Sand bags line Okanagan Lake’s waterfront in PentictonListening to the news on the radio in Vancouver last weekend, reports made it sound like the whole valley was a flood zone and that visitors are going to be swept away in the deluge. This i

The Forgotten Hill Wine Company

Jun 2nd, 2017

There is something immensely satisfying watching friends realize a dream. My friend Maya was instrumental in helping me move from the coast to the Okanagan in 2007. She was a friend of the family and we bonded instantly over wine. We toured win

BC Wine Culture 2017 – THANKS MILLENNIALS!

Apr 28th, 2017

I was pouring wine samples at a liquor store recently and perusing the shelves during the lulls between customers when something occurred to me. Wine and craft beer cultures have both made a serious change to liquor stores in under a decade.Th

Back at it

Mar 17th, 2017

Hi BC wine folks,It has been too long since I’ve posted anything even somewhat resembling a blog post. There are many, many reasons for that but the big one is that I was working on the book about the history of the wine industry is this pr

Food and Wine Pairing in Kelowna

Oct 27th, 2016

Want to have some fun with food and wine? The Kelowna campus of Okanagan College is putting on a food and wine pairing course. It’s a practical way of learning about why certain foods go with certain wines and why other combinations might not w

Garagiste 2016

Sep 20th, 2016

I was able to attend my second Garagiste North Festival last Sunday, September 18th and two years after the festival began, I can safely report that it is still the most casual, accessible, and most really-like-it-is-in-wine-country wine festiv

Why The Wine Islands are worth it

Sep 5th, 2016

The old pathway through the vines at Blue Grouse Vineyards in DuncanMy book research has taken me to some really interesting places in B.C. While the research phase is mostly complete, in some ways I really hope it never ends. I will probably

Visiting New Wineries in BC

Aug 26th, 2016

There have been a few new additions to the winery scene in the south Okanagan and Similkameen valleys recently. As I have been deep into research for my book and WSET diploma, the “blogger” part of my brain that usually jumps out in front whene

The 2016 LG Award Winners

Jun 22nd, 2016

It’s that time of year again when I get distracted by stats relating to the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in BC Wine. You can find my “analysis” of the winners from 2014 and 2015. This year’s winners are a very interesting collecti

Slow going

May 24th, 2016

Hey folks, it’s been a while. And there’s reasons for it. Not that I feel that I have to explain or rationalize anything to anyone – I don’t – but sometimes when I follow a blog or a website and nothing happens for a while without any explainat

Why the Garagistes are so important in BC

Apr 3rd, 2016

When the Garagiste North Small Guys Wine Festival first took place in 2014 at an event hosted by Meyer Family Vineyards in Okanagan Falls, I was thrilled. Super excited. And I didn’t even really know why. I went, I tasted, I interviewed (badly,

Whose history is this anyway?

Mar 28th, 2016

History is a funny enough thing without wine. Then when you add wine, it just gets better but a bit ridiculous. Especially in a relatively new wine region like we have here in BC. Just reading through various sources makes me wonder if what I’m

Cool new wine tech in the Okanagan

Feb 7th, 2016

This just in folks, a very interesting to development in winemaking. It’s been tested on whites and rose so far, but it could be interesting for reds as well. Essentially, it looks like a way to keep a lot of the aromas in fermenting wines from

Where there’s a wine, there’s a way

Jan 11th, 2016

Hey BC wine-lovin’ folks, how’s your year been going so far?You’ve probably been wondering just what they heck is up with Wine Country BC these days? If you haven’t, well, I’m going to tell you anyways.I am busy. Busy like I’ve never been bus

Merry Christmas from Wine Country

Dec 25th, 2015

To all of you who have taken the time to read the blog or listen to the podcasts, Merry Christmas. A Wine Country BC salute to you all! *CLINK*~Luke

VQA Store Model is Changing

Nov 20th, 2015

On Tuesday, November 17th, the BC Wine Institute (BCWI) issued a press release that took many in the wine industry by surprise. But it really shouldn’t have been a surprise. The real surprise might be coming later.The new rules on alcohol in

Progress

Nov 5th, 2015

Ok folks, this big news in wine country this morning. The BC Wine Appellation Taskgroup has released their final report. This is the media release that just showed up in my inbox. I will be commenting on this further because, well, there is a l

Memorial for Aaron

Oct 27th, 2015

A short gathering and memorial will be held this coming Friday, October 30th from 1-3pm at Poplar Grove Estate Winery in Penticton, BC. Shuttle service will be available from the parking lot of the BC Wine Information Centre. There is not a lo

In Memory of Aaron

Oct 26th, 2015

It is with a sad heart that I write this. The wine world is generally a very positive one filled with happy experiences around a shared bottle of wine or two. The loss of one of those friends makes it all the more difficult.The world lost Aar

This year’s BC book harvest

Oct 20th, 2015

I originally started this post back in early August because it was the first time that I could actually sit down and do some proper writing here. Jobs and other large projects had occupied my time up until that point. And then the fires starte

2015 Wildfires in Oliver – A Recap

Sep 16th, 2015

I usually don’t get to post that much over the summer since traditionally it is a busy time of year here in wine country. The high season was generally pretty good and wineries that I got to talk to as the summer progressed were pretty optimist

Oliver Fires 2015

Aug 17th, 2015

Every place has its ‘thing’, a natural danger to inhabitants that occasionally make life a little more uncertain. Visiting grandparents and uncles in Florida, I was surprised to find a channel on the television that was dedicated entirely to h

Regional Marketing in BC

Aug 7th, 2015

Regional associations of wineries (sometimes blandly referred to as “generic marketing bodies” in the wine industry) are not a new phenomena in B.C. They lurk in the background of tastings and marketing campaigns in the Okanagan, Vancouver, and

Wine Shops: Why do some wineries get it so wrong?

Jul 22nd, 2015

Wine shops are weird places. There aren’t a lot of other businesses where you can go, consume some of the product for free (or nearly free), and buy (or not buy) some of said product. Test driving cars or trying on clothes are both perhaps the

You’ve gotta visit: Mocojo

Jul 14th, 2015

Located just east (uphill) off Naramata Road, Mocojo is easy to find. Just look up the hill after entering the Naramata boundary and follow the signs. The actual address for you GPS people is 1202 Gawne Road but I think it’s much safer to keep