Tag: winemaker

Growing up in the warm, vineyard-lined landscapes of southern Ukraine, just inland from the Black Sea, Gary (Gennadi) Zhygailo was immersed in the rhythms of the vine from an early age. His passion for wine led him to the Odessa National Academy of Food Technologies, where he earned both a Bachelor’s in Food Science and a Master’s in Fermentation and…

When you swirl that glass and ponder why one wine tastes crisp and lively while another feels soft and mellow, you’re sensing the delicate interplay of pH and TA, two key metrics that shape wine’s structure and personality. While often mentioned together, these two measures describe distinct aspects of acidity: pH reveals how strong the acid is, and TA reflects…

This is my seventh year interviewing winemakers or winery principals in Ontario about their latest grape harvest and wine production.  Now that it is early December and the wines are all in tanks or barrels, how did the Ontario grape growing season and harvest fare?  I interviewed three winemakers/winery principals this year: Chris Thompson, Winemaker at Lighthall Vineyards in Prince Edward…

This is my sixth year interviewing winemakers or winery principals in Ontario about their latest grape harvest and wine production.  I visited the Niagara-on-the-Lake area in September and heard many positive comments from winemakers about the upcoming harvest season.  Now that it is early December and the wines are all in tanks or barrels, how did the Ontario grape growing…

Okanagan’s Osoyoos Larose is well known for their top-tier Le Grand Vin and their second-tier wine, Petales d’Osoyoos.  Their inaugural wine, Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin 2001, exceeded all expectations at home and abroad.  Myself and a group of other media and sommeliers were invited to sit down for a casual dinner with winemaker Michael Kullman to taste through some…

The BC wine harvest was just starting as I was on vacation in the Okanagan the second last week of September.  The winemakers I spoke to noted that they are about a month behind for the start of harvest.  Wines of BC sent me this press release with more information about this year’s grape harvest in BC.  Give it a…

Sandhill Wines announces that they hired a new winemaker.  Please welcome Stephanie Van Dyk.  She is not new to BC, having been making wines at Summerhill Pyramid Winery, Kalala Organic Estate Winery, and more in the Okanagan.  I am looking forward to trying her wines from the upcoming 2022 vintage, next year.  Here is the press release from Sandhill Wines….

The 2021 harvest will surely be marked in our minds as COVID continues.  Plus during the summer there were major fires in BC, and now with the heavy rains and flooding, I’m sure the weather has had an impact on harvest and fermentation.  Socially distanced visitors to BC wineries ensued this year.  Overall, how did the BC grape growing season and…

This is my third year interviewing winemakers in Ontario about their latest grape harvest and wine production.  To get a more complete picture of the harvest I asked the following questions to three winemakers in three different grape growing regions of southern Ontario, which should have some differences in climate and harvest.  But this year was a little different as…

Around every 4 years there is a big change in members of curling teams, with a key person from BC going to Alberta, Alberta to Manitoba, and so forth, to make the team stronger and to typically to prepare for the next Winter Olympics.  Winemakers seem to change fairly regularly whether they move to a different province or a different…