Looking Back

Looking back, I can recall my adventure into the wonderful world of wine began in 1992. My wife and I were married in Lake Tahoe, and on our honeymoon, we travelled to Yosemite National Park. After touring the park, our plan was to head back on the same road we arrived on, that did not happen. But luckily, this road led us to the Napa Valley of California. Here is where we spend the remainder of our honeymoon. What an exciting time it was!

Before our stay in Napa, we were not big wine drinkers. In fact, we seldom had alcohol in the house. But boy those wines were good. Back home I began to teach myself to create a website. It was just a fun site no special topic. However, one day we decided to buy some wine at the local store. Barbara came to me with a pamphlet about BC wineries. She said, "Why don't you do a website on wine?"

My wife is a good influence I took her advise and began to build a site on a free hosting service, popular at the time. I called my site Wines of the World. Here, based on a book Wine by Andre Domaine I listed all the wine regions around the world. Canada was not listed in the book. 

Once that was done I started to list all the BC wineries in the Pamphlet. Little did I know it had a number of errors. For example it listed Sandra Oldfield as winemaker at Crowsnest. Sandra began and finished her Winemaking career at Tinhorn Creek. Thankfully the winery notified me of the error.

There were no websites to Google back then. I found two books to help me, one by Tony Adler and the other by John Schreiner. I realized just how little I knew about the Canadian wine Industry. There were more wineries and more wine regions all across Canada, there was work to be done.

This meant a change in my website. The Wines of the World was too big a subject to cover and we changed to Wines of Canada. I was amazed to find the domain name was available. Our tag line Wines of Canada Challenging the World.

There was only one other website covering Canada's wine industry. I was more of a chat room than an information site. It soon disappeared. I was the only website dedicated to our wines and wineries. This last for a few years before other regional sites popped up. In 1994 I was quite excited to get thirty hits a day. Today thats a disappointing number for just one hour.

In 94 we took our first trip to the Okanagan based mostly upon the wine route in a Pamphlet . Our first stop was Crownest Winery in the Similkameen Valley. We found the lane with a chain across it and the driveway covered in vegetation. It had been closed for sometime. The winery did re-open with new owners and are doing quite well.

Our next stop was St. Laszlo Vineyards Estate Winery our first experience with Fruit wines. Here we were warmly greeted by Joe Ritlop and enjoyed a wonderful tasting experience.

We were now off to Kelowna. Our first winery we visited in Kelowna was Mission Hill. It was perhaps the most talked about winery of the day. Although this was before its rebuild and architecture it is know for today. We took the tour. It was not the greatest experience too many people in a small space with a guide hired for the summer. I do not remember the tasting room experience. 

In 1994 Mission Hill Family Estate put the Okanagan Valley on the map by winning the International Wine & Spirit Competition in London for 'Best Chardonnay in the World' and at the time the Master of Wine Judges were in such disbelief they re-tasted all of the wines and Mission Hill won a second time. 

From Mission Hill we went to Quails' Gate Estate Winery in Kelowna, which had opened in 1989. We were impressed by the winery, the staff and the wines. 

The following day, we visited Summerhill Pyramid Winery. The organic winery was opened in 1987. I do not recall if the restaurant was open on that trip. However, we never miss having lunch at the winery on all our Okanagan trips.

From there, we visited St Hubertus and Oak Bay Vineyards, which were originally planted in 1928 by J.W. Hughes during a time when good agricultural land was plentiful. Since 1984, the Gebert Family has used sustainable farming practices on their 76-acre vineyard. By chance, I came across Leo Gebert, who gave me a tour of the winery and vineyards. Barbara was in the gift shop.

Finally, we spent the evening at the Okanagan Wine Festival event in Kelowna. I remember it being crowded and the room being rather small. Here is where I first met John Schreiner, who was there signing his book. It was also here we met the owners of Hainle estate winery. I was very excited about that since they were known for Ice Wine. The winery dates back to 1988 with the real story beginning in 1972, when the winery's original founder, Walter Hainle, produced North America's first icewine. 

They invited us to visit the winery, which we did the next day on our way home. We had a most enjoyable time there.

So now we were home with new insights and new information. On that trip no one knew about Winesofcanada.com. But that would change by 2004, we were close to three million hits a year. By 2010 the bloggers began to arrive.

