Audio

September 10th, 2022 – 812 Wines.  20 Platinum. Here’s 5 of the very best 2021 BC Lt. Governors Winners.

September 9, 2022 Tasting Room Radio 00:59:06

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812 Wines.  20 Platinum. We present  5 of the very best 2021 BC Lt. Gov Winners.

THE SHOW

 The press release said..

“A panel of judges from Canada and the US tasted more than 800 wines, and awarded gold, silver, and platinum medals to 90 British Columbian wineries”

I know most of these judges. They cannot be fooled or influenced. They take great pride in getting the winners right. 12 of the 14 judges have been guests on Tasting Room Radio. I pay attention to what they have to say.

On and off the air.

Congratulations to all the wineries and to Tim Pawsey – Winner of the Harry McWatters Award.

There simply wasn’t time to talk to all 20 Platinum winners but we were able to stalk and corner…

 

 

Wine of the Year winner David Patterson – GM & Winemaker of Tantalus 2018 Old Vines Riesling (East Kelowna)

David Patterson

 

Grant Stanley – Winemaker at Spearhead Winery. . (East Kelowna) 3 Platinum Pinot Noirs

Grant Stanley

 

Lorin Inglis – GM at ENRICO Winery (Cowichan Valley) 2020 Shining Armour Pinot Gris

TDM and Lorin Ingles

 

Jeff Hundertmark – Head Winemaker Mt Boucherie  (West Kelowna) 2020 Original Vine Semillon/2018 Reserve Syrah

Jeff Hundertmark

 

Gaurev Maan – Maan Farms Estate Winery – 2020 Raspberry Table Wine (Frazer Valley)

The Mann Family

 

Elan Morris – GM OK Wine Festivals. (Kelowna)

Here is the complete 2021 Platinum List – Congratulations All.

  • Arrowleaf Cellars – 2019 Riesling
  • Burrowing Owl Estate Winery – 2019 Syrah
  • CedarCreek Estate Winery – 2020 Platinum Home Block Rosé
  • Chain Reaction Winery – 2019 Tailwind Pinot Gris
  • ENRICO WINERY – 2020 Shining Armour Pinot Gris
  • Inniskillin Okanagan Estate Winery – 2018 Estate Riesling Icewine
  • Kismet Estate Winery – 2018 Cabernet Franc Reserve
  • Liquidity Wines – 2020 Rosé
  • Maan Farms Estate Winery – 2020 Raspberry Table Wine
  • Mission Hill Family Estate – 2019 Terroir Collection Vista’s Edge Cabernet Franc
  • Mission Hill Family Estate – 2019 Perpetua
  • Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery – 2020 Original Vines Sémillon
  • Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery – 2018 Reserve Syrah
  • Silhouette Estate Winery – N/V Boyd Classic Cuveé
  • Silkscarf Winery – 2017 Syrah-Viognier
  • SpearHead Winery – 2019 Pinot Noir Saddle Block
  • SpearHead Winery – 2019 Pinot Noir Cuveé
  • SpearHead Winery – 2019 Pinot Noir Golden Retreat
  • Tantalus Vineyards – 2018 Chardonnay
  • Three Sisters Winery – 2019 Rebecca

The full list of medal winners can be found on the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society website.

Tantalus.ca

Enricowinery.com

Spearhead.ca

mtboucherie.com

maanfarms.com

thewinefestivals.com

 

 

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON:

Hester Creek

Bartier Brothers

Victoria Wine festival

Clos de Soleil Vertical Pour

Township 7

Orofino

 

 

 

 

 

EP 221 | The Kids In the Hall

September 3, 2022 Mulligan Stew Podcast

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Dear Podcast Peeps

We’ve been trying to come up with an excuse for re-running the Kids in the Hall Podcast..

Why would we want to be listening – Again – to the dialogue between myself, Bruce McCulloch, and Scott Thompson.

Maybe if it were Mark McKinney, Kevin McDonald, or the wonderous Dave Foley it would be sexy fresh,  alive and legal.

Keep in mind that somebody from KITH had to work the “secondary markets” and  Scottie and Bruce drew the short straws.

Please enjoy this encore performance on Mulligan Stew Podcast and don’t let it spoil your weekend.

