BC Food and Wine Radio BC Food and Wine Radio

We're on location at the Watermark Beach Resort in sunny Osoyoos this week, so get ready for friendly banter from their lakeside patio. David McBean, GM for the Watermark updates us on the resort and their fine dining restaurant, 15 Park Bistro, as they get ready for the high season; Mark Hopley, winemaker for Hester Creek Estate Winery reveals a new wine and gives us an overview of what's happening on the estate from Terrafina restaurant to their luxury suites and upcoming events; Mike Dowell, Co-owner and winemaker for Liber Estates, drops in from his winery in Osoyoos to talk about his wine, including their popular canned wine and organic cider; Mireille Sauvé GM & Winemaker for Lakeboat Vineyard & Winery joins us from Kaleden, inviting everyone for a big Mother's Day celebration weekend, and we sample some of their wines; Cassandra Hood and Dakota Hood, co-owners of Over the Fence Winery in Osoyoos, and the winery manager and winemaker respectively, offer details of their grand reopening celebration on the May long weekend, and they share a couple of their wines, grown a stone's throw from the US border.

This week, if you are interested in starting a cellar or scaling up, Warren Porter, President of Irongate Auctions, which began as a wine storage company, has some great advice, wherever you're starting from; Chef Steve Rutherford and Mitchell Kerr, the Director of Restaurant & Bars for the Westin Bayshore Vancouver, list the upcoming events and offerings in the Coal Harbour hotel; Giacomo Sisti, Export Area Manager for Umani Rochi, gives us the highlights of the lesser-known wine region Marche on the east coast of Italy and Filippo Bartolotta, Italian wine writer and educator has a conversation with Anthony about the rise of Italian white wines.

Ermes Scardova, Export Manager and Renaissance Man for Medici Ermete talks about the remarkable Emilia-Romagna region and the popularity of Lambrusco; Dan Carkner, Executive Chef for The Modest Butcher Kitchen + Market joins Anthony to talk about BC turkey; Eduardo Montresor, Family Member, Montresor Winery and a great storyteller, doesn't shy away from the salacious details of his family's winery history, and David McBean, General Manager for Watermark Beach Resort in Osoyoos gives us a tour of his property from the different accommodations, their amenities and what you can enjoy locally.

As British Columbian weather can't decide if it's still winter, spring or this month, our show this week is decidedly sunny as we release some of the interviews recorded during the Vancouver International Wine Festival including Thomas Cuni for Italy's highly regarded Damilano and Tua Rita wineries; Robert Stelmachuk, Wine Director for Mott 32 Vancouver and Anthony discuss which wines match well with the restaurant's fine Chinese cuisine; Pierangelo Tommasi, Executive Director and Family member of Tommasi Family Estates talks about their expansion beyond Amarone; and Kimberly Hundertmark General Manager for the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society, joins us on the phone to share the many highlights of their upcoming Spring Festival.

We are on the road again this week, this time broadcasting from the Oak Bay Beach Hotel on Vancouver Island, and overlooking the Salish Sea. Learn more about the historic property, its fine dining and comfort food offerings, the stunning setting that can be enjoyed around the property including from its mineral pools on the ocean, plus we hear about, upcoming events, hospitality trends and Victoria gastronomy highlights to help you plan your next travel getaway to our capital city.

If you're looking to plan a wine and food trip to the Cowichan Valley this year, be sure to catch this show. We're broadcasting on location at Enrico Winery gathering the latest on tasting experiences, music events, festivals and the latest wine releases, and more as the wineries move from winter hours to full bore starting in May. Our guests include Lorin Inglis, Simon Spencer and Patrick Haywood from Enrico Winery; Chris Turyk and Felix Egerer from Unsworth Vineyards and Michael Abbott from Blue Grouse Estate Winery.