For many, the Labour Day long weekend signals the end of summer. It looks like the weather is planning to cooperate which should mean outdoor activities are safe to be on the agenda. Fortunately, there are enough activities and festivals planned in and around Vancouver this weekend to give summer the send-off it deserves.
On Friday, catch cult horror flick the Creature From the Black Lagoon at Stanley Park’s Monsters in the Meadow outdoor movie series. The 1954 classic is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. at Ceperley Meadow.
Head down to Strathcona Park on Saturday for Justice Rocks, an all-day music and social change festival with performances by local indie acts Choir Practice, Curtis Santiago, Fur Bearing Animals, and Run GMC.
Enjoy jazz, funk, roots, and blues at the Royal City Jazz Festival in New Westminster. Eight local ensembles will perform on the boardwalk at the River Market at Westminster Quay on Sunday and Monday.
Vancouver’s Only Magazine will host a Labour Day Block Party at Victory Square with free concerts by the Defektors, No Kids, Basketball, Certain Breeds, the Green Hour Band, the Evaporators, and Ice Cream, comedy from Man Hussy and Bronx Cheer, and DJ sets with Ian Wyatt, Benjamin, and My! Gay! Husband!
The festivities at Burnaby Village Museum’s Fall Fair on Labour Day offer activities and games sure to please the kids, including free carousel rides, face painting, a watermelon-eating contest, a parade, a bake sale, and the best of the summer harvest.
Jousters, tarot-card readers, puppeteers, musicians, and storytellers will entertain crowds at the B.C. Renaissance Festival from Friday to Sunday in Fort Langley. Vendors will be on-site selling costumes, corsets, jewellery, instruments, weapons, and pottery, and everyone is invited to participate in the nightly pub sing-along. Admission is $10.
Say goodbye to the summer at the PNE Fair’s last weekend of the season. Enjoy international cuisine, outdoor concerts, the daily parade, 50 rides, and 800 performances and exhibits. Spirit of the West celebrates the end of the fair with a free concert on Labour Day.
On Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Earthwise Society presents a traditional country fair with a twist: all food on sale will be homegrown and produced using sustainable practices. The first-ever Grow Local Fair in Delta will include live entertainment, a farmers market, a blueberry-pancake breakfast, potato and corn roasts, a drum circle, and a bake sale. Admission is $2.
Lace up your runners and join the Nike+ Human Race 10K on Sunday for the world’s biggest one-day running event, occurring simultaneously in 25 cities around the globe. Vancouver joggers begin their leg of the race at 5 p.m. on the corner of Georgia and Cambie, and will cross both the Burrard and Cambie bridges and circle around the Seawall. Athletes can unwind at the postrace party and BBQ downtown with musical guests the Trews and Theory of a Deadman, and video coverage of the 10K races in participating cities like Madrid, Shanghai, and Istanbul.
This weekend will be your last chance to visit the UBC Museum of Anthropology before it closes for renovations for six months. The museum is throwing a closing party on Labour Day from 1 to 4 p.m., with food, music, dancing, a Korean drumming performance, and a 20 percent discount off everything in the Museum Shop.
The Portobello West fashion and art market celebrates its two-year anniversary on Sunday at the Rocky Mountaineer Station. Browse for jewellery, clothing, bags, soaps, art, and fashion accessories from established and unknown Vancouver designers. Admission is $2 and a free shuttle is available from the Main Street SkyTrain station.
The Wild B.C. Seafood Fest takes place in the fishing village of Steveston, near the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Historic Site, on Saturday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sample seafood dishes from B.C. chefs or buy wild salmon, sablefish, and sardines direct from fishermen at the Steveston dock. There will be activities for kids and live music on-site.
Celebrate Taiwanese arts and culture at the three-day TaiwanFest at the Plaza of Nations from August 30 to September 1. Be sure to visit the food fair for popular Taiwan night market snacks. There will also be art exhibits, dragon boat races, and performances by local, Chinese, and Taiwanese music ensembles and dance troupes. One-day admission is $12.
The Lower Lonsdale Business Association presents a celebration of maritime life and community on North Vancouver’s Burrard Dry Dock and St. Roch piers on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Party-at-the-Pier will feature North Shore music acts, artifacts from the Vancouver Maritime Museum, harbour tours, a tugboat show, an Iron Chef-style cook-off, and Olympian Andrea Holmes, as well as face painters, clowns, stilt walkers, and jugglers.
If you’re heading out of town, you can’t beat the selection of festivals in Victoria. The Classic Boat Festival will see a parade of old ships, sailboats, and steam vessels go through the Inner Harbour, and the Vancouver Island Blues Bash offers a mix of jazz, soul, blues, and funk performances. The Victoria Fringe Festival also runs until August 31.
Have a fun and safe long weekend!
Friday, September 3, 2010
Organic and Biodynamic Wine
I was in Sonoma county last month, one of my favorite places! Not only did I attend the most beautiful wedding of a good friend, I also got to indulge in some amazing wine. It got me thinking and wanting to know more about organic wines. I found this article and thought I'd share it with you.
Mark Cuff, sommelier and owner of The Living Vine - a Canadian dealer of wines made with sustainable practices - took the time to explain the difference between and the principles of organic and biodynamic viticulture. So, whether it’s red or white, make sure your next glass of wine is also green!
What is organic and biodynamic viticulture?
In order to say it’s organic or biodynamic on the label, it has to be certified by an accredited certifier, like Ecocert (www.ecocert.com) or Demeter (www.demeter.net).
