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Phil Lo
Oct 19, 20245 min read
Plate & Palate 2024 tasting notes
Tasting notes of some of the 38wines we tasted at this years FOV Plates & Palate's event.
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Phil Lo
Sep 6, 20242 min read
Bordeaux Tasting at Cork Fine Wine
List in the order of the tasting. Les Bulles de Caillou, Cremant de Bordeaux Brut NV $44.99 (reg) $35.99 (FOV) This wine was not on our...
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Phil Lo
Aug 29, 20243 min read
The wines of Tuscany
For many of us who were around in the seventies and early eighties, you would likely remember the Italian restaurants back then and the...
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FOV Board
Aug 19, 20243 min read
Newsletter 2020: Summer edition
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Dear Friends, We hope this newsletter reaches you in good health. The impact of the pandemic has been far reaching,...
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Phil Lo
Jul 25, 20242 min read
European summer sippers at Metrovino tasting notes
SPARKLINGS NV ADERNATS CAVA RESERVA BRUT NATURE TARRAGONA, CATALUNYA, SPAIN Straw colour. Nose of green apple, citrus, and a hint of...
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Phil Lo
Jun 23, 20242 min read
Bordeaux en Primeur - what it is and how to buy these wines
Bordeaux, being the benchmark the world uses to measure all things related to wines, has been doing “En Primeur” every year since the...
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Phil Lo
Jun 2, 20243 min read
Tasting notes from the 2023 AGM at The Hanger Museum
The AGM this year was held on May 7, 2024 at the Flight Museum on McKnight Blvd just south of the airport. It is an interesting venue...
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Phil Lo
May 12, 20242 min read
To age wine or not to age wine... that is the question
A few nights ago, I was sitting at a dinner with a couple of FOV directors. Someone asked me how to tell what wines would age and which...
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Phil Lo
Jan 28, 20243 min read
How to enhance your wine enjoyment
THE IDEAL WINE GLASS FOR TASTING To me the ideal wine glass for tasting has to have a bowl at least 6 to 8 oz in volume with a stem and...
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Phil Lo
Dec 6, 20235 min read
What Is In a Wine Label
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but we will try to cover some of the more commonn labels you may come across.
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Phil Lo
Dec 6, 20235 min read
What is in a wine label
This is the time of the year when a lot of wines are bought as gifts or for consumption for the seasons’ festivities. This piece will...
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Phil Lo
Nov 6, 20234 min read
All about sparkling wines
There are two common ways to make sparkling wines. Almost all better quality sparkling wines are made with the so-call Traditional...
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Phil Lo
Nov 3, 20234 min read
Spanish wine tour of Rioja with Vinfluence
In October, Goretti and I went on a tour in Spain. We first spent three days in San Sebastian in the Basque country of Spain by...
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Phil Lo
Sep 21, 20234 min read
Plates & Palette's 2023 tasting notes
Tis is a very enjoyable event. It is not humanly possible to taste 35 wines in the short time prior to dinner. My strategy going into it...
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Phil Lo
Sep 10, 20232 min read
Wine and food pairing basics
There are two basic approaches for pairing wine with food. One is to pair them such that the wine and food complement each other in a...
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Phil Lo
Aug 16, 20234 min read
Things to do and not do at a wine tasting
I am sure most of the members of FOV know or think they know how to taste wine. Here, I am to summarize and remind people of some obvious...
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Phil Lo
Jul 19, 20232 min read
Rose tasting event at Metrovino
2021 Clendenen Family Vineyards Mondeuse Rose Santa Maria Valley, California, USA $24.65 (reg. $29) Pinky blush colour. Nose of...
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Phil Lo
Jul 10, 20235 min read
How to build your wine cellar and maintain it
In this piece I am going to talk about issues of why, where, what, how, and budget of building your wine cellar. I hope I can give...
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Phil Lo
Jun 13, 20232 min read
Wine ratings – History and what they mean to you
I am sure you have come across 90-points, 94-, 96-point wines advertised in wine stores, in wine magazines and newspapers. You may even...
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FOV Board
Jun 11, 20234 min read
Summer BBQ tasting notes
We tasted a total of 32 wines this afternoon before sitting down for our BBQ lunch. I was asked by the Directors to make notes and write...
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