cristal Vibration.
Lécaillon imprints his wines with this energetic vibration. Or, more precisely, he orchestrates the energetic vibrational imprint that nature has already made on the grapes – via the crayères (chalky champagne soil and cellars), the sun exposure, the placement of the vines the climactic conditions of that year – and allows its essence expression in his champagnes…
Read Entire Post HERE + Picture Gallery
Posted in Buzzworthy, Champagne, Cherie Du Vin, Cherie du Vin Tasting Notes, French Wines, Local Food And Wine Tastings & Tours, Local Food And Wine TV, localfoodwine, Paige Donner, Vancouver Food And Wine, Winemaker
Tagged champagne, Cherie du Vin, Cristal, Cristal rose, Cristal Vibrations, jean-baptiste lecaillon, Local Food And Wine, localfoodandwine, louis roederer, Reims, Roederer
by Paige Donner
March 7th was a day clearly marked on my calendar. I was invited to participate in my first-ever “Vin Clair” or still wine tasting for champagne. In Champagne this is monumental because these are the newly vinified wines that are used in the blendings, the “assemblages,” for the year’s batch of champagnes, both Vintage, if the year merits it such as 2012 (by most everyone’s estimation), and the Brut NV, or basic champagne…
Posted in Vancouver Food And Wine, Local Food And Wine, Buzzworthy, Winemaker, French Wines, localfoodwine, Paige Donner, Local Food And Wine Tastings & Tours, Paris Food And Wine, Champagne, Cherie du Vin Tasting Notes
Tagged Vancouver Food And Wine, Local Food And Wine, Cherie du Vin, Lallier Champagne, Oger, Cote des Blancs, Francis Tribaut, vin clair tasting
With Spring just around the corner, the itch to get outdoors is growing stronger day by day. It’s easy to imagine how the grapevines must be feeling ’round about now… ready to burst forth and get busy bathing their buds in that sunshine.
Napa offers SO many great attractions the year round, but two of their outstanding events happen in March and April every year.
The first, Taste of Yountville, has been occurring annually for the past 20 years. With more excellent restaurants per capita than just about anywhere else on the planet, tiny Yountville really has something to offer… and boast about.
Better yet, each Taste Ticket costs only a buck ($1) and you can count on participants like Bouchon and Bardessono’s Lucy being ever so present.
Yountville will host the 20th Annual Taste of Yountville weekend celebration March 14-16, 2013 to showcase the town’s finest food, wine and arts. Taste of Yountville will culminate in a town-wide block party on Saturday, March 16, 2013. Admission is free, tasting tickets will be $1 each. In addition to Saturday’s signature block party event, the Taste of Yountville weekend will play host to several special events throughout Yountville.
For more information click hereor call theYountville Chamber of Commerce
More Info Here
Arts In April
Relative newcomer as far as events go… is Arts in April, Napa. Started in 2011, this will be its 3rd year running. Best yet is that the event unfolds over the course of the month… so no matter which weekend in April you get yourselves up to Napa, you will find highlighted art shows and exhibits to accompany those great Napa Valley Wines.
April 1 – 30, 2013
Visit Website
And be sure to check the Special Events Calendar (like for bASH in St. Helena April 13th!!) to help you plan your trip itinerary….
A celebration of the elemental connection between wine and the arts, this month-long program satisfies cultural cravings with an exploration of winery art installations, pop-up exhibitions and tastings. Introduced in April 2011, Arts in April offers special access and packages to enjoy The Napa Valley Collection, making it the perfect time to get a dose of Napa Valley culture with your Cabernet.
More INFO – VisitNapaValley
The NapaLife Insider’s Guide to Napa Valley
More than a guidebook, this newest Napa Valley Travel Book is written by Insider Paul Franson, a Napa resident for coming on 20 years now. What’s great is that he orients his book to the Digital Age. So, gone are the addresses and pet-friendly, smoking/non-smoking icons in minuscule type…
Instead – since you can look up those other things on your SmartPhone, of course – what Franson gives you is honest, down home opinions of the best of what there is to find in Napa.
