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This one is a bit controversial in some ways. One of the criticisms I've heard levelled against the industry in the Okanagan is that a lot of us have 'cellar palate'. In my travels across Canada, I have not noticed this topic in conversation as much in Ontario as I have noticed in British Columbia.

Essentially, 'cellar palate' happens when a winery employee 'becomes too acclimatized to their own wines or those of their neighbours'. (See Jancis Robinson's article that I mentioned in the podcast here.) Basically, they start to judge wines from other regions or styles based on their own wines.

I've met plenty of people who only like BC wine and won't try anything else. I did a podcast a long time ago where everyone was supposed to bring a bottle of their favourite wines and one person brought a wine from the winery where they worked, which was against my one and only rule that we never pumped our own wineries' brands (the ones where we all worked) on the podcast.

I've been susceptible to it as well. I totally recall not liking any white wines that I tasted from Washington State in 2010 when I attended the Wine Blogger's Conference in Walla Walla. They all tasted flabby to me - not enough acidity. Of course, even then after only 3 years living in the Okanagan, I was used to the higher acid wines in BC. It took time to appreciate the lower-acid wines from Washington State.

So, enjoy this discussion and tasting that features three wines tasted blind. It's a long episode but worth listening all the way through.

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A few thoughts at the end of 2025 to welcome in 2026. Happy New Year Sipsters!

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This is a special tribute episode for my brother in wine, Aaron Olfert. It's been ten years since he left this world. This is a flashback to some of his great podcast moments as well as new stories from his best friends.

This podcast took a long time to produce but I hope it is a fitting tribute to a great person and the godfather of all Sipsters.

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Thank you for listening to the Sipster's Podcast. Find us online at sipsters.ca.

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Alison Moyes loves Pinot Noir and it's clear that it's mutual. Working with this grape for the past 15 years, she has met the challenges of the most finicky of grapes variety in three different wineries in three different sub-regions with apparent ease. She's curious, thoughtful, and well-spoken, all of which you will hear in this candid conversation that took place near the end of her 5th vintage with Solvero Wines.

Turns out we had a lot in common, growing up in central Canada, going to university on the east coast, and then coming to BC. It was fun to finally be able to sit down and chat with her about wine, the university, and everything.

Disclaimer: When I have winemakers on this podcast, it tends to get a little geeky. We don’t really stop to explain some of the more technical things that we talk about but please search for anything that you don't understand. Learning is fun!

Welcome to the Sipsters Podcast!

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Veronica Woodruff's Blind Drunk: A Sober Look at our Boozy Culture is exactly the commentary on the culture of alcohol we need right now. I’ve written about cavalier attitudes towards alcohol before in blogs and even in parts of the Sipster’s books but I was thrilled to see a full-length book about it.

Blind Drunk is 3 parts memoir and 1 part academic research. Written from a place of serious authority by the right person at the right time, Veronica has asked tough questions without judgement or an agenda. Agree or disagree, she provides a safe space to challenge what the role of alcohol is in modern society. The answers are on a spectrum rather than being clear-cut black and white. This should be essential reading for anyone who drinks anything.

Find Blind Drunk on Veronica's website.

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OMG, it's finally the start of the 4th season of the Sipter's Podcast!! Where have we been?

Working. Hard. And a lot. Jess and I have both been busy but were glad to take some time out to do something we both love doing - tasting wine and recording podcasts. In this episode, we dive into the big topics - What is Luke's favourite white wine, what's up with the 2025 vintage, and are the wines made with non-BC grapes really worth it?

Sit back, pour yourself a glass of something you find tasty, and enjoy!

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Purchase copies of “The Sipsters Pocket Guides” here!

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Clos du Soleil invited me to their annual vertical tasting in the fall of 2012 and I gladly attended this exclusive outdoor event. Listening back to it now, things seemed a little more innocent. Few people knew that any wines from BC could actually age and many wineries were on the hook to prove it. Clos du Soleil was one of the first wineries to really stick their neck out to prove that it could be done and this is the result.

Disclaimer: I used to work for Clos du Soleil but a few years after this recording was made. Part of my job was organizing these vertical tastings, which I did in 2016 and 2017, when the vertical featured 10 full years of the Capella and Signature. That event, brilliantly catered by the late Natasha Schooten, is easily on the top of my top 5 list of the most amazing tasting experiences I have ever had and will never, ever forget.

Welcome to the Sipsters Podcast!

Thank you for listening to the Sipster's Podcast. Find us online at sipsters.ca.

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Purchase copies of “The Sipsters Pocket Guides” here!

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Text us your wine questions, craziest wine experiences, or if you just have a comment for us. .

The fourth Summer Flashback has a story that goes back beyond the original April 2011 release of this episode. Ted Kane and I talk about his wines and the beautiful site on which he chose to plant his vineyard.

Welcome to the Sipsters Podcast!

Thank you for listening to the Sipster's Podcast. Find us online at sipsters.ca.

Support the show

Purchase copies of “The Sipsters Pocket Guides” here!

Support Sipsters by subscribing!

Contact me at sipsterswinepodcast@gmail.com!

Read Sipster's ICONS (Because sometimes more IS more.)

Find me online at sipsters.ca or lukewhittall.com

Thanks again for listening!