BC Wines and wineries

Terry Threlfall’s TNT: Blowing Away Preconceptions of Okanagan Chardonnay

November 7, 2013
Latest from Okanagan Crush Pad

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 some other way put their stamp on them. This […]

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Canadian Thanksgiving: No Better Time to Celebrate the “Best of BC”

October 9, 2013
South Okanagan Valley, Tim Pawsey photo

Heads up for the “Best of BC”! There was a time not that long ago when BC Liquor Stores received a fair amount of criticism that most of BC’s “icon” wines were not available at the Peoples’ Purveyor. It was a fair comment, in that many of the wines were either not VQA—a pre-requisite for […]

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The Honda Coupe / Painted Rock Shifting and Sipping Post. Just Kidding!**

October 8, 2013
Sleek lines in front and behind

Honda Accord Coupe V6 Navi at Painted Rock I have to confess, I had a tough time giving back my sleek Honda Accord Coupe EX-L V6 Navi, which I was lent for the other week’s Okanagan trip, prior to the BC Wine Awards judging. This is one of the most fun rides I’ve had in […]

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The Medal Counts: 2013 BC Wine Award Results

October 3, 2013
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 intellegent analysis of the awards to offer […]

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Stoneboat’s Very Cool Icewine Nod to The Cape

September 29, 2013
Pinotage icewine? Yup, it's a first!

I never fail to be intrigued by the connections afforded by the wine world. Call it six brix of separation.  These days it seems icewine comes in every varietal and colour. I have to admit I’m not always a fan. There are way too many ‘sugar bombs’ around for my liking—and not every variety is […]

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No Roughing it in Osoyoos: Watermark Hits the Mark and More

September 27, 2013
The view from Watermark: An ever changing panorama

I’ll admit it: when I’m in full-on writing mode, I’m a bit of a home-body, which can be challenging on the road. All the more reason why I’m very happy to be ensconced in the Watermark Beach Resort, in Osoyoos, in southern BC. Yes, I’m being hosted here. Thank you, friendly Watermark people. But this […]

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Culmina Family Estate Hypothesis, More Than a Theoretical Winner

September 6, 2013
Culmina

Culmina Hypothesis 2011     Here’s a wine we figured would be worth waiting for, and we weren’t disappointed, as it more than lived up to our expectations. This is the inaugural release from just opened Culmina Family Estate, the project undertaken by Don Triggs, his wife Elaine  and their daughter Sara Triggs. If you […]

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From Touriga to Tannat, Moon Curser Delivers the Goods

August 18, 2013
MC-Fox copy

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 […]

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A Clutch of Wines for BC Day from Across the Province

August 4, 2013
The elaborately carved coat of arms details the history of European settlement and early industries—grape growing not among them...

Centennial BC Coat of Arms at Government House There’s no time like the B.C. Day long weekend to celebrate the diversity of B.C. wines, no matter where in the province your holiday takes you. Back when the pre-NAFTA group of pioneers amounted to barely a dozen or so believers, a few figured the Okanagan might […]

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Quails’ Gate Welcomes Nikki Callaway as New Winemaker

July 24, 2013
New Quails Gate winemaker Nikki Callaway and her dog, Olli

Nikki Callaway and “Olli” Quails Gate has announced that Nikki Callaway will take over the reins from Grant Stanley as winemaker. (Stanley left Quails Gate this spring to join 50th Parallel.) Callaway is no stranger to Quails Gate. For the last five years she’s worked up the way at Mission Hill. This marks the the […]

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