Category: merlot

British Columbia’s wine industry continues to show just how much can be achieved in a relatively young wine region. The 2026 National Wine Awards of Canada provided a good reminder of that, with BC wineries earning an impressive 640 medals, representing 51% of all medals awarded at the competition. Beyond the medals, the results also point to the diversity of…

If someone asked if you would like to try an Espumante wine, would you know what they asked? Espumante is the Portuguese term for sparkling wine.  Typically made in the Charmat method, it is usually a fun, friendly, easy-to-sip, wine.  I received a bottle of the Okanagan’s Adega on 45th Espumante 2025 to review for you.  This wine is a…

We are in the last few weeks of summer.  Children are in school and parents are enjoying some quiet time.  To celebrate the last days of summer and quiet time, I think some red wine is in order.  I tasted two bottles of red wine from Osoyoos’ Adega on 45th Estate Winery.  One is their Adega on 45th Estate Winery…

Summer is slowly winding down.  But we can still enjoy time on our patios with a glass of BC wine.  Here are two BC wines from Lillooet’s Fort Berens Estate Winery you may wish to try.  I am tasting their Fort Berens Estate Winery Pinot Gris 2025 and Fort Berens Estate Winery Rosé 2025.  The grapes come from their estate,…

Rosé wines are quite enjoyable in the summer while you are on your patio, enjoying a meal, but these wines fit in throughout the year with their red fruit flavours and bright acidity.  In BC we are familiar with the rose wines made here and maybe with rosé wines from Provence, but we should also be considering Ontario rosé wines. …

I recently decided to review two French red wines that are blends.  Blends have the benefit that two or more grape varieties together fill in the weakness of the other grape.  For example, one grape may be fruity but lack tannins, while another grape has plenty of tannins but lacks much fruit character.  Putting the two grape varieties together makes…

Many people have taken an ocean cruise travelling up to Alaska or around the Caribbean, or maybe the Mediterranean Sea, but fewer people have taken a river cruise, as far as I know.  I decided to go on a Rhine River cruise hosted by Avalon Waterways, travelling from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland.  It was an eight day trip and included…

BC’s Township 7 Vineyards & Winery has two elegant red wines that should go well with our beautiful summer plans of a BBQ with family or friends.  The wines I received to review are their Township 7 Vineyards & Winery Benchmark Series NBO 2022 and Township 7 Vineyards & Winery Benchmark Series Reserve 7 2022.  Both wines are blends.  The…

Cruising on the Rhine River with Avalon Waterways cruise line, the wine list at dinner changes daily.  Here are a few of the wines I tasted from my first two dinners.  All wines from the cruise are European. Many are from Austria.  None of these wines are currently available through the BC Liquor store, but who know, they may be…

When I first read the label, I almost thought that this is an Amarone from Veneto.  But on closer inspection the label says Amorini.  There is no official tasting notes from the winery that I could locate.  I did find a few other websites that reviewed this wine and it appears that this wine is a blend of two or…