This week, BC Food & Wine Radio takes you to the heart of the Naramata Bench for

a special on-location broadcast from Foxtrot Winery, one of British Columbia's

most exciting wine destinations. We begin with Mike Boyd, owner of Foxtrot

Winery, who shares his vision for the future of this iconic estate and what it

means to become the next steward of a property built on excellence,

sustainability, and a passion for crafting wines that will endure for

generations. Joining us is Jacq Kemp, viticulturalist and winemaker at Foxtrot,

who discusses the winery's growing sparkling wine program as we taste here 60

months on the lees Foxtrot Blanc de Noirs, the fresh Chablis-style 2026

Luminous Unoaked Chardonnay, and the 2025 Foxtrot Pinot Noir. From nearby Skaha Lake, Lauren Skinner, Managing Director of Painted Rock Estate Winery, joins us with two benchmark wines that continue to define the South Okanagan: the

beautifully aged 2019 Painted Rock Chardonnay and the powerful, cellar-worthy

2022 Red Icon. Next, we travel to Oliver to meet Christian Scagnetti, winemaker

at Moon Curser Vineyards, whose adventurous approach to winemaking shines

through in two captivating reds: the bold 2022 Touriga Nacional and one of his

favourite labels, the 2022 Malbec. To wrap up the show, Nicole Hackworth, board

member of Discover Naramata and co-owner of Nichol Vineyard, shares her

insider's guide to experiencing the Naramata Bench during one of its most

beautiful seasons. From tasting-room visits and vineyard walks to harvest

excitement, local dining, and unforgettable lake views, she highlights why

early fall is the perfect time to visit wine country. Join us to celebrate

passionate people and the spectacular places that make the Naramata Bench one

of Canada's premier wine destinations.

On this week's show, we are on location in British Columbia's Lake Country, at O'Rourke Family Estate. We have the pleasure of welcoming Dennis O'Rourke, Owner of O'Rourke Family Estate and Peak Cellars, to share how his unique vision for a winery, accommodation, and culinary experience has come to life at O'Rourke Family Estate. Also joining us are Ian Scromeda, General Manager, OFE and Peak Cellars, Quinton Bennett, Culinary Director O’Rourke Family Estate and Peak Cellars and Carlos Melayes, Manager, Event Operations-Accommodations. We talk about the award-winning wines and the attention to a full customer tasting experience at the winery. Stephanie Stanley, Winemaker, OFE and Peak Cellars, and Amy Paynter, Associate Winemaker. O'Rourke Family Estate joins the conversation as we talk about several O'Rourke Family Estate wines, along with the dining experience and then head to O'Rourke Peak Cellars in Lake Country for a full tour of their wines and dining experience at the Garden Bistro. We close the show with Ian and Carlos, who describe the upscale accommodation experience and the new O'Rourke project on the Skaha bench.

On this week's show, we are pleased to welcome Peter Kelly, Chief Winemaker at Thorn-Clarke Wines and the 2025 Barossa Winemaker of the Year.

Peter has spent nearly two decades helping shape the modern Barossa wine story. We'll taste two standout wines: the Milton Park Cabernet Sauvignon and the Thorn-Clarke Shotfire Shiraz, and discuss what continues to make Barossa one of Australia's great wine regions. Ben Tombs, Head Winemaker at Craggy Range, joins us from Hawke's Bay. Ben’s wine journey has seen him complete numerous vintages across renowned wine regions, including Burgundy, Oregon, Yarra Valley, Hermitage, and the Hunter Valley, and he became Chief Winemaker at Craggy Range during their 25th vintage. We’ll talk about how Ben is balancing his respect for the winery’s legacy with his own stamp on the wines. Our regular contributor, Geoffrey Moss MW and Owner of Lithica Marketing, stops by to talk about what makes Summerland wines unique. Then we head to the Bolgheri coast of Tuscany with Marco Balsimelli, Technical Director at Ornellaia. It's Marco's first full vintage at the estate, and globally the conversation around this release is all about "La Vitalità" - the idea of energy, balance, and freshness driven by the coastal Bolgheri terroir.

On this week's show, Rhys Pender MW, owner of Wine Plus+ wine school and Little Farm Winery, discusses the long aging potential of B.C. wines after bottling. We also review the results from the Library Wine Category at the National Wine Awards of Canada. Next, we travel to Victoria, one of Australia's most vibrant wine regions, home to 21 distinct wine areas and over 800 wineries. Victoria is known for its numerous small, family-owned wineries, many of which are multi-generational, distinguished by their innovation, craftsmanship, and strong sense of place. Stephanie Duboudin, CEO of Wine Victoria, shares insights on this captivating region near Melbourne's lively food scene. Federico Colombo, Brand Ambassador for La Celia in Argentina, joins us to discuss what makes Valle de Uco's Malbec so remarkable today, over a century after the first plantings. Our final guest, David McBean, GM of Watermark Beach Resort, reflects on support efforts during challenging times and shares his optimistic view on visiting the Okanagan Valley as the harvest and autumn unfold.

