Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
Did you know that Gérard Bertrand has a Côte des Roses Collection? I only knew of his Rose wine, but there are 4 from that Collection that are coming or already are in BC. Today I am tasting the Grenache-Vermentino-Viognier 2019 and Chardonnay 2020. Both wines come in a very distinctive and beautiful bottle with a rose petal-shaped base. In…
Today I have another lesser-known AOC in the southern Rhone Valley – AOC Ventoux. You may be very familiar with one of the wineries from AOC Ventoux, Château Pesquié. Their wine labels in solid blocks of colour should be very familiar to you when you check on the shelves in the BC Liquor Stores and elsewhere across Canada. I have…
Many of us are familiar with the wine regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, and the Rhone Valley, but there are many sub-regions, which have their own Appellation d’origine Contrôlée (AOC) that produce quality wines at reasonable prices. Many of the wineries are family-run as well, with the vineyards and wineries being passed down through families. I would like to present…
Today I have a bottle of Lou Coucardié Red 2012 from the well-known winemaker, Monsieur Michel Gassier from AOC Costieres de Nimes in the south of France, part of the Rhone Valley. This red wine is a blend of 49% Mourvedre, 35% Grenache, and 16% Syrah, coming from his organic vines. If you wonder what is Lou Coucardié, the winery…
Today I am pleased to open and taste a bottle of Château Pesquié Terrasses Red 2019 from the Ventoux AOC. A wine made with 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah. I will be interviewing one of the owners, Frédéric Chaudière, about his wine and about the AOC Ventoux. The AOC is very interesting as Mont Ventoux controls the temperature of the…
Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (the Northern Spanish Wine Company) CVNE was founded in 1879 in the town of Haro in Rioja, Spain by 2 brothers. Did you know that CVNE also has the name Cune, made by accident? It was a print shop error back in the days when the typesetter thought the V looked odd and replaced it with…
Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre blends (GSM) are full-bodied, full of flavour, and please people that enjoy big, hearty red wines. This blend of grapes also makes the famous red Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines. I have two GSM wines from Gérard Bertrand from the Languedoc region in the south of France to review for you: Gérard Bertrand Terroir Corbieres, 2017 Gérard Bertrand Gran Terroir…
1847 was an important year in Australian wine as two things happened. First John Gilbert who moved from Britain to Australia planted Riesling and other grapes in the Eden Valley in what is known as the Pewsey Vale Vineyard. This vineyard had 3 generations of Gilbert’s grow grapes till it was sold in the 1920’s, and then again in 1962…
I was very busy at the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2020. There were lots of terrific wines from France and around the world, plus the dinners, seminars, and Masterclasses were top notch. I worked very hard making tasting notes, interviewing winery principals, and trying to learn more about wine so that I can educate you as well. Below is a…
With France being the theme country for the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2020, there were many more French wineries in attendance than in other years. And with that many more wines to taste. Which made me very happy. France has a great variety of red, white, rosé, and sparkling wines, from the range of noble grape varieties. I spent several…
Video Guide Uncorks the Story of British Columbia Wines. Buy Now.