Thanks, tdm

 

September 3rd,2022-The Return of Top Drop / 2022

September 3, 2022 Audio FIle, Tasting Room Radio 00:52:47

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Proudly Sponsored by Harbour Air

The Return of Top Drop / 2022

“The one wine tasting  of the year you shouldn’t miss”

 

THE SHOW

 Like all other events in our day-to-day lives, there was no Top Drop during the pandemic.

However, Top Drop wine fans are a very loyal bunch and I never thought for a minute that there might never be another Top Drop.

Why the loyalty?

“The one wine tasting  of the year you shouldn’t miss”

Western Living Magazine

  

Kurtis Kolt and his partners have dedicated themselves to finding and inviting wineries that display a sense of place and craft.

Kurtis Kolt

A great many are organic and all farm sustainably. Some are large but many are small and finding them is like finding a prize.

The participants are so thoroughly vetted, that it makes the invited list feel like an all-star game.

The two-day event took place May 10 & 11 in the very comfortable surroundings at The Roundhouse in Yaletown. 40 local and  international wineries pouring!

As usual, I couldn’t get to everyone in the room. But I did stalk and talk to :

Bella Wines – Jay Drysdale (Naramata Bench) A stellar sparkling wine house focused on single-vineyard expressions. Especially Gamay.

Creek & Gully Cider – Annelise Simonsen and Alyssa Hubert (Naramata Bench) A family farm, 65 acres of Organic Apples. They seek and fully welcome apples deemed “undesirable”

Ciders are proudly unfined, unfiltered, and ambiently fermented in the bottle and can. We also talk about saving Okanagan orchards.

Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards – Gordon Fitzpatrick. (Summerland) Focused on traditional method sparkling wine. From 40 acres of vines separated into 12 smaller blocks.

 

Hedges Family Estate –  Christophe Hedges (Red Mountain. Washington)  Farmers first, winemakers second, the Hedges Family were pioneers of the modern Washington Wine Industry. Christophe leads the next generation.

Lightning Rock Winery – Jordan Kubek Winemaker (Summerland) Creating electric, joyous and juicy wines. Jordan and Tyler desire to express each vineyard in the glass.

Martin’s Lane Winery – Shane Munn Winemaker (East Kelowna) Pinot and Riesling only. Vineyards are farmed and certified organic. Gravity-fed winery. Outstanding wines and winery.

Okanagan Crush Pad – Darryl Brooker New CEO and Matt Dumayne.  Winemaker. (Summerland) What a success story is Okanagan Crush Pad. Creating their own wines Haywire, Narrative, and Free Form. Concrete tanks, native yeasts, and no messing with the wines. New plantings deserve your attention.

Orofino – John and Virginia Weber. Winemaker & Co-owners (Similkameen Valley) Minimal intervention in the solar-powered, strawbale winery. Premium wines that John described as “gulpable”. From beautiful Rieslings to knockout Syrah plus  outstanding vineyards in a spectacular valley. It all adds up to Orofino!

Terravista Vineyards – Nadine Allander Winemaker (Naramata Bench) Producers of small-lot specialty white wines including Spanish varietals: Albarino and Verdejo plus French beauties Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier.  A tribute to the vineyards and those who planted them.

Ursa Major Winery – Rajen Toor Owner/Principal. (South Okanagan. Black Sage Bench) Organically farmed vineyards on prime land. Working with many varietals but especially Bordeaux grapes to see if they can showcase a different side of the grape.  Much buzz about this winery.

Owen Knowlton – Stable House Award-winning  Award winning Wine Sommelier and Director.

Pouring Wines of Bordeaux

 

Kurtis Kolt – Co-Founder of Top Drop Vancouver and Wine Educator

 

www.bellawines.ca

www.creekandgully.com

www.fitzwine.com

www.hedgesfamilyestate.com

www.lightningrockwinery.com

www.martinslanewinery.com

www.okanagancrushpad.com

www.orofinovineyards.com

www.terravistavineyards.com

www.ursamajorwinery.com

www.bordeaux.com

www.tanninmanagement.ca

www.kurtiskolt.com

www.topdrop.ca

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON

  • Hester Creek Bubble
  • Bartier releases
  • Victoria Wine Festival
  • Fall Reds
  • Regenerative Farming
  • Benjamin Bridge – Nova Scotia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EP 220 | A conversation with Mariel Buckley

August 27, 2022 Mulligan Stew Podcast

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Two Words

Mariel Buckley

We have all watched Mariel find her voice  – on stage and in the studio.

