MyWinePal
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KArl covers BC wines as well as travel to BC wine regions. Beyond wine reviews, he travels to wine regions for more knowledge, and loves to pair food with wine and give his recommendations.
MyWinePal
15h ago
Lisa from Foundry Vineyards
Sparkling wine has been popular the past few years, in part due to people enjoying Prosecco. But there is a more ancient sparkling wine making method known as Pétillant Naturel (pét-nat). I spoke with Lisa from Foundry Vineyards in Walla Walla, WA, about their pétproject, which as you may guess is a type of sparkling wine. I enjoyed a sip of their wine and invite you to try it if you are a BC’er visiting WA state. Listen to Lisa as she tells you about pétproject at Taste Washington 2024.
https://www.mywinepal.com/videos/Lisa%20from%20Foundry ..read more
MyWinePal
15h ago
Evan Saunders from Blasted Church Vineyards
My one and only video interview with a BC winery at VanWineFest 2024 was with Evan Saunders, winemaker, at Blasted Church Vineyards. Blasted Church is located in the Okanagan Falls area if you decide to visit this summer. Evan talked to me about their sparkling wine, OMG 2016. Have you ever tried this wine? Did you know that it is not produced every year? Listen to Evan as he discusses the blend and method to make their sparkling wine. Cheers.
https://www.mywinepal.com/videos/Evan%20Saunders%20from%20Blasted%20Church%20V ..read more
MyWinePal
2d ago
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 the vineyard. Fermentation and aging in neutral oak barrels for 12 months then cellared in bottle for an additional 6 months. My tasting notes follow.
My Wine Tasting Notes Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars Estate Cuvée Gamay Noir 2022 (BC $29.90 ..read more
MyWinePal
3d ago
Filippo Bartolotta
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, Ciro Urciuolo, and Urs Vetter will discuss their wines and how they contribute to the lightness of current Italian wines.
Featured Wines
Cleto Chiarli Fondatore Lambrus ..read more
MyWinePal
6d ago
Kurtis Ogasawara, Winemaker for the Robert Mondavi Winery
The Robert Mondavi Winery is historic for putting California, and New World wines, on the international stage. I was fortunate to have a chance to interview Kurtis Ogasawara, Winemaker for Robert Mondavi during VanWineFest 2024. I was told, “Growing up in Sunnyvale, California, Kurtis lived just outside of wine country in the Bay Area. When he went off to college, he moved even closer to wine country and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Viticulture and Enology from U.C. Davis. When asked why he wanted to become a winemaker h ..read more
MyWinePal
1w ago
The wines from the Veneto region of Italy are still not as well-known as areas such as Chianti Classico in Tuscany but should be. This region produces the Valpolicella range of wines which are very food friendly. Watch my video interview with Matteo Allegrini from Allegrini Estates at VanWineFest 2024 as he tells us about the different wines that they produce, which were poured at the Festival and what he would pair with his Amarone wine.
https://www.mywinepal.com/videos/Matteo%20Allegrini%20from%20Allegrini%20Estates%20at%20VanWineFest%202024.mp4
The post A Video Interview with Ma ..read more
MyWinePal
1w ago
Although Italy contributes approximately 20% of the world’s wine, it remains a relative mystery to many people, due to unfamiliar grape varieties and wine region names. Wine journalist and educator Filippo Bartolotta led us exploring the rich history, modern innovation, and the renaissance of Italian classic wine styles shaping the current identity of this historical wine region. The winery principals talking about their wines in this seminar: Valentina Abbona, Mirco Biliorsi, Raffaele Boscaini, Giovanni Mazzei, Simone Nalesso, Ermes Scardova, Giacomo Sisti, and Sergio Zingarelli ..read more
MyWinePal
1w ago
I enjoy interviewing winery principals during VanWineFest every year. This year, I tasted the wine Santi Lugana Folar 2021 by Cantina Santi from the Lake Garda region in Northeastern Italy. It is a white wine made with Trebbiano di Lugana grapes. This wine is not well-known but has refreshing acidity, minerality, and stone fruit flavours, which make this type of wine a pleasure to enjoy. Listen to winemaker, Christian Ridolfi, as he talks about his wine, Santi Lugana Folar 2021.
https://www.mywinepal.com/videos/Christian%20Ridolfi%20from%20Cantina%20Santi%20at%20V ..read more
MyWinePal
1w ago
Mr. Beppe d’Andrea, Ruffino’s Senior Global Brand Ambassador
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 team. During his first season in the cellar, Beppe made white wines and later, as cellar master, he made Ruffino’s Chianti Classicos and other red wines. In 1989, Beppe earned the ..read more
MyWinePal
2w ago
The Lake Garda region in Italy, on the western edge of the Veneto region, shares some of the same grape varieties as Valpolicella but is not as well known. The region makes a tasty white wine blend, known as Custoza, and a red blend called Bardolino, plus a few other types of wines. I was fortunate to interview winery owner, Marica Bonomo, from Monte del Frà during VanWineFest 2024. Listen to her as she tells us about Custoza, Bardolino, and Amarone. She also explains why Custoza and Bardolino have a drawing of a monk on the label, with one holding an umbrella. Enjoy!&n ..read more