Over the last few months, I have sailed under the radar and haven’t posted for several reasons.  The biggest reason is no other than the fact that I have been just too busy.  My passion for wine and writing is still going strong and I have been itching to share some of my fantastic experiences over the last few months!  Those will have to wait just a little bit longer, because I am going to focus on my experience at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Santa Rosa, CA.

Of course, I would be lieing if I said that I wasn’t here to relax in my element and master my craft.  I do, however, intend to refocus and improve winebard.ca and over the next few days, I hope to share my experiences and rekindle our passion and curiosity for wine.

Our experiences shape and influence our perception of quality and most of what I will be sharing about WBC ‘09 will be about wrapping up our experiences and letting those guide us as we develop an appreciation of wine.

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I have to admit that I haven’t an Irish bone in my body so my involvement with St. Patrick’s Day is no more than a poor excuse to wear green, eat corned beef, and drink Irish libations.  A little Irish creme in my coffee, a pint of Guinness, and green wine??!!  Can one drink green wine on St. Patrick’s day?  My answer would be yes, but not because it has anything to do with Ireland.  Neither is it actually green.  And I didn’t wear much green today apart from my underwear.  I just happen to like wine.

There are two different kinds of green wine:  There is the eco-friendly ‘green’ wine and then there is the Portugese Vinho Verde.  The first is the kind of wine that is made by environmentally conscious wine farmers or ‘vinaroons’ (an Old English term for a farmer/winemaker) and drunk by those of us who consider that what we consume affects the world around us.  I am very interested in these wines, the process of educating the average wine drinker, and the marketing issues surrounding the industry but I won’t get into this today.  Eventually, I plan to write quite a bit on this topic, but there is so much to learn, and talk about that I will reserve that for another post.

The latter, Vinho Verde, is actually called green wine because of its youth– not its colour.  It is harvested late and bottled early and should be drunk soon.  The wine is moderately alcoholic with some residual sugar and a fresh acidity that can stand up to anything rich and creamy or greasy.  I am thinking pub food here and for those who know me know that I am a big fan of bubbly wines with carbohydrate laden food.  (Champagne + Perogies + Bacon = Shabby Chic.)  There is a small amount of petillance (bubbles) to tickle your tongue and the refreshing lime and pear notes would make this perfect to sip on a hot summer day.

After work today, I sent Brent to pick up some Casal Garcia – Vinho Verde while I nervously rattled on about green wine to Buzz Bishop on the radio (Virgin 953).  I will have you know that I took a stand for unadultered wine by refusing to add food colouring to my glass this evening.  No.  You can have your green beer.  But unless my glass is tinted (oddly, the bottle was actually tinted blue), this wine will be straw coloured.  Or red, because you can have red green wine.

I still have half a bottle left and some Flogging Molly to listen to, so I will bid a Slainte to you and clink my glass to whatever you are drinking tonight!

“I wish I could drink like a lady: I would have one or two at the most. Three, and I am under the table;  Four, and I am under the host.”  – Dorothy Parker

A little sass with which to raise a glass.

I am nervous and excited to launch this blog that I have been mulling around in my head for a while now.  Eager to share my thoughts and experiences on all things wine, but suddenly gripped with an anxiety that I need to get your attention and keep it!  So I have been been composing, deleting, talking, recomposing, decomposing, deliberating, and finally rewriting my first post.  Maybe I should call upon a glass of vino veritas to conjure some inspiration…

Perhaps I should begin with my vision for this blog to evoke your thoughts and feedback on my direction.

Firstly, I am obsessed with sharing impressions on new and old imbibable discoveries and as we get lost in the enjoyment of the crimson and golden nectar of the gods, may we leave bread crumb trails of corks to retrace our steps and revisit our experiences together.  And then let’s reveal our favourite haunts to procure our treasures and to sample a glass or two.

A few things that I would like to share with you over the next while are:

• Big events like The Playhouse International Wine Festival coming up in March– can you believe it is that time already!?
• Wine tastings throughout the Greater Vancouver region and Okanagan.
• Wine education events for the low budget (like those who are saving up for a wedding) and for those with a deeper pocket to invest in a lifetime of rich appreciation of the most complex libation.
• Local and not-so-local wine shops and wineries that spark my interest and hopefully yours!
• The occasional review on some fantastic wines not to miss, and a miscellany of wine tidbits that interest me.
• …and on a more gratuitous personal note: Plans for my upcoming wedding in Sonoma’s wine country!

In preparation of more experiences and confessions to come, I would like to (with as little cliche as possible) raise a glass of something tasty.  Please comment with whatever you have on the go at the moment and share some topics of interest!