MyWinePal

Benjamin Mitarakis, Director of Trade Development for Viña Concha y Toro discussing Viña Don Melchor I was recently honoured with the opportunity to sample iconic Cabernet wines by Chile’s Viña Don Melchor with food pairings at Riley’s Fish & Steak in downtown Vancouver. It was a fantastic evening with Benjamin Mitarakis, Director of Trade Development for Viña Concha y Toro,…

Here are two red wines for you from BC’s Township 7 Vineyards & Winery.  The first wine is their Township 7 Provenance Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 while their other is the Township 7 Benchmark Series Reserve 7 2021, also has Cabernet Sauvignon, but is Merlot dominant. Both wines are vegan-friendly. Difference Between Provenance and Benchmark Series Wines Township 7’s Provenance…

Inniskillin Wines near Niagara-on-the-Lake holds a significant place in Canadian wine history as the country’s first estate winery since Prohibition. The granting of their license on July 31, 1975, was a historic event, as it was the first winery license issued by the LCBO since 1929. The founders, Donald Ziraldo and Karl Kaiser, are credited with starting the winery. Inniskillin began…

Gambero Rosso is Italy’s leading authority on food, wine, and culinary culture, renowned for its annual Vini d’Italia guide, which evaluates over 45,000 wines to identify the country’s finest. The prestigious Tre Bicchieri (Three Glasses) award is reserved for fewer than 1% of these wines, marking them as exceptional examples of Italian winemaking. To celebrate and promote these top-tier wines,…

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Top Drop Canada is a premier wine festival held annually in Vancouver, showcasing a curated selection of terroir-driven wines from around the globe. The event brings together over 40 international producers, including renowned estates from regions such as Piedmont, Champagne, and the Okanagan Valley. 50+ wineries in total.  None from the USA this year.  Attendees have the unique opportunity to…

My next pair of Ontario Cabernet Franc wines in my research goes to Konzelmann Estate Winery and Reif Estate Winery which are located west and south of Niagara-on-the-Lake respectively.  Konzelmann has lake influence, while Rief has the Niagara River influence.  Both wines are Reserve level and both from the 2020 vintage, which was viewed as a fantastic vintage, so both…

Here are two Ontario Cabernet Franc wines from Flat Rock Cellars and Featherstone Estate Winery & Vineyard coming from the Niagara region.  The two wineries are separate entities, but it worked out to have single bottles of their single varietal Cabernet Franc wines to be tasted and discussed together.  Flat Rock Cellars is solely owned by Ed Madronich, while Featherstone…

I received two bottles of Pinot Noir from the Maison Joseph Drouhin family.  The first wine, Joseph Drouhin Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2021 comes from Burgundy, while the second wine, Domaine Drouhin Oregon Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2022, comes from Oregon state. Some Background The Pinot Noir grape variety has a deep history in Burgundy, with the first plantings possibly dating…

I was recently contacted by Vancouver’s, Atome Bakery with their bake-at-home sourdough breads to try. Of course, I said, “Yes”.  On the bakery website, they tell us, “We’re Alice and Lucas, the duo behind Atome Bakery. We grew up devouring baguettes and toast every day. When we arrived in Vancouver, we couldn’t find the same bread as we were used…