The Friday Files: News & Notes from Canada’s Wine Scene

Have BC's wineries been benefiting from the drought days this summer? In the Globe and Mail, Beppi Crosariol explains why 2015 is shaping up to be a great vintage. He also reviews wines from a few producers available on My Wine Canada such as Joie Farm “En Famille” Reserve Chardonnay, Laughing Stock Blind Trust Red, and Summerhill Pyramid Organic Riesling.

Beppi also gives some advice of where to begin for those hoping to go to wine school: Oenology’s ABCs: A crash course in the foundation grapes that beginners start with and masters return to. He includes a review of the Dirty Laundry 2013 Not So Knotty Chardonnay, available on My Wine Canada!

Thomas Mulcair swung by Summerhill Pyramid Winery this week on his campaign trail through the Okanagan, and talked about his plan to drive up tourism visits from Americans.

In Western Living Magazine, Neal McLennan gives a shout out to Top Drop Vancouver: The One Wine Tasting of the Year You Shouldn’t Miss. It's the coolest and most curated wine tasting in the country and one that I, begrudgingly, have to miss. But listen to Neal and go sip some wines from Frank Cornelissen or Château Le Puy and check out great My Wine Canada partner wineries Benjamin Bridge, Tyler Harlton, and Orofino.

The Business Insider makes a great point: You've been drinking red wine too warm for your entire life. They give you some tips of how to keep the reds cool. In a separate article, they also explain why wine tastes different when you're on a plane.

Should we be paying more attention to the Chardonnay's coming out of Nova Scotia? In the Chronicle Herald, Moira Peters keeps us up-to-date on the scene: GLASS ACT: Chardonnays are some of Nova Scotia’s finest wines.

On Wines in Niagara, Rick VanSickle gives us some background on Pearl Morissette's rogue parcel of Cab Franc and the bottling "Le Spectateur".

Does this wine smell a little, um, skunky? Apparently the latest 'craze' in winemaking is infusing it with marijuana. Perhaps the most surprising point is that it's been going on for thousands of years. Melissa Etheridge even has her own label.

 

Jake Skakun is a writer and sommelier from Vancouver, currently living in Toronto. He can be found most days pulling corks and twisting caps at the Black Hoof. He Tweets and Instagrams @jakeskakun.