Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
With the daylight hours getting longer, and weather getting warmer, we are all thinking about getting outside, having a bbq or just enjoying sitting on our patios, sipping a glass of wine and chatting with family or friends. But what to drink? I received two bottles of wine from BC’s Spierhead Winery recently that would fit the bill; a Pinot…
LaStella Winery, located in the South Okanagan, tries to bring Italian style to the wines they produce. They do this in part through the use of Italian grapes, such as Sangiovese, and through using the production methods undertaken in Italy. Besides their love of Italy, and bringing it here to BC, they also look to the environment trying to produce…
A friendly competition never hurt anyone. Well maybe egos. Today’s friendly competition is between Okanagan Crush Pad’s Haywire Rose 2011 and Bartier Scholefield (BS) Rose 2011. Both wines are produced from Gamay Noir grapes grown from the same vineyard in Oliver. What is different is the style of rose. The grapes were harvested two weeks apart and vinified differently. Let…
I love Syrahs. They stand on their own two feet. No need for blending with other grapes. I enjoy their ruby colour in the glass; their aromas, especially blueberries; their full body, red/black berry flavours and sometimes white pepper that plays on your palate. BC can make some very good Syrahs. Located in the South Okanagan, one of the wineries…
Did you hear last year that Painted Rock’s flagship Red Icon wine was listed in a Beijing restaurant at 5,280 RMB, the equivalent of CAD$900? Quite a statement for a small, but high quality BC winery. The latest red wine releases for Painted Rock just came out, and I was invited to sample them. I wondered how the 2011 vintage…
A daunting task, picking my favourite wines from a total of 1750 wines being poured at the Vancouver International Wine Festival. Thankfully I was able to visit the Acura International Festival Tasting Room 4 times as Media, splitting time between France and the rest of the world. I have already covered my favourite French wines in a separate article. In…
Since Bartier Scholefield started producing their wines in 2011, in the Okanagan, BC, I have been fortunate to try them and write about them for you. They have been keeping to their “Wine As Narrative“, telling us a story about the terroir, from where it was produced. Their wines are produced as much without wine maker intervention, so that you…
Chinese Year of the Wooden Horse According to chinesefortunecalendar.com, “Horse is one of Chinese favorite animals. Horse provides a good and quick transportation for people before automobiles. Horse can give people a ride to their destination. Therefore, horse is not only a symbol of traveling, but also a sign of speedy success. Horses like to compete with others. They pursuit for…
Over the past year, I’ve been lucky to try sparkling wine from around the world through various trade tastings. I’d like to share my favourite sparkling wines with you from 2013, so that you can enjoy them too for the holidays and of course New Year’s eve. Cheers! French Champagne Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial NV, France ($71.99) – Off…
Do you like a consistent quality wine with classic flavours and aromas? Should it matter if the Cabernet Sauvignon you drink comes from Napa Valley or Stellenbosch, South Africa? Should the terroir; the soil, microbes, worms, indigenous yeasts, plus the sunshine and rain help to make unique wines to celebrate, or should they be fixed by the wine maker to…
