Category: apple

Trips do not need to be hours away, requiring you to get up early to be at the airport three hours before the flight, then to sit in economy, squished into a seat that doesn’t recline very well, for hours, while there are people around you sneezing and coughing.  Sometimes a trip can be done in one day, with a…

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…

With the upcoming holiday season, you, or your guests, may not want a glass of wine, beer, or cocktail.  Maybe something lower in alcohol, but still has nice fruit flavours.  Orchard + Field is just that.  Wine made using fruit from  orchard and berries from the fields and crafted at Garnet Valley Ranch in Summerland, BC.  I received two bottles…

With this hot, sunny weather, sipping a more fruity, lower-alcohol, drink is probably high on your list.  Fortunately, I received a bottle of ORCHARD + FIELD, from Garnet Valley Ranch in the Okanagan.  This drink is a blend of organically grown heritage apples and berries (there is no full description of the blend) at Garnet Valley Ranch to make this…

For many years, I’ve known Privato Winery in Kamloops for their premium Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines.  But times change as original family-owned winery owners bow out, and the winery is either taken over by their children, sold to someone outside the family, or the winery is shut down.  For Privato, the winery has been transitioned over to their children,…

Do you like apples or pears?  There are many cider makers in BC that will convert those fruits into tasty drinks for you to enjoy year-round.  They tend to be lighter-bodied than many wines, lower in alcohol and come in 500ml bottles, which makes it possible to enjoy by yourself in one session.  You can drive to several cideries in…

My last stop on my two-day tour of the Fraser Valley was at Taves Estate Cidery and their associated family farm.  You can easily spend a whole day here if you have children as they will be fascinated by all the farm animals.  They can pet and feed rabbits, goats, and more.  I enjoyed petting the animals, and taking a…

I enjoy attending the Top Drop Canada wine tasting each year.  It is probably my second favourite event after the Vancouver International Wine Festival.  If you have not heard of Top Drop before, the organizers describe it as “Top Drop’s focus and mandate is providing a platform for terroir-influenced, handcrafted wines, and the people behind them. We believe in the…

When I am on vacation, if there is a winery nearby, I will usually drop by.  In this case, 40 Knots Winery is in Comox, just 30 minutes away from Campbell River, so I popped in to say hi to Brenda Hetman-Craig, Owner of 40 Knots, and to sample some of her wines on their patio.  This was my first…

Have you ever had a cider made from crab apples? I don’t think I have until today. I have two ciders from Creek & Gully Cider in Penticton. One is Just Crab 2021 and the other is Crabby Pear 2021 which is a blend of 50% Hyslop crab apple and 50% Bartlett pear. If you bite into crab apples you…