Time is Everything!

One day with my wife's encouragement, I decided to start a website with the subject being the wines and wineries of Canada.. A rather easy task (the pamphlet at the local government liquor store listed 25 wineries) not too difficult. The first step, learn to build a website, the second step purchase a domain name and website hosting.

It was a learn as I go process that did not take too much of my time, about three days consisting of twenty to twenty-five hours, after all, there were only 25 wines, according to the pamphlet. With wineries in British Columbia and Ontario, there would be three pages, the Home Page, British Columbia page and an Ontario page.

It would be just a matter of time before I would be done and the site up and running.. but then I decided I would have time for some research into Canada's wineries. Information on the internet was very limited; the year was 1992. 

I came across a Book called "Vintage Canada" by Tony Aspler in 1993 oh my gosh! there were wineries in Quebec and Nova Scotia also there were wineries in different regions of Ontario. There was so much more to the wines of Canada I was now in a race against time to catch up and make my website current. 

Robert Orben said "Time flies. It's up to you to be the navigator". and so the years passed and the website grew.

New pages were added regularly. I had the time to deal with it all; The nineties came and went, a new millennium had begun Canada's wine industry grew, her wines became more popular. Her ice wines became world renowned and time became my enemy.

The number of wineries grew and soon I was boasting about the five hundred wineries in Canada. The website had over a million visitors in 2009 the website had grown to over 150 pages. In 2010 the list of new winery licenses was amazing; In 2018 we will have over 800 wineries in Canada. 

Rapid changes were taking place. Wineries were adding new brands, changing their names, wineries were opening regions were no one thought grapes could grow before, virtual wineries opened. Wine companies were forming, and buying out smaller wineries. Restaurants and guest rooms were being added it was all happening so fast!

I thought about this yesterday as I realised I had spent over six hours communicating with just one winery, one owner. I do not regret this time. The website is my passion. I just don't know how I am going to find the time

to remain Canada's number one wine website supporting not only the wines of Canada but our country. 

Time is money... www.winesofcanada is taking my time but not providing the money. It's an old cliche that we all know and understand, but to what extent do you really apply it in your life. Time is our most precious resource because it is the only one that is truly scarce. 

As Canada's wine industry grows and grows .. I need time, time from the wineries of Canada. I need them to take the time and provide information about their winery, give me information and I will tell the world. 

We thank the many who do.. 

I have had marketing and hospitality managers from the big wineries telling me they don't have time to answer my questions. My response is get off facebook, get off twitter and take time to answer the questionnaire I send. I'm promoting your winery for free and it would give me time to make sure your information is current. There is always someone with the time to point out to me that certain things they deem important are missing.

We first discovered the wonderful world of wines on our honeymoon when by chance, we ended up in Napa Valley

Why did we start a second website www.winesofwoi.com simple we live with in a few blocks of the US border and have a cabin, So we have the opportunity to taste many Washington wines. We stopped the website as the Canadian site took far too much time to maintain.

Time now for me to make lunch. You have to spend some time sleeping, eating, playing, relaxing and growing within yourself, time with your friends and family.

For those of you who never found the time to return my e-mails, my calls, or greet me when I visited not to worry I found the time to list you as well. 

We currently list over 1100, wineries, meaderies and cideries. We have 1000s of photos and numerous feature articles.

~ We are on FaceBook and Twitter 

 What It Takes!

As you know, I am the owner and sole writer for the very popular website www.winesofcanada.com. I began developing websites in 1992. I started with the World of Wines.  As interest in the wonderful world of wine grew among the public and the number of wineries in Canada greatly increased, I switch my attention to Canada. It was a surprise to me that I was able to obtain the domain Winesofcanada.com. 

Back in the early ’90s, there was no “.ca”. My main focus was to list all wineries by province and tell a short story about them. It took a great deal of research. After completing this task and seeing my daily hits grow from 4-5 visits a day to over 300 a day. I decided to add more content.  Today I provided information on all aspects of the industry. I write wine reviews and tell about my visits to the wineries. I include Meaderies and Cider House. I have explored and written about the history of winemaking in Canada. I tell the stories of many of the most influential people in the industry. 

