Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
Downtown Victoria is packed with many different restaurants. Depending on the time of day and how hungry you are, you can have a snack, a full meal, or just drinks. I recently spent a few days visiting Victoria and had a great time enjoying many different restaurants, from formal sit-down meals to snacks with a glass of wine on a…
If you are visiting Victoria and drive up to the Cowichan Valley to visit a few wineries, on your way back you may want to stop by the Malahat SkyWalk. This is what I did on my recent trip and really enjoyed the views from the SkyWalk. For those of you unfamiliar with the Malahat SkyWalk, I will tell you…
I love tasting and reviewing wines, but sometimes after a long stretch of wine tasting, it is refreshing to taste another alcoholic beverage. On my visit to southern Vancouver Island, I stopped by Junction Orchard & Cidery to try their ciders. The cidery is located about 15-20 minutes north of downtown Victoria, so it is easy for a visit if…
Did you know that Blue Grouse Estate Winery and Unsworth Vineyards in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island are owned by the Sonoma-based Jackson Family from California? The acquisitions, in 2022 and 2020, respectively, allow the family to grow their global portfolio, which includes vineyards in California, Oregon, Washington, Italy, France, Chile, South Africa, and Australia. They see tremendous potential…
I finally had a chance on a recent trip to Victoria to make a side trip to the Cowichan Valley to visit Unsworth Vineyards and Blue Grouse Estate Winery. Unsworth is a bit closer to Victoria, so it was the first stop on my wine tasting day. The winery grounds look beautiful with a modern-designed tasting room with lots of…
Most of us, when we think of BC wine, think of the Okanagan, but a short ferry ride to Victoria, and a drive up the Malahat, will bring you to some south Island wineries. In one visit, I first went to Unsworth Vineyards to sample their wines, then drove a little further north, near Duncan, to the Blue Grouse Estate…
Have you ever heard of a sparkling wine called Charme de l’ile, Island Charm in English? It is not a wine from France. It is from Vancouver Island and can only be made on Vancouver Island using Island grapes. Just like Champagne can only be made in the Champagne region of France. Charme is also a nod to the method…
Blue Grouse Estate Winery from Vancouver Island has changed hands a few times. The latest owners are the second and third-generation Jackson family (California) members Katie Jackson, Julia Jackson, Chris Jackson, Hailey Jackson-Hartford Murray, and MacLean Hartford. The family sees tremendous potential in Cowichan’s cool-climate maritime winegrowing region and plans to embolden the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines. I have…
I’ve been tasting and writing about Chardonnay recently, so I thought I would change things up and write about some other wines. I received several wines from Vancouver Island’s Blue Grouse Estate Winery and decided to start with their Rosé 2024 and their Pinot Gris 2024. These are from estate grown grapes and select partner vineyards. Vancouver Island is really…
With Canadians not wanting to travel to the USA at the moment, we have more opportunities to explore our beautiful country. I do enjoy eating tasty food and visiting wineries where I can sample their wines and maybe speak with the wine maker. Victoria is a wonderful place to visit. It has a culinary scene and it is close to…
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