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Shortly after our very first COVID lockdown began in 2020, I was sent a vertical of Fool’s Mate Chardonnay from CheckMate Artisanal Winery. I have been holding onto this vertical ever since, patiently waiting for the day that we could once again host our friends for an indoor dinner and enjoy these special wines together.…
Continue reading CheckMate: Fool’s Mate Chardonnay Vertical Tasting
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A Milestone Birthday (or any Birthday really) is a great excuse to open a special bottle of wine. CheckMate is often a part of celebrations in our household, like this past weekend when my husband celebrated the 20th anniversary of his 30th Birthday! 2017 Silent Bishop Merlot $85.00 CheckMate produces four unique expressions of Merlot:…
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Tis the season to open those special bottles of wine, even if you are only allowed to share them with those in your own household. What special bottles are you planning on opening during the holiday season? We recently opened a bottle of the 2013 Black Rook Merlot from CheckMate Artisanal Winery, and it was…
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On Saturday I had the chance to make Florence’s Tarragon Chicken; a recipe from Jennifer Schell’s The BC Wine Lover’s Cookbook. This recipe comes from Phil McGahan, the winemaker at CheckMate Artisanal Winery. “Phil McGahan grew up in Western Queensland, Australia, as the youngest of 10 children. His parents, Jack and Florence, supported their large…
Continue reading CheckMate Artisanal Winery: Little Pawn and Tarragon
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I am loving the fact that wineries are collaborating with restaurants to offer recipes that we can make at home to pair with their wines. This is the second recipe that I’ve tried from a winery and both pairings have been spot-on. The first recipe from CheckMate Artisanal Winery pairs Fool’s Mate Chardonnay with Flaky…
Continue reading CheckMate 2014 Fool’s Mate: Food and Wine Pairing
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I have been waiting, for what feels like ages, to take this photo. Our home has been undergoing repairs since mid-October, and we are finally at the point where we have flooring. Definitely an occasion worthy of an extra-special bottle of wine, and the 2016 CheckMate Queen’s Advantage certainly fits that bill. I first tried…
Continue reading 2016 CheckMate Queen’s Advantage Chardonnay
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Earlier this month I had the pleasure of visiting CheckMate Artisanal Winery and catching-up with Natasha Sadowy, Experience Curator. Natasha toured me around the construction of their new facility, which is well underway. The new building has been designed by Tom Kundig and will include a winemaking facility, barrel room, tasting room and spaces for…
Continue reading CheckMate Artisanal Winery: Anything but Chardonnay?
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I recently re-watched Sideways, a movie attributed with spiking the popularity of Pinot Noir while massacring Merlot. According to a study led by Steven Cuellar, professor at Sonoma State University, the positive impact of Sideways on Pinot Noir sales was greater than the negative impact of the movie on Merlot sales, which primarily affected Merlot…
Continue reading CheckMate Artisanal Winery: You had me at Merlot
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In April I attended an event at Science World called Origins of Wine: The Golden Mile Bench. Located at the foot of Mount Kobau in Oliver, the Golden Mile Bench was named British Columbia’s first sub-appellation in 2015. This area is unique for several reasons including its calcium and mineral-rich soil, produced by glacial deposits,…
Continue reading CheckMate Artisanal Winery: Wines With Focus