MyWinePal

Cocktail culture is strong in Canada and we have a yearly cocktail week in Vancouver to celebrate this fact.  I attended the Black & White Gala this year and it was quite fun with many different cocktails to try.  I’ve included pictures of my attendance this past year. Here is a press release about the Vancouver Cocktail Week that will…

In case you haven’t heard, Okanagan’s Blasted Church Vineyards is having a case sale on their Renaissance wines from now till Dec 14.  I’m tasting two of their Renaissance series wines I received.  Hatfield’s Fuse 2024 and Pinot Gris 2024.  Both wines are made in BC, but use grapes that come from Washington state, to cover our cold winter snap in…

You have probably had Balsamic Vinegar of Modena of Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) drizzled over tomatoes and mozzarella cheese in a Capreze Salad.  And you know that this deeply coloured, thick vinegar, comes from Italy.  But there is an interesting story behind Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI.  I was with a few other select media members to learn about the…

With the upcoming holiday season, you, or your guests, may not want a glass of wine, beer, or cocktail.  Maybe something lower in alcohol, but still has nice fruit flavours.  Orchard + Field is just that.  Wine made using fruit from  orchard and berries from the fields and crafted at Garnet Valley Ranch in Summerland, BC.  I received two bottles…

This is my eighth year interviewing winemakers or winery principals in Ontario about their latest grape harvest and wine production.  Now that it is late November and the wines are all in tanks or barrels, how did the Ontario grape growing season and harvest fare?  I interviewed three winemakers/winery principals this year: Ryan Oldridge, Winemaker at Colchester Ridge Estate Winery in…

We are well into the colder, winter weather now here in BC.  So it is time to venture into deeper, red wines.  I have two red wines from Oliver’s Gold Hill Winery. I have their Gold Hill Oxbow Reach Merlot 2019 and Oxbow Reach Cabernet Franc 2019. Both are interestingly from the 2019 vintage, with now 6 years of aging. …

I saved my last two wines from Domaine Artema Winery to be their Village Sparkling Rosé 2024 and their La Petite Mort (port style), NV, dessert wine.  These two wines can cover the start and end of a delicious dinner.  I did not decant either wine.  In the first case, you don’t want the delicious bubbles in your sparkling wine…

Today, I’m easing us into the colder weather with a 2024 Rosé and a Gamay wine made by Oliver’s Domaine Artema Winery.  Gamay is a red wine grape with less tannins and more acidity, making it easier to sip on its own as well as being food friendly.  The Rosé wine uses Pinot Noir primarily with a substantial amount of…

The 2025 BC harvest was one of hope and a bounty of grapes. I travelled to Osoyoos at the beginning of October and all the winery principles I spoke to mentioned how their grape vines were supplying an overabundance of grapes this year, to make up for the devastation last year.   Now that it is late November and the wines…

I was privileged to be invited to attend the “Iconic Wineries of British Columbia” Holiday Preview this week, held at the Holt Renfrew, in downtown Vancouver.  We sampled selections from Mission Hill Family Estate, Martin’s Lane, CheckMate Artisanal Winery, CedarCreek Estate Winery, Liquidity Wines, and Road 13 Vineyards.  There were red, white, rose, and sparkling wines, along with canapes, made by the chefs from…