Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
Are you a Bordeaux wine lover? Do you know the difference between the Left and Right bank? Can you list all the permitted red grape varieties in Bordeaux? Do you know the two white grape varieties that make white Bordeaux? If so, you should attend the 2014 Bordeaux tasting and release at Marquis Wine Cellars on September 16. Here is…
According to Wikipedia, “Malbec World Day is celebrated on April 17, to commemorate the day when president Domingo Faustino Sarmiento of Argentina officially made it his mission to transform Argentina’s wine industry. On that day, back in 1853, he tasked Michel Aimé Pouget, a French soil expert, to bring over new vines. Amongst his selection, was Malbec.” Did you know…
The Birth of Leonetti Cellar Did you know that the first commercial grape vines, that are still in use today in Walla Walla, Washington was by the Leonetti family in 1974? There were some vines planted in the 1950s by others but a deep freeze in 1956 killed all the vines. The Leonetti family purchased 1.5 acres, which also contained…
Who is Chateau de Lamarque? A winery with a long history in Bordeaux. From the Chateau de Lamarque website, “…The feudal lord of Lamarque (the step) was so named because it was situated on the border of Guyenne. Along with two other fortresses, the Lamarque fortress had to defend the Médoc territory from Viking invasions coming from the Gironde. Later…
One of the highlights of the Vancouver International Wine Festival is the Bacchanalia Gala Dinner and Auction. Beyond the amazing food and wine that you will eat and drink, there is an auction of wines that will make your jaw drop. Truly an event to open your wallet to try to acquire some of these icon wines, and at the…
Are you on a Quest or a Chase for something? For wineries, it may be for the best expression of the grapes in the glass, showing off their terroir. A light hand by the wine maker. To me the light hand of the wine maker really comes out in the red wines from C. C. Jentsch Cellars. C. C. Jentsch…
Which side of the Dordogne River do you sit? Left Bank or Right Bank? I ask this as I was presented with two bottles of Meritage; one from Time Estate and the other from McWatters Collection. Both BC wines from the Okanagan Valley, and both Bordeaux blends, (but blends represented by styles from different sides of the Dordogne River). What is…
Chinese Year of the Wooden Sheep According to chinesefortunecalendar.com, “…Sheep is one of Chinese favorite animals…2013 is Snake year; 2014 is Horse year. Both of them are in Fire group. 2015 is the last year of Fire cycle. Sheep is the animal on the farmland. Sheep is herbivore. It likes to eat grass. Therefore, in Chinese horoscopes, Sheep contains Fire, Earth…
Chile, eventhough it has been making wine since the 1500’s, still holds surprises. One more recent surprise was that some of the Merlot grapes that they thought they were growing was actually the Bordeaux variety, Carmenere; a grape that was long forgotten in Bordeaux as it was too difficult to ripen. Carmenere and Merlot look very similar but ripen differently. …
A Bit of Argentine Wine Background Argentina is a large country that can boast over 300 sunny days a year and a dry semi-desert climate, and irrigation canals from the Andes mountains which helps them to be the 5th largest wine producer in the world. Grapes were brought over by French, Spanish, and Italian immigrants. Believe it or not, nearly…
Video Guide Uncorks the Story of British Columbia Wines. Buy Now.
