Enjoy Wine, Food, and Travel with Karl MyWinePal
As I recently tasted two Okanagan Viognier wines from the 2025 vintage, I thought it may be interesting to compare and contrast between the two wines. Terroir of course can affect the aromas and flavours, but also the winemaker’s methods of vinification. The two wines I tasted were the Hester Creek Estate Winery Viognier 2025 and the other is the…
My last article was on two aromatic wines from Blasted Church Vineyards. I tasted their Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc. Today I tasted two more aromatic BC white wines, but this time from Hester Creek Estate Winery. I tasted their Hester Creek Estate Winery Viognier 2025 and Hester Creek Estate Winery Riesling 2025. It will be interesting to compare the styles…
Today I have two aromatic white wines to tell you about from BC’s Blasted Church Vineyards. I tasted their Blasted Church Vineyards Renaissance Series Sauvignon Blanc 2025 and Blasted Church Vineyards Renaissance Series Viognier 2025. These wines come from our latest, fantastic 2025 harvest. It is nice to see our wineries doing so well this vintage after the problems with…
We are back to estate grown BC grapes for the 2025 vintage. It was a great year for our wine grapes, producing a bumper crop for all vineyards. I have two white wines from Okanagan’s Hester Creek Estate Winery; their Hester Creek Estate Winery Character White 2025, a white blend containing Gewürztraminer, Viognier, and Pinot Gris, and Hester Creek Estate…
Easter is this weekend and you are wondering what wines to pair with your holiday meal. I would like to suggest that a rosé wine pairs well with everything. Rosé wines typically have high acidity and nice red fruit flavours that are very complimentary for many dishes. I also recommend an aromatic white wine. These wines usually have higher acidity…
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…
Here are two more delicious wines that you should buy and enjoy right now while we are drowning in our winter rains, or snow, in BC. The two wines from the Okanagan’s Hester Creek Estate Winery are their Columbia Valley Collection Viognier 2024 (grapes coming from WA state), and their Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 (grapes coming from estate fruit). I bought…
Six years ago we welcomed Gérard Bertrand and the Gérard Bertrand Group to VanWineFest 2020. Now, we can welcome them back to VanWineFest 2026. Read about their history and wines in their own words. Introducing Gérard Bertrand In 1975, Georges Bertrand introduced his son, Gérard, to harvesting on the Domaine de Villemajou in the unique terroir of Corbières. From his…
Here in British Columbia, we love our local wines. But a question always lingers in the minds of serious wine lovers: how do our favourites truly stack up against the world’s established benchmarks? To try to answer that question, I attended the seven stars Masterclass hosted by Township 7 Vineyards & Winery who are celebrating 25 years of producing sparkling…
If you visit Osoyoos and stay at the Spirit Ridge Resort or visit the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre, you will drive past Adega on 45th Estate Winery. The winery and tasting room is at the top of a hill slope and gives you a wonderful view of Osoyoos. The winery was recently taken over by Gate 22 Winery, which has…
Video Guide Uncorks the Story of British Columbia Wines. Buy Now.
