MyWinePal

Over the past year, I’ve been lucky to try sparkling wine from around the world through various trade tastings. I’d like to share my favourite sparkling wines with you from 2013, so that you can enjoy them too for the holidays and of course New Year’s eve. Cheers! French Champagne Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial NV, France ($71.99) – Off…

Do you like a consistent quality wine with classic flavours and aromas?  Should it matter if the Cabernet Sauvignon you drink comes from Napa Valley or Stellenbosch, South Africa? Should the terroir; the soil, microbes, worms, indigenous yeasts, plus the sunshine and rain help to make unique wines to celebrate, or should they be fixed by the wine maker to…

As you may recall, earlier this year I set up a poll for Canadians asking some questions about the types of wines they like, how much they pay for wine, etc. Although I did not get as large a sample as I hoped from across Canada (85 responses), I feel that I do have enough where I can make some…

Have you tried any wine from Brasil before?  Did you know that there are wineries in Brasil?  You may think of the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema in Rio de Janiero, but if you go to the cooler climate in Southern Brasil you will find vineyards that were started by European settlers in the 1500s and continues today. I received…

For those of you who have not heard of the Harper’s Trail winery, they made news across BC as they started the first winery in the Kamloops area.  Not knowing if the vines would last the winter, they tried and were successful.  The weather in Kamloops for the summer and fall is sunny and warm; perfect conditions for grape growing. …

I admit that I am still learning about Scotch Whisky, learning a bit through my WSET training. I was glad to be invited to attend a Johnnie Walker Whisky Master Class at Hopscotch.  Our “teacher” was Mr. Michael “Mike” Nicholson, a Distiller, who has worked at La Cavulin and 4 other distilleries. Mike started off telling us about Johnnie Walker,…

Privato Winery is one of the newest wineries in BC, and the second winery in Kamloops, along side Harper’s Trail winery.  Privato opened their doors in August this year with the release of their Pinot Noir and opening of their Tasting Room in Kamloops. In the latest WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada 2013, their Privato Chardonnay 2011 won a…

Over the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to try many wines from around the world, in many different styles.  Out of my recommendations from the year, here are my picks that I think will make the holiday season more festive.  I tried to pick wines from most price points and all corners of the world. I also only picked…

While most people will tell you ways to enjoy wine more, I am telling you also, but by telling you what not to do.  These pointers may help you as we are coming up to the holiday season. So here are my 5 points: Have a smoke – Having a cigarette, or cigar, just before tasting your glass of wine…

Malbec is known as the signature grape of Argentina, but can it age?  We found this out, at least for our bottle sampled, during my Bodega Norton wine maker dinner earlier this month.  Bodega Norton’s Chief Winemaker, Jorge Riccitelli brought 3 bottles of their 1974 Malbec from Argentina for us to try.  Now this was not their Reserva level at…