BC Food and Wine Radio BC Food and Wine Radio

We're in the Okanagan Falls this week, enjoying the view of McIntyre Bluff from Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery. Visit Penticton's Paige Schulz kicks off the show listing some of the great events taking place in the region this season; Benoit Gauthier, Director of Viticulture & Winemaking for Noble Ridge shares a Blanc de Blanc that Anthony calls elegant; Ross Baker, winemaker for La Frenz Winery talks about their story on the Naramata Bench; Chistine Coletta and Ellen Walker-Mathews, Board Members for the BC VQA Wine Info Centre in Penticton, highlighting how features 150 wineries and 900 wines and wine related gifts; John Weber speaks on behalf of the Similkameen Independent Winegrowers and the charms of that valley and its growing accommodation and gourmet food offerings.

This week we're broadcasting from Painted Rock Estate Winery on the Skaha Bench. Listen for simple and honest updates on that bench and the Naramata Bench from our seasoned winegrower guests, and, most importantly, their solutions on how to move forward. We begin with John Skinner, co-owner of Painted Rock, who brings a 2017 Chardonnay and a 2011 Icon, both showing off the ageing potential of the region's wines; Tony Holler, co-owner of Poplar Grove Estate Winery reveals their first vintage of Pinot Noir and brings their latest rosé; Richard Da Silva, co-owner of Da Silva Vineyards and Winery, showcases their new 3-litre boxes of their popular Vinho Tinto and Vinho Branco, and discusses just how much people love the alternative packaging for portability and ease of use.

This week we are broadcasting from under the beautiful Pro Terra et Natura sculpture at Phantom Creek Estates, speaking with General Manager and Winemaker Mark Beringer; in a special appearance, consulting winemaker Olivier Humbrecht talks with Anthony about organic and biodynamic growing, his winemaking techniques and which grapes he and Mark Beringer are betting on for the Okanagan; Chef Alessa Valdez shares her excitement around the new season and her new menu and Tess Patterson, Phantom's Wine Club Manager lists the special access members have to exclusive spaces within the winery and most importantly, their library of wines.

We're broadcasting from the shores of Osoyoos Lake again this week, at the Watermark Beach Hotel; General Manager David McBean shoots the breeze with Anthony on their patio and sets the scene for what guests can expect this summer; Levi Gogolinkski the Director of Marketing for Montelvino, highlights the unique attributes of their Uppercase Winery in Okanagan Falls and the newer High Note Estate Winery on the Naramata Bench; Meyer Family Vineyard winemaker Chris Carson shares two of their popular chardonnays as he and Anthony discuss how the variety is flourishing in BC; Michael Kullman, GM and winemaker for Osoyoos Larose, shares an older vintage from their estate on the westside of valley; and we hear from Greg Borduzak, an Agri-Commercial Banking Advisor for Valley First Credit Union and John Olson, a Senior Director for Farm Credit Canada, on the challenges facing the BC wine industry.

We're on location at the Watermark Beach Resort in sunny Osoyoos this week, so get ready for friendly banter from their lakeside patio. David McBean, GM for the Watermark updates us on the resort and their fine dining restaurant, 15 Park Bistro, as they get ready for the high season; Mark Hopley, winemaker for Hester Creek Estate Winery reveals a new wine and gives us an overview of what's happening on the estate from Terrafina restaurant to their luxury suites and upcoming events; Mike Dowell, Co-owner and winemaker for Liber Estates, drops in from his winery in Osoyoos to talk about his wine, including their popular canned wine and organic cider; Mireille Sauvé GM & Winemaker for Lakeboat Vineyard & Winery joins us from Kaleden, inviting everyone for a big Mother's Day celebration weekend, and we sample some of their wines; Cassandra Hood and Dakota Hood, co-owners of Over the Fence Winery in Osoyoos, and the winery manager and winemaker respectively, offer details of their grand reopening celebration on the May long weekend, and they share a couple of their wines, grown a stone's throw from the US border.

This week, if you are interested in starting a cellar or scaling up, Warren Porter, President of Irongate Auctions, which began as a wine storage company, has some great advice, wherever you're starting from; Chef Steve Rutherford and Mitchell Kerr, the Director of Restaurant & Bars for the Westin Bayshore Vancouver, list the upcoming events and offerings in the Coal Harbour hotel; Giacomo Sisti, Export Area Manager for Umani Rochi, gives us the highlights of the lesser-known wine region Marche on the east coast of Italy and Filippo Bartolotta, Italian wine writer and educator has a conversation with Anthony about the rise of Italian white wines.