The Sipster's Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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

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.  

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!

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

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

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!

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

This is the first Sipster's Summer Flashback series with episodes from my Wine Country BC podcast that began in 2009. Tonight’s conversation is from an episode released in April of 2010 and features John Skinner, owner of Painted Rock winery right before he’d even opened the doors on a temporary wine shop (a home depot shack). It’s a cool conversation that shows the beginnings of a winery that has now become a Grand Cru of the Okanagan valley. 

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!

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

This is part 2 of the whiskey tasting with Paul Henbury. 

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!

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

It's a Sipster gathering around a small basement table with one of my oldest friends Paul Henbury. Paul has been in the hospitality industry and worked at wineries in the Okanagan Valley so he knows his way around a wine tasting. When he mentioned his favour way to taste whisky in a discussion a few weeks back, I knew it would be perfect for a podcast. 

This is part 1 of 2. Part 2 which is coming out next week. 

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!

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

Finally, it's my turn to stump the gang with a slightly obscure wine to most people (but not if you've read a Sipster's book or listened to a podcast recently...). This one has twists and turns, mayhem and excitement, thrills and spills...

Ok, no spills. No wine was harmed in the making of this podcast. 

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!

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

Blind tasting can be a lot of fun but it can get competitive. The best players are the ones that know what information to give at all times, even in the small talk leading up to a tasting. Sipsters are less competitive but still like the challenge of a blind tasting for the fun of it. Karen's reveal shows that's she's not only a strategic blind wine taster, but also an elite-level Sipster. 

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!

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

Ok, mostly me. but this was a fun one for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that this situation will be part of wine tasting in BC for years going forward. Is that a good thing? We'll see. 

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!

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

This week’s podcast features a chat with Dr. Don Livermore. Though you are unlikely to know who he is, it is entirely likely that you have had products that he has overseen in his nearly 30 years at the Hiram-Walker distillery and the brand in question today - J.P. Wiser's, which is Canada’s longest running brand of whisky. Wiser's is older than Canada, if that gives you some indication

 Dr. Don is, on paper, a Master Blender, but in reality, he’s a virtuoso performer in that roll. He is the first Canadian to win Master Blender of the Year in the world at the World Whisky Awards. He developed the Canadian Whisky Flavour Wheel, a comprehensive and must-have resource for anyone interested in learning more about flavours in Canadian whisky. 

 More than anything though, he is an amazing ambassador for Canadian whisky and is willing to take time to talk about the history, the chemistry, and art of making whisky. I really hope to have him on the podcast again in the future to learn more about the history of whisky in Canada. 

 So here it I, my conversation with Dr. Don Livermore from JP Wiser’s. Cheers everyone!

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!

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

Blind tastings are a fun way to hone your skills. In this episode, I have assembled a team of amazing tasters to help solve the mystery wine. Will anyone get it right? Is that the point? Find out as we taste through a wine that Blair shared with us. 

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!