The Vancouver International Wine Festival opened this week. The eight-day extravaganza is Canada’s biggest wine show with 54 events, 1450 wines from 16 countries and 160 wineries. The festival had humble origins when it began in 1979 with only one winery, Robert Mondavi from the Napa Valley in California. This year the theme region is once again, California. On Monday, I was at Joey’s downtown for a media launch and on deck were five delicious wines from the Golden State. Finally, another classic red from the Wine State: Freemark Abbey 2014 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The winery was established by one of the first female grape growers in Napa. I loved the powerful bouquet of cassis and slightly charred oak. It has a rich flavour with of black fruit. Very approachable now but has the acidity and tannins to develop further. Decanter magazine awarded it 95 points, which indicates the high quality of this Cab.

The perfect party gifts for any occasion this holiday season - To meet your girlfriend's parents A foolproof way to get her family on your good side: Bring a bottle of vino to the table. Just make sure your pick isn't too cheap (you are dating their child, after all) or too pricey (you definitely don't want to make them uncomfortable). If you're looking for a white that's sure to please any palate, opt for Kendall-Jackson's 2014 Camelot Highlands Chardonnay... When it comes to red wines, we love ...or Freemark Abbey's 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon. And if you're still coming up blank (or if they're nondrinkers), don't be afraid to simply ask your girlfriend what they like—she's the expert when it comes to your (potential) future in-laws.

Cabernet Sauvignon Masters 2018: Gold

The sybaritic style of Freemark Abbey The winery’s 2013 Rutherford Cabernet is nearly as good since 43 percent of it is from the Bosché vineyard.

A colossal wine from an often-forgotten producer, this Rutherford giant is intense and rich. Good balance with notes of cherries, black currants and blackberries.

Some cabernet sauvignons to pair with your Valentine’s Day meal Drinking this delicious and well-balanced wine reminded us of why Rutherford is not only one of the most historic districts for cabernet sauvignon but also the best. With a legacy dating back to 1886, Freemark Abbey has been producing top cabernets year after year. The 2013 has bottle age (and with some sediment), layered fruit flavors, firm tannins and a bit of that famous “Rutherford dust.” Blackberry notes with a hint of cloves, cedar and olive.

Cedar, dark fruit and rocky minerality nose through palate. The palate opens with a wash of dark fruit and carries forward through well-integrated baking spice and hints of cocoa with rocky minerality and savoury notes through the finish. Taut, persistent, fine tannins give this wine a lot of structure with well-balanced acidity for a long finish. This is a well-structured wine that wants air upon opening or a couple years in bottle.

The sybaritic style of Freemark Abbey The winery’s top red wine, its calling card, is the Bosché Cabernet Sauvignon from the vineyard of that name in Rutherford, and the new 2013 is nearly as good as my all-time favorite Bosché wine, the 1995. The aroma has faint hints of mint and walnuts(!), and the complexity is impressive.

Freemark Abbey is one of Napa’s original producers of Cabernet Sauvignon dating back to 1886 and Winemaker Ted Edwards has had one of the longest tenures. This rock star wine was intense and needed some time in the bottle. I tasted blackberry, black currant, baking spice, tobacco, leather, black pepper, chocolate and plum.

This is another legendary Napa Valley winery that is still producing outstanding wines. Very accessible now, this wine is 75 percent cabernet sauvignon with the other four classic Bordeaux varietals making up the balance in the blend. Outstanding cherry and berry notes with an appropriate oak frame and spice notes. Delicious!

Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cherry cola. In the mouth, cherry cola flavors mix with hints of cocoa powder and tobacco. Excellent acidity keeps the wine bright and fresh, and the wood, while present, is nicely integrated.

Aromas of toasty oak and black cherries, flavors of black raspberries and black pepper, big, mellow tannins, full body.

South Africa 2020 Special ReportFijnbosch in the Banghoek Valley was part of the regular Capensis Chardonnay in 2013 and 2014, but so impressed winemaker Graham Weerts that he decided to bottle it as a single vineyard release in 2015. The result is assertively wooded, to be sure, but there's plenty of depth, concentration and focus here too. Ageing nicely. 2020-25

South Africa 2020 Special ReportThe price is certainly ambitious, but Graham Weerts' ambitious, pan-regional Chardonnay, mostly made from clone 95, certainly lives up to its reputation. With subtle malolactic notes and 40% new wood, it's mealy, stony and focused, with stone fruit and citrus flavours and a smoky, toasty finish. 2021-27

Ten Great RedsI have adored each iteration of this cuveé since its inception. This is no exception. A pallid ruby. Brilliant aromas of wood smoke, campfire, orange peel and sour cherry, sapid and intense. The mid-weighted palate is framed by a spindly web of tannins that are almost chiffon-like as much as granular, edgy and nebbiolo-esque. Less mid-palate mettle than in the past, but delicious earlier drinking.

