Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
From my recent tastings of white and sparkling wines from west coast USA during VanWineFest 2025, a few key trends emerge. Chardonnay remains a dominant varietal, showcasing a range of styles from richer, rounder textures with lower acidity in Paso Robles to fresher, more mineral-driven expressions from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. There is a clear emphasis on texture and mouthfeel, with…
At every Vancouver International Wine Festival, when I attend the International Festival Tasting Room, I have a plan for which wines to taste. Luckily, as an accredited media person, I can attend the International Festival Tasting Room several times. But each time, is different. For this one session, I visited the theme region, west coast USA, and tasted only red…
Hope Family Wines, based in Paso Robles, California, is a renowned family-owned winery known for producing bold, expressive wines that capture the essence of the region’s warm climate and rich soils. Hope Family Wines consists of six individual brands: Liberty School, Treana, Quest, Austin Hope, Troublemaker, and Austin. Led by winemaker and owner Austin Hope, the winery has built a…
Justin Vineyards & Winery, a benchmark producer in Paso Robles, California is renowned for crafting bold, Bordeaux-style wines that showcase the region’s rich soils and warm climate. Led by winemaker Scott Shirley, Justin focuses on producing structured, expressive wines with depth and elegance. Their flagship Isosceles blend—crafted from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc—delivers layers of dark fruit, spice, and…
Today we were able to taste California wines crafted on the edge – coastal cliffs, mountain tops, and rugged valleys – where adversity breeds greatness. This seminar at the VanWineFest 2025 showed us bold wines born from unforgiving terrains and regenerative farming. Our Moderator was Elaine Chukan Brown. Winery Principals to tell us about their wines: Kori Butler, Andrew Gouveia,…
McPrice Myers Winery, nestled in California’s Paso Robles region, is a standout producer known for crafting expressive Rhône-style and Bordeaux-inspired wines. Founded by McPrice “Mac” Myers, the winery focuses on small-lot, terroir-driven bottlings that highlight the richness and complexity of the Central Coast. Sourcing fruit from top vineyards, including its own estate in the Adelaida District, McPrice Myers produces wines…
Let’s welcome J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines to the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2025 and enjoy their wines from the Paso Robles region of California. Here is some background to the winery and a list of the wines they will be pouring at the International Festival Tasting Room. Enjoy. About J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines,…
On Saturday, May 29, 2021, BC Liquor Stores will release an exciting selection of California wines. The outstanding collection features iconic names from Napa Valley including Hillside Reds as well as a focus on the new California with Rhône-style gems from Paso Robles and Santa Barbara, exquisite Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from Santa Maria, Sta. Rita Hills and Sonoma Coast….
To celebrate BC Liquor Stores’ 100th year anniversary, a collection of rare, premium, collectible wines and spirits will be released on March 13, 2021, at participating Stores. The collection features many top-rated wines, along with a selection of classics from the finest wine regions of the world. For spirits, BC Liquor Stores will feature whiskies from the most iconic distilleries in…
As California was the theme region for VanWineFest 2019, you would expect Chardonnay to be prominent in my list of favourite white wines, and you would be right. But there is also Viognier, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. I put the region in California with the wine name if the winery shows a specific area. If you like any of these…
