MyWinePal

Breast cancer I hazard to guess has touched every Canadian family in some way or another.  In my family my mother had breast cancer, which was thankfully cured.  I have lost a sister-in-law to breast cancer, and I have a friend who has been treated and is currently in remission, and I hope on the road to being declared cancer-free…

At a certain quality level of wine, which typically comes from wineries that have decided to spend the extra effort on selecting grapes from the best vineyard plots, hand picking and sorting the grapes, and letting the grapes express themselves in the wine without an over agressive human hand, you get shades of perfection (note that I am not talking…

One of the definitions in The Free Dictionary of “portfolio” is “A group of investments held by an investor, investment company, or financial institution.” I thought that for a wine & spirits agency those bottles of wines and spirits are an investment to them.  They search out and try to find value, and then share these gems with the public. …

With September, comes the new season of tasting wines which have arrived in British Columbia, through the IVSA.  There can always be found wines from every corner of the world, and also beer and spirits too.  My wine picks come from across the world, and I hope you have a chance to try them sometime soon. Where I had the…

In my previous article, I reviewed a flight of wines I received from Okanagan’s Mt. Boucherie winery.  One of the bottles in question was a red wine made from the Blaufränkisch grape.  I have tasted wine from this grape before, so when I opened the bottle the wine really had a subdued nose and flavours.  I checked the cork and…

Everyone probably knows what is Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay wine if it is mentioned.  But there are many grape varieties that maybe not that well known, outside of the wine geeks like me.  Time for that to change.  Mt. Boucherie Family Estate Winery, located in West Kelowna, near Mission Hill Family Estate Winery, has been producing wines from well-known as…

Prosecco is one of the sparkling wines coming out of Italy, and probably the most well-known.  There are different levels of quality, with of course different price points.  I have been told that some retail shops and hair salons in Italy that each customer is handed a glass of prosecco to sip while they shop or get quaffed.  Prosecco may…

Haywire wines are made at Okanagan Crush Pad (OCP) in Summerland, BC, and are co-owned by Christine Coletta and Steve Lornie.  I have followed Haywire wines since their inception.  I like them as they try to be as organic and un-interventionist as possible, letting their wines tell their stories.  They make a range of wines; red, white, and bubble for…

Who doesn’t love a garden party?  Being outside in a garden, with wonderful food and drink, and the chance to play games?  VanDusen Botanical Gardens is having a Garden Party on Saturday August 23, and I am running a contest.  Maybe you plus guest can win 2 tickets to the event & High Tea at Noon + 1 bottle of…

Champagne. Cava.  What’s the difference or similarity?  There are both.  As you know, Champagne is sparking wine produced in the Champagne region of France, made in the Champenoise Traditional Method (with the second fermentation in the bottle), and Cava is sparkling wine produced primarily in the Penedes region of Spain, made in the Champenoise Traditional Method as well. The main difference…