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The Okanagan Crush Pad is another winery celebrating ten years. Christine Coletta and her husband, Steve Lornie, opened the Crush Pad in Summerland in 2011. Their holdings now include 380 acres, 100 acres of which are planted to organic vineyards. The Okanagan Crush Pad produces four labels: Haywire, Narrative, Free Form and Bizou + Yukon,…
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If, like me, you are unable to visit the Okanagan this year, there are some wineries that are offering virtual tastings that you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home. Little Engine offers two virtual tastings: a Silver Level Tasting and a Gold Level Tasting. I recently experienced the Gold Tasting and enjoyed…
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Imagine life without potatoes, no French fries, mashed potatoes, hash browns or gnocchi. This was a reality in eighteenth century France. In 1748, France actually banned the cultivation of potatoes as they were thought to cause ailments such as leprosy, and considered to be hog feed. That was at least until Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, a French…
Continue reading TIME Family of Wines: Potatoes, Blueberries and Red Blends
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Roche Wines is celebrating their ten year anniversary, and if you haven’t tried their wines yet, I can guarantee that they are definitely worth your attention. Roche Wines is owned by Dylan and Pénélope Roche. It is located on the Naramata Bench, but that is not where their story began. Dylan was born in Vancouver…
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Ramification Cellars is a family owned winery located on the shores of Vaseux Lake, in Oliver, British Columbia. Don Lloyd and his daughter, Rachel, purchased the property in the late 2000’s and began planting Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir in 2013. Since the original planting, both Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc vines have been added. This…
Continue reading Ramification Cellars: Verification Pinot Noir
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Ever since Laurent Fadanni and Melissa Giesbrecht released their first vintage of wine from Whispering Horse in 2017, they have attracted quite a devoted fan base, often selling out of their small lot wines very quickly. This Saturday, June 26th, Whispering Horse will be releasing two new wines, their first vintage of La Crescent WILD…
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Lone Tree Cellars, founded in 2005, is an importer and distributor, sourcing wine and spirits from around the world and bringing the best ones to Western Canada. In 2019 they moved their offices to North Vancouver where they acquired a brewery. They named the brewery La Cerveceria Astilleros and when it opens it will offer…
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The grapes for the 2019 Tumble Wines Riesling were sourced from the Sandbar Vineyard in southeast Kelowna. Grapes were whole cluster pressed before the clean juice was transferred to stainless steel tanks for fermentation. Fermentation was halted early resulting in 11.8% alcohol and residual sugar. With 23 g/L residual sugar, this off-dry Riesling is perfect…
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How do you feel about oak influence in your wine? I’ve had several wines recently that I feel were overly oaked, which made this Cabernet Franc from the Okanagan Crush Pad a welcomed pour. The 2016 Narrative Cabernet Franc ($29.90) is a blend of Cab Franc grapes sourced from the Black Sage and Golden Mile…
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Everyone, without exception, is experiencing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but I am inspired by people’s drive to stay connected to each other and survive these strange days. The wine community is of course not exempt from the negative impact of the virus. In British Columbia many of our wineries are small, family-owned businesses…