MyWinePal

Here are two big red wines.  One from a grape you may not know too well, Tannat, and the other wine is a Chianti Classico, but at the top tier, Gran Selezione.  The Tannat wine comes from Argentina, which is uncommon, as Argentina is best known for Malbec.  But this Tannat shows that it also does well in Argentina.  Let…

It is the holiday season and many of us think about opening a bottle of sparkling wine; champagne if we are able.  Bureau du Champagne USA sent me this email outlining food pairings for specific holiday dates and the suggested champagne style.  Here is a copy of the email. The holiday season is a time for gathering with loved ones,…

Nestled on the picturesque Naramata Bench in the Okanagan Valley, Ruby Blues Winery offers a charming blend of exceptional wines and stunning vineyard views. In 2007 Prudence and Beat Mahrer started Ruby Blues Winery, after selling Red Rooster Winery.  Their goal is to keep the winery small and sell locally. I recently received two bottles of wine from Ruby Blues…

BC’s Hester Creek Estate Winery made two delicious wines that would go well with your holiday dinners.  Both are elegant, flavourful, not heavy-bodied. I received their Source Collection Chardonnay 2023 and Syrah 2022 to review.  The Source Collection represents a source of inspiration, these wines represent the treasured qualities of their rare Old Vine vineyard and that of their select…

Here are two holiday-worthy red wines from BC’s Township 7 Vineyards & Winery that you should consider.  The first, under screwcap, is the Township 7 Provenance Series Merlot 2020; the second, under cork closure, is the Township 7 Benchmark Series Fool’s Gold Vineyard Syrah 2020.   What’s the Difference? What is the difference between Township 7’s Provenance and the Benchmark series of…

This is my seventh year interviewing winemakers or winery principals in Ontario about their latest grape harvest and wine production.  Now that it is early December and the wines are all in tanks or barrels, how did the Ontario grape growing season and harvest fare?  I interviewed three winemakers/winery principals this year: Chris Thompson, Winemaker at Lighthall Vineyards in Prince Edward…

Beer has a long history, perhaps longer than wine, either way, both have ancient roots.  I received The Meaning of Beer by Jonny Garrett to review and was surprised at how beer has been intertwined with so many aspects of society. Jonny sifts through thousands of years of the evolution of beer, its effects on society, and innovation to today,…

When you buy wine in a BC Liquor store, you don’t think about how the wine was selected for the shelves.  Behind the scenes are many wine agencies that search for wines from around the world, to build their portfolio, and have some of their portfolio sold through BC Liquor stores with the remaining wines, usually specialty wines, sold in…

The BC coastal wineries and the Fraser Valley had a completely different winemaking experience compared to the interior of BC in 2024.  With the cold weather winter snap in the Interior, most of the vitis vinifera vines died so many winemakers had to source grapes from outside of BC; Many chose Washington and Oregon states.  The coastal and Fraser Valley…

The Prisoner Wine Company is leading the resurgence of California red blends.  They acquire grapes from more than 100 vineyards throughout California’s premier grape-growing regions of various varietals to create their blends.  The Prisoner Red Blend 2021 which I received was inspired by the wines first made by the Italian immigrants who originally settled in Napa Valley. It was released…