MyWinePal

We have had some turmoil in Canada and in BC for wines in 2025.  Many BC interior wineries suffered from the 2024 cold snap causing them to either not produce any wine in 2024, or importing grapes from across the border, or from Ontario.  We also had the removal of USA wines from BC government liquor stores.  Overall, we had…

It will soon be New Year’s eve and many of us will open a bottle of sparkling wine.  I have two bottles of sparkling wine from BC’s Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars for you to consider.  I received their Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars Gold Label Brut 2022 and their Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars Brut Rosé R.D. 2022.  R.D….

Today I have two wines for you from south Okanagan’s Gold Hill Winery; their Gold Hill Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2022 and Charisma Cabernet Merlot 2021.  Charisma is their second label.  Charisma wines curates charming approachable everyday drinking wines.  There were scattered forest fires in the BC interior in 2021, but the winemakers at that time did not notice any smoke taint…

Although the winters of 2021-22 and 2022-23 were extremely cold in Lillooet, Fort Berens Estate Winery was able to harvest grapes from their two vineyards.  Here are two wines from Fort Berens Estate Winery coming from their estate fruit.  These two wines come from their Reserve level, which typically means coming from estate grapes, with the grapes getting longer hang…

You may have noticed that I had not posted anything wine related for the last 2 weeks, as I was away, but now I’m back, and have my first two wines to tell you about from BC’s Township 7 Vineyards & Winery.  I opened their Interlude Select Sauvignon Blanc 2024 and  their Provenance Series Cabernet Merlot 2022.  The Interlude Select…

As we close out 2025, we like to look back at what we enjoyed and learned about, like Italian wine, and what we may look forward to in 2026.  Below is a press release from the Consorzio Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and APOT providing us a review of this year and what to expect from them in the New Year. …

Let’s welcome Vignobles Ducourt to VanWineFest 2026.  Here is some information about the winery in their own words plus the wines that they will pour at the Festival Tasting Room. About Vignobles Ducourt Having acquired Château des Combes in 1858, the Ducourt family settles in Ladaux, a small village in the heart of Entre-Deux-Mers, to the southeast of Bordeaux. Pierre…

Say Bonjour to Vignobles Jalousie Beaulieu  from Bordeaux in France. Below is some information from the winery in their own words and the wines they will pour at VanWineFest 2026.  Enjoy! Some Background Information The Jalousie Beaulieu vineyards are in a small commune called Galgon, close to the Fronsac hillsides, 10 km from Saint Emilion. It is a family vineyard since 1910….

In the world of wine, size isn’t just a matter of aesthetics, it’s a matter of chemistry, aging potential, and even social impact. Magnum wine bottles, holding 1.5 liters (twice the volume of a standard 750ml bottle), have long been favoured by sommeliers, collectors, and party hosts alike. But are they truly superior to their standard-sized bottles? Let’s uncork the…

Stikky Books cover a variety of topics and are created with a simple method to learn about a topic, whether it is night sky constellations or how to taste wine.  I recently received the Stikky Wine book, written by Andrea Ribel, with background knowledge provided by several sommeliers. This book covers how to identify six aroma families, six different grape…