Tag: Church & State Wines

It was about 18 months ago since I, and other wine trade people, were able to get together and taste BC wines.  We all arrived wearing masks. Some of us with different haircuts, glasses, etc., so you may have to guess who some of the people are.  Luckily we were able to connect and share a few stories before we…

With all the restraint we had collectively over COVID and the opening of restrictions, the Oliver Osoyoos Wine Country’s Pig Out Trails in September sounds like a great way to celebrate.  Here is the press release with info about how you can buy your tickets.  Buy quickly as I’m sure the tickets will sell out fast! ~~~ Oliver, BC (June…

While we may want to go big on Valentine’s Day this year for our significant other, COVID still lurks and most of us are not yet vaccinated.  Maybe you would consider ordering dishes from your favourite restaurant and enjoying it at home with some tasty BC wines?   Various foods, for their texture, scent, colour, shape and/or taste has an effect…

As 2020 has been a disaster, we really should be toasting with a bottle of sparkling wine on New Year’s Eve to welcome 2021.  Well, 2021 was not much better.  Still had to keep to your bubble.  I only attended 2 Trade tastings and no sparkling wines were on the list.  Here are a few sparkling wines that I tried…

Here are my last two wines to review for you from Church & State Wines.  They grow grapes and produce wines from both their Vancouver Island and their Okanagan vineyard/winery sites.  The two wines I tasted for this article are their Sauvignon Blanc 2018 and Coyote Bowl Series Chardonnay 2017, both coming from the Okanagan.  Their wines, starting in 2017…

Canadian Thanksgiving is going to be very different this year for many of us who are accustomed to getting together with our parents, brothers and sister, and maybe aunts and uncles for dinner.  It will be smaller, and may be just you, but you can still enjoy your turkey, ham, or vegan Thanksgiving meal with a glass or two of…

Here are two big red wines for you from Church & State Wines, a Meritage and a Syrah. The Syrah grapes are grown in the Coyote Bowl vineyard in the Oliver-Osoyoos wine region in the Okanagan Valley. The Coyote Bowl Vineyard had originally been three contiguous 10-acre orchards, situated along a large gravel bowl on the Black Sage Bench. Cabernet…

It’s Fall now.  We can’t hide from it, so time to embrace it with red wines.  I’m tasting Church & State Wines, Cabernet Franc and Merlot 2017, with the grapes coming from the Okanagan Valley.  2017 had a hot summer with smoke from forest fires starting in July.  Fortunately the smoke did not affect the grapes as it was early…

Here are two more white Rhone Valley grape varieties that are made by Church & State Wines.  The Viognier and Roussanne grapes come from their Coyote Bowl and Bella vineyards in the south Okanagan.  The soils in these vineyards consist of sand and gravel.  How do these soil types affect wine’s aromas and flavours?  Sand gives fruitiness, elegance, less colour,…

In honour of Victoria Day, you may want to enjoy a bottle of wine made in Victoria (BC) or in the defined Victoria region.  There are 14 wineries in or around Victoria, BC.  Do you know which wineries?  They are: Deep Cove Winery Church & State Wines Rocky Creek Winery Devine Distillery & Winery Averill Creek Unsworth Vineyards Blue Grouse…