Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
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,…
Citation Winery, based in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, is dedicated to crafting age-worthy, small-production wines that reflect the region’s cool-climate elegance. With a focus on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The winery’s approach emphasizes patience, often releasing wines with extended aging to showcase their full potential. Earthy, red-fruited Pinot Noirs and balanced, mineral-driven Chardonnays define its style, making Citation a hidden gem…
We all love to get good value from our purchases, especially in wine when the quality of the wine exceeds bottle price. In this VanWineFest 2025 seminar, “Value & Variety, West Coast Style“, we were introduced to 10 different wineries along the USA west coast. This trio of states offer every climate, terroir, grape, and wine style to tempt wine…
VanWineFest 2025 starts next week and one of the attractions of the event is attending the International Festival Tasting Room where there will be 121 wineries from 15 countries, with winery principals pouring and discussing their wines. Each year there is a different theme country or region. This year it is the United States; specifically California, Oregon, and Washington states. …
Winemaking in Oregon’s Willamette Valley began in the 1960s when a handful of visionary pioneers, including David Lett, Dick Erath, and the Adelsheims, recognized the region’s potential for producing world-class Pinot Noir. Inspired by Burgundy’s cool climate, they planted vineyards in what was then an unproven wine-growing area. Over time, the valley’s unique combination of volcanic and marine sedimentary soils,…
One of the most exciting up-and-coming wine regions in the USA is the Columbia Valley AVA in Washington State. While it has been recognized for some time, the region’s wines are gaining increasing acclaim and attention, particularly in recent years. Columbia Valley encompasses a diverse range of terroirs and is home to more than 99,000 acres of vineyards, producing a…
I love Pinot Noir wines, with their more delicate aromas, flavours, and mouthfeel. My first Pinot Noir to taste in 2025 is from Frind Estate Winery in West Kelowna; Their Frind Estate Winery Pinot Noir Cuvée 2022, coming under screwcap. It checks off all the things that I enjoy in Pinot Noir: red fruit and floral aromas and flavours, higher…
This is the second of my Canadian Wine Trends 2024 articles. I will cover our interest in red and white still varietal wines using Google Trends information. Was there an overall upward slope (interest) or downward slope (disinterest) in a style over the year? Was there a peak at a certain time of the year? Let’s find out. Red and White…
ASV Wines is a new California winery to me, but it has been around for several years. Let’s welcome ASV Wines and taste their wines at VanWineFest 2025. ASV Wines is certified or affiliated with the California Sustainable Vineyard & Winery Association (CSWA), California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), International Featured Standard (IFS), California Association of Wine Grape Growers (CAWG) and…
California’s 689 Cellars offers a variety of wines for different classes of wine drinkers, from casual to serious. Here is some background information from the winery and the wines they will be pouring at VanWineFest 2025. About 689 Cellars Curtis McBride is the owner and founder of 689 Cellars and Premier Wine Group. Curtis founded Premier Wine Group over 20…