He’s big on the local favorites, too, so you won’t get just the tourist recommendations or places TouristAdvisors have reviewed and recommended…
In fact, as far as Travel Guides go, Franson seems to have hit this one out of the ballpark. It’s like talking to a friend who has lived in Napa for a couple decades and getting the DL on good eats, good deals, good hikes and bike rides, where the celebs hang out, and even a bit of history as to who owns which winery and for how long and with whom?…
At any rate, you just might be tempted to pitch your tent until harvest time… Now that’s not such a bad idea is it? Too bad that Ag Preserve is so vigilant, eh?!
You can order NapaLife Insider’s Guide to Napa Valley guidebook directly from his website: NapaLife.com
Posted in Cherie Du Vin, Local Food And Wine Tastings & Tours, Local Food And Wine TV, Paige Donner, Restaurant
Tagged Arts in April Napa, Bardessono, bASH St. Helena, Bouchon, cabernet sauvignon, Culinary Institute of America, French Laundry, Local Food And Wine Napa, Local Food And Wine TV, napa insider's guide, napa life, Napa Valley, Napa Wines, Paige Donner, Taste of Yountville, Vancouver Food And Wine
This month Vancouver Farmers Markets hosts its first annual February Food Truck Fest. All month long, the Winter Farmers Markets will feature double the usual number of food trucks during the Saturday markets at Nat Bailey Stadium.
vijs food truck vancouver food and wine
The Food Truck Fest will be a sort of audition. Visitors are invited to vote on their favorite food trucks and those will be invited to join the roster as regulars at the busy summer markets.
Food Truck Fest “New Recruits”
Blue Smoke BBQ: Blue Smoke’s tag line is “Low and Slow on the Go” because their pork is smoked for almost 16 hours.
Chilitank: “The best mobile chili tank in town!” Try chili served hot from a ca. 1943 military soup kitchen!
Crêperie La Bohème: Sweet and savoury buckwheat crepes served on-site from a charming gypsy caravan.
Slavic Rolls: Slavic Rolls offers a great tasting pastry, made fresh in front of customers.
Eli’s Serious Sausage: Eli serves up premium sausages handmade with BC pork and all natural ingredients. No filler, no additives, no preservatives.
Feastro – The Rolling Bistro: Feastro is the famous purple truck with the fabulous & award winning seafood tacos, fish & chips, salads, chowders and daily specials.
Vij’s Railway Express: Celebrity chef Vikram Vij’s latest venture brings his creative Indian cuisine to the streets.
JJ’s Trucketeria: The brightest yellow food truck you’ve seen yet, serving seasonal creations made from scratch with a unique cultural mix of flavours.
Le Tigre: Chinese street food with a West Coast concept.
Old Country Pierogi: Old Country Pierogi brings to market homemade pierogies (regular and gluten-free!) with sweet and savoury fillings.
Pig on the Street: Pig On The Street strives to bring taste, sustainability, simplicity & creativity together to the bustling street food scene in Vancouver.
Taser Grilled Cheese: Serving gourmet and classic takes on an old favorite.
The Kaboom Box: The Kaboom Box is dedicated to promoting and highlighting local and sustainable food. They specialize in salmon and oysters and also make a mean poutine!
Transylvania Fresh: Delicious homemade pork-stuffed and vegetarian cabbage rolls made with homemade sour cabbage.
Ze Bite: Ze bite is Vancouver’s premier French cuisine food truck featuring delicious stews and speciality sandwiches made from scratch with locally sourced ingredients.
(Photo courtesy Yum.Goodeat.ca)
Posted in Event, Local Food And Wine Tastings & Tours, Local Food And Wine TV, Vancouver Food And Wine, West End, Yale Town
Tagged food trucks, Local Food And Wine, vancouver, vancouver farmers market, Vancouver Food And Wine, vancouver food and wines, vancouver food truck fest, vijs railway express
THE U.S. CONFIRMS ITS LEADERSHIP IN THE WORLD WINE MARKET
In 2011, Americans consumed 4.5% more wine than in 2010, which was record growth in one year.
Having consumed 317.87 million 9-liter cases (or 3.814 billion bottles), the market exceeded the expectations in VINEXPO’s forecast, which the year before had underestimated 2011 growth at 311.31 million cases.
