Category: Viognier

You may not have heard of Jean-Claude Mas but his family began growing grapes in the south of France in 1892.  Jean-Claude gained experience in the wine business and education around the world, coming back to the family business when he inherited his father’s vineyards in Pézénas of 35 hectares.  In 2000 he created Les Domaines Paul Mas from these…

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…

My last winery visit in Okanagan Falls, before getting back to my visit to the Naramata Bench, is Blasted Church Vineyards. They have very colourful and expressive labels, with a religious bent or Renaissance theme to them, as the winery is located on Parson’s Road.   All their wines are unfined and unfiltered, so some wines may have a dull appearance…

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…

If you are thinking about sipping a ripe, juicy, delicious red wine, this wine, Hester Creek Grenache Syrah Mourvedre 2022, is a wonderful option.  I received this wine earlier this summer but took till now to have a chance to open it for you.  It’s a blend of 45% Grenache, 38% Syrah (includes 2% of co-fermented Viognier), and 17% Mourvedre…

Victoria Day has just passed in Canada and is known as our unofficial kick-off to summer.  For your summer wine enjoyment, you may lean toward white wines.  I have two white wines for you from Australia;  The Pewsey Vale Estate Eden Valley Riesling 2022 which is fermented in stainless steel and the Yalumba The Y Series Viognier 2022 which has…

I appreciated talking with Noah from Tinte Cellars during The Grand Tasting at Taste Washington 2024.  He talked about the Viognier he poured for me, but also told me about their winery and how they work with non-profits making donations totalling a substantial figure.  I applaud wineries, and any company, that helps support non-profits and exercise their Corporate Social Responsibility….

We are used to seeing European wine labels with names of places, or other identification, other than the name of the grape varieties in the bottle. In North America and BC, we tend to have the name of the winery and the grape variety or varieties on the label.  But today, I have two BC wines that have descriptive names…

Viognier is not a grape that you typically think of when you consider white wines in BC, but you should.  Although the grape originates from the northern Rhone Valley, which can get quite hot in the summer, the grape does well in our Okanagan Valley, which can have cooler and hotter vintages.  I have two Viognier wines from two separate…

I was invited to attend the Swirl Around BC 2023 seminar recently to hear from BC winemakers about the challenges and opportunities in the BC wine industry.  Our Moderator for this seminar was DJ Kearney, and our Panelists were: Alistair Veen, JoieFarm, Bailey Williamson, Blue Grouse Estate Winery; Charlie Baessler, Corcelettes Estate Winery; David Paterson, Tantalus Vineyards; Ross Wise, Black…