MyWinePal

Today’s two wines I label “Wine hands across the border,” as one wine has grapes from the Okanagan and the other bottle has grapes from Washington state.  The winery and wines are Hester Creek Estate Winery Trebbiano 2025 and Hester Creek Estate Winery Rosé Cabernet Franc 2024.  The Trebbiano is from Hester Creek’s estate vineyard on the Golden Mile Bench…

Recently I opened a bottle of BC’s Blasted Church Vineyards Big Bang Theory 2024.  It is made primarily from Merlot, Syrah, and Malbec (with contributions from varietals like Pinot Noir and Lemberger) using fruit sourced from the Andrews Family Vineyards in Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills.  2024, remember, was when we had the terrible January cold snap that wiped out many…

The Swirl Around BC Wine Expo was held this week for people in the wine trade to show off the latest vintages from BC wineries across the province.  I decided to start by tasting white wines only, and then as time and my back permitted, I would try a few red wines.  Most of the white wines are from our…

I recently attended a walkabout wine tasting of the wines from the state of Victoria, which is in the southeastern corner of Australia.  Its capital city is Melbourne, where the Australian Open is held in January, kicking off the first of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments.  Within Victoria there are 21 wine regions that range from cooler climates, for…

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…