A Look back at 2019

It was not a year to remember.  It would be known as the year of  Antibiotics! That meant we visited only three wineries all year long. The standard is three a day, not a year!

It all began the night before the Vancouver International Festival. I was packed and ready to go when a terrible pain stuck my left abdomen. I would spend the next seven hours sitting in the emergency ward. It would take three doctors and one operation before the pain was gone. Worst of all it took from January to May before the operation was done. They scheduled the operation on the day of my birthday celebration. Cancel all plans!

The operation did not result in total relief.  An infection developed more antibiotics were required. The infection came and went and came back again. Alcohol intake was quite limited throughout the summer and all the way into December.

At this time of the year, I usually write about wines enjoyed Christmas. This year I had only one BC wine a very nice L' Acadie from Whispering Horse winery located in Yarrow BC. It went extremely well with the Christmas turkey.

So let me close out this blog by mentioning the best wine of 2019. It surpassed expectations. I knew before opening the bottle that Wild Goose 2018 Pinot Gris would be a real treat. I did not expect it would be as good as it was. I gave the wine a score of 98.

Happy New Year!

Barbara and I were invited to join our friends to celebrate an 80th birthday. An exciting dinner celebration at Tsawwassen's popular Illuminaté Restorante Restaurant.

Illuminate is a family restaurant under the guidance of Chef Roland. His Tuscany-style cooking arises from training and experience at the French Culinary Institute in New York.

Chef Roland pushes the boundaries of Italian gastronomy and offers innovative dishes to delight your palate – Italian cuisine with a West Coast flair.

The diner of course started with Champagne. Yes, from France, I failed to capture the producer's name. The Champagne was extremely good!

The restaurant provided excellent service along with its delicious food.

Although I declined twice I was given the honour of selecting the wine to have with the meal. Nine out of ten times I would have selected a BC wine. There were some fine BC wines on the list. However, I decided to go along with the Italian theme and order wine from Italy.

I chose Ruffino MODUS Toscana IGT. Ruffino is a wine producer based in the Tuscany region of Italy. Founded in 1877, the winery was purchased by the Brescian Folonari family in 1913.

Aroma: Intense and intriguing on the nose, initial aromas of mature red and black fruits, such as cherries, plums, and small blackberries.

Tasting profile: Full-bodied with a modern Super Tuscan style, this wine is rich with silky tannins and flavours of mature blackberry fruit and cocoa. Vibrant fresh fruit flavours from the Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot weave together with finesse, each adding its own distinctive character.

A wonderful evening climaxed by a specially designed birthday cake.