Category: Cabernet Franc

Harper's Trail Vineyard

Harper’s Trail Wine’s Red, White, and Sparkle

 mywinepal  January 14, 2017

Harper’s Trail winery in Kamloops has blazed their own trail, trying out red and white grapes to find out what works best in this terroir, and has also added sparkling wine to their repertoire. I received 2 bottles of their latest sparkling wines, 2 bottles of their Rieslings, and a bottle each of their Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc.  I…

C.C. Jentsch logo on bottle capsule

C.C. Jentsch Cellars on a Quest for Red and White

 mywinepal  December 18, 2016

Are you on a Quest or a Chase for something?  For wineries, it may be for the best expression of the grapes in the glass, showing off their terroir.  A light hand by the wine maker.  To me the light hand of the wine maker really comes out in the red wines from C. C. Jentsch Cellars. C. C. Jentsch…

Canada on the World Map with wine glasses

Canada is Cool – Visit Canada at the Vancouver International Wine Fest 2017

 mywinepal  December 16, 2016

In the wine world, cool climate areas are making exciting wines.  Canada is viewed as cool climate, and I was wondering where we fall in the extreme north or south latitudes compared to other cool climate regions.  Here is what I found through a search on the web: Argentina‘s Patagonia wine region extends between 33.3° and 33.8° South. Osorno Valley…

Brockmann's Crunchetti chocolates and Truffini

Brockmann’s Chocolates – 30 Years of Making Canada Delicious

 mywinepal  December 12, 2016

Brockmann’s Chocolates Celebrates 30 Years in Canada  “Who is the Brockmann family?” They have been in Canada for 30 years making chocolates, and I don’t know about them.  But here they are; right underneath my nose! The Brockmann family has been creating delicious chocolate recipes for over 80 years, and is now celebrating 30 of those years of chocolate making in…

Bench 1775 logo

Bench 1775 Covers Reds From Pinot Noir to Malbec

 mywinepal  December 9, 2016

Bench 1775 Winery is located in on 1775 Naramata Road, on the Naramata Bench.  They believe that great wines start in the vineyard, so all of their vineyard sites were analyzed in detail before being planted with clones and rootstocks best adapted to their soils and site climate. Val Tait, the viticulturist, wine maker and GM of Bench 1775, tries to…

Harpers Trail logo

Say Howdy to Harper’s Trail at the Vancouver International Wine Fest 2017

 mywinepal  December 5, 2016

Introducing Harper’s Trail Harper’s Trail, named for the cattle drive trail of pioneer rancher Thaddeus Harper, is the first estate winery from Kamloops. Tucked into the city outskirts on the bank of the South Thompson River, Ed and Vicki Collett’s vineyard sits among rolling hills of sage and grass, home to bighorn sheep, bears, and myriad birds. The backdrop of limestone, hoodoos,…

Karl MyWinePal with Rodolfo Opi Sadler from La Mascota Vineyards small

La Mascota Vineyards on a Mission in Vancouver

 mywinepal  November 12, 2016

Having lunch with a wine maker, and listening to his or her story, about each wine, makes you appreciate it even more, and maybe even add to the deliciousness of the food pairing.  It is not too often that we get a wine maker coming up from Argentina, but standing among us media types, was Rodolfo “Opi” Sadler, from La…

TIME Syrah, Meritage, and McWatters Collection Meritage wines

3 Big Red Wines from McWatters Collection and TIME Estate Wineries

 mywinepal  October 7, 2016

It’s Fall and the rains will soon be starting according to the weather forecast.  How to keep yourself happy and fortified during our rainy season?  Big red BC wines.  I received 3 bottles recently: TIME Estate Winery Syrah 2013 TIME Estate Winery Meritage 2013 McWatters Collection Meritage 2013 Two Bordeaux blends and one single varietal bottle of big BC red wines….

Black Hills Estate Winery Nota Bene 2014 label

A Bene Nota from Black Hills Estate Winery Nota Bene

 mywinepal  September 20, 2016

Black Hills Estate Winery on the Black Sage Road in the Okanagan is best known for their “Nota Bene” Bordeaux blend red wine.  When I was taking my WSET classes downtown many years ago, it was extremely difficult to get a bottle of Nota Bene.  It sold out very quickly upon release.  One class mate lucky had purchased a bottle a few…

Roast fillets of beef together with a veal sweetbread served with 3 red wines from KWV at L Abattoir small

Celebrating KWV’s South African Wines at L’Abattoir

 mywinepal  September 17, 2016

Two years ago I was fortunate to meet wine maker Izele van Blerk from KWV, the largest winery in South Africa, at a Trade tasting in Vancouver 2 years ago.  I talked about my experience with South African wine through the South World Wine Society, where I was the President and cellar master at some time.  I’ve continued to watch…