Imported talent is just part of the Okanagan Valley’s unique blend.

A fresh take on one of the world’s oldest wine regions. Plus three wines from Languedoc to try.

Two grand new wineries will offer contrasting views of Lake Country.

Adega sale among the acquisitions reframing wine country.

Lakeboat may well be the Okanagan’s most tucked-away winery hiding in plain view. If you’ve been to the valley recently, chances are you’ve driven (almost) right past it. This small, terroir focused winery is nestled in the heart of picturesque

The convenience of canned wine is just part of its appeal.

Lake Country, a sub-GI (wine region) in Canada's Okanagan Valley, has plenty to offer, including polished wines and breathtaking scenery

What does it take to make your own wine commercially? Big dreams, more capital than you probably imagine, hard work, patience and perseverance, plus a dash of good luck—and then some. However, a small winery and newly planted vineyard on the

How to enjoy and pair the bivalve’s delicately briny and mineral flavours What grows together goes together—and that includes Bouziques oysters and Picpoul wines in the coastal areas of France’s Languedoc region. Photo by Tim Pawsey Summer’s…

Traditional or not, our love for sparkling wine is bubbling over Sparkling wine is what I drink while deciding what I’m going to drink with dinner. —Harry McWatters There was no greater champion of B.C. sparkling wine than the late Harry McWatters.…

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2022 print issue of Quench Magazine. It’s unlikely anyone has done more to introduce Vancouverites to Indigenous cuisine than Inez Cook. Just prior to the city’s hosting of the 2010 Winter Olympics,…

O’Rourke Family Estate has been recognized by Chardonnay du Monde for its O’Rourke Family Estate 2020 BC VQA Estate Chardonnay—the wine’s inaugural release. You could say it was a pretty good St. Patrick’s day present for owner Dennis O’Rourke—whose…

Inventive local dessert wines are the perfect accompaniment to your final course It’s sad but true: in recent years, dessert wines have become the Rodney Dangerfield of the wine world. (For those who don't recall, Dangerfield was a comedian whose…

A second major sale to Jackson family highlights the potential of the Cowichan Valley A major B.C. wine story that slipped under the radar was the late December 2022 sale of Blue Grouse Estate Winery and Vineyard to members of the Jackson family.…

Janice Lotzkar was recently mentioned in a recent post on Aaron Chapman’s popular and widely read Vancouver Restaurant History Facebook group. My good friend Kurtis Kolt was asking for people’s memories of the pioneering Lotzkar. In 2020 I had…

Bring a heady mix of dreams, a healthy supply of cash (or a wine-loving banker) and, most definitely, a dash of serendipity Down a Cawston side road, a small home overlooks a well-tended vineyard. Welcome to diminutive Horseshoe Found, where a sign…

Vintage 2022: Patience and Perseverance Pay Off Even if there were times when across B.C. vintners were holding their collective breath, in the end, 2022 turned out just fine. While in some areas yields were down due to prior harsh 2021 winter…

One of the wonderful things about Italy, is that it’s home to more indigenous wine grape varieties than anywhere else in the world. In fact the country boasts some 350 vitis vinifera varieties that are used on a commercial scale. But beyond that the…

Elevated experiences from grape to glass It’s been well over a decade since Tinhorn Creek Vineyards (just south of Oliver, BC) became the country’s first certified Carbon Neutral Winery. However that milestone was one of many that set the South…

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2021/2022 print issue of Quench Magazine. The story of British Columbia’s modern wine industry—albeit remarkable in terms of its rapid growth and success—is usually portrayed as one of risk-taking,…