We have been blessed to be Canada's number one wine website. It was a hobby pursued mostly during the winter months. As we went from a handful of wineries to over 1000 (counting Meaderies and Cideries), now it's a daily task, often without much reward.

Today, we are THE website representing Canada's wine industry. We like to talk about the wines, the winery and the people of the wineries. Since all provinces license cideries and meaderies along with wineries we list them too. It means we have our eyes on over 1000 business. It is a huge task. With very little assistance from the wineries, themselves.

We are non profit our reward is the kind words received by our many visitors and people in the industry. 

When our budget allows we visit the wineries. We tell the story of every visit on the website. 

It is now 2026  the cost of everything has sharply increased  Our pharmaceutical bills and food cost along with gas dictates that we stay home. No longer able to visit the wineries/

 Petite Milo: Another Valentin Blattner cross, this very early ripening pink grape is well suited to maritime climates such as Nova Scotia’s. It offers good potential for making stylish aromatic wines and as a useful component for blending. The grape is also finding a home on Vancouver Island and the Fraser Valley MT Lehman region.

Petite Milo

Pink coloured grape well suited to maritime climates such as NS.

Developed recently in Switzerland by Vladimir Blattner.

Based on a complex cross of cabernet sauvignon with the American species riparia & the Asian species amurensis.

There is no labrusca grapes in its parentage thus avoiding a “foxy” character.

The grapes are early ripening and disease resistant.

This varietal can achieve high sugar levels while retaining good acidity.

Wines produced can attain similar character to Alsatian style wines.

The grapes and clusters on the vine are small and concentrated.

Tropical fruit aromas can develop with wines from this varietal.

The wines from this grape can be found at Jost Vineyards, Gaspereau Vineyards and Avondale Sky

Recently the grapes can be found in the vineyards of Vancouver Island and the Fraser Valley. Unsworth Vineyards in Mills Bay produces a 100% Petite Milo as does Seaside Pearl winery in the Fraser Valley. Enrico near cherry point makes a Falconet Petit Milo and on Salt Spring Island, Mistaken Identity.

The strong notes of fruit and high acidity in this wine lends itself to pairing with a variety of foods, depending upon the sweetness level of the finished wine. Terrific on their own, they can be enjoyed with anything from white fish, green vegetables, onion risotto, quiche or dessert.

Note: I came across Petit spelled with and without the "e" at the end.

 

Can a winery succeed with ONLY a tasting room?

Since the beginning, wineries have opened and closed, or been swallowed up by bigger companies. It takes a great deal of money to start a winery  . It also takes a great deal of money to keep a winery going.

Take a look at a small winery offering you a place to taste their wines. Only a short time ago, a winery offered you a free tasting. Based on the hope that you would like their wine and purchase enough wine from them to keep the doors open.

Today, the expenses are so high that a winery must charge you for tastings. Fees have gone from $5 to $15. The question for the consumer is, do we get VALUE  for our Money? In many cases, I would say NO! But what is the small upstart winery going to do?

Now, how many wineries are out there, far too many. How many wineries can one visit in a wine region, and how often can they put out the tasting fees? If a couple visits a winery, it costs $30.00. Visit two wineries for $60. Three wineries that's $90, Buy some wine, say a bottle at each winery, averaging $25.00 a bottle. That's another seventy-five dollars.

Many wineries have gone to a sit down wine tasting. Sit-downs are more enjoyable and offer a little bigger bang for your buck. The lates trend is to add events or food service to bring you in. Perhaps the best way today to enjoy a winery is to relax, have a glass of wine, and order something to eat.

However, this is where more  MONEY comes in. There is a huge cost factor in establishing these facilities. In Ontario, there are more wineries that have extended hours featuring events, food service and entertainment. It seems to be working. In some cases, wineries were already financially stretched due to ambitious development projects or high land costs, and the crop failures pushed them over the edge.

Despite the fact that winery owners make good neighbours and are willing to help each other, they are still in deep competition with each other. For example, visit a grocery store that sells  wine. Take a look at any food product; the store may carry two or three brands of that product. Visit the wine section, and there are 100s of wineries on the shelf.

Wineries must earn money through multiple revenue streams beyond selling bottles of wine, and the most successful operations deliberately diversify to stabilize cash flow and boost margins. The broader economics of wineries show that profitability depends on combining production with hospitality, experiences, and brand extensions.

