Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
Have you ever heard of a sparkling wine called Charme de l’ile, Island Charm in English? It is not a wine from France. It is from Vancouver Island and can only be made on Vancouver Island using Island grapes. Just like Champagne can only be made in the Champagne region of France. Charme is also a nod to the method…
Blue Grouse Estate Winery from Vancouver Island has changed hands a few times. The latest owners are the second and third-generation Jackson family (California) members Katie Jackson, Julia Jackson, Chris Jackson, Hailey Jackson-Hartford Murray, and MacLean Hartford. The family sees tremendous potential in Cowichan’s cool-climate maritime winegrowing region and plans to embolden the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines. I have…
I’ve been tasting and writing about Chardonnay recently, so I thought I would change things up and write about some other wines. I received several wines from Vancouver Island’s Blue Grouse Estate Winery and decided to start with their Rosé 2024 and their Pinot Gris 2024. These are from estate grown grapes and select partner vineyards. Vancouver Island is really…
With Canadians not wanting to travel to the USA at the moment, we have more opportunities to explore our beautiful country. I do enjoy eating tasty food and visiting wineries where I can sample their wines and maybe speak with the wine maker. Victoria is a wonderful place to visit. It has a culinary scene and it is close to…
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,…
Palate Pleasing Wine & Food Events (Press release) Vancouver has a world-class, award-winning restaurant scene, and our festival welcomes world-class, award-winning wineries to the city each year. It’s a match made in culinary heaven! From paired menus to light bites, festival events are designed to please your palate. These events also make special Valentine’s Day gifts! Winery Dinners only available…
The Fall release of BC VQA wines was in late September. Due to skytrain issues getting to the venue, I did not have as much time to taste the new wine releases, so I concentrated on white wines. There were also red wines, but not enough time to taste. There are a few sparkling wines on this list, which you…
It’s not often that I have a chance to try coastal Pinot Noir from two different geographic regions and compare the differences, if any, between the wines. I had the chance to compare Vancouver Island’s Blue Grouse Estate Winery‘s Pinot Noir with two Pinot Noirs from California, by La Crema and Cambria Estate. Here are my tasting notes that I…
Around a month ago I received three bottles of Pinot Noir. One was from Vancouver Island, Blue Grouse Estate Winery Reserve Pinot Noir 2021, while the other two were from California. They are the La Crema Vineyard Monterey Pinot Noir 2022 and Cambria Estate Winery Julia’s Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley, Pinot Noir 2022. I will taste each and compare my…
Last week I attended the Swirl Around BC wines event seminar, which was followed by wine tastings from a variety of BC wineries. I decided to check on sparkling, rosé, and white wines leading up to the Holiday season. Here are a few wines I thought were quite good and you may enjoy. Remember with the winter cold snap affecting…
Video Guide Uncorks the Story of British Columbia Wines. Buy Now.
