Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
The second winery on the Naramata Bench I visited was Howling Bluff Estate Winery. This is a small family-run winery, starting with the land purchase in 2003, that specializes in Pinot Noir wines, although they also produce other quality wines. I met with co-owner and winemaker, Luke Smith, sitting at the tasting room patio, where we chatted about the latest…
My last winery visit in Okanagan Falls, before getting back to my visit to the Naramata Bench, is Blasted Church Vineyards. They have very colourful and expressive labels, with a religious bent or Renaissance theme to them, as the winery is located on Parson’s Road. All their wines are unfined and unfiltered, so some wines may have a dull appearance…
Across the vineyard from Meyer Family Vineyards in Okanagan Falls, is their sister winery, Mayhem Wines created by JAK Meyer and his sister, Terry. The grapes come from the Anarchist Mountain Vineyard in Osoyoos as well as vineyards on the Naramata Bench and Oliver. While tasting the wines below, winemaker Ajay Chavan came out to talk about his wines. He…
Australia, Argentina, and Chile each boast rich histories of winemaking that reflect their unique terroirs and cultural influences, as well as the origins of their signature grape varietals. Australia’s wine journey began with early European settlers in the 18th century, who quickly recognized the potential of its diverse landscapes, leading to the establishment of iconic regions like Barossa Valley and…
The Fall release of BC VQA wines was in late September. Due to skytrain issues getting to the venue, I did not have as much time to taste the new wine releases, so I concentrated on white wines. There were also red wines, but not enough time to taste. There are a few sparkling wines on this list, which you…
Although the main purpose of my visit to the Okanagan was to visit Naramata Bench wineries, I made a side trip to Okanagan Falls. Meyer Family Vineyards in Okanagan Falls was the first winery I visited on my Fall trip to the Okanagan. I love Pinot Noir and Meyer Family is one of my favourite Pinot producers. I sat outside…
What do you know about BC Pinot Noir? Do you have a favourite winery or wine region in BC for Pinot Noir? In today’s seminar, the Possibilities of Pinot, we were brought up to date on the state of Pinot Noir in BC. Our Moderator for this seminar was Barb Philip MW. Our panellists were either owners or winemakers from…
New Australian wine has arrived on our shores after a hiatus, in part due to COVID. I attended a tasting of these new arrivals. Some are new to BC while other wines are new vintages of wines that we already enjoy. I missed out on a seminar, so have no additional pearls of wisdom for you, but here are my…
My last stop on my two-day tour of the Fraser Valley was at Taves Estate Cidery and their associated family farm. You can easily spend a whole day here if you have children as they will be fascinated by all the farm animals. They can pet and feed rabbits, goats, and more. I enjoyed petting the animals, and taking a…
When I started wine tasting seriously, I took a WSET 1 class using ISO wine-tasting glasses. As I progressed with my wine knowledge, I began using glasses made specifically for red or white wine, or more specifically for a grape variety. I received a set of four wine glasses from Josephinenhutte in Germany, which Kurt Josef Zalto, an amazing 6th…