On this week's show, Diogo Lopes, Chief Winemaker at the AdegaMãe winery in Portugal, joins us to discuss how AdegaMãe has blended the old with the new to become one of the most exciting Portuguese wineries in the export market. The family-run winery was founded in 2010 by one of the world's largest cod fisheries and is located just 8 kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean. We discuss the biggest benefits and challenges of growing grapes so close to the Atlantic. Then we are joined by Stephen Leroux, CEO of Charles Heidsieck, as we learn more about the famous champagne house founded in Reims, France, in 1851 by Charles-Camille Heidsieck, later to be known as "Champagne Charlie". Then we head to the South Okanagan for a sparkling chat with Jacq Kemp, Winemaker at Foxtrot Vineyards, who discusses the Boyd family’s (new owners) commitment to producing sparkling wine and top-flight chardonnay and pinot noir on the Naramata Bench. From the Naramata Bench, we head to the picturesque Okanagan Falls and Green Lake region to speak with Daniel Bibby, Owner of Nighthawk Vineyards. This family-run business is setting the pace for its wines, restaurant, and incredible Luxury Tent House Suites, a one-of-a-kind luxury experience immersed in nature.

On this week's show, Sam Pfeiffer, owner and director of Whistler Wines, discusses his family's long association with Penfolds and the unique gift his father received upon retirement. We taste two outstanding value wines, the 2024 Atypical Shiraz and 2023 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, both worthy additions to your shopping list. We also take you inside the tasting room at the 2026 National Wine Awards of Canada, where judges and panel captains Janet Dorozynski and Michael Godel share their perspectives on this year's competition. This week we focus on the sparkling wine and rosé categories and examine how B.C. wineries performed against the national field. We wrap up the show with an update from Summerland as Okanagan Crush Pad co-owner Christine Coletta discusses what is happening behind the scenes in Summerland and at Haywire Winery and Garnet Valley Ranch Winery, and how consumers can support the region moving forward.

On this week's show, there is an international flair as we speak with Stéphane Desmarquest, Export Manager, La Rioja Alta, who introduces us to one of the founding wineries of the Rioja region, with a history dating back to 1890. We talk about the La Rioja Alta 2020 Vina Alberdi Reserva Rioja and the La Rioja Alta 2022 Lagar de Cervera Albarino. Romain Chevrolat, Winemaker, Domaine Laroche, takes us on a magical wine journey to Burgundy and then directly south to talk about the Domaine Laroche project, Mas La Chevalier, in the heart of the Languedoc. Also, Nicholas Villalon, General Manager, Canada, Advini Wines, stops by to share the story of the JeanJean family, a renowned, sixth-generation French winemaking dynasty celebrated for shaping the viticultural landscape of the Languedoc region of France.

On this week's show, Giovanni Mazzei, owner of Mazzei Wines, is here representing one of the oldest families in Tuscany. The earliest written record of Chianti as a region is the purchase of a barrel of Chianti from Ser Lapo Mazzei in 1398. We tasted the 2022 Ser Lapo Chianti Classico Riserva and the 2022 Mazzei Zisola Nero d'Avola. Then we are joined by Luca Inama, Cellar Master & Winemaker, at Inama Wines, a 3rd-generation family Soave producer and now one of three Inama sons running the business, producing harmonic wines from volcanic soils. David Lawrason, Critic, WineAlign.com, Co-Chair of the Wine Align National Wine Awards of Canada, is here to talk about his new venture called Lawrason’s Guide to Canada’s Best Wines. We talk about wine in general with someone who has tasted tens of thousands of wines over a storied career. Chris Turyk, Director of Marketing & Sales at Unsworth Vineyards, stops by for a refreshing discussion on the state of wine today and, moving forward, the opportunities to reach new markets with wine that continues to improve in quality.

On this week's show, Geoffrey Moss MW, Lithica Wine Marketing, Wine Critic at Gismondi On Wine, is here with results from the Best of the Bench, a recent Naramata Bench wine competition. Geoff also talks about why the Naramata Bench is such a great spot to grow grapes and shares his thoughts on the strongest varieties in the ground. We also speak to some of the results of the 2026 Wine Align National Wine Awards of Canada, which took place in Niagara in mid-June. Laurent Gamonet, Export Area Director, Canada, Georges Duboeuf is here to feature the 2024 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais-Villages and the 2023 Duboeuf Pouilly-Fuissé Premier Cru Le Clos Reyssier. Finally, we catch up with James Leonardo De Sa, Export Manager, Canada, M. Chapoutier, France, who pours an established favourite, the Meysonniers Crozes-Hermitage from Chapoutier, as well as a new label, Rouge Clair by M. Chapoutier 2024, a lighter, fresher Rhône red.

This week's episode comes to you live from Langley-based Township 7 Vineyards and Winery. We discuss with General Manager Mike Raffan the many reasons to visit the rapidly growing wine region of Greater Langley. We highlight the 2023 Seven Stars RIGEL, an award-winning Riesling-based sparkling wine, and preview upcoming seasonal events. Mary McDermott, Winemaker at Township 7, joins us to introduce their first-ever offerings of two unique rosés; we'll taste and discuss both. Gary Zhygailo and Brian Ensor from Chaberton Estate Winery stop by, sharing two bottles for us to enjoy. Karen Yeung, Winemaker and Viticulturalist at Gate 22 Winery & Adega On 45th Estate Winery, gives updates on two wines: their 2025 Chardonnay and a 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon. Lastly, we chat with Tim LaHay of Tourism Langley and owner of the Barley Merchant about reasons to visit Langley, upcoming events, and the Fall wine passport.