Category: pinotage

Today I have two rosé wines from BC’s Meyer Family Vineyards, actually one is from their sister winery, Mayhem Wines.  One wine is made from 100% Pinot Noir and the other from a blend of four different red grapes.  Both wines also underwent different fermentation processes.  The two wines are the Meyer Rosé 2023 and the Mayhem Rosé 2023.  Can…

It’s time for our BC wines to be recognized by our peers.  The results from the 2023 British Columbia Lieutenant Governor’s Wine Awards have been announced. Here is the press release.  Pick up the bottles that won as soon as possible as they will sell out soon! ~~~ (KELOWNA, BC) – April 18, 2023: On April 3 through 5, 2023,…

Just around the corner from Spearhead Winery is The View Winery & Vineyard.  I stopped by to try their wines and to find out that they also make apple cider under the name of Wards Cider.  I did not have a chance to try their ciders but purchased a few bottles to try at home. The View Winery is situated…

My final two wines from Back Door Winery in Summerland are their Nice Rack White Blend, NV, a blend of Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, and Viognier, and their Okanagan Hills Estate Reserve Pinotage 2018. The white wine comes under a Stelvin closure, while the Pinotage uses a synthetic cork. So we have two different wines from two different tiers from the…

Today I have wines from the two signature grapes of South Africa; Chenin Blanc and Pinotage.  Chenin Blanc hailing from France but has flourished in South Africa. Pinotage, a red grape, was created in South Africa in the early 1920s, by crossing Pinot Noir and Cinsault.    Kanonkop Wine Estate and Ken Forrester Vineyards are both located in the quality…

Can BC wines age well?  That is a question that has been asked for a while.  A few years ago at a VQA Trade Seminar, I was able to taste a sample of aged, 10 years +, wines.  The wines were not past their prime and some could still age I believe.  So I was very curious about this bottle…

You may say that 1990 was when South African wine came on the international scene.  That is the year that Nelson Mandela was released and sanctions against South Africa were subsequently lifted.  Before that time South African wines were made in a style that pleased the South Africa palate.  But opening their wines up to the world and a more…

Ken Forrester and his wife started their winery together with their young family;  Buying a large 38 ha plot of land in the Stellenbosch region of South Africa, and working with farmers over 90 ha of scattered parcels.  Ken wanted to produce the best wine in the world and has been working with the Chenin Blanc grape to try to…

Two years ago I was fortunate to meet wine maker Izele van Blerk from KWV, the largest winery in South Africa, at a Trade tasting in Vancouver 2 years ago.  I talked about my experience with South African wine through the South World Wine Society, where I was the President and cellar master at some time.  I’ve continued to watch…

South African wines are well-known for going great with food.  The wines are a mix of the Old World and the New World styles.  Fruit forward, yet still restrained, plus enough structure and acidity to give you wines elegance. If you have not tried South African wines before you may want to try some for free, courtesy of the BCLDB. …