Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
How often do you drink white Bordeaux wines? Do you know that they range from bone dry to lusciously sweet? Do you know which grape varieties go into white Bordeaux wines? I recently attended a seminar at L’Abbatoir in Gastown, covering these wines and some ideas for wine pairings that was hosted by Wines of Bordeaux. Our speaker was Emma…
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…
A Tour de France in Your Glass Food and wine go together, especially in France. I attended the VanWineFest 2026 seminar, A Tour de France in Your Glass. With Moderator, Arnica Rowan, we took an oenological journey through seven classic French wine regions, each with their own unique characteristics and history. We crossed the country from Champagne to South West…
What do you think about when you hear about Beaujolais wines? The seminar, Beaujolais: Dig into Diversity, for the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2026 was an exploration into Beaujolais wines and how it should now be regarded, rather than keep thinking about the past and the simple Beaujolais Nouveau wines. This seminar was lead by wine educator, Iain Philip. Beaujolais…
The Vancouver International Wine Festival 2026 will soon be upon us; March 7 – 14, 2026. I checked today for the status of the events to see which events still have tickets and which are sold out. As you may have guessed ALL winery dinners are already sold out. But don’t fret as there are tickets for many seminars, wine…
This is part two of my attendance at the “Viticultural Bridges” panel discussion, with BC and Alsatian winemakers. In part two, we covered premium white wines and shaping their future. Again, we had winemakers in person from Alsace and BC, and a few Alsatian winemakers via recorded video. There was Olivier Humbrecht to provide the Alsatian perspective in person. On…
While the term “Cru” is most often used for the French classification system, the “Cru” concept can apply to any vineyard or group of vineyards recognized for their superior quality. It was first mentioned in Champagne in 1911 and then spread across France, and now the rest of the world. This seminar, The Global Cru, took participants on a global…
Today we were able to taste California wines crafted on the edge – coastal cliffs, mountain tops, and rugged valleys – where adversity breeds greatness. This seminar at the VanWineFest 2025 showed us bold wines born from unforgiving terrains and regenerative farming. Our Moderator was Elaine Chukan Brown. Winery Principals to tell us about their wines: Kori Butler, Andrew Gouveia,…
The second seminar I attended at VanWineFest 2025 was the “Three Rings of Sustainability“. Dr. Monique Bell (Professor of Marketing, Fresno State University) and Dr. Damien Wilson (Hamel Family Faculty Chair of Wine Business, Sonoma State University) lead a panel of principals as they explored the three rings of sustainability – environmental, social, and economic. We learned how sustainable wine…
When I think of olives, I think about olives coming from Europe. They are typically brined and salty. But there is an alternative; California Ripe Olives. I was invited to a lunch with calolive.org to learn about how olives are grown and processed in California. Our host was Emily Lycopolus, a level-two olive oil sommelier and author of eight cookbooks. …
Video Guide Uncorks the Story of British Columbia Wines. Buy Now.
