As I noted before attending, I had never attended the Hopscotch Festival before and was curious to see what it was all about. Taking place at the Vancouver Forum, I discovered an arena’s-worth of booths, well-organized into rows of distilleries, breweries, even wineries, and different food options. A live band energized the crowd, and… Continue reading
Crossing the vineyard to play Hopscotch
I have jokingly told those close to me that this #winelover is seeking to ‘cross the crushpad’* I am not leaving wine, but rather now that I have spent 20 years in wine, I want to explore what else is out there in the world of beverage alcohol and lifestyle libations. I recently attended the liquor… Continue reading
A Rolling Taste of a Sonoma Wine Icon
This post follows my attendance at the 10th annual Wine Blogger’s Conference. Before the formal conference programming took place there were pre-excursions, and the one that I signed up for was led by Treasury Wine Estates to visit two of their wineries: Stags’ Leap and Etude. Chateau St. Jean was originally scheduled as part of… Continue reading
Looking at California Wine Country After the Fires
November 14, 2017 Flames Among the Vines In October 2017, from out of nowhere it seemed, on the tail end of the grape harvest, real-time posts to social media illustrated a multiple-wildfire situation had erupted in Napa and Sonoma wine country. Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes. Some of the area’s most storied… Continue reading
Anticipation for the Wine Bloggers Conference
The North America Wine Bloggers Conference, produced by Zephyr Adventures, runs from November 9-12, 2017, in Santa Rosa California. I’ve never really done Sonoma Wine Country in any depth, beyond a visit to the amazing Jordan Vineyard and Winery, so I’m looking forward to the annual conference in the heart of the region. This is… Continue reading
Five Dîner En Blanc Lessons and Tips
What is Dîner en Blanc? According to Wikipedia, Dîner en Blanc is a worldwide event, spanning six continents, in which people flash-gather in a public space and set up a temporary, chic dining area. Guests come dressed in white to enjoy quality food and wine. I have been attending Dîner en Blanc for few years… Continue reading
Getting back on the fitness track
You never really know the measure that you have on someone’s life, or the impact you will have, until you actually put yourself out there. For those of us that are so social, it’s sometimes easy for conversations to stay on the surface, superficial items, and tough for us to reveal what’s really going on… Continue reading
Celebrating Vancouver Bird Week 2017
Any festival or event that celebrates your favourite things puts a spring in your step, and a grin on your face. So for me, Vancouver Bird Week is a perfect fit: spotlighting my favourite activity. Vancouver Bird Week Runs runs May 6-13 and celebrates Vancouver’s birds. Spring boarding off of World Migratory Bird Day, a United Nations-sponsored… Continue reading
The Blerch and NEST-S
Those Overwhelming Moments Be honest: have you ever felt like your to do list is so huge that you don’t even know where to start? Have you felt like all you want to do is watch Netflix and do nothing else (except maybe eat chips while you do)? And have you ever felt like you… Continue reading
Dining Out For Life 2017 in Vancouver
I conducted a quick poll to ask people what the words “A Loving Spoonful”, mean to them. Many people cited a well-known band from a few decades back, but then other people went on to say things like: “Mary Poppins and a spoonful of sugar.” – Brigette Elizabeth and Lisa both said “soup” and “It makes… Continue reading