Regional associations of wineries (sometimes blandly referred to as "generic marketing bodies" in the wine industry) are not a new phenomena in B.C. They lurk in the background of tastings and marketing campaigns in the Okanagan, Vancouver, and other key markets. I'm not even sure that many consumers are all that familiar with them specifically …
Continue reading Regional Marketing in BC
Located on McLean Creek Road just east of Okanagan Falls, Synchromesh is on a flat area just behind Peach Cliff (that big rock that you see can towering over the town of Okanagan Falls. It's about a kilometer out of town and it's on the left just past Meyer Family Vineyards. Why you should go …
Continue reading You’ve gotta visit: Synchromesh
There is a lot of information on wine labels. Sometimes deciphering them can be a bit of a challenge. There are strange words that don't look like they're in English and it's probably because they aren't. I vividly remember walking down the aisles of my local liquor store trying to figure out which wine to …
Continue reading Wine Labels in BC: How Wines are Named
Another question that has been inspired by the many wine tourist friends that I've met over the years is about blended wines. I worked at a winery that offered a beautifully constructed premium blended wine that a customer vocally poo-pooed before even tasting it. "None for me! I don't like blended wines at all. I …
Continue reading What do you mean “blended”?
Thomas Jefferson created lists of his top wines from different regions throughout France and Europe. Many wine lovers of his time did and continued to do well into the 19th century. The fact that one of those lists of Bordeaux chateaux was written into law in 1855 is both the bane of Bordeaux and the reason …
Continue reading The Grand Crus of BC
Ok, there's been a lot of articles lately so let's get back to the podcasts. Anyone who has toured the Naramata Bench in the summertime will recognize the name Top Cat Tours. Their buses are almost synonymous with wine touring in Penticton. As one of the oldest wine touring companies in the Okanagan starting in …
Continue reading Podcast 146 – Wine Tour Companies Part 3
It was a small sign that I noticed on the Oliver Ranch Road which runs south out of Okanagan Falls. It's a route that is fast becoming the 'Main Street' of the Okanagan Falls wine region. In traveling through wine country to visit friends, interview wineries for this blog or other publications for which I …
Continue reading New Winery: Visiting Lusitano Estate Winery
Just saw this the other day and decided I couldn't go past it without stopping in. Lusitano Estate Winery is located east down Rolling Hills Road which is opposite Noble Ridge's wine shop. It's a beautiful hilltop setting for a 14-acre vineyard and isn't that far off the beaten path. Fred & Fernanda Ganhao are …
Continue reading New OK Falls winery
It's wine touring season again! Time to squeeze up to the wine shop bar, taste a few wines, buy a blingy t-shirt with a half-case, and head to hotel lounge before dinner. Wine country touring can sometimes feel a little more rushed less vacation-like at times, but the fun is always there for you to …
Continue reading Five BC Wine Touring Secrets
Welcome to BC Wine 101, where I will focus in on a different wine region in each episode. This is for anyone who is interested in learning about BC wine but with a particular nod to the wine bloggers who will be traveling to Penticton for the Wine Bloggers Conference coming up in June. You …
Continue reading Podcast 128 – BCWine 101 Okanagan Falls
Wine Country BC 