Tag: Kamloops

This year I had many wines that I tasted this year that almost made my 5-star category; 27 white wines and 45 red wines.  These wines I rated as 4.5-5 stars.  When I check over them again, I can remember how much I enjoyed these wines.  Having a 4.5-5 or a 5-star rating does not mean that you need to…

I taste many wines at Trade tastings, plus public events like the Vancouver International Wine Festival or Taste Washington.  People who know me, know that I make detailed notes as I taste and can back up my wine ratings.  This year I went through all the wines I tasted in 2019 and have awarded my top 5-star rating to 10…

Ever since I’ve been enjoying apple ciders from my Scotland trip this summer, I’ve been looking for BC-produced apple ciders. Just before the end of August, I went to Kamloops to visit the wineries there and see how their grapes were maturing.  I was surprised to see at Privato Winery an adjacent building called the Woodward Cider Co.  I was…

I have not heard of Sagewood Winery before, but I learned from Doug, the owner, that he and his wife have been growing 17 different varieties of grapes for more years than any other winery in the Kamloops area.  They are a very small production winery and do not make enough wine of each variety to enter into many wine…

Privato Vineyard & Winery is about as far north as you can get in BC for growing vitis vinifera.  In an earlier visit to Kamloops, I was told by owners John and Debbie Woodward that the hills to the north of them cannot successfully grow grapes.  Their vineyard is right at the limit of what is possible.  But what is…

Harper’s Trail Estate Winery was the first to produce wine in the Kamloops area using grapes from their Thadd Springs estate vineyard. A vineyard that has a vein of limestone running through it.  Limestone which offers calcium to the vines which aids in water retention in the soil plus easier nutrient uptake, and help maintain acidity in grapes late in…

Taking a last-minute trip to Kamloops before summer holidays was a great idea.  Over two days you can very pleasantly visit the four wineries that are in the area, plus do some sightseeing and enjoy a few meals at the variety of restaurants in the city.  My first stop was to Monte Creek Ranch Winery which is located about a…

Harper’s Trail Estate Winery in Kamloops has been a leader is showing the uniqueness of the area for grape growing and wine production, and has lead the way for a few other wineries like Privato and Monte Creek Ranch.  The Colletts’ 25.5-acre vineyard has a wonderful backdrop of limestone and clay cliffs.  I’ve enjoyed tasting their wines for several years…

The Monte Creek Ranch Winery may not be familiar to you as it is not in one of the more well-known grape growing regions of BC, like the Okanagan.  It is in the Thompson Valley, just east of Kamloops.  It is a ranch with cattle, but it primarily grows grapes and produces wines.  The Thompson Valley does have to deal…

Kamloops is a hot place in the summer, where grapes can grow and excellent wine can be made.  But it also can have very cold winters which can harm the grape vines.  It is a gamble to have a winery here, but sometimes the rewards outweigh the risk.  I have been told that at the edge of possibility is where…