Category: bc

This is the third release from Winemaker’s CUT from Oliver, BC by Michal and Martina Mosny.  I congratulate them on their dedication to these small production wines and the quality that they deliver in the bottle.  They undertake sustainable farming, hand harvest their grapes, adhere to zero pesticides, low sulphur use, and let the wines develop naturally to express the characteristics of…

It was truly a sad day in the BC wine community yesterday, July 23, 2019, when we were all shocked by the sudden passing of Harry McWatters.  A pioneer who helped lead the wine for quality BC wine.  I met with Harry casually during the Vancouver International Wine Festivals, where he was always busy, but always smiling.  I had a…

The Canada Day long weekend celebration is this weekend.  Picnics and bbq and generally getting together with friends and family will happen.  Enjoying this scene with Canadian wine would make it even better in my opinion.  Below is a list of Canadian wines I tasted over the past year that I think would be fun to have this long weekend. …

The CheckMate Artisanal Winery is a project by the von Mandl family, who established the Mission Hill Family Estate Winery.  Mission Hill won the Top Chardonnay in the World in 1994 at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in London.  Their Chardonnay and Merlot vines, some which are now over 40 years old, are being used by CheckMate. As in…

The Monte Creek Ranch Winery may not be familiar to you as it is not in one of the more well-known grape growing regions of BC, like the Okanagan.  It is in the Thompson Valley, just east of Kamloops.  It is a ranch with cattle, but it primarily grows grapes and produces wines.  The Thompson Valley does have to deal…

Its Spring, and time for releases of white and rosé wines from across BC.  SpearHead Winery in Kelowna is one of the wineries that produce quality wines every year.  I always look forward to tasting their wines.  Last year we were surprised when they released their first White Pinot Noir, which if it was blind tasted, you would guess as…

Riesling, Pinot Gris and Viognier were prominent in this BC VQA Spring wine release tasting.  It is not surprising as white wine releases are more common in the Spring while more red wines are released in the Fall.  Viognier though I think made a bigger showing this year than in past years, and showed well.  Lots of fruit flavour and…

Keeping in the theme of the 2018 vintage release, I recently posted on Instagram my review of Haywire‘s Baby Bub 2018, and promised a fuller review with rating here.  And here it is! The Haywire Baby Bub 2018 is 375ml so you and your significant other can easily drink this wine to start or finish an evening.  This Charmat method…

As BC is large with a cooler coastal climate and a hotter, drier interior, our yearly vintages can cover a range from marginal to exceptional.  Luckily we have been closer to the exceptional end of the vintage spectrum these last years.  How was the 2018 vintage?  I attended a media preview of the 2018 vintage and had 4 winemakers from…

It is the Easter weekend for many people around the world, and besides the religious celebrations, enjoying meals with family and friends is also a big part.  The BC VQA Spring wine release kicked off this week, but the wines may not yet be at your local bottle shop or BC Liquor Store.  Here are 5 BC VQA wines that…