Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
Wine lovers often talk about “Old World vs. New World,” but the comparison becomes far more interesting when you look at two regions that share a deep respect for terroir while expressing it in completely different ways. British Columbia and France may be separated by an ocean and centuries of winemaking history, yet they meet at the intersection of climate,…
Winemaking in the past has been dominated by men around the world, but times are changing. British Columbia is a great example. If you’ve ever cracked open a bottle of BC wine, there is a high probability that it was made by a female winemaker and/or the winery is female owned. Estimates suggest about 20% of lead winemakers in the…
Six months ago, in August 2025, I tasted BC’s Hester Creek Estate Vineyard Garland 2022 and The Judge 2022 Bordeaux-style red blends. These are their top tier Origin wines. Both wines were made in the epic year of 2022 when weather conditions and the harvest was perfect. At that time I first tasted these wines, both tied in my wine…
Chardonnay wines can vary in style and in intensity. Many people avoid Chardonnay as they were exposed to heavily oaked versions in the past. But there are many unoaked Chardonnay that you can enjoy. I received this bottle from the south Okanagan’s Gold Hill Winery of their Charisma Un-Oaked Chardonnay 2022 to review for you. It has four years of…
The new Lunar New Year of the Fire Horse starts on February 17, 2026. In a previous article on mywinepal.com, I listed wines that have a horse theme. One of the wines I listed was BC’s Haywire Winery Lunar Red 2022. I received a bottle of this wine to review and from my tasting notes, I think it should pair…
Here are two more delicious wines that you should buy and enjoy right now while we are drowning in our winter rains, or snow, in BC. The two wines from the Okanagan’s Hester Creek Estate Winery are their Columbia Valley Collection Viognier 2024 (grapes coming from WA state), and their Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 (grapes coming from estate fruit). I bought…
Here are my last two Interlude wines from Township 7 Vineyards & Winery. In case you don’t remember, Interlude, is their wines, crafted in BC, but coming from grapes outside the province, due to our cold winter snap that killed most grape vines in the Okanagan. The first wine, their Township 7 Vineyards & Winery Interlude Pinot Noir 2024, is…
In my earlier article, I reviewed some zero percent alcohol wine products from Jackson-Triggs. These wines were released in part due to a study which showed peoples’ preferences toward lower alcohol wine, or zero alcohol wines. In this article, I am reviewing three lower alcohol wines that Jackson-Triggs has produced. The wines are a non-vintage Cabernet Sauvignon, a Rosé, and…
2022 was a super vintage for the Okanagan wineries. Hester Creek Estate Winery, as part of this epic vintage, vinified their first Super Tuscan style wine, named UNDICI. To taste UNDICI is to taste a little bit of Italy. UNDICI joins The Judge and Garland as part of their Origin Series wines. Together these three wines reflect the beautiful terroir…
Chinese (Lunar) New Year 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse, starting on February 17, 2026 until February 5, 2027. The Horse embodies enthusiasm, speed and fieriness, bringing a year focused on bold moves and exploration. The Year of the Horse brings themes of freedom, action, and momentum, encouraging bold moves, new projects, travel, and social connection, fuelled by…
Video Guide Uncorks the Story of British Columbia Wines. Buy Now.
