Category: bc

Passport to Global Wines flight of wines The 47th Vancouver International Wine Festival seminar, “Passport to Global Wines,” was a strategic exploration of the global viticultural map through the lens of cultural identity. Moderators Christine Campbell, Lisa Giovanella, and James Nevison established a “Passport” metaphor as a vehicle to navigate international “ports of entry,” moving beyond the standard technical data…

Amidst the clamour of the Vancouver International Wine Festival, I had a conversation with Evan Saunders, winemaker for Blasted Church Vineyards, to discuss the last two years vintages; one made with WA state grapes in 2024, and the latest vintage with estate BC grapes.  The 2024 Washington Intervention Following a 2023 season that already saw significantly diminished yields, 2024 arrived…

Wine lovers often talk about “Old World vs. New World,” but the comparison becomes far more interesting when you look at two regions that share a deep respect for terroir while expressing it in completely different ways. British Columbia and France may be separated by an ocean and centuries of winemaking history, yet they meet at the intersection of climate,…

Winemaking in the past has been dominated by men around the world, but times are changing.  British Columbia is a great example.  If you’ve ever cracked open a bottle of BC wine, there is a high probability that it was made by a female winemaker and/or the winery is female owned. Estimates suggest about 20% of lead winemakers in the…

Six months ago, in August 2025, I tasted BC’s Hester Creek Estate Vineyard Garland 2022 and The Judge 2022 Bordeaux-style red blends.  These are their top tier Origin wines.  Both wines were made in the epic year of 2022 when weather conditions and the harvest was perfect.  At that time I first tasted these wines, both tied in my wine…

Keeping our elbows up, if you live anywhere in the BC mainland, or anywhere in Canada suffering from snow, and you enjoy wine, beer, and other libations, you may want to consider visiting Victoria and surrounding areas on southern Vancouver Island.  I’d say that Victoria has the best weather / climate in Canada.  But you may not know about different…

Once prized in the courts of Europe and poured for royalty, Riesling was long considered one of the continent’s most noble wines, especially in regions along the Rhine River. In the 19th century, top bottles from Germany often commanded prices rivalling the great growths of Bordeaux. Today, Riesling is revered by knowledgeable wine drinkers for its remarkable range, from bone-dry…

The Vancouver International Wine Festival 2026 will soon be upon us; March 7 – 14, 2026.  I checked today for the status of the events to see which events still have tickets and which are sold out.  As you may have guessed ALL winery dinners are already sold out.  But don’t fret as there are tickets for many seminars, wine…

Chardonnay wines can vary in style and in intensity.  Many people avoid Chardonnay as they were exposed to heavily oaked versions in the past.  But there are many unoaked Chardonnay that you can enjoy.  I received this bottle from the south Okanagan’s Gold Hill Winery of their Charisma Un-Oaked Chardonnay 2022 to review for you.  It has four years of…

The new Lunar New Year of the Fire Horse starts on February 17, 2026.  In a previous article on mywinepal.com, I listed wines that have a horse theme.  One of the wines I listed was BC’s Haywire Winery Lunar Red 2022.  I received a bottle of this wine to review and from my tasting notes, I think it should pair…