Julian from Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards Have you heard of “orange” wine?  It is sometimes called “natural” wine and basically, it is a wine made from white grapes, like orange muscat or Pinot Gris, and is left with the skins intact, much like is done for red grapes, to get red wine.  But with white grapes, the skins can impart an orange colour, more texture and a variety of flavours to the wine.  The wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts, keeping human intervention to a bare minimum. I spoke with Julian from Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards at The Grand Tasting at Taste Washington a ..read more

The Hidden Vineyards of Paris by Geoffrey Finch Geoffrey Finch, a Canadian born in Victoria, moved to Paris and has been sharing his passion for wine and gastronomy in France for over 40 years.  He operates a series of historic walks through Paris’s vineyards, both visible and open to the public, those closed to the public, and some open only for special occasions.  His love of wine led him to write, The Hidden Vineyards of Paris.  In this book, Geoffrey discusses the relatively unknown history of grape growing and winemaking in historical Paris, leads us on a tour of vineyards ..read more

Around a month ago I received three bottles of Pinot Noir.  One was from Vancouver Island, Blue Grouse Estate Winery Reserve Pinot Noir 2021, while the other two were from California.  They are the La Crema Vineyard Monterey Pinot Noir 2022 and Cambria Estate Winery Julia’s Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley, Pinot Noir 2022. I will taste each and compare my notes to see how latitude may affect the aromas and flavours of our BC Pinot Noir compared to the two samples from California.  Here are my Blue Grouse tasting notes. My Tasting Notes Blue Grouse Estate Winery Reserve Pinot Noir 2 ..read more

Blake from Revelry Vintners Chardonnay is a popular white grape in Washington state, beside Riesling.  During The Grand Tasting, I spoke with Blake from Revelry Vintners about their Chardonnay at Taste Washington 2024.  Interesting soil and effects of soil on their Chardonnay.  Watch and find out about it. https://www.mywinepal.com/videos/Blake%20from%20Revelry%20Vintners%20at%20Taste%20Washington%202024.mp4 The post My Video Interview With Blake from Revelry Vintners at Taste Washington 2024 appeared first on MyWinePal ..read more

Devyani from Valdemar Estates Valdemar Estates is a winery started in 2019 in Walla Walla by the Valedmar family who owns Bodegas Valdemar in Rioja, Spain. Bodegas Valdemar has been making wine since 1889.  I had the pleasure of speaking with Head Winemaker of Valdemar Estates, Devyani Isabel Gupta, about the winery and the wine she poured for me to try, their 2021 Columbia Valley Chardonnay.  I quite enjoyed this wine and rated it as one of my favourite wines of Taste Washington’s The Grand Tasting.  Enjoy the video. https://www.mywinepal.com/videos/Devyani%20Isabel%20Gupta%20f ..read more

Meyer Family Vineyards McLean Creek Vineyard Old Block Pinot Noir 2022 and McLean Creek Vineyard Micro Cuvée Pinot Noir 2022 wine labels 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 tasting MFV wines since their 2009 Pinot Noir release and am always impressed with th ..read more

Noah from Tinte Cellars at Taste Washington 2024 I appreciated talking with Noah from Tinte Cellars during The Grand Tasting at Taste Washington 2024.  He talked about the Viognier he poured for me, but also told me about their winery and how they work with non-profits making donations totalling a substantial figure.  I applaud wineries, and any company, that helps support non-profits and exercise their Corporate Social Responsibility. How much have Tinte Cellars donated over the past few years?  Watch the video.   https://www.mywinepal.com/videos/Noah%20from%20Tinte%2 ..read more

I met Big John Caudill, Director of sales, wine professional and winery chef for Sheridan Vineyard at The Grand Tasting for Taste Washington 2024.  John told me about their red blend Mystique and their latest Cabernet Sauvignon release.  Watch below. https://www.mywinepal.com/videos/John%20from%20Sheridan%20Vineyard%20at%20Taste%20Washington%202024.mp4 The post My Video Interview with John from Sheridan Vineyard at Taste Washington 2024 appeared first on MyWinePal ..read more

Washington state has over 900 wineries.  That is amazing.  While our BC wineries are bound primarily to mountain valleys, Washington state has a large land area to the east of the Cascades mountain ranges, which is where many of Washington’s wineries are located.  But how can you try wines from so many wineries more easily?  One way is to attend Taste Washington in Seattle.  I’ve written about Taste Washington for a few years, and prompted my readers to attend the event held earlier in March.  I registered as media and was able to attend The Grand Tasting for one ..read more

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 understanding of farming and their vineyards that sets them apart when crafting their wines. Let me tell you about these two wines. My Wine Tasting Notes Da Silva Vineyards and Winery Vinhedo Merlot 2020 (BC $37.99) The grapes come from ..read more