Emandare Vineyards on Vancouver Island has one unique event. In their wine cellar, they have a Golf Simulator . You can go for a wine dinner and get a golf lesson. You even play a round of golf.

Festina Lente Estate Winery, Langley, specializes in artisanal honey wines and offers a tasting experience along with numerous events, such as  the Renaissance & Fantasy Fair coming in July.

Wine clubs, gift shops. weddings, restaurants and accommodations are means of adding income to wine sales. A fruit winery can sell additional products like Jams or their fruits.

If you are  small and can not afford to start additional facilities you better have amazing wines and top notch staff proving unbelievable hospitality.

www.winesofcanada.com

 Wow! You Want to Own a Winery

Wait not so fast owning a winery may sound exciting and luxurious but It is a great deal of work. The major of winery owners are hard working farmers.. they till the land, grow grapes, harvest the grapes and struggle to make money. If you want to be a successful wine owner its best to start rich and many do.

It also helps to hire an experience winemaker, even a consultant with a great reputation and vineyard manager is also required. You also require the help of other wineries, especially if you plan on doing all the jobs by yourself. 

Then, how are you going to sell your wines where is your market. Most likely its only the province your located in. But even getting your wine beyond your own gate is not easy. There are so many wineries out there and more coming.

To become VQA certified you have to pay for this honour. Getting restaurants, pubs ,and liquor stores to carry your wine, a most difficult task. Canadian restaurants don't have a passions for listing Canadian wines on their wine list. Is that the consumer fault? 

So what are you left with, selling your wines on site. Can you afford a tasting room? Can you afford to staff it. You cannot sell, your wines outside of your own winery and tend to your tasting bar at the same time.

Winery owners are finding the industry is much more difficult than they anticipated 

In the last few year we have seen the number of new wineries triple if not more. However numerous wineries are for sale and some have even declared bankruptcy

So lets support our local Wineries. But wait the majority of the population does not live in Wine country. In Ontario its only 2 hours to the Niagara Peninsula In BC its five hours ( those of you who say you can do it four your away over the speed limit) from Vancouver to the Okanagan. To the Island wineries a rather expensive Ferry ride.

Also there is the cost factors, wines in Canada are over taxed and cost too much!You can buy a good wine in USA for $6.00 in Canada finding one under $15.00 good luck. If you wish to bring box wines into the picture and other cellared in Canada wines remember those grapes are not grown in Canada It is economically challenging for Canadian vineyards to grow grapes at the price and quality needed to compete with the low priced imports that are flooding our wine market. Check it out for your self what are people buying in your local store. The big bottles from foreign markets I bet.

Many wineries sell limited quantity wines selling for $35.00 and up. Great but they better be way beyond good. Even if they are you need to find a way to let the consumer know and once again find away to sell them

For over thirty years now we have promoted the wineries of Canada her wines. Yet many wineries totally ignore our request for information. 

AVAs like the Okanagan relay deeply heavily on tourist to purchase wines directly from the winery. That is one reason our website features a tourist section. We also believe we live in a great country and wish to brag a little. 

Icewine was Canadians biggest selling wine product Thanks to a very strong Chinese market. However only a few wineries have access to this rich market. Due to the high price Icewines do not sell well in Liquor stores. In fact I could find only three bottles of Icewine in our Local store. Some wineries in Canada produce only icewine. That's a gamble. If the weather is too warm there is no harvest.

Do not forget climate change that in its self bring new challenges to the vineyard.

As exciting as it sounds, buying and developing a profitable vineyard is a complex proposition.Do a thorough research on the land and grape varitials before you buy any plot. 

Do you still want to own a winery?

and then you have California 

California wines continue to grow in popularity with both trade and consumers in the Canadian market," according to Rick Slomka, Wine Institute Trade Director for Canada. "Some of the recent growth comes from new brands with eye-catching labels and clever names. Also contributing to this growth is the ongoing strength of the Canadian dollar which has made California wines more competitive compared to wines from other major wine regions. Our continued success with premium wines in the Quebec market and in LCBO VINTAGES, indicates that Canadian consumers see good value in California at all price points," said Slomka. 

Canadian wines are world class yet consumers still flock to the wines of California and the old world.

We would like the hear your thoughts winebob49@gmail.com 

 

Complications of Wine Language

Have you ever found yourself surround by friends or even strangers and been asked "how do you like the wine" Your mind searches for those wine terms, the wine language you read about in wine reviews. 

