Tag: organic

Natural wine is a hot topic in the wine world. Maybe you have not heard of it. There is some range of what is a “Natural” wine. It could fall into the organic, or biodynamic, or sustainable categories for some people.  During this seminar at Cornucopia, we had DJ Kearney, wine educator, writing and judge, give her perspective on Natural…

Do you remember reading your science books in school?  How dry the material could be and uninteresting?  Well sometimes, reading a book about the science and legislation about some topic in the world can be interesting.  Case in point, is this book, “Biodynamic, organic and Natural Winemaking: Sustainable Viticulture and Viniculture” by Britt & Per Karlsson.  I received a complementary…

I first met owners Chrstine Coletta and Steve Lornie in May 2011, when they were unveiling the concrete eggs they acquired to ferment a line of their wines at Okanagan Crush Pad (OCP). Jump forward 4 years, and you will see that they have followed a long, slightly windy road, that has brought them to where they are today; celebrating…

I am Terroir.  I have been thinking about this for quite a while.  The thought has percolated from the sun that has shone on my head, percolating through my brain, through my veins, mixing with the air that fills my lungs, and reaching my toes, where the roots have grown into the ground I stand.  Terroir is not a new…

Each year, New Zealand wine makers come to Canada to show us their latest wines.  I enjoy tasting the fresh fruit of New Zealand wines, trying the latest vintages from wineries I know about already, and discovering new wineries to our market.  New Zealand and BC have been commercially producing wines from vitis vinifera vines for about the same length…

I had not heard of Domaine Saint Jean du Barroux until recently;  a winery located between the Dentelles de Montmirail and Mont Ventoux in the Southern Rhone, owned by Oenologist, winemaker/grower, Philippe Gimel. A tiny vineyard with 4 of 16 hectares covered with fruit trees and shrubbery.  The remaining 12 hectares of vineyards are planted along an eroded fault line…

Australia is the theme country for the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2015.  But what do you know about the wineries that you will meet in the Tasting Room, at seminars, or dinners?  This, and upcoming articles written by the Australian wineries, and posted here in mywinepal.com, will help you discover these Australian wineries, so you can go to their tables…

Kevin O’Brien is a man that is compelled to know about the terroir in the McLaren Vale of Australia, and to put that knowledge to the best use in planting vines and growing expressive fruit.  The types of rocks, which wear down to form soil, can guide the vineyard owner to plant certain types of grapes.  Certain grapes do better…

Haywire wines are made at Okanagan Crush Pad (OCP) in Summerland, BC, and are co-owned by Christine Coletta and Steve Lornie.  I have followed Haywire wines since their inception.  I like them as they try to be as organic and un-interventionist as possible, letting their wines tell their stories.  They make a range of wines; red, white, and bubble for…

When you drink Pinot Noir, is it always red?  Maybe you don’t realize it, but many sparkling wines are made with the Pinot Noir grape.  For example if you see the term “Blanc de Noirs” on a bottle of Champagne or other sparkling wine, the wine was made with red grapes.  Pinot Noir is a very common red grape for…