Latest from Okanagan Crush Pad's 'Campus' series... Wine is very much about “people and place.” It’s a fact. Much of what makes wine so fascinating is just that: few other products yield so strong a connection to the land as grapes and the people who grow them, make wine out of them—or in [...]
A tough job but ... Yes, I know, there should be a way more sexy pic here. But that’s all there is: a down and dirty get it done, direct from the action shot that exposes the gritty reality of judging the morning’s first flight. We had planned to have all kinds of [...]
Some years ago, I visited an upstart little winery in Australia by the name of Yellow Tail, along with an enthusiastic group of Aussie and Kiwi wholesalers. We shared a casual lunch at makeshift tables in the warehouse (they’d expanded so fast there was no reception room), along with several local growers, who had been [...]
Centennial BC Coat of Arms at Government House This elaborately carved coat of arms from 1958 details the history of European settlement and early industries—grape growing not among them. (More below ...) There's no time like the B.C. Day long weekend to celebrate the diversity of B.C. wines, no matter where in the [...]
Peller Okanagan (Similkameen?) Dry Riesling A few insiders will know that Peller Okanagan Dry Riesling heralded in this year's garlic crop! If you move really quickly you can buy Andrew Peller Private Reserve (VQA) Dry Riesling for just over $11 at BC Liquor Stores. Believe me, as they say “while stocks last”, it’s [...]
Planning a wine tour? Here's a few ground rules Not a bad way to start the day: at Quails Gate, overlooking Lake Okanagan A couple of weeks ago I found myself on the patio at Quails Gate’s impressive, vista-kissed tasting room, at around 10 in the morning. The first wine up was Quails [...]
Time Estate founder Harry McWatters Time Estate Winery founder Harry McWatters with architect's model, Tim Pawsey photo I never thought I’d use Harry McWatters’ name in the same sentence as Jim Croce’s. But there I was, walking home from the official launch of the BC pioneer’s new winery, Time Estate Winery, quietly [...]
50th Parallel Estate Winery owners welcome Grant Stanley Grant Stanley (l) has joined 50th Parallel Estate Winery owners Sheri-Lee Turner-Krouzel and Curtis Krouzel in what promises to be a significant player in the Okanagan, Tim Pawsey photo 50th Parallel Estate Winery is located near Carr's Landing, just north of Kelowna, Google Maps [...]
Image courtesy Tidings.ca There’s plenty going on at Vancouver Urban Winery these days—including wine on tap at Gastown’s soon to be open TUC Craft Kitchen. They’ve even re-purposed a couple of vintage fire extinguishers as part of the deal! Tap & Barrel kegs Yesterday we were tasting Blasted Church Hatfield’s Fuse [...]
Last week after the BC Wine Institute Vintage Preview, we asked Peller master winemaker Howard Soon for a few comments about his Sandhill Sauvignon Blanc, and the 2012 vintage... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S0OWF2bMiQ Here's our story from the North Shore News: ... What was interesting this time was that the viticulturalists were invited along to offer [...]