Sam The Wine Teacher 
Burgundy is the home of Pinot Noir and perhaps the world’s most place-obsessed wine region. One grape, a landscape of limestone, clay and marl – yet the wine can change from plot to plot. Pinot Noir is thin-skinned and relatively delicate. It does not have the weight of Cabernet Sauvignon or the tannic muscle to … Read more
In addition to the weekly wine review and the various other, usually wine-related, articles I write for My Van City, I am going to include a new one that will appear from time to time. I’m calling it, ‘From the Cellar’. It will be similar to the wine reviews, except that it will feature wines … Read more
2022 Narrative XC Sparkling Haywire (Okanagan Crush Pad) Summerland, BC $24.99 Narrative is one of the labels made at Summerland’s Okanagan Crush Pad. I first tasted this wine in late 2023 and it has held up beautifully. Oeil-de-perdrix (eye of partridge or a pale pink or copper-tinted rosé wine colour) with medium-minus intensity. This intriguing … Read more
2023 Chardonnay (White Gold Reserve) Fort Berens Lillooet, BC $34.99 Lemon yellow with medium-minus intensity. Lemon cream, apple, lime zest, peach, banana, and straw on the nose. Good balance and mouthfeel. The flavours reflect the nose, followed by a medium-plus finish. 90 Points 2024 Sauvignon Blanc (Dual Citizen) SpearHead Kelowna, BC $29.00 Being a … Read more
Part 3: Mission Hill Tour After our luncheon at CedarCreek, we were on our way to scenic Mission Hill, one of the cornerstones of the Okanagan wine industry. Anthony von Mandl purchased the struggling Golden Valley winery in 1981 and renamed it Mission Hill. The winery itself dates back to 1966, but von Mandl’s vision … Read more
In addition to the weekly wine review and the various other, usually wine-related, articles I write for My Van City, I am going to include a new one that will appear from time to time. I’m calling it, ‘From the Cellar’. It will be similar to the wine reviews, except that it will feature wines … Read more
The second stop on our Visa Infinite Wine Tour: A Day in Okanagan Wine Country was lunch at CedarCreek Estate Winery. CedarCreek is practically next door to Martin’s Lane, but the experience is quite different. Our lunch was prepared by Executive Chef Neil Taylor, whose cooking at Home Block Restaurant is built around local, seasonal … Read more
2025 Fumé Blanc Clos du Soleil Keremeos, BC $28.49 This is a blend of 71% Sauvignon Blanc and 29% Semillon. Pale lemon yellow with a tinge of green and medium-light intensity. Aromas of cut grass, fresh peas, gooseberry, grapefruit, and a touch of tropical fruit on the nose. Good balance. Bright mouth-watering fruit on the … Read more
The Visa Infinite Okanagan Wine Tasting Tour brought a small group together in Kelowna for a day.
2025 Pinot Gris SpearHead Kelowna, BC$24.00 Pale lemon yellow with medium-light intensity. A pronounced nose showing aromas of apple, lime zest, honeysuckle, ambrosia apple, pear, and wild honey. Very good balance with good body. Very flavourful on the palate, followed by a medium-long finish. Impressive. 93 Points 2021 Chardonnay (Triomphe) Southbrook Niagara-on-the-lake, Ontario … Read more