“It’s my favourite beer,” says my pal Ede, who is something of a beer connoisseur. So I tried it and, just like Mikey, I like it. A lot. I still puzzle over the name, though: why is a Dutch brew called Bavaria? Self-described as “a family-brewed premium beer”, it clocks in at five percent alcohol and is available in a half-litre can; a six-pack runs $11.99 plus deposit. While the price is similar, it’s better value than most import beers, because many come in 330-millilitre containers.

There’s something about the spicy, floral grape that really hits the spot with this slow-cooked garnished sauerkraut dish. Here's a shopping list of eight recent tastes to get you started.

This week Jurgen Gothe samples vodkas straight, peared, mangoed, mapled, açai’d, citroned, and moonlit from Greenland, Sweden, the U.S., the Netherlands, Canada, and Vietnam.

The problem with no-alcohol beer is that it isn’t: most of what passes for it actually has a half-point or so of alcohol. Not this one.

Red wines blended with white Viognier now number 10 in the B.C. catalogue and have become a summertime favourite this season. Jurgen Gothe samples six bottles and rates them by flavour and value.

Dozens of new Chardonnays arrive in stores each year and our thirst for the tasty white grape knows no limits. Jurgen Gothe rates a batch of newcomers from Australia, B.C., California, and Chile.

If you buy one of each from this Chilean producer's portfolio of seven wines available in B.C, you will have barely spent $85 and will have a terrific wine-tasting, food-matching adventure ahead of you.

What more fitting way to celebrate B.C. Day than with a thimbleful of one of our province’s proudest wine exports, icewine—specifically Peller Estates Private Reserve Trinity Icewine 2005 ($52.99 for the 375-millilitre bottle). Based on the hybrid variety Vidal Blanc (54 percent), along with Riesling and Ehrenfelser, it’s already pleased so many palates—critical and just for sheer enjoyment—that the 711-case supply seems to have sold out, at least from the winery.

Jurgen Gothe took price as the prime consideration and tasted both the cheapest and most expensive wines. His conclusion: go for the $8.49 bottle.

Here's one more recipe. This Elephant Island Rosemary Swizzle brings together Elephant Island’s unique crab-apple wine with a splash of gin and flavours of lime and fresh rosemary.

It's love at first taste for two specialty white spirits now found in B.C. liquor stores. Enjoy these simple recipes for sugar-cane juiced caipirinhas and mojitos that will quickly become your favourite summer sippers.

Ed and Nick aren’t typical Argentine names, yet that’s who signs the back labels of two same-varietal, different-designated-vineyard Malbecs from Argentina’s prime grape region, Mendoza. Read on and you learn that they are the importers of two delicious big reds: La Posta Angel Paulucci Vineyard Malbec and La Posta Pizzella Family Vineyard, both 2006 vintage, both $19.99.

Here's a few Extreme Chardonnays: the cheapest, the costliest, the sticky sweet, and the ultra-dry. Take your pick, says Jurgen Gothe, there’s something for every taste and every wallet of the world's preferred white wine.

Summer seems to be the season for vodka, with more than 100 types flowing through government stores. Jurgen Gothe sips through some of the latest, including “the world’s first eco-friendly luxury vodka”.

Quite a few of the world’s best substances are the result of good blending: tea, perfume, and wine. Here are a few from the wine valley in our own provincial back yard for you to sip and savour.