MyWinePal

I love tasting and reviewing wines, but sometimes after a long stretch of wine tasting, it is refreshing to taste another alcoholic beverage.  On my visit to southern Vancouver Island, I stopped by Junction Orchard & Cidery to try their ciders.  The cidery is located about 15-20 minutes north of downtown Victoria, so it is easy for a visit if…

Did you know that Blue Grouse Estate Winery and Unsworth Vineyards in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island are owned by the Sonoma-based Jackson Family from California?  The acquisitions, in 2022 and 2020, respectively, allow the family to grow their global portfolio, which includes vineyards in California, Oregon, Washington, Italy, France, Chile, South Africa, and Australia.  They see tremendous potential…

I finally had a chance on a recent trip to Victoria to make a side trip to the Cowichan Valley to visit Unsworth Vineyards and Blue Grouse Estate Winery.  Unsworth is a bit closer to Victoria, so it was the first stop on my wine tasting day.  The winery grounds look beautiful with a modern-designed tasting room with lots of…

Most of us, when we think of BC wine, think of the Okanagan, but a short ferry ride to Victoria, and a drive up the Malahat, will bring you to some south Island wineries. In one visit, I first went to Unsworth Vineyards to sample their wines, then drove a little further north, near Duncan, to the Blue Grouse Estate…

Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with winemaker Patrick Murphy at 1909 Estate Winery in Langley.  Patrick has been making wines for many years.  You may recognize his name as one of the owners of Vista D’oro Farms & Winery in the Fraser Valley.  He and his wife sold the winery in 2024, and he has been hired by…

Aging aromatic white wine varietals has been contentious, with many saying that these types of wines need to be enjoyed young.  BC grows many aromatic white vitis vinifera varieties.  Pinot Blanc is one of the grapes grown, although it is not as perfuse in aromatics compared to Pinot Gris, which is widely grown in BC.  I recently opened a bottle…

Cocktail culture in Vancouver has been around for a few years now, but I think it slows down in the summer and picks up in the fall and winter.  As we are slowly transitioning from summer to fall weather, I thought we could get into some simple cocktails to make and enjoy using sherry.  Have you ever made cocktails using…

Isn’t wine a miracle?  From grapes, ripened by sunshine and nourished by the soil, they transform with the help from yeast to produce wines for us to enjoy.  There is no reason for wine to exist, other than for pleasure. Don’t you agree? I received a bottle of one of Portugal’s Vinho Verde (Green Wine) from the Quinta da Pedra…

Summer is slowly winding down.  But we can still enjoy time on our patios with a glass of BC wine.  Here are two BC wines from Lillooet’s Fort Berens Estate Winery you may wish to try.  I am tasting their Fort Berens Estate Winery Pinot Gris 2025 and Fort Berens Estate Winery Rosé 2025.  The grapes come from their estate,…

How many of you save bottles of wine to taste many years later?  Some of us do this on purpose while others forget about a bottle in the back of a cabinet and discover it after the wine has aged many years.  I do keep bottles to age on purpose.  One bottle from the French Languedoc is Chateau Notre Dame…