SBonner

I would not be too concerned. Wine is a living thing so it could have been comtaminated by a dirty bottle, cork, or seal issue. Unfortunately one in twelve is not a bad ratio for wine spoilage. The wine by the way is pretty tasty. Enjoy Stephen Vancouver

Just walked by "One" Restaurant in Gastown and it looks like it has been seized for taxes!!! So if you have a Dine Out reso it is not looking good. Cheers, Stephen

I'm drinking a couple bottles of wine right now with several dine out server survivors at our home...and they are all saying it went well for the first night. If we do not drink too much wine hopefully they will say the same Saturday night Stephen

Nice review...I'm a big fan of Parkside. Looking forward to having my birthday dinner there in mid February. Did you part take in any of their amazing eau de vies?. Stephen

Nice selection of wines. I was pleasantly suprised at the wine selection that is offered at the City Super in the IFC Mall. Did you buy all these wines at Watson's....when I visted one of their shops I was somewhat disappointed by the depth of seelctions (plenty of Bordeaux) but not alot of Italian or Spanish. Nice post and descriptions by the way. Cheers, Stephen Vancouver

I cannot remember if "Fish" restaurant beside the Borough Market had F&C's but they had some outstanding seafood the last time I was there. Cheers, Stephen

As they say in the wine trade "Buy on an apple, sell on cheese". I think the BBC article makes sense if you are professionally buying wine rather than enjoying wine. At wine tastings I never nibble on cheese because it has an affect on your taste buds but at home a slice of cheese and a glass of wine is a perfect end or start to a meal. Cheers, Stephen

As a side note: Parkside will be closed for a several days after DOV re-opening on the 10th of February. Stephen

Last year I purchased for a couple of bar clients the Croatian Bitters Pelinovac (32% abv) and only $13.99 for one litre from Bosa's in East Vancouver. On the back label it said "for pharmacy sales only" Cheers, Stephen

When we were in HK in late November we ate several restaurants that were featuring snake in its various forms....tasty stuff. Cheers, Stephen Vancouver

I look at "West Coast" cuisine with an eye for locally sourced ingredients (nice to mention the name of the place or producer on the menu), the use of Pan Pacific cooking techniques, and an emphasis on seafood and locally sourced proteins. A decent selection of B.C. wines and microbeers would round out the concept. I know the word "fusion" pops up alot but I have no issue incorporting Asian cooking ingredients and techniques into our base products. Cheers, Stephen

Neil, Not sure on the percentage. Helen and I were seeking gastropubs out as a comparison to the ones we frequent in London. Don't get me wrong there were alot of "dives" where you could get a BLT and some evil lager from unclean lines. I'd say the gastropubs are more like 1 in 20. We went to eight in total and all were superb. I'd just like to see some of our Vancouver establishments follow the same course as what we expereinced in Australia. It could all come down to a cultural difference... none of these places had TV's, loud music, or lottery machines. Cheers, Stephen

As far as I know most of the wine especially Pinot Noir from B.C. is consumed in B.C. I have seen small amounts at Heathrow Airport in the duty free. You may want to drive to Ontario and see if any of the "Vintages" stores have any on their shelves. Did you have a favourite one recently? Cheers, Stephen Vancouver, B.C.

I'd be hard pressed to look at Earl's and the Cactus Club in the same format as a gastropub. I look at the gastropub concept more like a French brassarie. In the U.K. The Cow and the Eagle are my ideas of a gastropub as were RedOak Brewing and the Lord Nelson in Sydney. I think our best attempt to date has been Spinnakers and The Canoe ( Aussi chef as well I believe) in Victoria. Cheers, Stephen