Back in 2017, I started  my most popular pages. “ The Wineries to Watch for in 2017” and the “Best Wineries to Visit in 2017”. These pages were first published days prior to January 1 2017.

I published new pages every year since.  Today I am already writing the pages for 2023. 

The work on these pages begins once the previous year is published. I review all resources possible, TV, Newspapers, and Magazines. my peers in the industry, my friends, other writers, and of course, research.

 The hardest page to do is actually “the Best Wineries to Visit”. There is an old saying which I believe is factual “ When one is happy with a hospitality established, they tell two or three people about it. When one is unhappy, they tell ten or more people”.

 In reassuring the wineries, it became obvious that the number one concern for an unhappy visit was the attitude of the staff!

In most situations, a good attitude leads to positive behaviours and a negative attitude leads to negative behaviours. An employee who believes in the company’s core values is more likely to show positivity in the workplace. Organizations where employees like each other and trust the management are more likely to have positive attitudes.

 It does not matter how good the wines are, how good your food is, or how amazing your facilities are if the owners and staff have a negative attitude! 

Numerous wineries that one might say would be among the Best Wineries to Visit have not made the 2023 page simply because of hospitality concerns. It amazes me!

 Ocean Park Pizza and Steak House

Barbara and I are in Abbotsford , British Columbia, pet sitting. On our first night here we visited Ocean Park Pizza and Steak House restaurant. It is located in a strip mall which does not provide the most attractive first impression. Although a small restaurant the interior was cozy and inviting. We were greeted the moment we entered the door and quickly seated. 

It did however, take the server a little too long to approach the table.  When she finally arrived it was with  a nice greeting along with a friendly smile. She inquired about a drink order. Normally we would select a wine but their wine list was shall we say not to our likely. It provided two non VQA BC wines from major producers, there was no wines on the list from the near by wineries. What a shame!

They did have an extremely large menu featuring all the pasta, chicken and rib dishes associated with an Italian restaurant. They even had a selection of Greek dishes. There was as the name suggested numerous steak options. Their feature item was Prime Rib. The pizza selection perhaps the longest list I have ever seen.

Although the server was busy she was quite charming. We noticed that their take out service was quite  busy. We also noticed by the staff response to guest arriving these were regular customers of the restaurant.

Barbara ordered Chicken Fettuccine and I  the Super Hawaiian Pizza. We were both extremely happy with our selection. Yes. it is a restaurant we would return to, although I do hope they improve their wine list and seek out some local wines.

 Return to Atlas Steak and Fish House

When you find a really good restaurant, one tends to anticipate a quick return. Such is the case with the Atlas Restaurant at the casino in Langley, BC. 

It was our thirtieth wedding anniversary, and we could think of no better place to go than the Atlas. We settle on going for happy hours. Very good BC wines for only 6$ a glass. Those delicious prime rib sliders for just $5.oo, I had two. Barbara had two lobster rolls. We also enjoyed a rather large house salad with organic greens, poached pear, candy cane beets, candied pecans, goat cheese, orange segments, and white balsamic vinaigrette.

Our server was Eric, who was doing the Bartending duties that evening. Eric provided service beyond the call of duty, providing a most memorable experience. John, the restaurant manager, also stopped by and chatted with us. Also visiting our table was Tracy, a server ( a most charming lady) we had known from another great restaurant in Tsawwassen.

The highlight of the evening beyond Eric's impeccable service was "the" Baked Alaska; the dessert was lambéed table side by Eric It featured. raspberry coconut ice cream, lemon sorbet, orange vanilla cake, all topped with Italian meringue. Barbara would not let me order a second one...

A video can be found on facebook  https://www.facebook.com/bob.bell.71

 Two Family Owned Restaurants 

Two Stones Grill

A small family restaurant in Tsawwassen Mills. Here is where you find good food at every responsible prices. Its not fancy! Popular lunch items include a Cheese Burger, fries and Caesar salad for a prices less than you would pay at the near by Fast Food Restaurant. 

Barbara and I often drop in for their Steak Specials. If the special is New York Staek and Prawns. Been allergic to Prawns Barbara gets a double order.

