Tag: okanagan

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to interview Ezra Cipes, CEO of Summerhill Pyramid Winery, located in Kelowna, BC.  One of the things Ezra told me about was a new line of BC VQA wines that they are producing called “Alive“, making both a red and a white wine.  The wine labels really look alive too with pictures…

I always appreciate seminars held with winemakers and winery principals to discuss their wines.  In this case, it was with winemaker Severine Pinte and General Manager Rasoul Salehi from Le Vieux Pin in the Chateau Belair Boardroom of the Sutton Place Hotel. Le Vieux Pin is one of my favourite wineries in the Okanagan.  They consistently deliver high quality red…

Have you ever attended ChefmeetsBCGrape before?  It is a great event where you get to try BC VQA wines, and wonderful food produced by top BC chefs.  The dishes prepared are from Ocean Wise partner restaurants, which is good IMHO as I want to support ocean-friendly seafood choices. This event is held in Vancouver. When you check the list of…

I first met Bill Knutson, Proprietor of SpierHead Winery during the Spring VQA wine release in Vancouver.  We talked about their wines and Bill promised to send me a bottle of the new wines that would soon be released.  Fast forward to last week and two bottles showed up at my door.  The SpierHead Pinot Noir 2010 and the SpierHead…

Okanagan Crush Pad (OCP) in Summerland, BC, has not yet been around for a year, but has already has an impressive list of up and coming wineries using their custom wine making services. On a recent Media trip to visit OCP, we were introduced to their winery clients, and learned more about OCP’s vineyard and wine making philosophies.  One of…

The New West Quay, overlooking the Fraser River, was the venue for the latest Naramata Bench wine release in the Vancouver area.  The number of wineries has increased each year that I have attended this event.  I did not count, but there was probably somewhere around 24 wineries in attendance. Where and what is the Naramata Bench?  This is a…

Last year, 2011, was a banner year for newly licensed wineries in BC.  21 wineries were licensed.  Who are they and where are they?  Most of the ones listed below I have not heard of, except for Okanagan Crush Pad Winery, Serendipity Estate Winery and 40 Knots Estate Winery.  Here is a review I did of Okanagan Crush Pad in…

I was very excited when I received two bottles of the latest releases from Painted Rock recently to review.  The two bottles being Painted Rock’s Syrah 2009 and their Merlot 2009.  Every year, I hear great things about Painted Rock’s wines and read about awards they have won.  Did you know that Painted Rock Estate Winery was ranked as the…

David Scholefield and Michael Bartier are not new to wine in BC.  Michael Bartier was born and raised in the Okanagan and worked in the past for Hawthorne Mountain (See Ya Later Ranch), Township 7, Stag’s Hollow and most recently Road 13 Vineyards. He joins the team at Okanagan Crush Pad Winery as winemaker, where he and David produce their…

Meyer Family Vineyards goal is”crafting single vineyard wines of excellence“. This is my fourth review of their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines and each year their wines get better.  More complexity, more balance. For this review I received a bottle of the following wines: Meyer Family Vineyards Chardonnay, McLean Creek Road Vineyard, Okanagan Falls, 2010 Meyer Family Vineyards Tribute Series…