Category: Similkameen

BC 2022 Vintage Preview mat with glasses

A Preview of BC’s Vintage 2022 With the Winemakers

 mywinepal  May 24, 2023  2 Comments on A Preview of BC’s Vintage 2022 With the Winemakers

In the late Fall, I interviewed a few BC winemakers about their 2022 harvest, but the wines were still fermenting in tanks, barrels or other vessels.  The winemakers sounded optimistic, thanks to the warm Fall weather.  But how would the wines taste?  This we explored with the following winemakers at the BC Vintage 2022 media preview: Laurent Fadanni, Whispering Horse…

Defining the Root of BC Terroir masterclass

Defining the Root of BC Terroir Masterclass at VanWineFest 2023

 mywinepal  May 1, 2023

To start off the Vancouver International Wine Festival, I attended this masterclass which featured 11 British Columbia wines from across the province, “Defining the Root of BC Terroir“.  Our panellists, the winemakers at the wineries, discussed the unique growing conditions of their vineyard and terroir of the area. There was also some discussion on what BC winegrowers are doing in…

Seaside Pearl Farmgate Winery Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

Take a Ride With Seaside Pearl Lover’s Lane Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

 mywinepal  April 10, 2023

Do you enjoy Cabernets? Do you prefer Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon?  I tried both today from Seaside Pearl Farmgate Winery.  Their Cabernet Franc grapes come from the Similkameen Valley while the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes come from the Okanagan Valley.  You may notice that both labels mention “Lover’s Lane”.  What does that have to do with BC or the Fraser…

Seaside Pearl Farmgate Winery Magnolias Rosé 2021 and The Connaught 2020, Similkameen Valley

Seaside Pearl Farmgate Winery Magnolias Rose and The Connaught Syrah to Enjoy

 mywinepal  March 21, 2023

Seaside Pearl Farmgate Winery in Abbotsford continues to produce top-quality limited-production wines.  The two wines I tasted, their Magnolias Rosé 2021 and The Connaught Syrah 2020, continue with this tradition.  Let me tell you about them.  My Wine Tasting Notes Seaside Pearl Farmgate Winery Magnolias Rosé 2021 (for Club Members only) The magnolias label celebrates the blooms of this tree…

Wines of BC 2022 Harvest

Celebrating the 2022 BC Wine Harvest Now Underway

 mywinepal  October 6, 2022

The BC wine harvest was just starting as I was on vacation in the Okanagan the second last week of September.  The winemakers I spoke to noted that they are about a month behind for the start of harvest.  Wines of BC sent me this press release with more information about this year’s grape harvest in BC.  Give it a…

Jeff Hundertmark, Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery winemaker with a bottle of his Riesling

Many Top Quality Wines from Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery to Enjoy

 mywinepal  September 28, 2022

I have been a fan of Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery‘s wines for many years.  I still have a bottle of their 2003 Summit Reserve Semillon I purchased at the winery that I hope to open this year with friends.  On my recent trip to Kelowna, I messaged their winemaker, Jeff Hundertmark, to see if I could meet with him.  Not…

Robin Ridge Winery Frigate 2015

Quick Review: Robin Ridge Winery Frigate 2015

 mywinepal  September 27, 2022

Have you tried the wines from Robin Ridge Winery in the Similkameen Valley? This small family-run winery only uses their organic estate-grown grapes. Each wine label also is named after a bird I was given a bottle of their Robin Ridge Frigate 2015 to taste. A frigate is a large sea bird that lives in tropical areas, like Florida. The…

Wine Growers of BC- BC Wine Regions Topo Map

The BC Wine Industry Welcomes Six New Sub-GIs

 mywinepal  June 30, 2022

In BC we relatively quickly learned that cooler climate grapes, like Riesling, did better in the north Okanagan, and warmer climate grapes, like Syrah, did better in the south Okanagan.  Similarly cooler climate grape varieties in the Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island.  And more.  But we have had a few decades now to further refine these generalized grape growing regions…

Winemaker Galen Barnhardt from Monte Creek Winery

A Conversation with Winemaker Galen Barnhardt from Monte Creek Winery at VanWineFest 2022

 mywinepal  June 2, 2022

At the Vancouver International Wine Festival, in the Tasting Room, I did have a chance to go through a flight of Monte Creek Winery wines with Winemaker Galen Barnhardt.  Below is a discussion of the wines with Galen.  Mostly Galen speaking, which is how an interview should be.  Enjoy. Galen:  Here we have our sparkling Rosé.  It is 2020, from the…

Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery Pinot Noir 2019 and SUMMIT 2018

Two Red Wines to Ease You Into the Fall from Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery

 mywinepal  September 11, 2021

My first two red wines to review in September, after having the mywinepal.com website down.  If you didn’t hear, a hacker was able to get into the servers of my ISP and wipe out many of the servers, including the one where mywinepal is hosted.  I’ve spent about a week reconstructing it and the ISP is working on restoring it fully. …