Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
When I was in University many years ago, I purchased a bottle of Maison Louis Latour Chardonnay, that was on their entry-level scale. That wine sparked my interest in French wine. In some “New World” regions, Chardonnay has been more recently planted, while other locations have had Chardonnay vines for over 100 years. Over time, through the wine trade’s many…
Let Cono Sur Vineyards & Winery tell you a bit about themselves before you visit them at VanWineFest 2023. Did you know that Cono Sur Vineyards & Winery is the third largest exporter of bottled wine in Chile? About Cono Sur Vineyards & Winery Cono Sur Vineyards & Winery was founded in 1993 with a vision of producing premium, expressive…
Have you overspent for the Holidays? You can still enjoy a glass of wine with cheese as you watch the World Junior Hockey game, a Hallmark movie, or whatever you like, but maybe a bit more frugally. I have two value-priced wines ($12.99 each) from Chile to close out 2022 and both are available through BC Liquor stores. The Cono…
Canadian Thanksgiving is on Monday, October 10, 2022. You may be making a list of ingredients to buy for your Thanksgiving dinner. A traditional / historical dinner with turkey or ham, brussel sprouts, yam, and mashed potatoes with gravy. Or you may go other ways with roast beef, salmon, Beyond Meat, or other meat substitutes. I like to think of…
Can you name the native grapes of the Rhone Valley? There are the north and south ends of the valley and different varieties. The main varieties of the north end are Syrah, Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne. The northern Rhone is cooler and the valley has steep hillsides while in the southern Rhone, the climate is more Mediterranean and the terrain…
Winemaking has been around for hundreds of years. We are very familiar with wines coming from Europe, in particular France, where we talk about Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne. We typically call Europe the “Old World” wine region, while wines made from the southern hemisphere, are known as the “New World“, plus North America. But where did the grapes come from…
Chile is a coastal country, long a thin, with a hot desert in the north and a cooler climate similar to around San Francisco as you go further south. I received a bottle of Cono Sur Pinot Noir Rosé Brut sparkling wine where the grapes come from the more southern Bio Bio region of Chile. This wine is made in…
News from the BC Liquor stores about upcoming events. Wines of Chile and Wines of Argentina are featured, amongst others. ~~~ PARK ROYAL GRAND MARNIER ENGRAVING EVENT Sunday, April 1st & Saturday, April 21st – 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Friday, April 20th – 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. Experience the taste of Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge, an alchemy of fine aged…
This past year I tasted a tremendous number of wines from around the world, but some wines really resonated with me. It may have been the great balance of fruit, sugar, acidity for a white wine, or the fruit, tannins and minerality in a red wine, or something else. Something that made the wine stand above the other wines. Could…
At the Import Vintners & Spirits Association (IVSA) tastings, held most months, gives the Trade a chance to try the latest wines and spirits coming to Vancouver. There are always a few gems that people come across and spread the word, so that you have to find that table and try that wine. At this tasting, the whispers were to…
