Category: bc

Serendipity Winery is located along the Naramata Bench just north of Penticton.  It  is owned by Judy Kingston and her daughter Katie O’Kell, and vineyard manager Craig MacKenzie. The winery started in the fall of 2005 when Judy embarked on a wine tour of the Okanagan, which also was meant as a peek into retirement properties as well.  As serendipity…

Upper Bench Winery & Creamery is located just outside of downtown Penticton, leading the way into the Naramata Bench.  The winery is still fairly new, I believe 2012 was their 3rd vintage, their wine maker, Gavin Miller, has been around for several years in the Okanagan making wines for Poplar Grove and Painted Rock, before striking out on his own. …

Can you match the French wine region with the following grape varieties? Region:  Bordeaux, Alsace, Rhone Valley Variety:  Pinot Gris, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah If you can’t figure it out, scroll to the bottom of this article for the answer.  Assuming you guessed correctly, or checked with the answer below, All four grape varieties are grown at Perseus Winery, located…

When you drink Pinot Noir, is it always red?  Maybe you don’t realize it, but many sparkling wines are made with the Pinot Noir grape.  For example if you see the term “Blanc de Noirs” on a bottle of Champagne or other sparkling wine, the wine was made with red grapes.  Pinot Noir is a very common red grape for…

While it is not quite as hot and sunny as in Greece at this time of the year, it is warm enough for me, to look forward to enjoying some chilled aromatic white wines on the patio, along with a plate of oysters, chilled shrimp and cheese.  I received these three bottles of aromatic white wines from Summerhill Pyramid Winery…

With the daylight hours getting longer, and weather getting warmer, we are all thinking about getting outside, having a bbq or just enjoying sitting on our patios, sipping a glass of wine and chatting with family or friends.  But what to drink?  I received two bottles of wine from BC’s Spierhead Winery recently that would fit the bill; a Pinot…

LaStella Winery, located in the South Okanagan, tries to bring Italian style to the wines they produce.  They do this in part through the use of Italian grapes, such as Sangiovese, and through using the production methods undertaken in Italy.  Besides their love of Italy, and bringing it here to BC, they also look to the environment trying to produce…

Easter is a big holiday for many of us, where we get together with family and enjoy a big dinner. Easter is also leading us into Spring. Flowers are already blooming here in Vancouver, and I’m sure it will come soon in the rest of Canada.  Below are a few suggestions that I posted a few years ago.  As I…

A friendly competition never hurt anyone.  Well maybe egos.  Today’s friendly competition is between Okanagan Crush Pad’s Haywire Rose 2011 and Bartier Scholefield (BS) Rose 2011.  Both wines are produced from Gamay Noir grapes grown from the same vineyard in Oliver.  What is different is the style of rose.  The grapes were harvested two weeks apart and vinified differently.  Let…

I love Syrahs.  They stand on their own two feet.  No need for blending with other grapes.  I enjoy their ruby colour in the glass; their aromas, especially blueberries; their full body, red/black berry flavours and sometimes white pepper that plays on your palate.  BC can make some very good Syrahs.  Located in the South Okanagan, one of the wineries…