MyWinePal

In Part 1 of my Review of the New Zealand Wine Fair 2012, I talked about New Zealand’s sustainability goals, and provided tasting notes on the New Zealand wine makers’ upcoming varietals to the rest of the world of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, and Syrah. But there is also Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and more [...]

The California Wine Fair 2012 Canadian Tour came to Vancouver this past week.  It is highly anticipated and always delivers.  There were so many wines to try, from what you expect, like Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, but also the unexpected, like a Chenin or a Cabernet Franc.  California has wines of all different styles [...]

Another winery I had a good luck to visit when I was in the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State was Wind Rose Cellars.  The owner and wine maker, Mr. David Volmut, greeted me at the door.  Wind Rose Cellars just opened last year in Sequim (pronounced “skwim”) but is already producing some nice wines.  David [...]

January 23, 2012, arrived full of promise, dragon-sized.  With that in mind, I checked out the New Product Salon for the Import Vintners & Spirits Association (IVSA) in downtown Vancouver.  There was a wide range of wines; sparkling, still, red, white, and fortified.  A few stars from the tasting that I would like to share [...]

David Scholefield and Michael Bartier are not new to wine in BC.  Michael Bartier was born and raised in the Okanagan and worked in the past for Hawthorne Mountain (See Ya Later Ranch), Township 7, Stag’s Hollow and most recently Road 13 Vineyards. He joins the team at Okanagan Crush Pad Winery as winemaker, where [...]

November is always a special time for tasting new wines at the Import Vintners and Spirits Association (IVSA).  It’s just one month away from the Christmas and New Years holidays.  And that means lots of sparkling wines to taste.  So with this in mind, I spent almost all my time at the IVSA tasting bubbles.  [...]

I’ve been told that over the past two decades, the Wines of British Columbia have truly come of age.  Wines are produced in the Okanagan, the Similkameen, the Fraser Valley, the Gulf Islands and on Vancouver Island.  Cool climate to desert conditions let us produce a wide range of wines and wine styles.  At the [...]

This week I was invited to some major announcements from Okanagan Crush Pad. OCP was established in 2010 by Christine Coletta and Steve Lornie. The Crush Pad is located on Switchback Road in Summerland, BC. Their head wine maker is Mr. Michael Bartier. Mr. Alberto Antonini is their consulting viticulturist and wine maker from Italy, [...]

On the MyWinePal blog I posted my Spanish wine picks, sans reviews, but promised the reviews would come out here on the main MyWinePal website. As promised, I’ve had a chance to sit down in front of the computer going through my wine notes and entering them for you. I hope you find a wine [...]

In Part 1 of my attendance at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Fair, I reviewed wines of New Zealand and Argentina. Here in Part 2, I’ll cover the rest of the world (or at least parts that I had a chance to taste)! If you like Italian wines, Altesino is a nice coice. I particularly [...]