Category: bc

The holidays are a time when many of us get together with family or friends to enjoy a meal together; hopefully with a glass of wine.  Here are a few last-minute suggestions of wines you can pair with traditional dishes for the holidays.  Enjoy. Wine Pairings for Roast Turkey – Chardonnay: A lightly oaked Chardonnay complements the rich flavours of…

In 2024, I wrote 190 articles, with most of the articles reviewing at least one bottle of wine.  From a quick calculation, I wrote about 493 wines on mywinepal this year.  Wines submitted to me through the year ranged from to wines, but I usually only post wines that were at least .   5-star wines are the wines that I…

2022 is the last vintage in the Okanagan before the harsh winter cold snaps of 2023 and 2024.  2022 produced a large crop of grapes although the season started cool, it finished with a sunny Fall, so there is lots of wine to go around.  I suggest stocking up on 2022 wines as 2023 and 2024 will be reduced in…

Mulled wine has a rich history that dates back to the Roman Empire.  As the Romans expanded into colder regions of Europe, they sought ways to warm themselves during the winter months. Heating wine and spicing it with ingredients like cloves, cinnamon, and honey made it a comforting beverage and helped preserve the wine and mask imperfections (wine in the…

Nestled on the picturesque Naramata Bench in the Okanagan Valley, Ruby Blues Winery offers a charming blend of exceptional wines and stunning vineyard views. In 2007 Prudence and Beat Mahrer started Ruby Blues Winery, after selling Red Rooster Winery.  Their goal is to keep the winery small and sell locally. I recently received two bottles of wine from Ruby Blues…

BC’s Hester Creek Estate Winery made two delicious wines that would go well with your holiday dinners.  Both are elegant, flavourful, not heavy-bodied. I received their Source Collection Chardonnay 2023 and Syrah 2022 to review.  The Source Collection represents a source of inspiration, these wines represent the treasured qualities of their rare Old Vine vineyard and that of their select…

Here are two holiday-worthy red wines from BC’s Township 7 Vineyards & Winery that you should consider.  The first, under screwcap, is the Township 7 Provenance Series Merlot 2020; the second, under cork closure, is the Township 7 Benchmark Series Fool’s Gold Vineyard Syrah 2020.   What’s the Difference? What is the difference between Township 7’s Provenance and the Benchmark series of…

The BC coastal wineries and the Fraser Valley had a completely different winemaking experience compared to the interior of BC in 2024.  With the cold weather winter snap in the Interior, most of the vitis vinifera vines died so many winemakers had to source grapes from outside of BC; Many chose Washington and Oregon states.  The coastal and Fraser Valley…

This year’s harvest in the BC interior was extremely different from past harvests as the winter cold snap killed most of the grape vines.  Coastal and Fraser Valley wineries did not suffer the same fate.  The amount of grapevine loss varied a bit in the interior, depending on how close the vineyards were to interior lakes and the slopes where…

With the holiday season upon us, I was invited to the Iconic Wineries of British Columbia to check out their holiday cheer at The Kent downtown.  In addition to wines to sample and recommend for the holiday season, we were also treated to savour holiday-inspired canapés prepared by the talented Estate Chefs from CedarCreek, Liquidity and Mission Hill.  The wineries participating…