Tag: BCWine

CheckMate Artisinal Winery Little Pawn and Opening Gambit 2014

CheckMate Artisanal Winery is Not Gambling, They Have the Winning Hand

 mywinepal  May 24, 2019

The CheckMate Artisanal Winery is a project by the von Mandl family, who established the Mission Hill Family Estate Winery.  Mission Hill won the Top Chardonnay in the World in 1994 at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in London.  Their Chardonnay and Merlot vines, some which are now over 40 years old, are being used by CheckMate. As in…

Bloom BC VQA Spring Release booklet

A Selection of BC Wine Gems from BC VQA 2019 Spring Wine Release

 mywinepal  April 26, 2019

Riesling, Pinot Gris and Viognier were prominent in this BC VQA Spring wine release tasting.  It is not surprising as white wine releases are more common in the Spring while more red wines are released in the Fall.  Viognier though I think made a bigger showing this year than in past years, and showed well.  Lots of fruit flavour and…

Haywire Baby Bub 2018 with wine in glass

QUICK WINE REVIEW: Haywire Baby Bub 2018

 mywinepal  April 22, 2019

Keeping in the theme of the 2018 vintage release, I recently posted on Instagram my review of Haywire‘s Baby Bub 2018, and promised a fuller review with rating here.  And here it is! The Haywire Baby Bub 2018 is 375ml so you and your significant other can easily drink this wine to start or finish an evening.  This Charmat method…

2018 BC Vintage Media Preview – What Did The Winemakers Say?

 mywinepal  April 22, 2019

As BC is large with a cooler coastal climate and a hotter, drier interior, our yearly vintages can cover a range from marginal to exceptional.  Luckily we have been closer to the exceptional end of the vintage spectrum these last years.  How was the 2018 vintage?  I attended a media preview of the 2018 vintage and had 4 winemakers from…

Tulips

5 BC VQA Wines for Easter

 mywinepal  April 19, 2019

It is the Easter weekend for many people around the world, and besides the religious celebrations, enjoying meals with family and friends is also a big part.  The BC VQA Spring wine release kicked off this week, but the wines may not yet be at your local bottle shop or BC Liquor Store.  Here are 5 BC VQA wines that…

Okanagan Falls Spring Wine Tasting brochure

My Okanagan Falls Spring 2019 Wine Release Picks for You

 mywinepal  March 30, 2019

Okanagan Falls, located between Penticton and Oliver, holds, I think, a sweet spot for growing grapes and making wine.  It has long warm days and cool nights, which allow the grapes to reach full ripeness as well as keep their acidity.  The Okanagan Falls Skaha Winery Association, consisting of 14 wineries, with 32 vineyards, held a tasting recently, which I attended.  In…

VanWineFest 2019 video collage

Winery Principals Share Their Knowledge on Video at VanWineFest 2019

 mywinepal  March 25, 2019

Besides tasting wine and attending seminars during the Vancouver International Wine Festival, I meeting with winery principals at the Festival Tasting Room and doing short video interviews with them.  Here is the list of all the interviews I did.  Many are from California, as this was the theme region for the Festival, but I also have an Australia, France, and…

Jon Bonne speaking at the Lessons From California Thoughts lunch

Lessons From California Thoughts from Jon Bonné at VanWineFest 2019

 mywinepal  March 23, 2019

Besides all the fun of drinking wine from around the world with friends or family at the Vancouver International Wine Festival, there is also a more serious component, such as the seminars you can attend to learn about a grape variety or region in more detail.  There are also Trade-only events where we can learn or discuss what is happening…

TIME Winery and Harry McWatters at the bar pouring wine to guests

It’s About Time to Try TIME Winery’s Latest Wine Releases

 mywinepal  November 28, 2018

  TIME Winery has had some changes over the past year.  The biggest is their new winery located in downtown Penticton, where you can taste and buy their wines, but as well enjoy some food at their restaurant.  Congratulations to Harry McWatters for opening his new winery and restaurant space.  Another new news item that is going to affect this…

Love Canadian Wine

Canadian Wine For All – A Call to Action #CanadianWineForAll

 mywinepal  October 24, 2017

Does it bother you when you are visiting a winery in another province, enjoy their wines, and ask them to ship you a case back to your home, and they can’t?  Provincial politics gets in the way and prevents the free flow of our wine between our borders.  Sometimes it is easier to get wines from other parts of the…