Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
With the hot summer weather, it was time for me to get out and enjoy it with a day trip to Chaberton Estate Winery in Langley where I met with GM Brian Ensor. He gave me a guided tour, first bringing me out to the vineyards where the first vines I saw were their 40-year-old Bacchus grapes. It is hard…
I wrote about Chile’s 8 Rios 2019 vintage wines 2 years ago, being tasty wines at an exceptional price. I am re-tasting these wines from the 2021 vintage. In particular, the 8 Rios Sauvignon Blanc 2021 and the 8 Rios Rosé 2021 which is made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Vina Undurraga is the maker of this entry-level 8 Rios label. …
At the Vancouver International Wine Festival, I spent time at the International Festival Tasting room on Thursday and Friday to taste as many wines as possible. I published my Old World wine selections a few days ago and now it is time to give you my New World wine selections. New World wines are typically categorized as being from the…
My first and only dinner during the Vancouver Wine Festival 2022 was the “Icons of South America” held at Alouette Bistro. Classic French cuisine with a West Coast twist meets powerhouse wines from Chile. Wines from Viñedo Chadwick, Seña, and Arboleda wines, from the vineyards in the Aconcagua Valley and Maipo Valley, were paired with the following dishes prepared by…
2021 was a year of extreme weather conditions in BC, which had an impact on BC grapes and wine production. Temperature records were shattered in many regions. I’ve been told that Kelowna, Kamloops, Osoyoos, and Lillooet were among 60 cities that broke temperature records. The heat dome in the summer causes grapevines to shut down until the weather cools off. …
Winemaking has been around for hundreds of years. We are very familiar with wines coming from Europe, in particular France, where we talk about Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne. We typically call Europe the “Old World” wine region, while wines made from the southern hemisphere, are known as the “New World“, plus North America. But where did the grapes come from…
It is Spring and I was fortunate to attend the Heart of Wine Country Spring Release Tasting covering wines from Okanagan Falls and Skaha Lake. This is the first stand-up and walk-around trade tasting that I had since the COVID shutdown 2 years ago. It was quite an experience to see people to talk about their wines, meet friends I…
Have you heard of Frind Estate Winery before? They are one of the newer wineries, located in West Kelowna. Eric Von Krosigk, their winemaker, comes with lots of great knowledge. He is originally from Vernon. In 1983, Eric moved to Germany to apprentice and work at wineries in the Mosel and fell in love with sparkling wines. In 1991, Eric…
Here we have BC’s Frind Estate Winery telling us about their history and the wines they will be pouring at the Vancouver International Wine Festival. Enjoy. Frind Estate Winery opened its doors August long weekend of 2019. The cogs were in motion for this family project years before. In 2017, Markus and Annie Frind purchased the Bennett Family Property. Formerly…
In 2021 we stayed at home mostly, with little travel, usually local, due to COVID. I’ve read that sales of wine, beer and spirits had increased in 2021. I wondered a bit more about the wines we were drinking across Canada. For example, was Chardonnay the top white wine in BC or Nova Scotia? Was Ontario the top consumer of…
