Author: mywinepal

Drink Good Wine. That is my motto and I really want to help you drink good wine. What is good wine? That can be a different thing for each people. Food also loves wine so I also cover food and wine pairings, restaurant reviews, and world travel. Enjoy life with me. MyWinePal was started by Karl Kliparchuk, WSET. I spent many years with the South World Wine Society as the President and then cellar master. I love to travel around the world, visiting wine regions and sharing my passion for food & wine with you. Come live vicariously through me, and enjoy all my recommended wines.
Domaines Schlumberger Riesling Grand Cru Kessler 2018 label

Understanding Alsace’s Terroir and Alsatian Wine Labelling

 mywinepal  January 12, 2026  0 Comments on Understanding Alsace’s Terroir and Alsatian Wine Labelling

Alsatian wines are a vibrant expression of terroir, tradition, and typicity, where the label is a map to aromatic precision and regional pride.  Nestled between the Vosges Mountains and the Rhine River in northeastern France, Alsace is a region where geology and climate intersect to produce some of the world’s most expressive, aromatic white wines. The area is protected by…

Côtes du Rhône and the Rhone Valley (Image courtesy Côtes du Rhône)

Côtes du Rhône, Climate Resilience, and Tasting the WinesPR SAMPLE 

 mywinepal  January 4, 2026  0 Comments on Côtes du Rhône, Climate Resilience, and Tasting the WinesPR SAMPLE 

Our climate is changing.  That is not up to debate.  Wineries from around the world have been looking into ways to make their vineyards more resilient to these changes.  One of those regions is the AOC Côtes du Rhône within the Rhône Valley in France.  I received three wines from the region, along with information about how the Côtes du…

VanWineFest International Festival tasting room

VanWineFest 2026: Get Your Tickets for Public or Trade Events

 mywinepal  January 2, 2026  0 Comments on VanWineFest 2026: Get Your Tickets for Public or Trade Events

If you have been waiting to find out about purchasing tickets for public or for Trade events for VanWineFest 2026, this press release came out today.  Read on! ~~~~~ VANCOUVER, BC (January 2, 2026) — The 47th annual Vancouver International Wine Festival returns for a weeklong celebration of wine and food, March 7-14 at the Vancouver Convention Centre East and other venues in Vancouver. The 2026…

MyWinePal Top 5 Star Wines

MyWinePal’s Top 5 Star Wine for 2025

 mywinepal  January 1, 2026  0 Comments on MyWinePal’s Top 5 Star Wine for 2025

Happy New Year, everyone! In 2025, I wrote 142 wine tasting articles, with most of the articles reviewing two bottles of wine.  From a quick calculation, I wrote at least 284 wine reviews on mywinepal.  Wines submitted to me through the year ranged from  to  wines, but I usually only post wines that were at least .  Price is not a factor…

MyWinePal Top 4.5-5 Star Wines

MyWinePal’s Top 4.5 – 5 Star Wines for 2025

 mywinepal  December 30, 2025  0 Comments on MyWinePal’s Top 4.5 – 5 Star Wines for 2025

We have had some turmoil in Canada and in BC for wines in 2025.  Many BC interior wineries suffered from the 2024 cold snap causing them to either not produce any wine in 2024, or importing grapes from across the border, or from Ontario.  We also had the removal of USA wines from BC government liquor stores.  Overall, we had…

Gold Hill Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2022 and Charisma Cabernet Merlot 2021 with wines in glasses

BC’s Gold Hill Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2022 and Charisma Cabernet Merlot 2021PR SAMPLE 

 mywinepal  December 27, 2025  0 Comments on BC’s Gold Hill Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2022 and Charisma Cabernet Merlot 2021PR SAMPLE 

Today I have two wines for you from south Okanagan’s Gold Hill Winery; their Gold Hill Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2022 and Charisma Cabernet Merlot 2021.  Charisma is their second label.  Charisma wines curates charming approachable everyday drinking wines.  There were scattered forest fires in the BC interior in 2021, but the winemakers at that time did not notice any smoke taint…