Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
Easter dinner is a time for togetherness and tradition, often centred around comforting dishes like roast turkey, baked ham, or perhaps even baked salmon. No matter what ends up on your plate, choosing the right wine can elevate the meal from simply delicious to truly memorable. Below are some wine pairings, including suggestions from our local BC wineries, that will…
Sunny springtime weather will soon be upon us. Daffodils are already blooming, as well as cherry blossoms in the Vancouver lower mainland. So it is time to think about enjoying white wines on your patio or a restaurant patio. I have two terrific white wines from the Okanagan’s Township 7 Winery for you. I have the Township 7 Benchmark Series…
When you pick up a bottle of Champagne or sparkling wine, you may notice that some have a vintage year on the label, while others do not. The presence or absence of a vintage date can have a significant impact on the wine inside. But what exactly does it mean, and how does it affect the taste, aging potential, and…
The wines of BC and the rest of the world, excluding the USA, were the last of the wines I tasted at the International Festival Tasting Room during VanWineFest 2025. Read through my wine tasting notes below and if you find some wines that spark your interest, check out your local BC Liquor store, some private wine shops,…
Wine is a complex beverage, as its flavours and aromas develop over time. Some wines can be enjoyed when they are young and fresh from fermentation while other wines take years or decades for the wines to soften, for flavours, tannins, and acidity to evolve to a high point for your enjoyment. These flavours and aromas can be categorized into…
Many people are familiar with grape varieties like Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, but there is a whole world of exciting and distinctive grape varieties waiting to be explored. Albariño, Viognier, and Grüner Veltliner each bring unique characteristics and flavours that set them apart from the usual white wine offerings. Whether it’s Albariño’s refreshing citrus and coastal minerality, Viognier’s lush stone…
I love Pinot Noir wines, with their more delicate aromas, flavours, and mouthfeel. My first Pinot Noir to taste in 2025 is from Frind Estate Winery in West Kelowna; Their Frind Estate Winery Pinot Noir Cuvée 2022, coming under screwcap. It checks off all the things that I enjoy in Pinot Noir: red fruit and floral aromas and flavours, higher…
While many people may think of full-bodied red wines for our cold winters, don’t count out lighter-bodied red wine with higher acidity and juicy bright fruit flavours. They can brighten your day and pair nicely with a cheese plate, roast chicken, or fatty sausages. One such wine is BC’s Robin Ridge Winery Gamay 2022. It is also an organic wine…
In 2022, I reviewed the 2021 wine trends across Canada, by province for different grape varieties and by regions around the world. To do this, I used Google Trends. Google Trends. Wikipedia describes Google Trends as “…a website by Google that analyzes the popularity of top search queries in Google Search across various regions and languages. The website uses graphs…
January 29th, 2025 is the Chinese (Lunar) New Year of the Earth Snake. In the Chinese zodiac, the snake is associated with wisdom, charm, elegance, and transformation. Snakes represent the symbol of wisdom. They are intelligent and wise. They are good at communication but say little. Snakes are usually regarded as great thinkers. Some famous people born in the Year…
