Tag: Sperling Vineyards

The history of using amphora and concrete tanks for winemaking dates back centuries. Amphorae, large clay vessels with narrow necks and handles, were widely used in ancient civilizations such as the Greeks and Romans for storing and transporting wine. These vessels provided an ideal environment for fermentation and aging, as the porous nature of clay allowed for a gentle exchange…

It’s time for our BC wines to be recognized by our peers.  The results from the 2023 British Columbia Lieutenant Governor’s Wine Awards have been announced. Here is the press release.  Pick up the bottles that won as soon as possible as they will sell out soon! ~~~ (KELOWNA, BC) – April 18, 2023: On April 3 through 5, 2023,…

It was about 18 months ago since I, and other wine trade people, were able to get together and taste BC wines.  We all arrived wearing masks. Some of us with different haircuts, glasses, etc., so you may have to guess who some of the people are.  Luckily we were able to connect and share a few stories before we…

Do any BC wineries offer special activities and accommodations for children? While adults sample the latest BC vintages, are there things for children to do like have fun tasting grape juice, frolicking in play areas, visiting with farm animals, and playing outdoor games?  That is what I thought many families would want to know with COVID restrictions on travel lifted…

This past year I tasted a tremendous number of wines from around the world, but some wines really resonated with me.  It may have been the great balance of fruit, sugar, acidity for a white wine, or the fruit, tannins and minerality in a red wine, or something else. Something that made the wine stand above the other wines.  Could…

As promised I have enclosed my tasting notes for the wines I sampled at the three International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration seminars.  Many of these Chardonnay come from Ontario, but there are also wines from BC, California, Chile, France and more.  My notes are not as detailed as notes I make from my structured tastings at home, but should give…

In Part 1 of this article, I covered the comments and insights of wine makers and hands-on owners in BC, Ontario, and Germany on the heartbreak and backache from growing and making wine from the Riesling and Pinot Noir grapes.  In Part 2, I have my tasting notes on the wines from these winery principals. Our Featured Wines Haywire Narrative…

In this seminar at the Vancouver International Wine Festival we had a panel of distinguished wine makers and hands-on owners share their stories and insights on Riesling and Pinot Noir, two notorious cool-climate grapes famed for breaking backs in the vineyard and hearts in the winery. These individuals talked about the challenges in the Okanagan Valley, Niagara Peninsula, and Mosel…

A Look at the Past Sperling Vineyards, in Kelowna, BC, has been four generations in the making: 1860s – land is cleared, settled and farm established by Giovanni & Rosa Casorso 1920s – vines are planted and vineyard established by N. Peter Casorso 1930 to today – commercial wine and table grape production by Peter Casorso 1978 – Riesling Weiss…

My journey is complete. After many emails, printing of tasting note sheets, receiving deliveries of BC Pinot Noir, writing tasting notes, locating BC Pinot Noir vineyards, correlating BC Pinot Noir wines with soil and with latitude using a GIS, and making a cool interactive BC Pinot Noir map is complete. But maybe it is also the start of a new…