Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
Here we have the Famille J-M Caze winery, which originated in Bordeaux and spread across France and into Portugal, telling us about their history and the wines they will be pouring at the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2026. Enjoy. Some Background About Famille J-M Caze The Cazes family originally came from the mountainous Ariege region and settled in the Medoc…
2023 was a little challenging for BC wineries with reduced yields (~34 to 56 percent loss) coming from a winter cold snap. Harvest was a little later as the growing season was a bit cooler, with a dry Fall. How did that affect the wines in the Okanagan? I have a small sample size of two wines to review for…
We have had some turmoil in Canada and in BC for wines in 2025. Many BC interior wineries suffered from the 2024 cold snap causing them to either not produce any wine in 2024, or importing grapes from across the border, or from Ontario. We also had the removal of USA wines from BC government liquor stores. Overall, we had…
It will soon be New Year’s eve and many of us will open a bottle of sparkling wine. I have two bottles of sparkling wine from BC’s Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars for you to consider. I received their Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars Gold Label Brut 2022 and their Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars Brut Rosé R.D. 2022. R.D….
Six years ago we welcomed Gérard Bertrand and the Gérard Bertrand Group to VanWineFest 2020. Now, we can welcome them back to VanWineFest 2026. Read about their history and wines in their own words. Introducing Gérard Bertrand In 1975, Georges Bertrand introduced his son, Gérard, to harvesting on the Domaine de Villemajou in the unique terroir of Corbières. From his…
I saved my last two wines from Domaine Artema Winery to be their Village Sparkling Rosé 2024 and their La Petite Mort (port style), NV, dessert wine. These two wines can cover the start and end of a delicious dinner. I did not decant either wine. In the first case, you don’t want the delicious bubbles in your sparkling wine…
Today, I’m easing us into the colder weather with a 2024 Rosé and a Gamay wine made by Oliver’s Domaine Artema Winery. Gamay is a red wine grape with less tannins and more acidity, making it easier to sip on its own as well as being food friendly. The Rosé wine uses Pinot Noir primarily with a substantial amount of…
I was privileged to be invited to attend the “Iconic Wineries of British Columbia” Holiday Preview this week, held at the Holt Renfrew, in downtown Vancouver. We sampled selections from Mission Hill Family Estate, Martin’s Lane, CheckMate Artisanal Winery, CedarCreek Estate Winery, Liquidity Wines, and Road 13 Vineyards. There were red, white, rose, and sparkling wines, along with canapes, made by the chefs from…
Well, the really bad, rainy weather is not yet here, so I decided to taste a white and a rosé wine. Red wines will come soon enough. Today I have the Gold Hill Winery Cabernet Franc Rosé 2022 and the Township 7 Vineyards & Winery Interlude Sauvignon Blanc 2024, with the latter being made in BC, but using WA state…
The Italian Trade Commission had their 19th Annual Italian Wine Tasting in Vancouver. There was the opportunity to meet the principals of 40 distinguished Italian wine estates. I tasted mainly white and sparkling wines at this tasting and at the very end tried a few Italian red wines. What I like about Italian wines is that many of the grapes are…
Video Guide Uncorks the Story of British Columbia Wines. Buy Now.
