Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
I’ve been tasting and writing about Chardonnay recently, so I thought I would change things up and write about some other wines. I received several wines from Vancouver Island’s Blue Grouse Estate Winery and decided to start with their Rosé 2024 and their Pinot Gris 2024. These are from estate grown grapes and select partner vineyards. Vancouver Island is really…
I spent Friday afternoon at the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2026 tasting French red wines. Here are my favourite French wines from the International Festival Tasting Room. There is a fairly even distribution of red wines from different regions of France (and therefore different varietals) in my picks below. Enjoy. My French Red Wine Selections Castel Frères Exclusive Aspirant de…
Many people imagine Champagne as a pale lemon-coloured wine with fine bubbles and some combination of aromas and flavours of citrus, apple, nuts, oak, and brioche. But, Champagne is also available as a Rosé wine, giving it a different flavour profile, typically of red fruits, a little more body, and larger bubbles, from the use of Pinot Noir as the…
On a lighter tone, at VanWineFest 2026, I had a chance to attend a walk-about lunch at LaSalle College Vancouver; French bistro fare prepared and served by LaSalle students, while sampling a selection of French wines representing seven French wine regions. Below is a list of the French wines followed by the menu. No wine reviews here, just some general…
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…
Passport to Global Wines flight of wines The 47th Vancouver International Wine Festival seminar, “Passport to Global Wines,” was a strategic exploration of the global viticultural map through the lens of cultural identity. Moderators Christine Campbell, Lisa Giovanella, and James Nevison established a “Passport” metaphor as a vehicle to navigate international “ports of entry,” moving beyond the standard technical data…
Winemaking in the past has been dominated by men around the world, but times are changing. British Columbia is a great example. If you’ve ever cracked open a bottle of BC wine, there is a high probability that it was made by a female winemaker and/or the winery is female owned. Estimates suggest about 20% of lead winemakers in the…
Founded in 1880 by Joseph Drouhin in Beaune, France, Maison Joseph Drouhin has grown from a local négociant into a premier Burgundian estate. Known for pioneering organic and biodynamic viticulture since the 1980s, the family-run house manages extensive vineyards across the Côte de Beaune, Côte de Nuits, and Chablis. But beside Burgundy, Joseph Drouhin is also known for pioneering the…
It is always a treat at a winemaker’s dinner to be able to talk with the winemaker who gives us some insight into how the wines we are drinking together were made and any challenges they encountered. I recently attended a winemaker dinner at Provence Marinaside, featuring Jessica Otting from the Niagara region’s Tawse Winery, who gave us those insights. …
Here are my last two Interlude wines from Township 7 Vineyards & Winery. In case you don’t remember, Interlude, is their wines, crafted in BC, but coming from grapes outside the province, due to our cold winter snap that killed most grape vines in the Okanagan. The first wine, their Township 7 Vineyards & Winery Interlude Pinot Noir 2024, is…
Video Guide Uncorks the Story of British Columbia Wines. Buy Now.
