Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
Do you enjoy Cabernets? Do you prefer Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon? I tried both today from Seaside Pearl Farmgate Winery. Their Cabernet Franc grapes come from the Similkameen Valley while the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes come from the Okanagan Valley. You may notice that both labels mention “Lover’s Lane”. What does that have to do with BC or the Fraser…
Seaside Pearl Farmgate Winery in Abbotsford continues to produce top-quality limited-production wines. The two wines I tasted, their Magnolias Rosé 2021 and The Connaught Syrah 2020, continue with this tradition. Let me tell you about them. My Wine Tasting Notes Seaside Pearl Farmgate Winery Magnolias Rosé 2021 (for Club Members only) The magnolias label celebrates the blooms of this tree…
This was the first Swirl Around BC trade tasting since the COVID lockdown where you could actually walk around tables, talk to winery principals and have them pour their wines for you. Earlier in the day, I attended the Masterclass on Expressions of People, Place and Time. It was quite informative and attendees were able to taste BC wines from…
In BC we relatively quickly learned that cooler climate grapes, like Riesling, did better in the north Okanagan, and warmer climate grapes, like Syrah, did better in the south Okanagan. Similarly cooler climate grape varieties in the Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island. And more. But we have had a few decades now to further refine these generalized grape growing regions…
Today I have 3 seemingly unrelated wines, and they are. Sometimes when you are tasting wines for review, you have single bottles and no pairing with other related wines. So today is a bit of a mix of wines. One is a BC wine, another from Germany, and the third from Chile. Grapes are Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Riesling, and Carmenere. …
What is meant by a “Cru” in wine? The term “Cru” is most often used for the French classification system, but the “Cru” concept can apply to any vineyard region recognized for their superior wine quality. My last seminar during the Vancouver International Wine Festival was on the topic of “cru”. What it is and how it is expressed. We…
Do you know what a Geographical Indication (GI) means in the BC wine industry? According to a BC Ministry of Agriculture press release, a GI is “…a standard element of appellation systems used around the world that help people identify wines in the marketplace, provide assurance as to the origin and quality of the wine, and promote agri-tourism. British Columbia…
Should you stock up on the red and white wines from BC’s 2016 vintage? BC wines are known for their fruit flavours and their accompanying natural acidity. But the 2016 started very early and hot in the Spring, with bud break being the earliest on record. In the Okanagan bud break was as much as six weeks early. Would this…
I am a lover of Riesling. It allows the wine maker to produce wine in many styles, from bone dry, to a lusciously sweet ice wine. While we here in BC have talked about making very good aromatic white wines, I have not yet seen a systematic analysis of our aromatic grapes, Riesling in particular, and how the wines differ…
