MyWinePal

BC has had a few recent hard growing seasons, in particular 2021 and 2023. But then 2024 hit with the devastating cold snap in January, which wiped out the vines for many Okanagan wineries. To continue in business, many wineries were given the option to purchase grapes from outside of BC. Township 7 Vineyards & Winery was one of those…

Have you ever heard of the Alentejo wine region?  Would you guess it is in Spain, Portugal, or Chile?  If you guessed, Portugal, you would be correct.  Recently, I attended a Wines of Alentejo trade learning session held downtown at Coast.  It was presented by wine educator Jenna Brisco. The session provided a comprehensive overview of the Alentejo wine region, highlighting…

Wines from Uruguay are rare to find in British Columbia.  I recently discovered the wines from Los Cerros de San Juan and their Cuna de Piedra Estate wine label.  I read that the winery was founded in 1854 by the Lahusen family (from Germany) when they acquired four estates located between the San Juan and Río de La Plata rivers….

Gérard Bertrand, coming from the south of France, in the Languedoc, took over his father’s winery in 1987, although he started off as a professional rugby player in France.  Gérard Bertrand currently owns 16 estates with their unique terroirs in the region. The Languedoc has been growing grapes for wines for 24 centuries (Greeks planted grapes around 550 BC) and…

Standing before the sprawling shelves of a BC Liquor store, LCBO, SAQ, or local specialty grocer, deciding between dozens of Tuscan red wines and artisanal extra virgin olive oils can feel overwhelming. Labels boast enticing imagery, but how do you spot true regional authenticity amidst slick marketing? Enter Savor Quality from Europe, an EU-cofunded initiative spotlighting the rich provenance behind…

Recently, I attended a Burgundy seminar led by Laurent Drouhin, a fourth-generation family member and Export Director of Maison Joseph Drouhin, in Vancouver. Laurent brings over 140 years of family heritage to the seminar.  He started off by introducing us to the supply pyramid of Burgundy wines, followed by the effects of climate change on the vineyards, the philosophy and…

British Columbia’s wine industry continues to show just how much can be achieved in a relatively young wine region. The 2026 National Wine Awards of Canada provided a good reminder of that, with BC wineries earning an impressive 640 medals, representing 51% of all medals awarded at the competition. Beyond the medals, the results also point to the diversity of…

Trips do not need to be hours away, requiring you to get up early to be at the airport three hours before the flight, then to sit in economy, squished into a seat that doesn’t recline very well, for hours, while there are people around you sneezing and coughing.  Sometimes a trip can be done in one day, with a…

If someone asked if you would like to try an Espumante wine, would you know what they asked? Espumante is the Portuguese term for sparkling wine.  Typically made in the Charmat method, it is usually a fun, friendly, easy-to-sip, wine.  I received a bottle of the Okanagan’s Adega on 45th Espumante 2025 to review for you.  This wine is a…

Kathleen Mildred Burk is Professor Emerita of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London, who uses her skills at sourcing in-depth historical information for her book, ” Wine A Global History“. There are 18 chapters for this book, starting you off with wine production in ancient Greece and Rome, how wine spread through religion and wars, the spread of…