Category: bc

Many people are familiar with grape varieties like Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, but there is a whole world of exciting and distinctive grape varieties waiting to be explored. Albariño, Viognier, and Grüner Veltliner each bring unique characteristics and flavours that set them apart from the usual white wine offerings. Whether it’s Albariño’s refreshing citrus and coastal minerality, Viognier’s lush stone…

I love Pinot Noir wines, with their more delicate aromas, flavours, and mouthfeel.  My first Pinot Noir to taste in 2025 is from Frind Estate Winery in West Kelowna; Their Frind Estate Winery Pinot Noir Cuvée 2022, coming under screwcap.  It checks off all the things that I enjoy in Pinot Noir: red fruit and floral aromas and flavours, higher…

While many people may think of full-bodied red wines for our cold winters, don’t count out lighter-bodied red wine with higher acidity and juicy bright fruit flavours.  They can brighten your day and pair nicely with a cheese plate, roast chicken, or fatty sausages.  One such wine is BC’s Robin Ridge Winery Gamay 2022.  It is also an organic wine…

This is the second of my Canadian Wine Trends 2024 articles.  I will cover our interest in red and white still varietal wines using Google Trends information.  Was there an overall upward slope (interest) or downward slope (disinterest) in a style over the year? Was there a peak at a certain time of the year? Let’s find out. Red and White…

In 2022, I reviewed the 2021 wine trends across Canada, by province for different grape varieties and by regions around the world.  To do this, I used Google Trends. Google Trends.  Wikipedia describes Google Trends as “…a website by Google that analyzes the popularity of top search queries in Google Search across various regions and languages. The website uses graphs…

January 29th, 2025 is the Chinese (Lunar) New Year of the Earth Snake. In the Chinese zodiac, the snake is associated with wisdom, charm, elegance, and transformation. Snakes represent the symbol of wisdom. They are intelligent and wise. They are good at communication but say little. Snakes are usually regarded as great thinkers. Some famous people born in the Year…

What surprises does 2025 hold for wine lovers?  Could it be a new varietal or region that you have not yet tried?  Or maybe a new winery in your area?  Today, I am tasting two red wines from Blasted Church Vineyards that were sent to me.  They are not new to me, but maybe the grape varieties may be new…

What is fool’s gold?  It is the nickname for a mineral called pyrite that looks like gold, but is harder and does not have much value.  I wondered about the naming of the Fool’s Gold Vineyard in the north Oliver area of the Okanagan as there is no fool’s gold.  The soil is sandy clay loam soil containing many rocks…

Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year, is a vibrant celebration marking the start of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar. In 2025, it ushers in the Year of the Earth Snake, a sign in the Chinese zodiac symbolizing wisdom, intuition, and transformation. According to legend, the Snake, though often underestimated, is clever and resourceful,…

While I was Grinch-like in awarding 5 stars to only three wines I tasted in 2024, I was more Oprah-like with the 4.5-5 -star wines.  Plus, there are many quality wines, so it should not be a surprise.  This year there were 13 BC wines, 18 Italian wines, 4 French wines, 2 Californian wines, and 4 wines from New Zealand…