Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
Standing before the sprawling shelves of a BC Liquor store, LCBO, SAQ, or local specialty grocer, deciding between dozens of Tuscan red wines and artisanal extra virgin olive oils can feel overwhelming. Labels boast enticing imagery, but how do you spot true regional authenticity amidst slick marketing? Enter Savor Quality from Europe, an EU-cofunded initiative spotlighting the rich provenance behind…
Recently I attended a dinner at Sopra Sotto on Commercial Drive that hosted the wines from Tenuta Cali in Italy. Angelo Dalbello, the export manager, attended and talked to us about the wines we were about to enjoy with our Italian dinner. There are actually two wineries, Tenuta di Capraia in Tuscany and Graffetta in Sicily, that together form Tenuta…
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…
Gambero Rosso is Italy’s leading authority on food, wine, and culinary culture, renowned for its annual Vini d’Italia guide, which evaluates over 45,000 wines to identify the country’s finest. The prestigious Tre Bicchieri (Three Glasses) award is reserved for fewer than 1% of these wines, marking them as exceptional examples of Italian winemaking. To celebrate and promote these top-tier wines,…
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While Italy has been known to produce robust, hearty reds, many of the country’s greatest wines offer a lighter touch without sacrificing flavour. This seminar, “Italy’s Lightness of Being”, led by Filippo Bartolotta and Michaela Morris, took us through sparkling wines, white wines with texture, and much more. Winery principals, Fabio Bosio, Tommaso Chiarli, Daniel Grace, Stefano Inama, Nicola Mazzella,…
I was invited to sit down with Mr. Beppe d’Andrea, Ruffino‘s Senior Global Brand Ambassador, to taste a selection of their wines and talk about the winery and other wine topics while Beppe was attending VanWineFest 2024. In 1987, Beppe began his career with Ruffino and has never looked back. Initially working in the vineyards, he soon joined the winemaking…
My first winery dinner for VanWineFest 2024 was the Tuscan winery, Marchesi Frescobaldi. This winery has extensive vineyard holdings across Tuscany and into Montalcino. The Frescobaldi family has been making wine dating back 700 years and spanning over 30 generations. Today the Frescobaldi family owns 11 estates in Italy including 10 in Tuscany and distribute their wines in over 65…
There will be several wineries from the Chianti Classico region attending VanWineFest 2024. What do you know about this style of wine? I have some background information for you, followed by a list of wineries from the region that you can visit at the International Festival Tasting Room. Cin cin. About Chianti Classico Wines Nestled in the heart of Tuscany,…
If you are a lover of French and Italian wines, then you should love the portfolio of wines from Galileo Wine & Spirits. There were so many excellent wines to choose from. Here are a few of the wines that I really appreciated. My Wine Tasting Notes Chateau de Fuisse Macon-Village 2022, France – A medium lemon colour. Fresh, medium-intensity…
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