"I like the rich fruity black cherry and smokiness in the nose and the even bitter finish." Is this the description that flashes through your mind. You want to say. "It's Good I like it." Well go ahead, say it! Wine tasting does not have to be complicated. You do not have to extend the boundaries of the English language to describe the wine. 

I have never understood "bright black fruit with anise dill and leather notes." Bright is a term that describes light not taste, anise dill I understand, anise can be described as having a licorice flavour, leather denotes hmmmm okay. What if someone described the wine " with a touch of olive and saddle leather" Would you know if it was good or bad. Is a wine supposed to have a leather flavour?

What about tobacco? Descriptive term, used by some, to describe a flavor component resembling the taste of raw tobacco leaf in the finish of certain red wines. Seems to mainly apply to Cabernet Sauvignon from Bordeaux, France or the Napa region of California. " Cigarbox " is a common term often used as a near synonym especially if a cedar-wood note in the aroma is detected. (Non-smokers may have trouble with this word and its implication). 

Perhaps I'm just a simple guy who likes his wine and prefers to say.. I like this wine. Its good. Most enjoyable. an easy drinking wine with fruity flavours 

Don't be intimidated by the language of wine. Simply describe the wine as it tastes to you. Allow your senses to react to the wine. Wine is to be enjoyed. The wine language is unique but you do not have to know it or refer to it in order to enjoy the wine tasting experience. 

The following article from the Wines of Michigan * website

The Simple Pleasures of Wine by Joe Borello 

The topic of wine is fascinating and often times emotional. It is a simple agricultural product, yet many have a tendency to shroud it in mystery and complexity. It is important to realize that wine has been placed on dining tables for centuries as a natural beverage that serves as a pleasing and logical companion to food. 

Few other products offer as much diverse subject matter as wine. Interests range from cultivating personal vineyards, visiting the actual property of a winery, collecting wine labels, building a wine collection of fine wines, to simply taste-testing different wine styles with friends. 

Wine also combines instinctively with an interest in food. Many professional and amateur chefs are wine hobbyists because good cuisine demands wine both as an intricate seasoning ingredient and as a basic component of the dining table. Keep in mind that like food, it is important to create a point of reference for what you may like in wine. As time goes by and your tasting experience grows you will notice subtle differences in your preferences, It is helpful to seek information from others, but don't be intimidated by their opinions. 

Although many hours could be spent studying the finer points of wine, it is best enjoyed as an uncomplicated subject. So, what is the best way to enjoy and learn about wine and food? The experts tell us there is no substitute for personal tasting experiences. Through taste comes the acquisition of knowledge. What better way to acquire knowledge then by visiting local wineries or gathering with a group of friends for a wine and food tasting? As you taste and compare wines you will find that not all are pleasing to you. Wine, like food, is made in many different styles to satisfy different tastes. It is up to the individual to choose the wines that best suit a personal palate and pocketbook. In North America we are fortunate to have over 900 winery tasting room facilities in which to experience a variety of tastes and styles of wine. Many of these wineries have educational tours and videos of the facilities and the winemaking process. Knowledgeable winery representatives then guide visitors through enchanting tasting tours of nature's fruit of the vine. 

 

It is not an easy task to find a bottle of Ontario wine in BC. In fact, even the liquor store manager was unaware of the wine. So, of course, I had no choice but to purchase the wine.

I bought the wine home with the intention of sharing it with friends. The plan was to get together between Christmas and the New Year.  However, they chose to go to Hawaii instead. Their loss!

So I kept this bottle of Baco Noir VQA from Henry of Pelham on the shelf. The day will come.

As the days passed. I could see the bottle lying in the wine rack. There was an urge to open it.

Henry of Pelham is a renowned family winery located in the Short Hills Bench app It was established in 1988 by Paul Speck Sr. Baco Noir is its flag ship wine.

The wine would not lay on the shelf much longer. I was ready to open it. So mark the date January 15th 2026. Ontario cones to White Rock, British Columbia. 

On a scale of one to ten the wine was a 9.. A full body wine with aromas of Blackberry Vanilla beans, and white chocolate. On the palate silky tannins, black fruit berries with  slight touch of sweetness.

More Please!

 https://www.winesofcanada.com/best_winery_visit2026.html