South Africa 2020 Special ReportSilene is the cheapest of the three Capensis Chardonnays, with less new oak as a result. It's also the tautest and most restrained of the trio, showing aromas and flavours that are almost Chablis like: oyster shell, citrus and green herbs with racy acidity and a mealy undertone. 2020-24

Chateau Lassègue is an 18th Century wine estate located in the Saint-Émilion district, arguably Bordeau’s most historic due to winemaking dating from the 4th Century Gallo-Roman era. The Chateau is listed as a World Heritage Site by Unesco. In 2003 the Chateau was purchased from the Freylon Family by Jackson Family Wines along with partners Pierre and Monique Seillan. Pierre, a French winemaker with nearly five decades international experience, has been involved with JFW on several ventures including being Vigneron for Vérité and Anakota in Sonoma County, California, Château Lassègue and Château Vignot in Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, and Arcanum and Valadorna in Tuscany.Merlot, the major constituent of this wine at 60% and the mainstay of Saint-Émilion’s blended wines, was first cited in the mid-1780s relative to Bordeaux’s Right Bank, and by the mid-19th Century plantings were seen on Bordeaux’s Left Bank, as well as in Italy. Since, Merlot has been disbursed widely, not only in France, but also in California, Italy, Chile, and eastern Europe. Often used as a blending partner to soften Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot gained popularity in the USA as a stand-alone varietal when the market realized that aging was not a prerequisite prior to consumption.Merlot prefers a cooler clime than Cabernet Sauvignon, and to produce focused, high quality wine, attentive, knowledgeable viticulturists are preferred. At its best Merlot yields softly textured wines with lush flavors. The winemaking of Merlot generally falls into one of two main styles. One, a slow, longer ferment, is believed to produce a lighter, more elegant wine. The other is a speedier, briefer ferment purportedly yielding wines with a luscious, exotic character and flavors. The particular grapes used may lean towards one of those two styles.The deep roots on Chateau Lassègue’s 40 to 50 year old vines, plus the water retention ability of the Chateau’s clay-limestone soils permitted access to adequate moisture to support development over the dry, warm summer of 2016. Fermentation was in stainless with élevage in 70% new French oak.This 2016 displays a beautiful onyx in color with shades of ruby glimmering through while exposing a violet rim. Aromas of fresh sliced black plum, pungent crème de cassis, black cherries, blackberry jam, and violets. This is a highly concentrated wine, yet the bright acidity and notable fresh fruit lend contrasting finesse to the touch and feel in a well integrated whole. Such a really big wine that keeps on beckoning into the finish, and to the last drop.For an accompaniment, I knew rotisserie chicken would be a good match. But I decided to put some zing in the chicken by frying slices of it briefly on medium-high heat along with, what else, diced garlic cloves! The pairing was absolutely perfect with this Merlot, 33% Cab Franc, and 7% Cab Sauvignon blend!

Has an abundance of stone fruit and citrus/grapefruit flavours on a lively palate, something of a surprise.

The Mandatory Endless Summer Guide to Rosé and White Wines to Keep the Days EasyLight acidity and fresh fruit flavors like strawberry, apricot, and grapefruit makes this fresh, refreshing wine perfect for end of summer day drinking.

Made in the slightly sweet style that made this bottling famous, this Chardonnay's pineapple, orange and peach flavors are balanced by crisp, coastal acidity. It's a fine sipper at an affordable price.

Everything about this is a classic choice: Chardonnay is a natural accompaniment for a turkey dinner with all the fixings, and this example is the signature wine from one of Sonoma Valley’s biggest producers. Even if you’re an anything-but-Chardonnay wine drinker, you may like this one. Fermented in small barrels, it goes easy on the oak and lets just a hint of warm vanilla linger with the sweet pineapple and papaya flavours that a great Chard allows to shine.

If you are looking for a wine splurge for the holidays, California cabernet sauvignon is a great place to start. The following recommendations are the best California cabs I tasted this year.2018 Cardinale. Cardinale’s mission is to produce cabernet sauvignon that expresses the essence of Napa Valley. Grapes are sourced from esteemed vineyards throughout the valley. The 2018 melds seven appellations, with Spring Mountain and Howell Mountain forming the core. Intensity, age-worthy tannins, rich character and layered complexity are the hallmarks of this masterpiece.

2020 Giant Steps Applejack Vineyard Pinot NoirGiant Steps is one of the Yarra Valley’s best-performing wineries. Steve Flamsteed created this wine from fruit grown in the cool Upper Yarra at Giant Steps’ own Applejack Vineyard.

The 100 most amazing wines in Sonoma CountyIt packs a wallop, at 16.1% alcohol, yet is nicely balanced on the palate, with only a touch of heat. Violets, wild red and blue berries, mocha and sandalwood are the top notes of this juicy and intense wine, whose style is everything to zinfanatics.