Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
This year’s harvest in the BC interior was extremely different from past harvests as the winter cold snap killed most of the grape vines. Coastal and Fraser Valley wineries did not suffer the same fate. The amount of grapevine loss varied a bit in the interior, depending on how close the vineyards were to interior lakes and the slopes where…
I have two BC wines for you today. One is from Mayhem Wines in the Okanagan Valley and the other from the Robin Ridge Winery in the Similkameen Valley. I thought these two wines may show off some fresh BC fruit flavours and go well with holiday get-togethers. Let me tell you about them. My Wine Tasting Notes Mayhem Wines…
I am a Pinot Noir lover, so when I received two bottles of Pinot Noir from the 2022 harvest by Blue Mountain Vineyards and Cellars to review, I eagerly anticipated opening them. The two bottles I received were the Blue Mountain Vineyards and Cellars Estate Cuvée Pinot Noir 2022 and the Reserve Cuvée Pinot Noir 2022. Pinot Noir is a…
Wineries change hands as the original owners decide to either retire or otherwise move on. The new owners then have to live up to or surpass the reputation of that winery. I was invited to a winemaker’s dinner at Provence Marinaside with the winery being BC’s Fairview Cellars. Fairview Cellars was taken over by husband and wife team, Danielle and…
Hillside Winery on the Naramata Bench was the last winery on my wine-tasting tour. The founders of the winery were Vera and Bohumir Klokcka who had emigrated from Czechoslovakia in 1979, buying the property but did not plant the first grape vines till 1984. Although no longer owners, I’m told that winemaker, Kathy Malone, still talks with Vera, who is…
When you visit Da Silva Vineyards & Winery on the Naramata Bench, it feels like you are transported to Portugal. The tasting room is beautiful, with bone-white walls and chandeliers, giving off a European feel. The wines are equally special. Richard and Twylla da Silva own the winery, with Richard coming from a Portuguese background. The names of some of…
Today’s visit on my Naramata Bench trip gave me a bonus. Besides tasting wine, I also enjoyed some cheese pairings. Upper Bench Estate Winery & Creamery is the place to go as they make their own cheeses, which you can also buy. Yes, I bought cheese to take home. I spoke with Josh Edwards, their winemaker, before tasting the wines. …
Little Farm Winery is a small production winery located in the Similkameen Valley run by Rhys Pender MW and Alishan Driediger. Their wines are low / no intervention from start to finish. They use wild yeast, neutral barrel, lees ageing and little to no fining or filtering when the wines are bottled. I received two bottles of their Chardonnay. One…
During my week-long trip to Penticton, I took a one-day side trip to Kelowna to see the Farmer’s Market and to visit Spearhead Winery. I’ve been a fan of their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines for many years. They recently received recognition as WineAlign 2024’s Best Performing Small Winery. I also appreciate the winemaking skill of Grant Stanley who was…
I have two white wines to tell you about from BC’s Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars. The winery is located in the Okanagan Falls area, which has the perfect climate for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. One of the wines I tasted is Blue Mountain’s Reserve Cuvée Chardonnay 2022 while the other wine is their Blue Mountain Estate Cuvée Pinot Gris…