You may even get served by the owners daughter. Like we did last time we were there. Our wine was poured by the owner himself. One feels every comfortable here at Two Stones Grill.

Delphi Brunch Cafe

Located in a small strip mall in Langley (100 - 20121 Willowbrook Dr,) The restaurant specializes in Bruch and lunch items. It is extremely popular we had to wait 25 minutes for our table. One customer leaves another sits down. Considering how busy it was the service was good. 

The waitress was most charming. The food extraordinary... the portions rather large. The price most reasonable..

The atmosphere is lacking but you are there for the food. 

 Atlas Steak + Fish Restaurant

It is always a wonderful experience to discouver a new ( to us) restaurant. One that brings together the perfect ambiance, delicious cuisine and superior hospitality. The Atlas Steak + Fish restaurant in Langley does just that!

Barbara and I had walked by the restaurant on several occasion but had never ventured in. However, we received a free appetizer coupon for their happy hour. Opportunity has knocked at our door. Barbara had an Ophthalmologist   appoint near by. So we decided to find out what Atlas was all about.

To say the less we were impressed. From the smiling host to the charming waitress and even the manager stopped by to see how we were doing and chatted with us.

We of course started with a glass of wine from Sumac Ride. I had the Sumac Ridge Sauvignon Blanc Private Reserve Inniskillin Cabernet Sauvignon. The restaurant features an excellent wine list. Featuring many BC wines, including Ice Wine.

Barbara had the New England Lobster and Shrimp Roll - Atlantic lobster and argentinian red shrimp salad, buttered toasted brioche,tobik.

Barbara was quite delight with her selection.

I ordered the Warm Prime Rib Bun red wine jus, toasted brioche bun, truffle mayonnaise. So Good! 

We completely enjoyed our time at Atlas. The staff was quite friendly and had to our enjoyment. One of the ladies we knew from having previously worked at a restaurant in Tsawwassen.

In conversation with the manager. Barbara mentioned her Soroptimist club talking about the Fund raising Gala they were putting on in Langley . The Manager provided a gift certificate for the event.. Wow..

We recommend Atlas Steak + Fish It gets our five star approveal

 

The Village Pub & Ocean Park Pizza

Barbara and I returned from a recent housesitting assignment to our home in White Rock, British Columbia. After unloading our car and unpacking the suitcases we were too tired to cook, we decided to eat out. Pizza had been on the back of my mind all day but Barbara was wanting something different; so we compromised and went to Ocean Park Pizza.

We had eaten at the original place often in the past, but never in the newer one since relocating to the area in 2019.  We had driven by the restaurant on excursions to Crescent Beach and noted there were some major changes and often remarked we should try it again. It was BC Day, a holiday with fantastic weather; knowing the beaches would be crowded we headed to Ocean Park Pizza which turned out to be a smart choice. There is limited parking in front but they have a very large parking lot on the backside of the building so parking was not an issue.

Things had certainly changed, a new building with an even newer patio than what we remembered. We entered and were immediately greeted by two polite young men with welcoming smiles. They asked a few questions to determine where we would like to sit. We chose the patio on the side of the building  away from the main street in the shade. The patio was created when the pandemic struck in 2020.

Once seated we were quickly greeted by our charming waitress. Within minutes Barbara was sipping a classic margarita and I was enjoying a glass of Pinot Noir from Laughing Stock Winery on BC's Naramata Bench. I knew I was having an Hawaiian Pizza; yes they have a beef dip I will save that for next time. The menu is large, after reading it Barbara opted for the warm seafood salad.

The meal was served quickly, the pizza was perfect; the salmon, prawn and scallop salad was mouth watering according to Barbara. Our waitress as I mentioned, was quite charming, and most efficient; allowing for brief conversations which added to the enjoyment of the meal.

The menu prices were reasonable, except the glass of wine was on the higher side.

All in all we would give The Village Pub & Ocean Park Pizza five stars and I will return for a beef dip!

*In February 20, 2019, the South Surrey and White Rock Chamber of Commerce held its 20th Business Excellence Awards Gala. At the event, Ocean Park Pizza & Village Pub was recognized for our "success in business" and "exemplary contribution to the community.*

12822 16 Avenue Surrey, BC V4A 1N4

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