She’s played backyards, living rooms, and stages just large enough for one.

So you just have to be happy for her success.

#1 on the CKUA Top 30. Opening for The Bros. Landreth.

This Summer all over America and starting in September,  London, the UK, and then Europe.

Mariel closes The Stew this Saturday… The interview is a Hoot. But we do talk about standing your ground and not taking any grief from the music business. She certainly appreciates the support that we’ve given her on air and off.

What goes around comes around..#1 on the chart. #1 in our hearts.

Complete interview on Mulligan Stew Podcast and video version on the Terry David Mulligan YouTube Channel

August 27th, 2022 Making Award Winning Wines at “The Fort”

August 26, 2022 Tasting Room Radio 00:45:34

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Making Award Winning Wines at “The Fort”

THE SHOW

 

 

 

Just how well is Fort Berens Winery doing this year?

#3 – Top 10 Small Wineries in Canada

#6 – Top 10 BC Wineries

#8 – Top 25 Wineries in Canada

1 Platinum Medal and 94 Points for their 2020 Pinot Noir

3 Gold Medals and 92 Points for the 2019 Merlot Reserve  and small lots  2021 Gruner Veltliner

2 Silver Medals and 90 points for the 2019 Cab Franc Reserve and 2021 Pinot Gris.

 

Lillooet is a new and emerging wine region in BC’s growing wine industry. Fort Berens is the first winery in Lillooet and features close to 40 planted acres of vineyards.

I guess you can tell that we’ve been keeping an eye on the winery and region as Co-founder Rolf de Bruin joins us for his 6th visit.

Rolf-de-Bruin-Fort-Berens-Lillooetnews

As soon as The Nationals were announced Rolf was ready to talk about the 2021 Spring and Summer releases. These were the Heat Dome Summer wines, with the highest temperature ever recorded in June. Followed by wildfires in the area.

 

Rolf also told us the tale of how winemaker Alessandro  (Alex) Nel made his way from making wines in  South Africa to Fort Berens in Lillooet.

Alex Nel

 

Here are the wines we taste and talk about:

2021 Riesling $21.99

2021 Pinot Gris $21.99

2021 Chardonnay $22.99

2021 Rose $21.99

2021 Small Lot Dry Riesling $24.99 (new)

2021 Small Lot Gruner Veltliner $24.99 (new)

The ultimate goal of Rolf and his team is to be 100% Lillooet VQA.  The 100% Lillooet wines above are Chardonnay, Rose, Small Lot Dry Riesling, and Small Lot Gruner.

They are open daily for tastings and the Kitchen at Fort Berens is also open daily.  Check out their Wine Club and Newsletter

 

www.fortberens.ca

 

2021 Vintage Previews from:

Dwight Sick – Winemaker and GM at Seven Stones Winery in the Similkameen Valley

www.sevenstones.ca

Galen Barnhart – Monte Creek  Winery  in Kamloops /Thompson

www.montecreekranch.com

 

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON:

 

Bartier Brothers

Hester Creek

Benjamin Bridge – Nova Scotia

Victoria Wine Festival

Township 7

 

 

EP 219 | Reconnecting with First Nations Leader Chief Clarence Louie, Osoyoos Band. “Call Me an Indian “cause that’s what I am” His Book “Rez Rules’

August 20, 2022 Mulligan Stew Podcast

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Here’s what you might know about Chief Clarence…

CLARENCE LOUIE has been chief of the Osoyoos Indian Band, in the south Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, for almost 40 years. In 2013, Maclean’s named him one of the “Top 50 Canadians to Watch.” In 2003, Louie was chosen by the U.S. Department of State as one of six First Nations leaders to review economic development in American Indian communities… He is a member of the Order of British Columbia, the Order of Canada, and in 2019, he was the 1st  First Nations person ever inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame.

And some info you may not know.

When you talk to  Chief Clarence, ask your question, and then Get Out of The Way.

He’s talking about Respect. Truth. Reconciliation. Healing. Wellness. Land. Justice. Economic Freedom.

