MyWinePal

I have always had a fondness for South African wines.  They may not come across as fruit forward as other New World wines, but they are also not as austere as some Old World wine.  They sit right in the middle, making them sippable on their own, but I think shine quite brightly when you pair them with food. I…

Serendipity Winery is located along the Naramata Bench just north of Penticton.  It  is owned by Judy Kingston and her daughter Katie O’Kell, and vineyard manager Craig MacKenzie. The winery started in the fall of 2005 when Judy embarked on a wine tour of the Okanagan, which also was meant as a peek into retirement properties as well.  As serendipity…

Upper Bench Winery & Creamery is located just outside of downtown Penticton, leading the way into the Naramata Bench.  The winery is still fairly new, I believe 2012 was their 3rd vintage, their wine maker, Gavin Miller, has been around for several years in the Okanagan making wines for Poplar Grove and Painted Rock, before striking out on his own. …

Whenever I travel, I always keep an eye open for wineries in the area.  Recently I visited the very southwestern corner of Washington State, around Aberdeen.  I read in a tourist brochure about Westport Winery which was close by, a little south of Aberdeen, so dropped by.  The winery tries to be a destination for more than just wine.  They…

Can you match the French wine region with the following grape varieties? Region:  Bordeaux, Alsace, Rhone Valley Variety:  Pinot Gris, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah If you can’t figure it out, scroll to the bottom of this article for the answer.  Assuming you guessed correctly, or checked with the answer below, All four grape varieties are grown at Perseus Winery, located…

When you drink Pinot Noir, is it always red?  Maybe you don’t realize it, but many sparkling wines are made with the Pinot Noir grape.  For example if you see the term “Blanc de Noirs” on a bottle of Champagne or other sparkling wine, the wine was made with red grapes.  Pinot Noir is a very common red grape for…

California and Argentina.  What does this US State and South American country have in common?  Answer: Paul Hobbs.  Through my interview with Paul, I learned about his love of wine and interest in making interesting wines from interesting regions around the world.  Having a northern hemisphere and a southern hemisphere harvest each year gives Paul the chance to refine his…

I dare say, I love French food and wine.  I’ve been twice to France, and in both trips, found myself spending part of my trip in Provence, enjoying seafood and sipping rose wine from the area.  So it was with great anticipation that I opened the cover of “Provence Food and Wine, The Art of Living” by François Millo and Viktorija…

While it is not quite as hot and sunny as in Greece at this time of the year, it is warm enough for me, to look forward to enjoying some chilled aromatic white wines on the patio, along with a plate of oysters, chilled shrimp and cheese.  I received these three bottles of aromatic white wines from Summerhill Pyramid Winery…

If you have not heard about Paul Hobbs, or tried any of his wines, this interview help you learn about a fascinating person, making top quality wines in California, and also around the world.  Paul is a very engaging person with a casual style, arriving in the tasting room, set up inside Market by Jean-Georges, at the Shangri-La here in…