Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
We are very lucky to have Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars visit us at the VanWineFest 2019 and pour their wines for us. Read about their achievements and wines they will be pouring in their own words. The New World Wine That Made the Wine World Notice Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, notably known for being the winery that won the Cabernet…
Welcome to the Hess Family and The Hess Collection who will be at the VanWineFest 2019. Read about their history and wines, in their own words. About the Hess Family and The Hess Collection Donald Hess arrives in Mount Veeder (located within the Napa AVA) in 1978 and acquires his first land on Mount Veeder with a purchase of 900…
If you have ever attended the Top Drop tastings in Vancouver, you will have experienced many 4.5 to 5 star wines according to my rating scale. I recently attended a portfolio tasting by Vintage Corks, and this tasting was in that same quality range. Vintage Corks offers premium wines from US, Italy, Canada and more. You can find Vintage Corks’…
Vancouver-based wine importer Vintage Corks is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a walk-around tasting featuring some of the world’s most exclusive wineries. Vintage Corks is unusual among local wine importers in that the agency specializes in acclaimed and hard-to-find boutique wines from around the world. It is the exclusive local representative of celebrated wines from producers such as Gaja, Dana Estate,…
Top Drop is the last major wine tasting in Vancouver before the start of summer. Top Drop is meant to represent the best in terroir and winemaker craft. Nature and Nurture. Wineries from around the world are selected for the best of both, and we were not disappointed. In my 5 star wine rating, most wines were at least 4…
It’s Spring. We should be putting on our shorts, getting out on the patio and enjoying some wine, cheese, fresh seafood, and some grilled lamb chops. These wines from the latest IVSA should fit the bill. White and Sparkling Wines Beau Joie Champagne Brut NV, France (~$120) – Nice strawberries and lees on the nose; medium intensity. Dry, high acidity…
Sometimes the best wines around are the ones that are not generally listed in BC Liquor stores. They are known as Spec or Special Order wines. You can find these wines through some private wine shops, or you could order them through these shops, but you may need a minimum order size. I attended Select Wines‘ portfolio tasting and enjoyed…
Cabernet Sauvignon is the “King” in California. In our Celebrating California Cabs seminar we had a chance to experience the “Dream Vintages” of 2012, 2013 and 2014. And as you will see, I have rated all these wines very highly. When you have wines of such quality, it is more a matter of style that you prefer. The winery principals noted that 2011 was…
One of the great things about the Vancouver International Wine Festival is that in the big Festival Tasting Room at the Conference Centre is that you can meet a winery principal and talk to him or her about their wines. You can often find out info that is not widely known, such as how they decided to plant an obscure…
Did you know that this year is the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa Valley, California? It is. I learned this when I spoke with Mr. Mark de Vere, Master of Wine with Robert Mondavi Winery during the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2016. What a milestone. Did you also know that Robert Mondavi started the…
