Tag: VQA

The first two wines from 50th Parallel Estates Winery for me to taste are aromatic whites that you would find in the Alsace region of France, but of course these wines are located in Lake Country.  The two wines I am tasting are their Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer 2019. Where is Lake Country? You may not be familiar with the…

On my recent trip to Kamloops I stopped at Harper’s Trail, Monte Creek Ranch, and Privato Vineyard and Winery.  At Privato I was able to spend a few quick minutes to try the latest releases of wines with their host Kristin.  I tasted through several of their wines with Kristin last August.  This time I tasted their 2019 Rose, Gewurztraminer,…

I love Pinot Noir and was very excited to try the latest Pinot Noir from Okanagan Crush Pad. The grapes for this Pinot Noir, from Okanagan Crush Pad’s Haywire wine, come from the Secrest Mountain Vineyard in Oliver, BC. The grapes were fermented with native yeasts in large concrete wine tanks. Each lot of wine was aged separately and bottled…

It is Easter weekend coming up for many people around the world, and the world is still in turmoil with COVID-19, since I last wrote this article one year ago.  There are many traditions besides the Easter celebrations among different faiths but enjoying meals with family and friends is a big part of each of them.  Here are 6 BC…

Singletree Winery is one of our local Fraser Valley wineries that you may not have heard of, but have been around since 2010.  I’ve been writing about them for a few years now.  The winery and main vineyard are in the Abbotsford area, but in 2018 they also acquired vineyard land in the Naramata Bench which allows them to expand…

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…

My third Dine Out Vancouver dinner was with good friends at Provence Marinaside in Yaletown.  Provence offers a $45 food menu plus $25 wine pairing, and it is totally worth it.  The food from Provence is top quality and a large portion.  I was very full and very happy at the end of my meal. We were treated with a glass…

Copper Chimney Indian Grill & Bar has been serving up tasty Indian food in downtown Vancouver for several years.  I have had the pleasure of eating at Copper Chimney before and was recently invited to a food and wine pairing event.  This event though was extra special as the dishes being served are dishes that Chef has created for their…

Do you know what a Geographical Indication (GI) means in the BC wine industry? According to a BC Ministry of Agriculture press release, a GI is “…a standard element of appellation systems used around the world that help people identify wines in the marketplace, provide assurance as to the origin and quality of the wine, and promote agri-tourism. British Columbia…

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,…