It hasn’t been an easy summer for Okanagan wine producers. After more than a year or more of coronavirus challenges, they have had a summer of wildfire outbreaks in and around wine country and a fair number of less than gracious visitors who want
We conclude our series on Frind Estate with a closer look at the vineyards currently under development in the North Okanagan. We also speak with senior winemaker Eric von Krosigk who shares the plan on what is going into the ground and how he and owner
Winemaking has long been associated with romance and passion, useful tools for marketing and selling wine and room for more technically advanced thinking. Does it erase decades needed getting to know every corner of your vineyard, honing the ability to
Veraison watch is our second live stream feed of vintage 2021 in the Okanagan Valley. In viticulture, veraison is the onset of the ripening of the grapes. The vine begins a transition from berry growth to berry ripening, and many changes in berry development
As we bake in one of British Columbia's hottest weeks on record, we're also back on the road, though with a smaller radius. One of our first stops is Frind Estate Winery, where Markus Frind is planning to speed up the romance and tradition of the wine
The wine industry has always had a way of attracting outsiders. There’s a charm to the tradition and lifestyle that betrays the tremendous amount of work it takes to produce a single bottle of wine, let alone turn a profit. For Markus Frind, that
This month we look at the much-maligned pinot gris grape that frankly deserves some of the hate tossed at it. But when it is right, it can be delicious, and in BC, we have the terroir and wherewithal to do something special if we put our minds to it. Most
Project 'B' is a David and Goliath collaboration involving winegrower Michael Bartier, co-owner of Bartier Bros., a south Okanagan boutique estate, and acclaimed English négociant/winemaking force, Boutinot Wines. Boutinot has long been known for
Peter Fraser has been wowing the wine critics almost since his arrival in 2000 at McLaren Vale's famed Yangarra Estate. Noted Australian MW Andrew Caillard says, "Peter Fraser consistently produces some of Australia's finest grenache and shiraz wines.
Sustainability is one of those words that is difficult to define unless you practice it every day, believing that achieving meaningful validation also involves people and the environment. Even more important, you have to accept that the journey is not
The premise of our latest video series is to track a year in the life of a winegrower. The reality is we met with several British Columbia winegrowers to get a sense of the many tasks to be completed in their vineyards. Some are shared while others are
Eugenia Keegan comes by her love of wine genuinely. A fifth generation Sonoman, from the Russian River Valley, her love of pinot noir seems a natural, beginning with time spent at legendary pinot pioneer Joseph Swan Winery. Her professional life has taken
Big news at Mission Hill, President Darryl Brooker is leaving the winery. Brooker has worked some twenty-five years in the wine business and has made the personal decision to transition into another, agricultural-based industry. Brooker told me it
Spring at GOW has been a bit like that duck swimming across the pond. All is calm on top of the water, but underneath we are working like mad to move ahead. We have been zooming about the globe with stops in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, McLaren Vale,
Bud break is a significant milestone which we thought we'd capture in real time as part of our bigger project this year, following a Year in the Life of a BC Winegrower. The BC Bud Break Watch 2021 has concluded but you can see part of it at the