He believes in Native names for Sports Teams. He believes in renaming mountains, parks, rivers and cities/towns after the original nations who called it home for 10,000 years.

“tribes have been hanging around the Funding Trough for far too long.  I was taught by the old-timers that there is no such thing as a free lunch – Indians gotta stop looking for that free lunch. I’ve learned we have to move from spending Grant money to making our own money.”

The Osoyoos Indian Band leases include Arterra (Jackson Triggs), Spirit Ridge Resort, Sonora Dunes Golf course, District Wine Village, a provincial prison, 1,100 acres of prime vineyards, etc.

OIB businesses include a 300-acre vineyard, Nk’mip Cellars, a culture center, campground RV park, daycare, gas stations, cannabis stores, etc.


“A raw and honest perspective on First Nations leadership.”
—Manley A. Begay, Jr., former co-director, The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.

“A common-sense blueprint for what the future of First Nations should look like as told through the fascinating life and legacy of a remarkable leader”  Google Books

August 20th, 2022 A Haltwhistle Cheese & Wine pairing with Unsworth Wines – A  Feature Special  

August 19, 2022 Audio FIle, Tasting Room Radio 00:54:00

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A Haltwhistle Cheese & Wine pairing with  Unsworth Wines :   a feature special

 

THE SHOW

 This weeks guests:

Kirsten Thorarinson and Cory Spencer – co-founders of Haltwhistle Cheese

Kirsten Thorarinson and Cory Spencer

Karen Newington – Tasting Room Manager Unsworth Vineyards

 As the Sales & Operations Manager, Kirsten makes sure that the farm runs efficiently. She frequently delivers cheese to mongers and chefs and is often manning their stand at Vancouver Island farmers’ markets.

 

Cory is the cheesemaker. He oversees he entire process from caring for the animals to aging the cheese. He also looks after their herd.

“Treat yourself to a taste of Europe in your own backyard. Here at their  family farm in the Cowichan Valley, they make all their  raw-milk cheeses by hand–using the same Old-World methods as European farmstead cheese makers. Their artisanal cheese pair well with wine, honey and good company.”

 I know almost nothing about cheese. Apparently I’m not the only one

Here are three questions Kirsten and Cory have been asked at Saturday markets.

“is your Gouda processed cheese?”

“what are your cheese curds made from?”

“do you milk your goats?”

The whole idea of putting Haltwhistle and Unsworth together was to answer the questions about pairing.

What do you pair with Feta?

It helps that Karen Newington is not only the Tasting Room Manager at Unsworth, she also worked at Haltwhistle for 4 years.

Karen Newington. Unsworth

Here  are the cheeses:

 Fromage Frais – Fromage Frais is a rich and spreadable cheese made from pasteurized cow’s milk. It has a somewhat tangy flavour and distinct buttery notes, thanks to its high butterfat content. This decadent cheese pairs well with bread or crackers.

fromage frais

Tadwick – This traditional English-style cheddar is one of our best-selling cow’s milk cheeses. Made from unpasteurized milk, Tadwick is mild yet flavourful when young (3-7 months). The longer it matures (8-12 months), the more it develops its signature sharp flavour and pleasant tang.

 

Thombury – This rustic farmer’s cheese is made from unpasteurized cow’s milk. It has an earthy and milky flavour and is based on the Tomme-style cheeses made in the French Alps. To develop its natural rind, Thombury is carefully tended to for 3 to 6 months.

 

Tomme de Vallée – Our signature cheese and one of our best-sellers. This natural-rind cheese is inspired by the traditional Tomme-style cheeses from the French Alps. It is made from unpasteurized goat’s milk and gently aged for 3 to 6 months, giving this rustic farmer’s cheese an earthy and rich flavour.

 

Feta – This traditional Greek cheese has a firm and crumbly texture. It is made from unpasteurized goat’s milk and aged in brine (a salty solution) for 2 to 3 months, which lends the cheese a slightly salty and tangy flavour.

