Category: Okanagan

LaStella Winery, located in the South Okanagan, tries to bring Italian style to the wines they produce.  They do this in part through the use of Italian grapes, such as Sangiovese, and through using the production methods undertaken in Italy.  Besides their love of Italy, and bringing it here to BC, they also look to the environment trying to produce…

Easter is a big holiday for many of us, where we get together with family and enjoy a big dinner. Easter is also leading us into Spring. Flowers are already blooming here in Vancouver, and I’m sure it will come soon in the rest of Canada.  Below are a few suggestions that I posted a few years ago.  As I…

A friendly competition never hurt anyone.  Well maybe egos.  Today’s friendly competition is between Okanagan Crush Pad’s Haywire Rose 2011 and Bartier Scholefield (BS) Rose 2011.  Both wines are produced from Gamay Noir grapes grown from the same vineyard in Oliver.  What is different is the style of rose.  The grapes were harvested two weeks apart and vinified differently.  Let…

I love Syrahs.  They stand on their own two feet.  No need for blending with other grapes.  I enjoy their ruby colour in the glass; their aromas, especially blueberries; their full body, red/black berry flavours and sometimes white pepper that plays on your palate.  BC can make some very good Syrahs.  Located in the South Okanagan, one of the wineries…

Did you hear last year that Painted Rock’s flagship Red Icon wine was listed in a Beijing restaurant at 5,280 RMB, the equivalent of CAD$900?  Quite a statement for a small, but high quality BC winery.  The latest red wine releases for Painted Rock just came out, and I was invited to sample them.  I wondered how the 2011 vintage…

A daunting task, picking my favourite wines from a total of 1750 wines being poured at the Vancouver International Wine Festival.  Thankfully I was able to visit the Acura International Festival Tasting Room 4 times as Media, splitting time between France and the rest of the world.  I have already covered my favourite French wines in a separate article.  In…

Since Bartier Scholefield started producing their wines in 2011, in the Okanagan, BC, I have been fortunate to try them and write about them for you.  They have been keeping to their “Wine As Narrative“, telling us a story about the terroir, from where it was produced.  Their wines are produced as much without wine maker intervention, so that you…

Did you know that some BC wineries produce sparkling wine? One in particular I’d like to let you know about is Haywire Winery, located in Summerland, BC. Since their inception a few years ago, I have been following and tasting their wines, writing notes along the way, and posting them here in mywinepal.com. One of their newer endeavours has been…

I have been following Meyer Family Vineyards since the release of their first vintage and have been regularly reviewing their wines here on mywinepal.com.  Their wines have always been good and have been getting better with each vintage, from my tasting notes. Forage at the Listel Hotel has been receiving a lot of good press about the quality of their…

What wines do you pair with Asian food?  I hear this question quite often.  When we think of wine, we think of  traditional European dishes such as roast beef, chicken, pasta, etc.  But what do you do with a Malaysian sate with peanut sauce?  That is what Haywire Winery from the Okanagan tried to answer for us, while we enjoyed…