MyWinePal

Keeping our elbows up, if you live anywhere in the BC mainland, or anywhere in Canada suffering from snow, and you enjoy wine, beer, and other libations, you may want to consider visiting Victoria and surrounding areas on southern Vancouver Island.  I’d say that Victoria has the best weather / climate in Canada.  But you may not know about different…

Founded in 1880 by Joseph Drouhin in Beaune, France, Maison Joseph Drouhin has grown from a local négociant into a premier Burgundian estate. Known for pioneering organic and biodynamic viticulture since the 1980s, the family-run house manages extensive vineyards across the Côte de Beaune, Côte de Nuits, and Chablis.  But beside Burgundy, Joseph Drouhin is also known for pioneering the…

Your Tasting Brain: A Sensory Approach to Wine, Beer, and Other Pleasures, by Randy Mosher, is a deep dive into the science of how, what, and why the senses work the way they do when we taste something, with a smaller component covering the practical aspects tasting whether you are a casual drinker or an expert critic.  The science portion…

Once prized in the courts of Europe and poured for royalty, Riesling was long considered one of the continent’s most noble wines, especially in regions along the Rhine River. In the 19th century, top bottles from Germany often commanded prices rivalling the great growths of Bordeaux. Today, Riesling is revered by knowledgeable wine drinkers for its remarkable range, from bone-dry…

The Vancouver International Wine Festival 2026 will soon be upon us; March 7 – 14, 2026.  I checked today for the status of the events to see which events still have tickets and which are sold out.  As you may have guessed ALL winery dinners are already sold out.  But don’t fret as there are tickets for many seminars, wine…

Chardonnay wines can vary in style and in intensity.  Many people avoid Chardonnay as they were exposed to heavily oaked versions in the past.  But there are many unoaked Chardonnay that you can enjoy.  I received this bottle from the south Okanagan’s Gold Hill Winery of their Charisma Un-Oaked Chardonnay 2022 to review for you.  It has four years of…

The new Lunar New Year of the Fire Horse starts on February 17, 2026.  In a previous article on mywinepal.com, I listed wines that have a horse theme.  One of the wines I listed was BC’s Haywire Winery Lunar Red 2022.  I received a bottle of this wine to review and from my tasting notes, I think it should pair…

It is always a treat at a winemaker’s dinner to be able to talk with the winemaker who gives us some insight into how the wines we are drinking together were made and any challenges they encountered.  I recently attended a winemaker dinner at Provence Marinaside, featuring Jessica Otting from the Niagara region’s Tawse Winery, who gave us those insights. …

Here are two more delicious wines that you should buy and enjoy right now while we are drowning in our winter rains, or snow, in BC.  The two wines from the Okanagan’s Hester Creek Estate Winery are their Columbia Valley Collection  Viognier 2024 (grapes coming from WA state), and their Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 (grapes coming from estate fruit).  I bought…

Every year in the deep, darkness and pouring rain of winter in Vancouver, we have Dine Out Vancouver, to try to get us out and excited about food, wine, and hopefully life.  I booked a dine out experience at Provence Marinaside.  A top notch restaurant in Vancouver, serving excellent French cuisine.  Here are a few pictures of what I enjoyed…