Joanne Sasvari

Cheers for Chasselas

The food-friendly white from Switzerland’s very, very steep mountain vineyards There’s a lot of chat about “heroic” viticulture these days. But when you stand amid the vertiginously narrow terraces of Switzerland’s AOC Lavaux region, you realize just…

The future is salty

The Cowichan Valley is starting to produce exciting Chardonnay. Question is, why hasn’t anyone done this before? Every once in a while you taste a wine so electrifying you just can’t stop raving about it. Last year, that wine for me was the 2019…

How the LCBO’s Spirit of Sustainability platform is making an impact in local communities

Article content The LCBO is the place to go for your Saturday dinner party wine, the beer you plan to enjoy during the big game, the spirits you’ll stock up on for your big holiday party. But the LCBO is also the industry leader that supports the…

Luxe Libations

The Alchemist tasting panel reviews high-end spirits Sometimes nothing will do but the highest of high-end spirits. Perhaps there is an important anniversary to commemorate, a business deal to cement, a mentor to thank. Or maybe you are just lucky…

‘A dream come true’

Suyo is just one of a cluster of exciting new chef-driven restaurants in Vancouver It’s been a big year for chef Ricardo Valverde. On January 8, his son was born. Seven months later, on August 25, so was his second baby. That’s the day he opened Suyo…

Food Front: Chef Andrey Durbach’s newest restaurant serves Italian classics with a twist

Article content There are a lot of familiar faces here at Impostori Trattoria + Negroni Bar, a new upscale-ish, Italian-ish restaurant on South Granville Street. Article content There’s Neil Ingram (formerly of Boneta) behind the bar, wine…

In Good Spirits: Island distillery earns major recognition

It’s not a bad way to start a new job. Article content Stephen Goodridge had only been general manager at Shelter Point for a few months when he sent two of the Campbell River distillery’s whiskies—Smoke Point and Classic Single Malt—off to the…

Salut: The ultimate road trip through B.C.'s wine country

The days are cooler, the roads emptier, the wines bigger and bolder. Vineyards are vibrant in autumnal gold and amber. Tables are laden with rich, hearty, deeply flavourful dishes. And, now that the harvest is (almost) in, people have time to stop,…

Summerhill’s sparkling legacy

After 37 harvests, the bubbles still flow and the love for the land is deeper than ever For 37 harvests, Stephen Cipes has been growing grapes and making wine as organically, biodynamically and as soulfully as possible To celebrate, the team at…

What’s next? Nobody knows, but there will be wine

Welcome to the Fall/Winter 2022 issue of Vitis, the magazine of British Columbia’s wine culture. As the last few years have proved beyond any measure of doubt, the only certainty is uncertainty. But wine country is resilient. Everyone in the business…

Come One, Kombucha

How the fermented tea beverage has captured the imagination and the market It used to be that a young mom looking to make a little extra money might consider selling Avon or Tupperware®. But now there’s a new homegrown business model. “A lot of…

Naramata Inn cooks up a “Season of Culinary”

Legendary B.C. chefs head to wine country for a series of fall feasts This October, chefs Ned Bell, Stacey Johnston, Liz Stevenson, Minette Lotz and wine director Emily Walker welcome some of B.C.’s most legendary chefs—all longtime friends of…

Wake up to the Espresso Martini

The bittersweet contemporary classic makes a comeback High-waisted jeans, shoulder pads, neon colours—if you had any doubts that the 1980s are back, the return of the Espresso Martini should lay them to rest. This buzzy, bittersweet cocktail was…

CedarCreek named WineAlign’s 2022 Winery of the Year

The East Kelowna estate leads 16 B.C. wineries in the Top 25 of ‘The Nationals’ After more than 40 years of growing and making wine, CedarCreek Estate Winery has been named Canada’s 2022 Winery of the Year, topping all 251 producers entered in the…

A sweet win for Vancouver’s own Bitter Babe

Lauren Mote honoured with Spirited Award for mentorship at Tales of the Cocktail To Vancouverites, Lauren Mote may be best known as the co-founder of Bittered Sling Bitters and, for a while at least, a vibrant presence behind some of the city’s best…

Orange liqueur

Short of triple sec? Make your own It seems there will be no end to the supply chain issues that have drained back bars of essential spirits these past two years. This summer, for instance, it looks like we’re facing a shortage of Aperol, just in…

In Good Spirits: Simps Modern Beverage is making cocktails easy for everyone

Article content Gerry Jobe laughs a little when he describes his business. “We’re an eight-year overnight success story,” he says wryly. Article content Back in 2013, Jobe and his business partner Dave Simpson were still slinging drinks in Kelowna.…

Food Front: Francis Mallmann goes green in his new cookbook

Article content When the Patagonian chef Francis Mallmann visited Vancouver for a dinner at CinCin Ristorante back in 2014, he shut down a big chunk of Robson Street to build a wood-fired asado. Fragrant smoke perfumed the air for hours, even days,…

‘It’s about the food and the farm’

Cultivating a different kind of wine country cuisine at Backyard Farm On a two-acre plot of land with more than 80 heritage fruit trees, a flock of chickens and raised beds filled with herbs and vegetables, Chris Van Hooydonk is living his dream…

Generation cocktail

Fairmont Pacific Rim launches a series of drinks inspired by Douglas Coupland’s new art exhibit Vancouver’s own Douglas Coupland is typically the creator, not the muse, known for 13 novels including the era-defining Generation X as well as numerous…