Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
Here is a toast to Ironstone Vineyards from California. Below is some information from the winery in their own words and the wines they will pour at the VanWineFest 2025. Enjoy! About Ironstone Vineyards Ironstone is nestled in the charming gold rush town of Murphys in California’s Sierra Foothills. For decades, the Kautz Family has been devoted to sustainably growing…
I am a Pinot Noir lover, so when I received two bottles of Pinot Noir from the 2022 harvest by Blue Mountain Vineyards and Cellars to review, I eagerly anticipated opening them. The two bottles I received were the Blue Mountain Vineyards and Cellars Estate Cuvée Pinot Noir 2022 and the Reserve Cuvée Pinot Noir 2022. Pinot Noir is a…
With the holiday season upon us, I was invited to the Iconic Wineries of British Columbia to check out their holiday cheer at The Kent downtown. In addition to wines to sample and recommend for the holiday season, we were also treated to savour holiday-inspired canapés prepared by the talented Estate Chefs from CedarCreek, Liquidity and Mission Hill. The wineries participating…
Kevin Judd from the Greywacke winery in Marlborough, New Zealand, may not sound familiar to many readers, but Kevin is one of the pioneer winemakers in Marlborough. He was born in England and raised in Australia where he studied winemaking. In 1983 he moved to New Zealand and was the founding winemaker at Cloudy Bay, which all New Zealand wine…
Wineries change hands as the original owners decide to either retire or otherwise move on. The new owners then have to live up to or surpass the reputation of that winery. I was invited to a winemaker’s dinner at Provence Marinaside with the winery being BC’s Fairview Cellars. Fairview Cellars was taken over by husband and wife team, Danielle and…
Today’s visit on my Naramata Bench trip gave me a bonus. Besides tasting wine, I also enjoyed some cheese pairings. Upper Bench Estate Winery & Creamery is the place to go as they make their own cheeses, which you can also buy. Yes, I bought cheese to take home. I spoke with Josh Edwards, their winemaker, before tasting the wines. …
During my week-long trip to Penticton, I took a one-day side trip to Kelowna to see the Farmer’s Market and to visit Spearhead Winery. I’ve been a fan of their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines for many years. They recently received recognition as WineAlign 2024’s Best Performing Small Winery. I also appreciate the winemaking skill of Grant Stanley who was…
To finish off my second day of wine tasting on the Naramata Bench, I stopped in at TIME Family of Wines in Penticton, where I sampled their Chronos and McWatters Collection wines. The winery was originally owned and managed by the McWatters family, but in 2020 was purchased by Ron and Shelley Mayer who are both native BC’ers. Chronos is…
The second winery on the Naramata Bench I visited was Howling Bluff Estate Winery. This is a small family-run winery, starting with the land purchase in 2003, that specializes in Pinot Noir wines, although they also produce other quality wines. I met with co-owner and winemaker, Luke Smith, sitting at the tasting room patio, where we chatted about the latest…
Although the main purpose of my visit to the Okanagan was to visit Naramata Bench wineries, I made a side trip to Okanagan Falls. Meyer Family Vineyards in Okanagan Falls was the first winery I visited on my Fall trip to the Okanagan. I love Pinot Noir and Meyer Family is one of my favourite Pinot producers. I sat outside…
Video Guide Uncorks the Story of British Columbia Wines. Buy Now.
