Category: Okanagan

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…

Chinese Year of the Wooden Horse According to chinesefortunecalendar.com, “Horse is one of Chinese favorite animals. Horse provides a good and quick transportation for people before automobiles. Horse can give people a ride to their destination. Therefore, horse is not only a symbol of traveling, but also a sign of speedy success. Horses like to compete with others. They pursuit for…

2013 seems like a blur, with so many wine and food events to count.  In addition, we had an outstanding sunny summer here in Vancouver, which lead to enjoyment of more wine and bbq.  Between my main website, mywinepal.com, and my food & wine events site, mywinepal.wordpress.com, I wrote 188 posts.  That is 1 new post every other day, but…

Over the past year, I’ve been lucky to try sparkling wine from around the world through various trade tastings. I’d like to share my favourite sparkling wines with you from 2013, so that you can enjoy them too for the holidays and of course New Year’s eve. Cheers! French Champagne Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial NV, France ($71.99) – Off…

Do you like a consistent quality wine with classic flavours and aromas?  Should it matter if the Cabernet Sauvignon you drink comes from Napa Valley or Stellenbosch, South Africa? Should the terroir; the soil, microbes, worms, indigenous yeasts, plus the sunshine and rain help to make unique wines to celebrate, or should they be fixed by the wine maker to…

Privato Winery is one of the newest wineries in BC, and the second winery in Kamloops, along side Harper’s Trail winery.  Privato opened their doors in August this year with the release of their Pinot Noir and opening of their Tasting Room in Kamloops. In the latest WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada 2013, their Privato Chardonnay 2011 won a…

Over the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to try many wines from around the world, in many different styles.  Out of my recommendations from the year, here are my picks that I think will make the holiday season more festive.  I tried to pick wines from most price points and all corners of the world. I also only picked…

Burgundy and Bordeaux; two famous wine regions in France with different grapes, red and white.  Back here in BC, you can grow the grapes from both regions and produce wine.  Burgundy is famous for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, while Bordeaux for their blends, which may contain Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Carmenere.  SpierHead Winery recently sent…

Perseus Winery in the Southern Okanagan produces a range of red and white wines, growing both Bordeaux and Rhone varieties.  Sometimes Bordeaux meets the Rhone Valley such as in their Syrah Malbec blend.  As a follow on to my article on their latest white wine releases, I also received some of their reds to review, which included a Merlot, a…

Terry Nicholas Threlfall was announced as the 2012 Sommelier of the Year here in Vancouver, and with that a very interesting perk; to work with Okanagan Crush Pad to produce a limited production wine using whichever grape variety they want.  For Terry it was Chardonnay, with a view back to Burgundy.  The resulting wine, “TNT”, is the third wine release…