Tag: Similkameen

Who is Rust Wine Co? Do you remember the Rustico Winery in the Okanagan?  Rust Wine Co is the winery that was formed from Rustico.  Rust gets its name from the flaky iron oxide that formed on some old farm equipment on the Golden Mile Bench property.  They have five vineyards planted as far back as 1973 that are located…

Although France was the theme country this year at the Vancouver International Wine Festival, there was a great contingent of wineries from around the world and from BC to pour their wines for us.  Below are wines that I enjoyed from countries other than France.  Enjoy! White and Sparkling Wines Cantine Giacomo Montresor Rose Royal Brut NV, Italy – Light…

Crowsnest Vineyards is located near Cawston in the Similkameen Valley in south-central BC.  This valley is cooler-climate with the valley running east-west and a breeze that passes through it to help give the valley it’s character.  I was surprised that I had not tried their wines before or knew much about them, and regret it.  The winery was established in…

Every Fall we have the Colours Fall Release of BC VQA wines.  Over the last year, what changes has there been to our vineyards, grape varieties, and the number of wineries? Comparing the tasting booklet from both years by the BC Wine Institute we know: there are 10 more wineries, and 299 more acres of vineyards. that Merlot, Pinot Noir,…

Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery is located in West Kelowna, not too far away from Mission Hill Family Estate Winery.  It has been around for many years (winery started in 2001 with the vineyards in 1968) and I have recommended their wines in the past.  I still have a bottle of their 2003 Summit Reserve Semillon, which was aged in oak…

The clock is ticking and the end of 2018 is near.  I have a few more wines that I have received in December that I would like to review for you.  I have 3 wines from Road 13 Vineyards in Oliver, BC.  I visited Road 13 Vineyards in the summer and had a great talk with Mick Luckhurst.  You can read…

The Monte Creek Ranch Winery is located just east of Kamloops in the new GI of the Thompson Valley.  A region with cold winters, requires hardy grapes.  Monte Creek Ranch has a variety of red and white hybrid grapes that can stand these winters.  I talk about these grapes in the tasting notes for the wines.  And they also grow…

On my recent trip through the Okanagan, I stopped at 3 wineries.  The first one which I wrote about earlier was C.C. Jentsch Cellars.  The next day I stopped by a winery that is near to them, Road 13 Vineyards, located on Road 13 just south of Oliver, BC, where I met Mick Luckhurst who with his wife purchased the…

From BC’s winemakers, the consensus seems to be that 2017 was a more normal growing season compared to the two previous seasons.  Although there were horrible wildfires, the fires occurred in early summer, not later in the summer when veraison occurs.  Smoke seems to be more problematic for grapes at veraison.  The smoke earlier in the summer filtered the sunshine…

2017 was a terrible harvest in France due to poor weather conditions through the growing season, producing the smallest grape harvest since 1945. In the United States, Napa and Sonoma Valleys were hit by forest fires which although was late in the harvest, still affected later ripening grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon. The Valleys were also suffering from a heat wave, causing…