MyWinePal

What do you know about Prosecco DOC?  When purchasing a bottle, most of us probably just see that the bottle says “Prosecco” without checking its designation.  I recently attended a masterclass, led by Jenna Briscoe, a local sommelier and wine school educator, that covered the history, culture, and quality assurance around Prosecco DOC.  Let me tell you about it, along…

Enjoying a bottle of wine from a specific date tells you about that time in harvest and the growing season.  But what is even more interesting is if you have a vertical of the same wine so that you can taste beyond the growing season to see what unique qualities there are for that grape growing in a specific vineyard…

As I mentioned in a recent Instagram post, with inter-trade barriers coming to a close in Canada by Canada Day and Canadians wanting to support Canadians, I contacted some Ontario wineries about sending me samples of their Cabernet Franc wines to review. Cabernet Franc has found a remarkable home in the diverse terroirs of Ontario, producing wines that are both…

Easter dinner is a time for togetherness and tradition, often centred around comforting dishes like roast turkey, baked ham, or perhaps even baked salmon. No matter what ends up on your plate, choosing the right wine can elevate the meal from simply delicious to truly memorable. Below are some wine pairings, including suggestions from our local BC wineries, that will…

Sunny springtime weather will soon be upon us.  Daffodils are already blooming, as well as cherry blossoms in the Vancouver lower mainland.  So it is time to think about enjoying white wines on your patio or a restaurant patio.  I have two terrific white wines from the Okanagan’s Township 7 Winery for you.  I have the Township 7 Benchmark Series…

When you pick up a bottle of Champagne or sparkling wine, you may notice that some have a vintage year on the label, while others do not. The presence or absence of a vintage date can have a significant impact on the wine inside. But what exactly does it mean, and how does it affect the taste, aging potential, and…

Along with the Bourgogne seminar I attended, there was also a Trade tasting featuring 19 Domaines, Maisons and Caves Coopératives. Like the seminar, this Trade tasting featured village wines that too often go unnoticed.  They reflect the terroirs that shaped them and offer an unbeatable quality-price ratio, not to mention wonderful tasting pleasure.  Here are my favourite wines from this…

Holly Frey and Maria Trimarchi are two podcasters with a show called Criminalia which tries to dig in and take a closer look at some of history’s crimes and criminals from the ancient past, Egyptian times, to the near present.  The first year of their podcast covered “female poisoners” and as cocktail lovers they thought, why not enjoy a cocktail…

Here are my final two Argentinean Malbec wines that I would like to present to you in preparation for Malbec World Day, April 17, 2025.  The first wine is Doña Paula Estate High Altitude Malbec 2023 and the second wine is Luigi Bosca Wines’ Malbec 2022. You may remember that I wrote about the Luigi Bosca Wines’ La Linda Old…

Did you know that Canada is a very important market for French, Bourgogne, wines?  We are the third largest market in volume and sixth largest market in term of value.  The Canadian Bourgogne market is weighted toward white wines, particularly from Chablis. Our seminar today introduced us to some Bourgogne wine regions that we may not have much familiarity, but…