Tag: VQA

Last night Richard Vanfoodster and I had a wonderful dinner at Collective Goods Bistro enjoying their dishes with a flight of BC’s Solvero Wines. The winemaker, Alison Moyes, was there to talk to us about the wines and the winery. We had her Solvero Wines Pinot Gris 2023, Rosé 2023, Chardonnay 2022, and Pinot Noir 2020. It was fun trying…

We all deserve R&R on a long weekend.  On BC Day, my R&R was a bottle of Narrative Rosé 2022 and a bottle of free form Riesling 2022 by Okanagan Crush Pad.  These two wines made for this hot sunny weather. Both are vegan-friendly wines and the Riesling is also listed as EcoCert organic certified.  Let me tell you about…

If you enjoy Pinot Noir, these two wines should excite you.  Meyer Family Vineyards from the Okanagan Falls area of BC concentrate on Burgundian-style Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  I received a bottle of their Meyer Family Vineyards McLean Creek Vineyard Old Block Pinot Noir 2022 and McLean Creek Vineyard Micro Cuvée Pinot Noir 2022 to review for you.  I’ve been…

Here are two fruit-forward BC red wines for you to enjoy. you may want to consider Da Silva Vineyards and Winery.  Their Vinhedo Merlot 2020 and Pinot Noir 2021.  The Da Silva family immigrated from Portugal to Canada, have over 65 years of farming experience in the South Okanagan, and started their winery in 2006.  They note that this intrinsic…

Gamay Noir is a grape that gets little respect. Some people may equate it to Beaujolais Nouveau, but it can be much more. BC wineries make quality Gamay Noir. A point in case is this bottle; Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellarss Estate Cuvée Gamay Noir 2022. The grapes were hand harvested, then cold soaked and fermented using indigenous yeasts to…

Ontario’s Stratus Vineyards is a 55-acre farm, set in the Niagara Lakeshore appellation of Niagara-on-the-Lake, and is planted to 16 grape varieties.  All the grapes are grown sustainably. Their winery is the first in the world to be fully Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) – certified, which embodies their commitment to sustainability. The winery uses geothermal heating and…

Southbrook Vineyards in the Niagara-on-the-Lake region of Ontario undertakes biodynamic and organic vineyard agriculture, plus is LEED Gold Certified for their energy and environmental design in green buildings.  Southbrook is Canada’s first certified Organic and Biodynamic Winery.  They have everything from native meadows and a Monarch butterfly waystation to using lighter wine bottles to lower their carbon footprint.  I looked…

I received recommendations from a friend to visit Rosewood Winery & Meadery while I was visiting the Niagara region.  I was curious to attend, in part because I had not tried mead.  This winery, started in 2000, is owned by the Roman family and originated from Ukraine.  They are also the only winery in Ontario with a license to produce…

This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving.  I looked back at the past few months this year to see what current BC and Ontario wines might be a good match for a roast turkey or ham dinner.  Below are wines from both provinces that I think would be good pairings. BC Wines High Note Estate Winery Soubrette Pinot Grigio 2022 – this…

A glass of sparkling rosé wine and strawberries seems like a wonderful romantic pairing, doesn’t it?  I  received a bottle of BC Haywire Winery Pink Bub 2021 and recently purchased farm field-ripened strawberries and thought I would try this pairing.  I can say they are definitely delicious together.  Let me tell you about the wine and the pairing. My Wine…