Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
Did you know that Blue Grouse Estate Winery and Unsworth Vineyards in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island are owned by the Sonoma-based Jackson Family from California? The acquisitions, in 2022 and 2020, respectively, allow the family to grow their global portfolio, which includes vineyards in California, Oregon, Washington, Italy, France, Chile, South Africa, and Australia. They see tremendous potential…
I finally had a chance on a recent trip to Victoria to make a side trip to the Cowichan Valley to visit Unsworth Vineyards and Blue Grouse Estate Winery. Unsworth is a bit closer to Victoria, so it was the first stop on my wine tasting day. The winery grounds look beautiful with a modern-designed tasting room with lots of…
BC is well-known for producing quality sparkling wines. Township 7 Vineyards & Winery has dedicated a significant portion of their wine production to making top-quality sparkling wines, under the “seven stars” label, for over 25 years. These wines are small lot cuvées, crafted with passion in the méthode champenoise style and made by Township 7’s winemaker, Mary McDermott. Grape varieties…
I recently attended a lunch at Social Corner in downtown Vancouver paired with a selection of Côté Mas wines from Domaines Paul Mas in the Languedoc in southern France. Two years ago I had a wine pairing dinner in Vancouver with Jean-Claude Mas, introducing me to several of their range of wines. In this lunch, I met with Jean-Claude Mas’…
Have you ever heard of a sparkling wine called Charme de l’ile, Island Charm in English? It is not a wine from France. It is from Vancouver Island and can only be made on Vancouver Island using Island grapes. Just like Champagne can only be made in the Champagne region of France. Charme is also a nod to the method…
The last Chardonnay to review for my Ontario Chardonnay Review is a sparkling wine made by Drea’s Wine Co. which produces small batch, single vineyard, low intervention wines. Drea’s wines are certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Ontario. I really enjoyed tasting Drea’s Cabernet Franc wines when I undertook my Ontario Cabernet Franc Review last year. Let me tell you about the latest…
I started my wine tasting at the International Festival Tasting Room during VanWineFest 2026 with French white and sparkling wines. Below are my favourite white and sparkling wines. I noticed after making my list that almost all the wines are made from the Chardonnay grape. I am not sure how many of these wines are still available for purchase, but…
Many people imagine Champagne as a pale lemon-coloured wine with fine bubbles and some combination of aromas and flavours of citrus, apple, nuts, oak, and brioche. But, Champagne is also available as a Rosé wine, giving it a different flavour profile, typically of red fruits, a little more body, and larger bubbles, from the use of Pinot Noir as the…
A Tour de France in Your Glass Food and wine go together, especially in France. I attended the VanWineFest 2026 seminar, A Tour de France in Your Glass. With Moderator, Arnica Rowan, we took an oenological journey through seven classic French wine regions, each with their own unique characteristics and history. We crossed the country from Champagne to South West…
Chartron et Trebuchet from Burgundy makes a wonderful crémant wine. I’ve enjoyed this sparkling wine over many years. At the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2026, I had a chance to interview Camilla De Vere Green from Chartron et Trebuchet in the International Festival Tasting Room to talk about the winery and their crémant. Enjoy the video interview.
Video Guide Uncorks the Story of British Columbia Wines. Buy Now.