This outstanding performance was confirmed again in 2012, strengthening the U.S. position as the world’s leading wine-consuming nation, ahead of France and Italy.
The VINEXPO study foresees that growth in American wine consumption will continue between 2012 and 2016, attaining 12.16%. The U.S. should therefore increase its consumption by 40.52 million cases (or 486.24 million bottles) over the period, equivalent to about two extra bottles for every American of drinking age.
- Source Vinexpo.com
Read My complete Article HERE – Including Interview with Vinexpo Chairman Xavier de Eizaguirre
THE WORLD STILL PREFERS RED
Red wine accounted for 54.7% of all still, light wines drunk in 2011.
Between 2011 and 2016, world red wine consumption is expected to grow by 9.1%, driven especially by the Chinese, while white wine consumption should only increase by 2.75% over the same period.
The consumption of rosé wines, on the other hand, is expected to increase by 7.58% between 2011 and 2016, reaching a total share of 9.2% of all wines drunk.
- Source Vinexpo.com
FASTER GROWTH IN SPARKLING WINES THAN STILL, LIGHT WINES
In 2011, sparkling wines accounted for 7.7% of all wines drunk in the world.
Between 2007 and 2011, the consumption of sparkling wines grew by 4.12%, compared to the 2.72% growth in still, light wines over the same period. Sparkling wine consumption is expected to grow by a further 8.52% between 2012 and 2016.
This increase is primarily due to expected rises in consumption in the top four sparkling wine markets worldwide: Germany, France, Russia and the U.S.
- Source Vinexpo.com
WORLD SALES SOAR FOR WINES PRICED HIGHER THAN US$10 PER BOTTLE
These wines accounted for 213.56 million 9-liter cases in 2011 or 8.6% of all still, light wines consumed in the world, their consumption having grown by 12.59% since 2007, mainly in China, the U.S. and Canada.
- Source Vinexpo.com
Posted in Bordeaux, Bordeaux Food And Wine, Buzzworthy, Champagne, Cherie Du Vin, French Wines, Local Food And Wine, Local Food And Wine TV, localfoodwine, Oenotourism, Vancouver Food And Wine, Wine
Tagged Cherie du Vin, global wine trends, IWSR, Local Food And Wine, Local Food And Wine TV, sopexa, Vancouver Food And Wine, vinexpo, vinexpo Bordeaux 2013, xavier de Eizaguirre
Be sure to pick up February’s issue of La Revue du Vin de France… British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario wines and wineries are featured in a multiple-page spread.
For the Okanagan some beautiful highlights of Osoyoos Larose and also Quail’s Gate, among others. Similkameen received due attention, though Naramata Bench didn’t even get a mention. Well, the printed page can only hold so many words… Report prepared by Pascal Patron, a professor at Quebec’s ITHQ.
Here’s what the cover looks like so order your issues now!
Posted in AOC, BC Wines, Buzzworthy, Cherie Du Vin, Local Food And Wine, Local Food And Wine Tastings & Tours, Local Food And Wine TV, Okanagan Wine, Ontario, Paige Donner, Prince Edward County, regional wines, Vancouver Food And Wine, Vancouver Island, Winemaker
Tagged Best Wines of Canada, British Columbia Wines, La Revue du Vin de France, Niagara On The Lake, okanagan wines, Ontario Wines, Osoyoos Larose, Paige Donner, Pascal Patron, Quebec Wines, Vancouver Food And Wine
Vancouver Food And Wine
Journalist.
Filmmaker.
Life Enthusiast.
♣Champagne - Consultant and Educator
Wine And Climate Change - Documentary Film
Journalist (freelance) International Herald Tribune/ NY Times.
Writer Fodor's Paris Guidebook 2013; AND Fodor's Vancouver & Victoria Guidebook 2013.
Guest Editor, BlackBook City Guides Paris.
Editor, Eco.Luxury.Style Magazine
Consultant: Eco Consulting * Eco Media
Blogs: Local Food And Wine & Cherie du Vin♥; Green Blog Network & ParisFashionPaige