For organic wines, it’s a 3-year process of certification. Someone tests the winery’s soil and wine - it’s a check-box system - and every year, they certify that, yes, the winery grew organically this year, After the third year of growing organically, the winery can be certified organic. Organic wines are just wines made with the absence of pesticides, chemicals and chemical additives.
Biodynamic certification is a little tougher. All biodynamic wines must first be certified organic in order to be certified biodynamic. Biodynamic wines have a greater focus on soil health. The vineyard is a self-enclosed, sustainable eco system., moving toward zero input or output. The winery - or a group of wineries together- does its own composting, has its own cattle, etc. It also pays greater attention to the natural world and plans its harvest with the lunar calendar. A full moon directs more energy at the soil. Biodynamic viticulture is actually very close to how human beings grew food for thousands of years.
Do organic and biodynamic wines then have no sulphites?
No, you’ll find sulphites in both organic and biodynamic wines. Sulphites naturally occur in the fermentation process, so it’s almost impossible to create a completely sulpher-free wine. Organic wines tend to be lower in sulpher, though.
Is there a difference in flavour?
Personally, I think they taste better and cleaner, but generally, they taste the same. Consumers aren’t going to buy an organic wine just because it’s organic. It has to be a good product, too.
How do the prices compare?
Theoretically, if you grow organically or biodynamically, the cost to produce the wine should go down over time. I find a lot of people who have been doing this for a long time have prices that are comparable to regular wines. It’s such a competitive market.
Is Canada producing organic and biodynamic wines?
In Ontario, a lot of great companies are moving towards biodynamic production. For example: Southbrook Vineyards, certified organic and biodynamic, released 3 new VQA biodynamic wines on Earth Day this year. Frogpond Farm was the first certified-organic wine producer in Ontario. They make great value organic wines.
What should shoppers look for?
Most LCBO stores have an organic section. Or, look for a note on the tag - most of the time there’s a note or mention on the label. The consultants should also know.
Wines Shown (clockwise from top left): Southbrook Vineyards, 2009 Cabernet Rose VQA, $19; Southbrook Vineyards, 2008 Triomphe Cabernet Sauvignon, VQA $24; Southbrook Vineyards 2009, “Fresh” White VQA $17; Fropond Farm, 2007 Organic Chardonnay $13, Frogpond Farm, 2007 Organic Riesling Icewine, VQA, $32.
Mark Cuff, sommelier and owner of The Living Vine - a Canadian dealer of wines made with sustainable practices - took the time to explain the difference between and the principles of organic and biodynamic viticulture. So, whether it’s red or white, make sure your next glass of wine is also green!
What is organic and biodynamic viticulture?
In order to say it’s organic or biodynamic on the label, it has to be certified by an accredited certifier, like Ecocert (www.ecocert.com) or Demeter (www.demeter.net).
For organic wines, it’s a 3-year process of certification. Someone tests the winery’s soil and wine - it’s a check-box system - and every year, they certify that, yes, the winery grew organically this year, After the third year of growing organically, the winery can be certified organic. Organic wines are just wines made with the absence of pesticides, chemicals and chemical additives.
Biodynamic certification is a little tougher. All biodynamic wines must first be certified organic in order to be certified biodynamic. Biodynamic wines have a greater focus on soil health. The vineyard is a self-enclosed, sustainable eco system., moving toward zero input or output. The winery - or a group of wineries together- does its own composting, has its own cattle, etc. It also pays greater attention to the natural world and plans its harvest with the lunar calendar. A full moon directs more energy at the soil. Biodynamic viticulture is actually very close to how human beings grew food for thousands of years.
Do organic and biodynamic wines then have no sulphites?
No, you’ll find sulphites in both organic and biodynamic wines. Sulphites naturally occur in the fermentation process, so it’s almost impossible to create a completely sulpher-free wine. Organic wines tend to be lower in sulpher, though.
Is there a difference in flavour?
Personally, I think they taste better and cleaner, but generally, they taste the same. Consumers aren’t going to buy an organic wine just because it’s organic. It has to be a good product, too.
How do the prices compare?
Theoretically, if you grow organically or biodynamically, the cost to produce the wine should go down over time. I find a lot of people who have been doing this for a long time have prices that are comparable to regular wines. It’s such a competitive market.
Is Canada producing organic and biodynamic wines?
In Ontario, a lot of great companies are moving towards biodynamic production. For example: Southbrook Vineyards, certified organic and biodynamic, released 3 new VQA biodynamic wines on Earth Day this year. Frogpond Farm was the first certified-organic wine producer in Ontario. They make great value organic wines.
What should shoppers look for?
Most LCBO stores have an organic section. Or, look for a note on the tag - most of the time there’s a note or mention on the label. The consultants should also know.
Wines Shown (clockwise from top left): Southbrook Vineyards, 2009 Cabernet Rose VQA, $19; Southbrook Vineyards, 2008 Triomphe Cabernet Sauvignon, VQA $24; Southbrook Vineyards 2009, “Fresh” White VQA $17; Fropond Farm, 2007 Organic Chardonnay $13, Frogpond Farm, 2007 Organic Riesling Icewine, VQA, $32.
Shades of Gray
For some time now I have been completely drawn to the color gray in both fashion and decorating. I've been dreaming about a gray sofa (I know the one I want!). The exterior and interior of my house is painted gray using no VOC paint. Whether its a gray house, kitchen or bedroom...I love all shades of gray in any room. In some of these photos you will notice a lot of reclaimed pieces, another love of mine! Here are some of my favorites...I like to dream!
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