Category: Semillon

In this video interview, I spoke with Dimitri Matrat from Chateau Monlot about  their red and white wines from Bordeaux.  Château Monlot is an 8-hectare Saint-Émilion Grand Cru estate in Bordeaux, France, with a 400-year history, specializing in Merlot-driven wines. Listen and watch as Dimitri tells me about their wines, during the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2026.

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 first official Naramata Bench winery I visited on my weekend trip to the Okanagan was Bench 1775 Winery. This winery has gone through a few transformations.  I will let the winery tell you their story, in their own words, “Bench 1775 (formerly known as Paradise Ranch Wines Corp.) is one of the only two Okanagan Wineries producing icewine and…

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…

The Fall release of BC VQA wines was in late September.  Due to skytrain issues getting to the venue, I did not have as much time to taste the new wine releases, so I concentrated on white wines.  There were also red wines, but not enough time to taste.  There are a few sparkling wines on this list, which you…

I tasted two white Bordeaux blends at the Sagemoor Estates table during The Grand Tasting at Taste Washington.  This is a wine made with Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes. Danny told me about the differences between the fermentation methods for these two wines and suggested what type of food to enjoy with each wine.  Both are tasty wines.  Pick up…

With all the pressures caused by winter weather freezing vines reducing the grape harvest this year and forest fires over the past several years, our BC wineries need your support.  I have two wines, one white and one red, from BC’s Blasted Church Vineyards to review for you.  Blasted Church Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2022 is a white Bordeaux blend. …

Ontario’s Stratus Vineyards is a 55-acre farm, set in the Niagara Lakeshore appellation of Niagara-on-the-Lake, and is planted to 16 grape varieties.  All the grapes are grown sustainably. Their winery is the first in the world to be fully Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) – certified, which embodies their commitment to sustainability. The winery uses geothermal heating and…

I received recommendations from a friend to visit Rosewood Winery & Meadery while I was visiting the Niagara region.  I was curious to attend, in part because I had not tried mead.  This winery, started in 2000, is owned by the Roman family and originated from Ukraine.  They are also the only winery in Ontario with a license to produce…

Update 2025:  With the BCGEU strike on, purchasing BC wines is a little harder to do.  There are still private stores around, mainly in the Vancouver area or Victoria, but some scattered throughout the province where you can find BC wines.  BC wines are also a bit more scarce due to the 2023 and 2024 harvests, in which interior wineries…