Tag: Lillooet

The 2022 harvest is the first after COVID restrictions have been lifted.  I am sure that lifting COVID restrictions was appreciated by BC wineries.  We had a cool start to the growing season, followed by mere mm of rain between July and mid-October so I’d guess the weather has had an impact on harvest and fermentation, but we shall see…

If you have not had a chance to try the wines from Fort Berens Estate Winery in Lillooet, now is your chance.  Did you know that the climate in Lillooet is very similar to Oliver, in the south Okanagan?  You get ripe grapes with excellent flavour for wine.  You can try their wines at a winery dinner at Burnaby’s Hart…

I’ve been telling my readers about Lillooet and Fort Berens Estate Winery for many years.  Excellent wines.  Now they have a new batch of awards from WineAlign’s latest competition.  Here is the press release from Fort Berens.  Go out and buy their wines. ~~~ LILLOOET, BC – The good news for Lillooet’s Fort Berens Estate Winery came in over several…

In BC we relatively quickly learned that cooler climate grapes, like Riesling, did better in the north Okanagan, and warmer climate grapes, like Syrah, did better in the south Okanagan.  Similarly cooler climate grape varieties in the Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island.  And more.  But we have had a few decades now to further refine these generalized grape growing regions…

The 2021 harvest will surely be marked in our minds as COVID continues.  Plus during the summer there were major fires in BC, and now with the heavy rains and flooding, I’m sure the weather has had an impact on harvest and fermentation.  Socially distanced visitors to BC wineries ensued this year.  Overall, how did the BC grape growing season and…

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…

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 thought I’d write this article about BC Rosé wines as rosé wines have been on a growth tear for several years.  Plus checking my website stats for the last 4 weeks, the top query was “Mateus Rosé Wine“.  Mateus, from Portugal, has been around for many years, enjoyed by my parents, and is now updated and reaching out to…

During the COVID-19 pandemic and the lessening of restrictions people will want to meet and move about.  Dr. Henry has asked people in BC to travel within our province.  During the summer many people travel to the Okanagan where there is an abundance of sun, fresh tree fruits, beaches, and wine.  Other areas across the interior, the Fraser Valley and…

Do you know what a Geographical Indication (GI) means in the BC wine industry? According to a BC Ministry of Agriculture press release, a GI is “…a standard element of appellation systems used around the world that help people identify wines in the marketplace, provide assurance as to the origin and quality of the wine, and promote agri-tourism. British Columbia…