Category: Okanagan

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…

Aging aromatic white wine varietals has been contentious, with many saying that these types of wines need to be enjoyed young.  BC grows many aromatic white vitis vinifera varieties.  Pinot Blanc is one of the grapes grown, although it is not as perfuse in aromatics compared to Pinot Gris, which is widely grown in BC.  I recently opened a bottle…

Here are two fresh wines for the summertime from the Okanagan’s Blasted Church Vineyards: a Chardonnay and a Rosé wine.  The rosé is made with a red grape you may not know, Blaufränkisch, but it is in the Valley and is originally from Austria and is also in Germany, where it is known as Lemberger (an unfortunate name in my opinion)…

We all need R&R sometime.  I have two for you today from Osoyoos’ Adega on 45th Estate Winery.  I received their Adega on 45th Estate Winery Riesling 2025 and Rosé 2025.  Both wines come from our terrific and well-deserved 2025 vintage.   The winery founded by siblings Maria Nunes and Fred Farinha, alongside their spouses, the European-inspired property was named “Adega”…

If you are a BC wine lover, you probably visited Summerland and the Okanagan to enjoy the scenery, food, and wine, but we are now all thinking about the terrible tragedy with the Summerland forest fires.  How can we help, no matter where we are across Canada?  Here are a few suggestions, some of which have been emailed to me,…

BC is well-known for producing quality sparkling wines.  Township 7 Vineyards & Winery has dedicated a significant portion of their wine production to making top-quality sparkling wines, under the “seven stars” label, for over 25 years.  These wines are small lot cuvées, crafted with passion in the méthode champenoise style and made by Township 7’s winemaker, Mary McDermott. Grape varieties…

Chaberton Estate Winery is the pioneer winery of the Fraser Valley. It grows 44 acres of estate-grown fruit with other parcels from across the Okanagan Valley. Claude and Inge Violet sold their winery and vineyard in France and moved to the Fraser Valley in the 1970’s.  They experimented with different grape varieties to see which grew well here, selected the…

Have you tried the wines from BC’s Red Rooster Winery lately?  This winery has been around for over 25 years, located on the Naramata Bench.  Check out the new wine labels for the winery.  I quite like the watercolour-like texture of the rooster.  I received three bottles of “Pinots” from the winery: a Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and a blend…

More 2025 vintage BC white and rosé wines are being released, just in time for summer.  I received a Viognier and a rosé wine from Township 7 Vineyards & Winery.  Viognier and rosé wines seem to be quite popular with BC wineries this year, as I’ve received and tasted many of them recently.  But now, let me tell you about…

Have you ever heard of a sparkling wine called Charme de l’ile, Island Charm in English?  It is not a wine from France.  It is from Vancouver Island and can only be made on Vancouver Island using Island grapes.  Just like Champagne can only be made in the Champagne region of France.  Charme is also a nod to the method…