Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
Have you heard about the Fraser Valley‘s latest winery opening? I attended the soft opening of Chapter Estates Winery, located in the Langley area. They have a vineyard at the winery, plus a restaurant so you can enjoy wine and food. A great way to have a weekday or weekend escape. Here is some background information about the winery, my…
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…
Today I tasted the battle of the blends. An epic battle royale between two iconic red wines made by Hester Creek Estate Winery. Wines of phenomenal origin and destiny, The Judge and Garland are crafted from the best barrels in their cellar, and are an authentic expression of our South Okanagan terroir. These are heavy bottles with solid corks. Their…
California’s 689 Cellars offers a variety of wines for different classes of wine drinkers, from casual to serious. Here is some background information from the winery and the wines they will be pouring at VanWineFest 2025. About 689 Cellars Curtis McBride is the owner and founder of 689 Cellars and Premier Wine Group. Curtis founded Premier Wine Group over 20…
Let’s welcome J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines to the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2025 and enjoy their wines from the Paso Robles region of California. Here is some background to the winery and a list of the wines they will be pouring at the International Festival Tasting Room. Enjoy. About J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines,…
Hillside Winery on the Naramata Bench was the last winery on my wine-tasting tour. The founders of the winery were Vera and Bohumir Klokcka who had emigrated from Czechoslovakia in 1979, buying the property but did not plant the first grape vines till 1984. Although no longer owners, I’m told that winemaker, Kathy Malone, still talks with Vera, who is…
The second winery on the Naramata Bench I visited was Howling Bluff Estate Winery. This is a small family-run winery, starting with the land purchase in 2003, that specializes in Pinot Noir wines, although they also produce other quality wines. I met with co-owner and winemaker, Luke Smith, sitting at the tasting room patio, where we chatted about the latest…
BC Day is celebrated to honour the history, culture, and achievements of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It falls on the first Monday in August each year and is a statutory holiday in the province. This day commemorates the creation of the colony of British Columbia, which was formed on August 2, 1858. This was a significant event in…
Happy New Year. With that, I have my first two wines to review for 2024. I decided to pick two big red wines from BC’s Hester Creek Estate Winery. I have their Hester Creek Estate Winery The Judge 2020 and Garland 2020. Both wines are Bordeaux blends with The Judge being a right-bank blend and Garland being a left-bank blend. …
This year I had many terrific wines to taste and review. Wines that I rate as 5 star I deem as needing nothing to add or subtract. They are perfect as-is. I had one wine that reached that status this year so instead of making a separate article for that wine, I am including it in this article. My 4.5-5…
Video Guide Uncorks the Story of British Columbia Wines. Buy Now.
