MyWinePal

I attended one dinner during the Vancouver International Wine Festival this year, courtesy of the Festival.  It was with Maison Chapoutier at  L’Abattoir.  It was a truly spectacular evening with Mr. James Leonardo De Sá from M. Chapoutier telling us about the winery and the wines we enjoyed that evening.  Did you know that Canada represents Chapoutier’s largest market outside…

In my earlier article I wrote about two Chardonnay wines from Maison Joseph Drouhin. One coming from Macon-Villages comes from a large region in the south end of Burgundy and the other from their Drouhin-Vaudon Chablis, from the Valley of Vauvillien.  Today I have the other two Chardonnay to tell you about.  Both are estate Chablis, one being their Chablis…

Maison Joseph Drouhin from Burgundy makes several different expressions of Chardonnay.  I received four bottles of their various Chardonnay wines, and in this article I will review two for you.  According to the winery, their Macon-Villages 2022 comes from a large region in the south end of Burgundy, close to Pouilly-Fuissé, which has clay and chalk soils. The size of…

Wine lovers often talk about “Old World vs. New World,” but the comparison becomes far more interesting when you look at two regions that share a deep respect for terroir while expressing it in completely different ways. British Columbia and France may be separated by an ocean and centuries of winemaking history, yet they meet at the intersection of climate,…

Winemaking in the past has been dominated by men around the world, but times are changing.  British Columbia is a great example.  If you’ve ever cracked open a bottle of BC wine, there is a high probability that it was made by a female winemaker and/or the winery is female owned. Estimates suggest about 20% of lead winemakers in the…

Six months ago, in August 2025, I tasted BC’s Hester Creek Estate Vineyard Garland 2022 and The Judge 2022 Bordeaux-style red blends.  These are their top tier Origin wines.  Both wines were made in the epic year of 2022 when weather conditions and the harvest was perfect.  At that time I first tasted these wines, both tied in my wine…

Keeping our elbows up, if you live anywhere in the BC mainland, or anywhere in Canada suffering from snow, and you enjoy wine, beer, and other libations, you may want to consider visiting Victoria and surrounding areas on southern Vancouver Island.  I’d say that Victoria has the best weather / climate in Canada.  But you may not know about different…

Founded in 1880 by Joseph Drouhin in Beaune, France, Maison Joseph Drouhin has grown from a local négociant into a premier Burgundian estate. Known for pioneering organic and biodynamic viticulture since the 1980s, the family-run house manages extensive vineyards across the Côte de Beaune, Côte de Nuits, and Chablis.  But beside Burgundy, Joseph Drouhin is also known for pioneering the…

Your Tasting Brain: A Sensory Approach to Wine, Beer, and Other Pleasures, by Randy Mosher, is a deep dive into the science of how, what, and why the senses work the way they do when we taste something, with a smaller component covering the practical aspects tasting whether you are a casual drinker or an expert critic.  The science portion…

Once prized in the courts of Europe and poured for royalty, Riesling was long considered one of the continent’s most noble wines, especially in regions along the Rhine River. In the 19th century, top bottles from Germany often commanded prices rivalling the great growths of Bordeaux. Today, Riesling is revered by knowledgeable wine drinkers for its remarkable range, from bone-dry…