Category: pinot noir

The Monte Creek Ranch Winery is located just east of Kamloops in the new GI of the Thompson Valley.  A region with cold winters, requires hardy grapes.  Monte Creek Ranch has a variety of red and white hybrid grapes that can stand these winters.  I talk about these grapes in the tasting notes for the wines.  And they also grow…

This was my first portfolio tasting for Amo Vino Distributors, a small boutique wine agency co-founded by Marisa Varas and Jessica Luongo.  Their wines are primarily from Europe, but there are also some California and BC wines to be found.  The wines from Greece and Portugal figure prominently, along with their country’s indigenous grapes.  You won’t find a huge list…

Creston, BC is probably not what you first think of when someone mentions a grape growing and wine-producing region in BC. But it is. And it has a long history of orchard fruit production.  I found this out on my recent trip to the interior.  I knew that the Baillie-Grohman Estate Winery is located in Creston, and I know they produce very good…

Did you know the first recorded planting of grapevines in New Zealand was at the Bay of Islands in 1819?  Wine was being made by Scottish, French, and Croatians making a new life in New Zealand.  But powdery mildew, phylloxera, and prohibitionists together brought a halt to wine production.  In the early and mid-1900’s wine production grew very slowly, but the…

What do you know about the current (2017) statistics about Australian wine?  Did you know that the total vineyard area in Australia is 135,133 ha, of which Shiraz accounts for 39,893 ha (30%) and Chardonnay (the largest white variety) cover 21,442 ha (16%)? There are estimated to be 2468 wineries and 6251 grape growers in Australia. Compare that to Canada…

Did you know that during the ice age, glaciers up to 3 km thick covered the Okanagan and carved out the valley we love?  The retreat of the glaciers left benches covered with fertile soil where many wineries grow their vines.  Okanagan Falls, between Penticton and Oliver, I think holds a sweet spot for growing grapes and making wine.  It has…

With Kinder Morgan considering their decision to continue with their oil pipeline to the Vancouver Lower Mainland to be made by May 31, 2018, the rhetoric between the Alberta and BC governments has ramped up.  In February, the Alberta government restricted the import of BC wines into Alberta.  Farm Friends, organized by several BC wineries in response to the boycott…

Have you ever wondered which wines go well with our Pacific Northwest Cuisine?  Maybe you want to buy a bottle to enjoy at home, to take to a friend’s dinner, or maybe order at a restaurant.  I checked out the top restaurants from the Vancouver Restaurant Awards 2017 (Yes, I know the 2018 awards are right around the corner).  For…

If you want to taste top-shelf wine from around the world, attend Top Drop Vancouver.  I’ve attended the last two years and can vouch for the wines that you will enjoy.  Here is my review of last year’s event: Top Drop Vancouver 2017 – An Authentic Experience And here is the announcement of the upcoming Top Drop event, along with…

Spearhead Winery in the Kelowna area is well-known for their Pinot Noir wines.  How many do they make?  There is their entry-level, white label Pinot Noir, their GFV Saddle Block Pinot Noir, their Golden Retreat Vineyard Pinot Noir, and their Cuvee Pinot Noir.  But wait, there is a surprise.  They just released a new Pinot Noir; their White Pinot Noir 2017. Pinot…