MyWinePal

Now that you have some background about the BC winery situation for 2025 from part one of Brent Gushowaty’s article, here is the second part of the article I have for you by Brent when you are at a BC winery’s tasting room. Your Tasting Room Manners – Before You Arrive Group Think For most wineries, large groups arriving unannounced…

Have you started touring BC wine country this summer?  I have a two part article about touring BC wine country in 2025, written by Brent Gushowaty.  In part one, he covers: The impact of the 2023/24 freeze Introduction of 2024 “replacement wines” Evolving winery business models and tasting innovations Part Two will focus on the practical aspects for the casual…

For many years, I’ve known Privato Winery in Kamloops for their premium Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines.  But times change as original family-owned winery owners bow out, and the winery is either taken over by their children, sold to someone outside the family, or the winery is shut down.  For Privato, the winery has been transitioned over to their children,…

I don’t usually post press releases on MyWinePal.com; most get posted to my Facebook page.  This press release is an exception as it covers Demeter, the biodynamic certification body for the world.  While we may think of it specifically in the management of vineyards and wine production, it also covers agriculture with a broader brush.  Here is the press release…

2017 was the last time I visited Fort Berens Estate Winery in Lillooet, along with other wine writers.  The winery was still young, but the quality of their wines were notable.  Almost every year since 2018, I interviewed their current winemaker to find out about their grape harvest.  And every year, I tell people how they should try Fort Berens’…

When you swirl that glass and ponder why one wine tastes crisp and lively while another feels soft and mellow, you’re sensing the delicate interplay of pH and TA, two key metrics that shape wine’s structure and personality. While often mentioned together, these two measures describe distinct aspects of acidity: pH reveals how strong the acid is, and TA reflects…

Have you ever poured a glass of wine that smells like a basket of ripe summer fruit, only to find it finishes dry and crisp on your palate? If so, you’ve experienced the fascinating interplay between fruitiness and sweetness in wine, two terms often confused but fundamentally different. Let me give you some background so that you can differentiate between…

Today I have a mini-vertical of Cabernet Franc wines from the Niagara region’s Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery, in particular their The Chestnut Tree Cabernet Franc wines from 2015, 2017, and 2018.  It is exciting to taste a vertical of wines from a single winery and vineyard, so that you can get a glimpse into how the wine ages and the…

Today, I paired my third dish from Sous Chef by Cardinal™ with a red and a white wine.  The dish was the Marsala Braised Chicken with seasoned long grained rice.  The white wine was the Township 7 Vineyards & Winery Interlude Chardonnay 2024, and the red wine was the Dobbin Estate Cabernet Blend 2020 (85% Cabernet Franc and 15% Merlot)…

Here are my latest two Niagara region Cabernet Franc wines to tell you about from One-Eighty Estate Winery.  The story of One-Eighty Estate Winery, “…all started when Bob and Marzia decided they wanted to pursue a new path in life…Bob and Marzia and their two daughters, Taylor and Sara, have always been risk takers in life…Opportunity arose to own and…