MyWinePal

Are you tired of drinking Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay from around the world?  Are you excited by trying a wine from a grape that you have never heard of before?  If you said YES, then you should be trying the wines from Portugal.  It has over 250 different indigenous grape varieties and produces some very flavourful wines.  Plus the wines…

Do you switch the types of wines you drink throughout the year?  Lighter, brighter White, Sparkling, and Rosé wines for the longer spring and summer, and fuller bodied reds for the cold, rainy (or snowy) winter days?  Of course the fuller bodied reds also go with BBQ in the summer, but in general I think most of us like a…

New Zealand is a small country, but packs a big punch in the wine world with their crisp, herbal, and citrusy Sauvignon Blancs, and more recently with their Pinot Noirs.  The Pinot Noir grape has been said to be the best grape to demonstrate terroir, with New Zealand the terroir is quite varied from the North to the South Island,…

With the daylight hours getting longer, and weather getting warmer, we are all thinking about getting outside, having a bbq or just enjoying sitting on our patios, sipping a glass of wine and chatting with family or friends.  But what to drink?  I received two bottles of wine from BC’s Spierhead Winery recently that would fit the bill; a Pinot…

Did you know that in New Zealand there are 25 varieties of grapes planted in commercial quantities for wine production?  But two of those varieties stand out, as the signature grapes of New Zealand: Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.  Today I would like to dish on some New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs that I tried during the “New Zealand in a…

LaStella Winery, located in the South Okanagan, tries to bring Italian style to the wines they produce.  They do this in part through the use of Italian grapes, such as Sangiovese, and through using the production methods undertaken in Italy.  Besides their love of Italy, and bringing it here to BC, they also look to the environment trying to produce…

Where in Vancouver can you taste wines from 114 different wineries across California?  At the California Wine Fair.  The 2014 Fair was last week and it did not disappoint, with sparkling, still and dessert wines for us to savour. And as an added benefit, proceeds to this event went to support the Arts Club Theatre, which is celebrating it’s 50th…

Easter is a big holiday for many of us, where we get together with family and enjoy a big dinner. Easter is also leading us into Spring. Flowers are already blooming here in Vancouver, and I’m sure it will come soon in the rest of Canada.  Below are a few suggestions that I posted a few years ago.  As I…

A friendly competition never hurt anyone.  Well maybe egos.  Today’s friendly competition is between Okanagan Crush Pad’s Haywire Rose 2011 and Bartier Scholefield (BS) Rose 2011.  Both wines are produced from Gamay Noir grapes grown from the same vineyard in Oliver.  What is different is the style of rose.  The grapes were harvested two weeks apart and vinified differently.  Let…

I love Syrahs.  They stand on their own two feet.  No need for blending with other grapes.  I enjoy their ruby colour in the glass; their aromas, especially blueberries; their full body, red/black berry flavours and sometimes white pepper that plays on your palate.  BC can make some very good Syrahs.  Located in the South Okanagan, one of the wineries…