MyWinePal

I am privileged to try so many wines from around the world each year, here in Vancouver.  Sparkling, rose, red, white, and fortified wines have all passed my lips.  And for some instances there is a wine that stops you in your tracks, all your senses become heightened as they focus on the spectacular wine in your glass.  I would…

Okanagan Crush Pad seems to be coming up with lots of small production wines, trying different things with different grapes, people, and inspiration.  This article is about two of their latest wines; Haywire Free Form and Samantha Syrah. About Haywire Free Form I was immediately intrigued when I read about this wine as the wine maker’s rolled the dice and…

Burch Family Wines from Australia represent three different brands: Howard Park, Marchand & Burch, and MadFish Wines.  Did you know that Denmark is in Australia?  Neither did I, but read on to learn more about Denmark, Burch Family Wines, and the wines they will be pouring at the Vancouver International Wine Festival. Our History Since inception in 1986, Howard Park’s…

A Brief History of Hollick Wines Hollick Wines is a small winery in Coonawarra, South Australia. Ian and Wendy Hollick purchased a piece of grazing land on the southern end of the Coonawarra district in 1974. This small block of land was one of the original allocations in the Coonawarra Fruit Colony which John Riddoch founded in 1890. Although predominantly…

SpierHead Wines in Kelowna has been producing some quality wines since the first vintage I tasted a few years ago.  At the 2014 National Wine Awards of Canada their 2012 Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir Gentleman Farmer all won Silver Medals.  Their 2013 vintage wines have come out now, and I was lucky to receive a bottle of their Chardonnay,…

Our History Our family planted their first Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon vines in 1891. This makes the Cabernet Sauvignon the oldest family owned Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard in the world and the Shiraz the oldest in the Langhorne Creek region. The original plantings by current owner Guy Adams’ great-great grandfather William Formby, led to the estate known as the “Metala” Vineyards,…

The next winery to introduce you to at the Vancouver International Wine Festival is Bleasdale Vineyards.  Learn about their interesting region that has an afternoon breeze called the “Lake Doctor” to help slow the grapes ripening and should keep more acidity in the grapes.  Enjoy the read now from the winery, and tasting their wines in February 2015. ~~~ BLEASDALE…

I had not heard of Giusti Winery before a few weeks ago, but now that I know, I would like more people to know about them.  I first tried their Prosecco wines and had recommended their Rosalia Prosecco.  But they are more than Prosecco.  The three red still wines I tried were all top quality; a Ripasso, an Amarone, and…

Okanagan Crush Pad keeps telling us that “Wine is Narrative“.  Every wine tells a story.  Some stories though are more interesting than others.  I think the more specific a place, the more the terroir can speak through the wine.  While there is nothing wrong with wines where the grapes are sourced from widely separated areas, maybe the story is harder…

Fowles WIne is a new winery for me from Australia, but I am curious to try their wines.  They make a wine that is blended to match wild game meat.  That is quite interesting.  They also have 2 Sauvignon Blancs to try, which you normally don’t think of that much from Australia.  Curious to try.  Read about the winery, from…