BC Food & Wine Radio

On this week's show, we catch up with Mike Dowell, Vintner/Owner, Liber Estates who joins us with a recovery report on all three of the Liber vineyards in Similkameen, Osoyoos-US Border, and on Highway 97. Then to Verona where we speak with Alessandro Pasqua, Family Member, President, Pasqua, USA, as Pasqua marks its 100th year making wine in the Veneto region of Northern Italy. Bernard Retornaz, Executive Advisor, Louis Latour off...

This week  we travel to southwest France to interview Marie Pinceloup, Export Manager for the renowned Alain Brumont. She discusses Madiran's tradition of excellence and Alain Brumont's enduring legacy as the visionary responsible for elevating Madiran to international prominence, transforming Château Montus into a benchmark for Tannat-based wines. Charlotte Rawa, Senior Brand Ambassador for Penfolds Wines in the America...

On this week's show, we are on-location at Unsworth Vineyards in the Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island.  Joining us is Nick Bevan, President of Jackson Wine Estates International.  We talk about the new winery & tasting room: how that raises the profile of Cowichan and the belief and investment of a prominent wine family into helping to build a world class wine region. As well we catch up with  Dan Wright, Winema...

On this week's show, we catch up with Olivier Humbrecht, Master of Wine, Consulting Winemaker, Phantom Creek Estates, to discuss the white wine program and his views on the Similkameen Valley. Then we speak with Alessandro Lunardi, Director of North America for the famed Montalcino producer Tenuta Luce. Lunardi discusses the Montalcino terroir, as well as Merlot and Sangiovese, and the 30th anniversary of Luce 2022, the winery's fl...

This week, we are on location at the new Evolve Sparkling House on the Naramata Bench in Penticton and are joined by owners Ron and Shelley Mayert. It is a family-owned winery in the heart of British Columbia’s beautiful Okanagan Valley at the entrance to Naramata Bench. Specializing in sparkling wines, the winery is focused on traditional method expressions, along with a couple of wines crafted using the Charmat method - eac...

This week's podcast features Raymond Ringeval, Global Commercial Director at Champagne Palmer, who will discuss how Palmer & Co distinguishes itself through the grand terroirs of the Montagne de Reims, where all its vineyards are classified as Premier or Grand Cru. We will also be joined by Sandy Leier, winemaker at Laughing Stock Vineyards on the Naramata Bench, to address her recent achievement as Canada's Best Performing Sma...

On this week's show, we are on location at Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery, tucked into the slopes above Okanagan Lake, offering an upscale yet welcoming wine-tasting experience in West Kelowna. Our guests include Jesse Harnden, GM at Mt. Boucherie, as well as winemaker Jeff Hundertmark, who discusses the wine program and the overall experience you get as a visitor. Also joining us will be Joe Luckhurst, owner and distiller of Luckhurs...

We are on location at O’Rourke Family Estate in Lake Country. Situated in the scenic Carr's Landing area of Lake Country, it is built into the landscape with stunning views of the surrounding vineyards and mountains. The estate features a contemporary design by renowned architect John Taft of Backen & Backen, incorporating natural elements and panoramic vistas. Our guests include Ian Scromeda, General Manager of O’R...

On this week's show, we catch up with Taylor Whelan, Senior Winemaker at Mission Hill Family Estate, the 2025 Wine Align National Wine Awards Winery of the Year. The Okanagan hilltop winery, with its stunning vistas, has returned to the top once again. We talk with Taylor about how, at Mission Hill, it all comes down to caring about every part of growing and making wine. Joining us in the studio is Dave Edmonds, Chief Winemaker at ...

This Labour Day weekend is the last long holiday weekend of the summer and features four winemakers preparing for the upcoming harvest. Leandro Nosal, Winemaker at Tinhorn Creek, is from a four-generation winemaking family in Mendoza. He has a degree in Agricultural Engineering and experience working in several wine regions worldwide, such as Bordeaux (France), Catalunya (Spain), Piedmont (Italy), California, Mexico’s Valle d...

In this week's show, we explore a summer-themed approach to "Open that Bottle" night. Geoffrey Moss, Master of Wine, encourages us to enjoy that special bottle without waiting for an elusive "someday," as we examine the evolution of wines with age, factors influencing the optimal time for opening a bottle, and the impact of individual preference on wine aging decisions. Robert Stelmachuk, Wine Director at @mott32van, discusses the ...

This week’s show features an exploration of three distinct wine regions: Sicily, Summerland (British Columbia), and Napa Valley. The journey begins on the historic island of Sicily, Italy, where we speak with Frank Cornelissen, Estate Owner of Frank Cornelissen Wines. Our discussion centres on his estate, established in 2001, at a time when Etna was an emerging wine region. The vineyards, situated in the northern valley of th...

This week's show features an insightful discussion with Erni Loosen, owner of Dr. Loosen, a premier winery in Germany's Mosel Valley. Loosen is a prominent figure in the international wine community and a distinguished representative of the Mosel wine region, as well as for Mosel Riesling and German Riesling in general. Erni shared his extensive expertise and enthusiasm for Riesling, a passion the Loosen family has cultivated and g...

This week's show features an exceptional line-up of guests. Evan Goldstein, one of the original Master Sommeliers based in San Francisco and a recent judge at the National Wine Awards, joins us to discuss both wine and baseball, sharing his experiences serving thousands of glasses of wine at San Francisco Giants games. Sara d'Amato, a contributor to WineAlign, will explore rosé wines from Avignon, France, and present an inno...

This week, we explore the history and the story behind the WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada as well as the first results released today of the 25th edition with Judge Geoffrey Moss, Master of Wine and owner of Penticton-based Lithica Wine Marketing and David Lawrason, co-founder/co chair of the WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada and Wine Director of WineAlign. We’ll also head to New Zealand’s South island&...

This week, we are joined by Rod Hallam, Market Manager for Canada at Villa Maria Estate in New Zealand. We learn that Villa Maria sources grapes from multiple wine regions across New Zealand, with their primary focus on the renowned Marlborough region. Then we travelled to the Black Sage Bench in South Oliver, BC, for a chat with Kaylee Barss, winemaker at Red Barn Winery at Jagged Rock. We discussed Kaylee’s passion for reim...

This week, we are pleased to welcome you to CheckMate Artisanal Winery, located on the Golden Mile Bench just south of Oliver, BC. Our guests include Greg Rowdon, Vice President of Winemaking at Iconic Wineries of British Columbia. Rowdon, who also serves as the CheckMate winemaker, discusses the 2022 Queen Taken Chardonnay and the 2020 Silent Bishop Merlot. He also speaks of the block-by-block approach that distinguishes this wine...

We are at Stag's Hollow Winery this week, celebrating 30 years of winemaking in Okanagan Falls, BC. Keira LeFranc, Winemaker & Director of Operations, talks about the winery's location, history, and wine portfolio and why you should discover the OK Falls G.I. Rob Hammersley, Winemaker Viticulturist from Black Market Wine Company, shares updates on his 2024 Collusion Series Rosé project, a Cinsault varietal wine sourced f...

This week, we are pleased to broadcast from Poplar Grove Winery on Penticton's Naramata bench. We are joined by Tony Holler, Co-Owner of Poplar Grove Winery, and Chris Holler, General Manager, who will provide an update on the favourable conditions of the vineyards and extend a warm invitation to visit their deck for wine tastings and dining at the Poplar Grove restaurant. Richard Da Silva, Vigneron & Proprietor of Da Silva Vin...