Author: mywinepal

Okanagan Crush Pad (OCP) in Summerland, BC, has not yet been around for a year, but has already has an impressive list of up and coming wineries using their custom wine making services. On a recent Media trip to visit OCP, we were introduced to their winery clients, and learned more about OCP’s vineyard and wine making philosophies.  One of…

Pulling into Bill and Darlene Freding’s Ranch, in Oliver, BC, we were greeted by cowboys and cowgirls on horseback.  This would be the start of our cowboy welcome to one of the newest wineries in BC.  Bill and Dar, have been cattle ranching together since the late 1970’s in the Cariboo-Chilcotin.  Fast forward to 1998, they had purchased some land…

Being social has it’s privileges.  One such privilege is being invited to Marquis Wine Cellar’s Social Media tasting in downtown Vancouver.  A small, intimate affair with other social media wine and food bloggers; we get to try some new and exciting wines brought in by Marquis.  This year, I had my sights on two wines: 1) Josko Gravner Breg Anfora…

Last week was the first, Vol 1, of Vancouver Foodster’s Food Talks.  It was held in the W2 Media Cafe downtown.  To warm us up, we were treated to an array of Indian inspired non-alcoholic drinks and appetizers, and red & white wines from Misconduct Wine Company from Penticton. There was a wide range of speakers this evening.  Two chefs,…

Last year I attended the Taste of Tulalip and had a great time.  The food and wine were top quality.  The tickets for this year’s event are now on sale, so I thought I would give you early notice so that you can buy your tickets before they sell out.  The event has a Friday night Gala Dinner, which has…

The Hotel Georgia in downtown Vancouver is a landmark location.  It has been known as the city’s most elegant retreat. The Georgian Revival structure welcomed a who’s who of the entertainment world to British Columbia, including Elvis Presley, Nat “King” Cole, Katharine Hepburn and British royalty. The legendary boutique hotel was recently renovated and was unveiled in July 2011 as…

Yesterday afternoon was beautiful and sunny, and the Dockside Restaurant perfectly placed in Granville Island looking over the water.  With this as our backdrop we were enticed to try wines from around the world by 17 different wine agencies here in Vancouver.  The name of the event is Pelican Bay Wine Tasting.  As I had not attended this event before,…

This past week was very busy with wine events, but one event that I made sure to attend was the Bloom Vancouver, BC VQA Spring Release Tasting.  This was a Trade only event, so people like media, restaurant owners, sommeliers, and other wine buyers for consumers were only in attendance.  With spring you get the current release of the white…

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go down to Woodinville, WA and try the wines from 4 different wineries. I’ve been travelling down to Woodinville every few months and going to a different set of wineries’ tasting rooms. I think I’ve counted about 96 tasting rooms, so going to 4 per trip will take me 24 trips. Where is…

In Part 1 of my Review of the New Zealand Wine Fair 2012, I talked about New Zealand’s sustainability goals, and provided tasting notes on the New Zealand wine makers’ upcoming varietals to the rest of the world of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, and Syrah. But there is also Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and more to try during this tasting. …