As many of you know, Helen and I, spent a fortnight wining and dining in Sydney late last year. One of our highlights was trying the beers and cuisine of several Sydney gastropubs. In Vancouver and Victoria we have great brewpubs such as Steamworks, Yaletown Brewing, Spinnakers, Canoe Club and Hugo’s to name some of the best. But after my return from Sydney I’ve realised that our pubs are no match for what is going on in Sydney Australia when it comes to food. Here are some images of what to expect coming out of an Australian gastro pub kitchen. Thai green curry seafood laska with Morton Bay Bugs $14 Cdn Pan-seared King fish filet with French Fries and lemon aioili $15 Cdn Harissa Lamb salad with Feta, spinach, and 20 year old balsamic reduction $17 Cdn 6oz Grilled Wagyu beef loin with potato gratin, free range bacon, and wild mushroom reduction suace $18 Cdn Moment of weakness vegetarian platter with Greek flat bread, risotto balls, stuffed zucchini flowers, phillo and Feta tubes, samoas and a trio of dips $15 Cdn What suprised me most was the freshness of all ingredients. I discovered that the chefs all shop and the local fish and veg market several times a week and very little was bought at big box or "all in one" suppliers. These gastropubs also had great wines lists to accompany their food. Our own Steamworks and Canoe Brewpub have comparably sized wines lists as well. On the beer front, our beers are much more interesting overall, but the Belgium inspired beers at Redoak brewing in Sydney's CBD are stellar and beyond compare to anything made in B.C. From a front of house view, both cities have great service, with neither outdoing each other. If we could only produce food on a similar scale we would have world class pubs like Sydney, London, and Paris. Cheers, Stephen

When in Vancouver PM me. I would highly recommend "C", Vij's, Chambar, Imperial Seafood (dim sum) , Tojo's (sushi) , Aurora Bistro (Canadian cuisine) and Lumiere (Chef Rob Feenie - Iron Chef Killer). Cheers, Stephen Vancouver

The Irish Heather not so much for the coffee (unless it's an Irish Coffee) but the back glass conservatory on a rainy or windy afternoon is a delight. Read some Orwell, surf the net, drink a Irish coffee then move on to a whiskey or pint. Stephen

Bin 941's "Tongue Twisters" has a great recipe for pan-seared scallops with a burnt orange reduction. Very simple to make but oh...so delicious. Stephen

Nice description. I have not tried this vintage for several years. From what I remember the Grandpere is made from vines that are averaging 50+ years. Big, rich, and alcoholic (15%++) as I remember with amazing amounts of briar, raspberry, and hints of chocolate. Was it expensive to buy in your country? Cheers, Stephen

I have had some amazing Oregon Pinot Noir's with dark chcocolate (85%+ cocoa solids). Young AC Margaux's can also work wonders. Cheers, Stephen Vancouver

When we were in Sydney for two weeks last month we enjoyed: Biily Kwong...modern Chinese but very good. XO ...now closed? but outstanding tea smoked duck. Cheers, Stephen Vancouver

That's shame... I have not heard of Frankie's can anyone fill me in please. Cheers, Stephen Vancouver

Do you know anything of this instructor I have never heard of him and this industry is pretty small. The prices are decent for the course length but alot of it comes down to the wines that will be presented. Most of the other programs listed in this thread comprise of some pretty outstanding wines used in the course structure. Cheers, Stephen

I'm a firm believer in charging what the market will bear. Hopefully most people know that restaurant margins are slim at best and wine pricing helps pay the rent, staff wages, cellar procurement, and very good food including "Alba truffles". Your prices on the Mouton and Grange seem in line to me. Our prices might seem high here in B.C. compared to the other countries that do not have the LDB to contend with but on otherhand our food prices are incredible low compared to London or New York. I say pay abit more on the wine but end up with reasonably priced food.... it all balances out. Cheers, Stephen

For South African you may want to try Vivat Bacchus just around the corner from Smiths of Smithfields. They have a stellar South African wine selection, great cheese plates, and South African inspired (Fusion?) cuisine. I have not eaten any mains there but have had a great time chatting with the South African bartenders and manager while consuming some very good international cheese boards and very interesting South African wines. Cheers, Stephen Vancouver