Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
Bench 1775 Winery, located on the Naramata Bench north of Penticton, had GM and winemaker Val Tait, join in the winter of 2012. Her goal is to make pure, varietal-specific wines that reflect the planted clone varieties, the vineyard sites, and the microclimates of the fruit’s origin. Val has a great resume, making wines at Poplar Grove, Painted Rock, and…
Bench 1775 Winery is located in on 1775 Naramata Road, on the Naramata Bench. They believe that great wines start in the vineyard, so all of their vineyard sites were analyzed in detail before being planted with clones and rootstocks best adapted to their soils and site climate. Val Tait, the viticulturist, wine maker and GM of Bench 1775, tries to…
Last week I attended the Swirl Around BC wines event seminar, which was followed by wine tastings from a variety of BC wineries. I decided to check on sparkling, rosé, and white wines leading up to the Holiday season. Here are a few wines I thought were quite good and you may enjoy. Remember with the winter cold snap affecting…
This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving. I looked back at the past few months this year to see what current BC and Ontario wines might be a good match for a roast turkey or ham dinner. Below are wines from both provinces that I think would be good pairings. BC Wines High Note Estate Winery Soubrette Pinot Grigio 2022 – this…
To start off the Vancouver International Wine Festival, I attended this masterclass which featured 11 British Columbia wines from across the province, “Defining the Root of BC Terroir“. Our panellists, the winemakers at the wineries, discussed the unique growing conditions of their vineyard and terroir of the area. There was also some discussion on what BC winegrowers are doing in…
It’s time for our BC wines to be recognized by our peers. The results from the 2023 British Columbia Lieutenant Governor’s Wine Awards have been announced. Here is the press release. Pick up the bottles that won as soon as possible as they will sell out soon! ~~~ (KELOWNA, BC) – April 18, 2023: On April 3 through 5, 2023,…
I thought I’d write this article about BC Rosé wines as rosé wines have been on a growth tear for several years. Plus checking my website stats for the last 4 weeks, the top query was “Mateus Rosé Wine“. Mateus, from Portugal, has been around for many years, enjoyed by my parents, and is now updated and reaching out to…
Just like Malbec, the white Semillon grape is not that well-known in BC wine production. Semillon is a blending grape in Bordeaux with Sauvignon Blanc to make White Bordeaux blends as well as it is used as one of the grapes to produce the sweet Sauternes wines. Semillon is a fuller bodied grape, and offers a waxy texture to the wine. …
When we think about red wines of BC we think of wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Syrah grapes. But what about lesser known grapes such as Malbec? How much single varietal Malbec wines are made in BC, or is blended with other grape varieties to make a “Meritage” wine? Malbec is a Bordeaux grape that needs…
Here are two big red wines from Gold Hill Winery from Oliver in the South Okanagan. Both are Merlot based. Their Gold Hill Merlot 2014 coming in at 16.1% alc, and their Gold Hill Cabernet Merlot 2017. It is interesting that the Merlot has a screw cap, while the Cabernet Merlot has a cork closure, with the screw cap being on…
