Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
As I mentioned for my five-star wine ratings this year, COVID limited the number of events and thus wines that I could taste that came from around the world to BC. That being said, I am grateful for the BC wineries that sent me wines to taste, plus wines from wine agencies. There are many wines that fit into my…
This is likely the most unique wine made in BC; Mayhem Wines Fortified Gewurztraminer 2018. Gewurztraminer is generally a grape that typically offers lychee, citrus, sweet spices and more; overall a very flavourful grape. Mayhem Wines took their grapes and fermented them down to 19 brix before being fortified with 93% alcohol. This wine was then put to barrel and…
Amanda Eastwood and Jamie Smith are not puppets. For them making wine is a lifestyle, a passion and the result of a year-round creative process. Amanda is originally from France and Jamie a native of Salmon Arm. Jamie spent 11 years in Europe, a majority of the time in Spain, where he met Amanda. They both fell in love with…
Speck Bros. Bianco Secco Lazzara ($17.95 at LCBO) Last weekend I opened Spec Bros’ Bianco Secco Lazzara as a little pick-me-up. And today I wanted to share my tasting notes on this bubbly made from Riesling with supporting roles coming from Gewürztraminer and Chardonnay. Green apples, pears, lemon rind, white blossoms, hay, and a touch of sweetness dominated the nose….
Thirty Bench Small Lot Gewürztraminer 2019 $29.95 (from winery) Over the weekend, I posted a reel featuring my favorite fall salad which I paired with this wine – a local Ontario dry Gewürztraminer. Now this is a varietal I don’t necessarily gravitate towards, but when I tried it during a visit to Thirty Bench Wine Makers over the summer, I…
Do you like white wines with skin contact? These “natural” style wines are becoming more common. I have two wines from Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery and their Modest Wines line. One is “the elder vicar 2019” which is a blend of Muscat, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, and Riesling co-fermented, while the other is “no. 4 orange 2020” from Pinot Gris grapes…
Do you enjoy Alsatian wines? They are very food-friendly, with Riesling being the best-known grape from the region. There are also other aromatic white varieties, like Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Gewurztraminer, and now Pinot Noir is becoming more widely known. I attended a virtual Alsatian Digitasting Fair this week and interviewed four winemakers at their wineries. The wineries I…
Have you ever wondered what are the most widely planted vitis vinifera grapes in BC, or how about how many wineries we now have? The new 2019 B.C. Wine Grape Acreage Report is out and provides us with an update since the last report in 2014. I was a little surprised at the positions of Syrah and Riesling in the…
In November 2020, I interviewed a few BC winemakers about their current harvest. From their discussions, I determined that overall the growing season was average, but there was a cooler rainy spring. August and September had good weather. Harvest started a little later than usual. Rain and the crazy snowfall in October influenced smaller yields, but there was still some…
I received several wines from Seaside Pearl Farmgate Winery that is located in the Fraser Valley at Mount Lehman. The tasting room is built to resemble a chapel, which looks very inviting to visit. It is only a one hour drive from Vancouver, so when Dr. Henry says we can travel, that would be an easy day trip. The chapel…
Video Guide Uncorks the Story of British Columbia Wines. Buy Now.
