Tag: Lillooet

Easter is this weekend and you are wondering what wines to pair with your holiday meal.  I would like to suggest that a rosé wine pairs well with everything.  Rosé wines typically have high acidity and nice red fruit flavours that are very complimentary for many dishes.  I also recommend an aromatic white wine.  These wines usually have higher acidity…

Once prized in the courts of Europe and poured for royalty, Riesling was long considered one of the continent’s most noble wines, especially in regions along the Rhine River. In the 19th century, top bottles from Germany often commanded prices rivalling the great growths of Bordeaux. Today, Riesling is revered by knowledgeable wine drinkers for its remarkable range, from bone-dry…

I have two Chardonnay from Lillooet’s Fort Berens Estate Winery.  One wine, made in 2023 comes from their estate grapes, while their 2024 Chardonnay grapes come from WA state, with the wine made in Lillooet.  Lillooet, as well as the Okanagan, was hit hard by the 2024 winter cold snap, killing many grape vines, necessitating the purchase of grapes from…

Although the winters of 2021-22 and 2022-23 were extremely cold in Lillooet, Fort Berens Estate Winery was able to harvest grapes from their two vineyards.  Here are two wines from Fort Berens Estate Winery coming from their estate fruit.  These two wines come from their Reserve level, which typically means coming from estate grapes, with the grapes getting longer hang…

The 2025 BC harvest was one of hope and a bounty of grapes. I travelled to Osoyoos at the beginning of October and all the winery principles I spoke to mentioned how their grape vines were supplying an overabundance of grapes this year, to make up for the devastation last year.   Now that it is late November and the wines…

Here are two more white wines for you to enjoy, hoping to banish away the upcoming winter season.  Both wineries are from BC, but one of these wines use WA state fruit.  In 2024 we have a very bad cold winter snap that killed the majority of interior BC grape vines.  Fort Berens Estate Winery suffered vine loss, so for…

Earlier this summer, I had a chance to visit Fort Berens Estate Winery in Lillooet, BC.  I have admired their wines since they started, and I’ve been letting wine lovers know that they are producing excellent wines in Lillooet.  There are two wines that I did not have a chance to try on my visit.  Luckily, co-owner, Heleen Pannekoek, gave…

British Columbia has become one of the most exciting wine regions in the world, but for many people, especially those outside the province, its story is still waiting to be told. If you have ever wondered why BC wines are gaining international acclaim, which grape varieties thrive here, or how the unique landscapes shape what’s in your glass, Getting to…

Now that you have some background about the BC winery situation for 2025 from part one of Brent Gushowaty’s article, here is the second part of the article I have for you by Brent when you are at a BC winery’s tasting room. Your Tasting Room Manners – Before You Arrive Group Think For most wineries, large groups arriving unannounced…

2017 was the last time I visited Fort Berens Estate Winery in Lillooet, along with other wine writers.  The winery was still young, but the quality of their wines were notable.  Almost every year since 2018, I interviewed their current winemaker to find out about their grape harvest.  And every year, I tell people how they should try Fort Berens’…