Category: Okanagan

A New Splash of Wines for Your Spring & Summer from Okanagan Crush Pad

 mywinepal  May 5, 2015

Red, white, and rose wines, newly released from Okanagan Crush Pad reached my door for tasting.  Just in time for our spring and upcoming sunny summer weather.  The wines in question I received: Mike B Riesling Cabinett 2014 ($24.90) Haywire Gamay Noir Rose 2014 ($22.90) Haywire Pinot Noir 2013 ($24.90) Mike B Riesling Cabinett 2014 This wine is the result…

Haywire Canyonview Vineyard Pinot Noir 2012

Quick Review: Haywire Canyonview Vineyard Pinot Noir 2012

 mywinepal  February 22, 2015

BC Pinot Noir is well known to some wine drinkers, but maybe not enough.  Probably most people think of Burgundy, or Oregon, or New Zealand. But we do produce some decent Pinots here in BC.  I recently received a bottle of Haywire Canyonview Pinot Noir 2012 to review.  It comes with a screw cap but that doesn’t mean it cannot…

Chinese Year of the Sheep 2015

Heading into the Chinese New Year of the Wooden Sheep

 mywinepal  February 11, 2015

Chinese Year of the Wooden Sheep According to chinesefortunecalendar.com, “…Sheep is one of Chinese favorite animals…2013 is Snake year; 2014 is Horse year. Both of them are in Fire group. 2015 is the last year of Fire cycle. Sheep is the animal on the farmland. Sheep is herbivore. It likes to eat grass. Therefore, in Chinese horoscopes, Sheep contains  Fire, Earth…

Curious About Two Wild Ferment Wines from Haywire Winery?

 mywinepal  February 10, 2015

Wine grapes from two different vineyards plus native yeasts from each vineyard, produces two unique wines.  The winery in question is Haywire and the wines were made at Okanagan Crush Pad, in Summerland, BC.  The two wines I tasted from Haywire were: Haywire Switchback Vineyard Pinot Gris 2012 Haywire Canyonview Vineyard Chardonnay 2013 The Switchback Vineyard was the first vineyard…

Harpers Trail logo

3 White Wines from Harpers Trail to Try – 2013 Edition

 mywinepal  January 4, 2015

I tip my hat to the pioneering spirit of Ed and Vicki Collett for starting their winery, Harper’s Trail, in Kamloops, BC, leading the way for people to consider this as a new area in BC for grape wine production.  I’ve been in contact with Ed and Vicki since just before they released their first vintage, and have been very…

47 Exceptional Quality Wines for 2014 on MyWinePal

 mywinepal  December 21, 2014

Trying to think of an exceptional quality wine to buy for someone in your family or a special friend?  I have a few suggestions from the wines that I tasted over this past year.  These wines cover all regions of the world, and have different price points.  There should be something for everyone to love.  16 white and sparkling wines,…

My Top 5 Star Rated Wines for 2014

 mywinepal  December 19, 2014

I am privileged to try so many wines from around the world each year, here in Vancouver.  Sparkling, rose, red, white, and fortified wines have all passed my lips.  And for some instances there is a wine that stops you in your tracks, all your senses become heightened as they focus on the spectacular wine in your glass.  I would…

Samantha Rahn

Let’s Talk about Samantha Syrah and Haywire Free Form Wines

 mywinepal  December 12, 2014

Okanagan Crush Pad seems to be coming up with lots of small production wines, trying different things with different grapes, people, and inspiration.  This article is about two of their latest wines; Haywire Free Form and Samantha Syrah. About Haywire Free Form I was immediately intrigued when I read about this wine as the wine maker’s rolled the dice and…

SpierHead Winery

Be Impressed by Spierhead Winery 2013 Vintage Wines

 mywinepal  December 6, 2014

SpierHead Wines in Kelowna has been producing some quality wines since the first vintage I tasted a few years ago.  At the 2014 National Wine Awards of Canada their 2012 Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir Gentleman Farmer all won Silver Medals.  Their 2013 vintage wines have come out now, and I was lucky to receive a bottle of their Chardonnay,…

OCP Narrative logo

What is the Story About OCP Narrative Red and White?

 mywinepal  November 27, 2014

Okanagan Crush Pad keeps telling us that “Wine is Narrative“.  Every wine tells a story.  Some stories though are more interesting than others.  I think the more specific a place, the more the terroir can speak through the wine.  While there is nothing wrong with wines where the grapes are sourced from widely separated areas, maybe the story is harder…