Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
Today, I paired my third dish from Sous Chef by Cardinal™ with a red and a white wine. The dish was the Marsala Braised Chicken with seasoned long grained rice. The white wine was the Township 7 Vineyards & Winery Interlude Chardonnay 2024, and the red wine was the Dobbin Estate Cabernet Blend 2020 (85% Cabernet Franc and 15% Merlot)…
Benjamin Mitarakis, Director of Trade Development for Viña Concha y Toro discussing Viña Don Melchor I was recently honoured with the opportunity to sample iconic Cabernet wines by Chile’s Viña Don Melchor with food pairings at Riley’s Fish & Steak in downtown Vancouver. It was a fantastic evening with Benjamin Mitarakis, Director of Trade Development for Viña Concha y Toro,…
Top Drop Canada is a premier wine festival held annually in Vancouver, showcasing a curated selection of terroir-driven wines from around the globe. The event brings together over 40 international producers, including renowned estates from regions such as Piedmont, Champagne, and the Okanagan Valley. 50+ wineries in total. None from the USA this year. Attendees have the unique opportunity to…
Domaine Drouhin Oregon is the New World outpost of the famed Maison Joseph Drouhin of Burgundy, France. Drawn by the parallels between Burgundy and Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Véronique Drouhin and her family purchased land atop the Dundee Hills in 1987, recognizing the potential for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This pioneering move brought Old World expertise to a young wine region,…
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…
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…
Along with the Bourgogne seminar I attended, there was also a Trade tasting featuring 19 Domaines, Maisons and Caves Coopératives. Like the seminar, this Trade tasting featured village wines that too often go unnoticed. They reflect the terroirs that shaped them and offer an unbeatable quality-price ratio, not to mention wonderful tasting pleasure. Here are my favourite wines from this…
Did you know that Canada is a very important market for French, Bourgogne, wines? We are the third largest market in volume and sixth largest market in term of value. The Canadian Bourgogne market is weighted toward white wines, particularly from Chablis. Our seminar today introduced us to some Bourgogne wine regions that we may not have much familiarity, but…
Opposites attract, at times. Other times, it is great to enjoy their diversity. I’m taking the latter track in this tasting of a low-alcohol Australian Chardonnay and a fuller-bodied Malbec from Argentina. Some people are looking for low-alcohol, and lower calorie, wines, while others want to enjoy the full-body and richness of other wines. I have Yalumba’s Y Series Lighter…
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,…