Feta cheese

The Unsworth wines being paired and poured are:

2021 Rosé with Fromage Frais $26.90

2021 Rosé

2020 Gamay Pinot Noir with Tadwick $26.90

2020 Chardonnay with Thombury $30.90

2020 Pinot Noir with Tomme de Vallée $38.90

2020 Saison Vineyard Pinot Gris with Feta $25.99

 

Do your own taste test. It’s a ton of fun!

www.haltwhistlecheese.com

www.unsworthvineyards.com

 

 

 

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON

 

Bartier Brothers

Township 7

Hester Creek

Victoria Wine Festival

 

EP 218 | Tom Wilson and Colin Linden-Blackie And The Rodeo Kings

August 13, 2022 Mulligan Stew Podcast

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Blackie and the Rodeo Kings.

The name alone gets your attention. I mean, they all wear black suits. So, you may ask, which one is Blackie.

They are all Blackie.

Stephen Fearing, has a fine solo career with a seriously growing fan base, outstanding critical reviews and he’s a Blackie.

Tom Wilson is a multi-talented singer, songwriter, artist, and author. A bear of a human, a Mohawk soul, and a good man.

Colin Linden is a music lifer. He’s doing what his head and heart told him to do. Starting when he was perhaps 8.

Colin left Canada fully formed and famous,  for Nashville and set up his studio. He’s been making music ever since. Solo career, writing, creating, and producing Blackie music.  Produced Keb’ Mo’s Grammy album. Produced the last 8 Bruce Cockburn Albums.

Toured as part of Bob Dylan’s band.

So Blackie is Stephen, Tom and Colin. Together, in spirit, in spirituality, and bound by 12 notes and the truth.

New album is O Glory: Lost those blues again

(Stephen spent a great deal of time teaching in the Maritimes this Summer. Was not available for our Zoom interview)

The zoom video can be seen and heard on our terrydavidmulligan YouTube Channel

www.blackieandtherodeokings.com

colinlinden.com

stephenfearing.com

tomwilsononline.com

August 13th, 2022- Cowichan Wine Month Kick Off…

August 13, 2022 Tasting Room Radio 00:47:26

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The Summer of 2022 has been one big wine festival in the Cowichan Valley.

June was wine passport month.

Now comes the August 4th  Wine Festival Launch Party. BECAUSE  August is Wine Month in the Cowichan Valley!!

The kick-off took place on the superb beachfront lawn at Brentwood College, Mill Bay.

With the help and support of Corey Wood and Jill Nessel, I was able to taste with  and talk to:

Dan Wright – Unsworth Vineyards  https://www.unsworthvineyards.com/

 

(Dan Wright- Unsworth)

 

Lorin Inglis – Enrico Winery  https://www.enricowinery.com/

Lorne Inglis

(Lorin Inglis – Enrico)

Bailey Williamson – Blue Grouse Winery  https://bluegrouse.ca/

Bailey Richardson

(Bailey Williamson – Blue Grouse)

Xavier Bonilla – Cherry Point Estate https://www.cherrypointestatewines.com/

(Xavier Bonilla – Cherry Point)

Garrett Deol – Deol Winery  https://www.deolestatewinery.com/

Zac Brown – Alderlea Vineyards https://www.alderlea.ca/

Mike Nierychlo – Emandare Vineyard https://www.emandarevineyard.com/

Christiaan DeBeer – Zanatta Winery https://zanatta.ca/

CowichanWineries.com

Tourismcowichan.com

photos by: Corey Wood &  Stephanie Cragg

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON:

 Township 7

Haltwhistle Cheese and Unsworth – a pairing

Fort Berens

Bartier Brothers

 

 

EP 217 | Tami Neilson. New ‘Album KingMaker’

August 6, 2022 Mulligan Stew Podcast

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“Could the King of Country Music be the daughter, not the son”

The 5th Tami Neilson Album is called Kingmaker.

The song Kingmaker “addresses the gatekeepers and kingmakers who hold tightly to the keys of equity and minorities in the music industry and, more largely, society as a whole.”

It’s an amazing breakthrough album for this Canadian/New Zealand singer and songwriter.

The song Beyond the Stars is about loss and grief.  Tami lost her Father.  As Tami wrote the song, she kept hearing a duet with her father’s voice. She thought the best voice on the planet should sing her Father Ron’s lyric – Willie Nelson.  Willie was fully in,  as he had just lost his sister.

Tami moves through, blues, country, rock, and roots, with an ease that comes from years of street busking.

As we talked via Zoom I was thrilled to tell her that she had the number 1 album on the CKUA Top 30.