MyWinePal

Downtown Victoria is packed with many different restaurants.  Depending on the time of day and how hungry you are, you can have a snack, a full meal, or just drinks.  I recently spent a few days visiting Victoria and had a great time enjoying many different restaurants, from formal sit-down meals to snacks with a glass of wine on a…

If you are visiting Victoria and drive up to the Cowichan Valley to visit a few wineries, on your way back you may want to stop by the Malahat SkyWalk.  This is what I did on my recent trip and really enjoyed the views from the SkyWalk.  For those of you unfamiliar with the Malahat SkyWalk, I will tell you…

We are in the last few weeks of summer.  Children are in school and parents are enjoying some quiet time.  To celebrate the last days of summer and quiet time, I think some red wine is in order.  I tasted two bottles of red wine from Osoyoos’ Adega on 45th Estate Winery.  One is their Adega on 45th Estate Winery…

I love tasting and reviewing wines, but sometimes after a long stretch of wine tasting, it is refreshing to taste another alcoholic beverage.  On my visit to southern Vancouver Island, I stopped by Junction Orchard & Cidery to try their ciders.  The cidery is located about 15-20 minutes north of downtown Victoria, so it is easy for a visit if…

Did you know that Blue Grouse Estate Winery and Unsworth Vineyards in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island are owned by the Sonoma-based Jackson Family from California?  The acquisitions, in 2022 and 2020, respectively, allow the family to grow their global portfolio, which includes vineyards in California, Oregon, Washington, Italy, France, Chile, South Africa, and Australia.  They see tremendous potential…

I finally had a chance on a recent trip to Victoria to make a side trip to the Cowichan Valley to visit Unsworth Vineyards and Blue Grouse Estate Winery.  Unsworth is a bit closer to Victoria, so it was the first stop on my wine tasting day.  The winery grounds look beautiful with a modern-designed tasting room with lots of…

Most of us, when we think of BC wine, think of the Okanagan, but a short ferry ride to Victoria, and a drive up the Malahat, will bring you to some south Island wineries. In one visit, I first went to Unsworth Vineyards to sample their wines, then drove a little further north, near Duncan, to the Blue Grouse Estate…

Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with winemaker Patrick Murphy at 1909 Estate Winery in Langley.  Patrick has been making wines for many years.  You may recognize his name as one of the owners of Vista D’oro Farms & Winery in the Fraser Valley.  He and his wife sold the winery in 2024, and he has been hired by…

Aging aromatic white wine varietals has been contentious, with many saying that these types of wines need to be enjoyed young.  BC grows many aromatic white vitis vinifera varieties.  Pinot Blanc is one of the grapes grown, although it is not as perfuse in aromatics compared to Pinot Gris, which is widely grown in BC.  I recently opened a bottle…

Cocktail culture in Vancouver has been around for a few years now, but I think it slows down in the summer and picks up in the fall and winter.  As we are slowly transitioning from summer to fall weather, I thought we could get into some simple cocktails to make and enjoy using sherry.  Have you ever made cocktails using…