It was about a dozen years ago when I bumped into Val Tait at a wine event in Vancouver and I was instantly captivated by both her wines and exuberant personality. We chatted. I tasted those wines and in a frantic very few minutes I immediately recognized this was a person I wanted to have in my life and wine circle.

And what a fortuitous meeting that was! In the years intervening, we've shared many more enjoyable + enriching moments together and it was Val who gave me my own first real "boots in the dirt" experience when she had me work directly alongside for her 2017 whites harvest in Naramata for a month. Deep learnings and experiences followed and I am hugely grateful to Val for connecting my academic pursuits of the grape to hands-on work in the vineyards, on the crushpad, in the lab, cellar + barrel room crafting those wines.

Today Val is GM and Winemaker at Gold Hill Winery in Oliver BC presiding over a well-curated albeit smaller portfolio of excellent wines. Working for years with the Gill family faithfully supplying quality fruit, Val relocated herself closer to the vineyards and after nearly 3 decades of work, harvests, highs & lows, she's still as enthusiastic as ever about Gold Hill and her most recent plans as she brings in one of the best harvests in many years!

The Swirl Around BC Wine Expo is a pivotal event on the wine calendar for winemakers across BC to come together and share their latest vintages with industry professionals held at the historic Vancouver Convention Center in the heart of the city.

Hear Val's firsthand accounting of this years' harvest tales, the trials + tribulations of day-to-day winery operations PLUS..

Along with wines are the waves she loves to surf. Once all is brought in to the crushpad and processed, she heads straight to Panama in Central America with winemaker partner Ian after another harvest season comes to a close and everything is perfectly set in the Gold Hill Winery cellar for another year.

www.goldhillwinery.com

https://www.winebc.com | Swirl Around BC Wine Expo

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With Gratitude,

Wine Guy Ty.

P.S. The best wines are those shared with friends.
Let's share my next DROP together!

Follow WineGuyTy's adventures! Head on over to IG: @WineGuyTy

Richard da Silva is a terroir-driven Vigneron-Winemaker who clearly does things his way. Sometimes controversial, occasionally unconventional, but always with care and a deep understanding of his many vineyards and terroirs scattered throughout a few established GI's that he commandeers with his wife Twylla and winery team.

His family roots go way back to the mid '50's when they emigrated from Portugal and settled in the South Okanagan to become fruit growers & purveyors. With his family's traditions in place and a foundation in those exigencies, he eventually made his way to wine and is now one of the most respected GRAPE growers--vignerons--in both Naramata and the entire Okanagan valley.

Part of his world encompasses a great Mexican + Portuguese influenced tapas style on-site kitchen-restaurant "The Kitchen" with longtime friend and chef Abul Adame and theirs is the longest partnership of its kind in BC spanning well north of a decade.

We broached many subjects from skiing to favorite restaurant dishes and of course wines including a tasting of his proprietary field blends on a great sunny Okanagan afternoon just prior to harvest 2025.

Enjoy the conversation but more, seek out da Silva wines on restaurant lists and in wine boutiques around the province. Or consider joining the wine club! You're always in for a treat and you'll be rewarded with some of the most expressive and rare wines locally made + available throughout BC.

www.dasilvavineyards.com

375 Upper Bench Road North

Penticton, BC V2A 8T2

IG: @dasilvawines

Remember to HEART, subscribe, SHARE the link & share the LOVE.
With Gratitude,

Wine Guy Ty.

P.S. The best wines are those shared with friends.
Let's share my next DROP together!

Follow WineGuyTy's adventures! Head on over to IG: @WineGuyTy

I sat down with Filipe Ferreira who is the owner + winemaker at Quinta da Foz in Douro, Portugal in town for the exclusive annual Top Drop event. Because of very tight scheduling we had limited time together but boy, we sure covered a lot of ground!

Originally from the Dão region, he saw huge potential in this winery founded by the Calem family over 150 years ago and took over the reins in 2014. With a total of 20 acres plus vines over 80 years old, along with 30+ indigenous varietals planted, he has worked the vineyards for over a decade and developed a wine program which underscores the regions' status as a top UNESCO World Heritage designated site and area for viticulture the world over.

Are you curious about Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz grapes? Foot-stomping in massive granite lagares or what makes the Iberian Peninsula so ideally suited to this ancient tradition of winemaking for over 2000 years? Have a listen and gain insight from this passionate Portuguese winemaker.

LINKS:

Winery:

BC Agency:

Top Drop Festival:

Remember to HEART, subscribe, SHARE the link & share the LOVE.
With Gratitude,

Wine Guy Ty.

P.S. The best wines are those shared with friends.
Let's share my next DROP together!

Follow WineGuyTy's adventures! Head on over to IG: @WineGuyTy