You'll wish that summer could always be here

Are you like me and my dear wife Barbara, drinking more wine during the summer months under the warm sun, than during the colder winter months?
Despite the fact that many wineries release new wines in early fall, summer is the time I drink the most wine.  Sitting on the patio seems to bring out the best whites.

This summer Chaberton EstateReserve Bacchus 2016 topped my list of most enjoyed and most drunk wines.A perfect summer wine, rich in flavours. It starts with a nice aroma, tantalizes the taste buds with lime and pear. Followed by a smooth lasting finish.

We also enjoyed a few bottles of the 2015. One would be slightly pressed to decide which one is better but I gave a slight edge to the 2016.

The 2015 Récolte Blanche from Baillie-Grohman Estate Winery in Creston was another summer favourite.  We managed to empty three bottles with ease. This wine was not easy to find on the shelves.

Backyard Vineyards 2015 Gewürztraminer also highlighted our summer wines. Yes, we did visit a number of Fraser Valley wineries over the summer, they all impressed with their friendly hospitality and quality wines.

One cannot forget Township 7 2016 Viognier bursting with flavours of peach and Honeysuckle.  Blackwood Lane Chardonnay 2014 was another fine wine.

From Ontario, we enjoyed Kings Court Pinot Grigio 2015 and Hidden Bench Vineyards Estate Chardonnay 2014. We can not forget Closson Chase 2014 Block Chardonnay, Truis Winery Show Case Riesling and Pillitteri Estate Reserve Vidal Icewine.




The newly opened Seaside Pearl provided some fantastic wines for our summer patio dinners. Their Pinot Gris 2014 is very good. Look for a nice summer red try their Landing Road Red Blend 2014.

An excellent dessert wine was Krause Estate Winery Cassis (Black Currant) Dessert Wine. We can also recommend Chabertons Tribute 2013.

Now we must not forget Wild Goose Vineyards. The 2012 Mystic River Pinot Blanc is amazing! Their entire cellar is amazing

Back in Ontario Vineland Estate Dry Riesling 2015 makes a lovely wine for warm summer evening.

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A Return to Seaside Pearl Farmgate  Winery

Barbara and I were returning home from a day trip through the Fraser Valley, near Abbotsford when on a whim we decided to turn south and visit the good folks at Seaside Pearl Farmgate Winery. Our first visit was back in the spring prior to their opening, we were quite impressed with the winery, as well as owners, Allison and David Zimmerman.

Seaside Pearl is located in the Mt. Lehman area near the Fraser River, known as horse country it is gaining a reputation as the Mt Lehman winery triangle. The neighbouring wineries are Mt Lehman and Single Tree.

One enters the winery through an iron gate then along the driveway next to vineyards and horse pastures, towards the chapel style tasting room. Once again we were warmly greeted by Allison and her lovely smile as we entered the building.

 We had been impressed by the winery back in the spring even though the finishing touches had not yet been completed. This time we were impressed by the quality and beauty of it. Comfortable patio furniture is out, the trees are decorated with tiny lights, pleasant background music is wafting through the air, the ambience is very welcoming.

Allison invited us to a wine tasting, we were more than happy to oblige her. She was knowledgeable and cheerful in her explanation of each wine, and the stories behind the names were a bonus. We tasted wine from each bottle in the photo.

Allison puts together a very nice cheese tray, featuring cheeses from a neighbouring farm to go along with the tastings. While there a young couple on vacation from Manitoba stopped by, they too were impressed with the wines  Barbara and I  highly recommend you visit Seaside Pearl Farmgate Winery

Our first visit to the winery