Canadian Winery Spotlight: Kacaba Vineyards
I last wrote about Kacaba Vineyards back in December 2014, and while they continue to produce great-quality wines from the Niagara Escarpment, plenty has been going on for them over the last nine-ish months.
The winery’s become a force to be reckoned with since it was purchased in 1997 by Michael Kacaba (and yes, he re-named it – it wasn’t already called Kacaba). Winemaker John Tummon has led the team through successive vintages, offering very good quality wines for their cost.
The evidence is starting to be seen – and tasted – by more and more lovers of Canadian wine. In March, My Wine Canada took a special group of customers/wine lovers to the winery to experience their delicious wares first-hand at an exclusive barrel tasting which was a huge success!
At WineAlign’s 2015 National Wine Awards of Canada back in June, Kacaba placed 13th among all Canadian wines entered in the competition, and fourth overall among Ontario wineries. At the top of the heap was their 2013 Cabernet Franc, which took home an elusive Platinum Award at the competition – quite the feat for an under $20 wine.
Other award winners included the gold-medal winning Cabernet-Syrah blend, which impressed judge Bill Zacharkiw, who was, “shocked that it was Niagara because of the ripeness,” and the silver-medal winning Reserve Riesling, which judge Janet Dorozynski noted the “crisp balanced acidity and a long finish of citrus and apple,” calling it a “solid, well made Riesling.”
And while Kacaba continues to innovate with the product in the bottle, they’re leading the way in other areas as well. For example, they became the first winery in Canada to offer charging stations for all electric cars visiting the winery – a reflection of their commitment to the world around them.
The good news for you - all week long, buy six bottles of Kacaba wine – and yes, you can mix and match – and receive free shipping! Stock up now and get your wines before Thanksgiving. Use the coupon code FREE15 at checkout and you’re good to go!
Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson is the wine columnist and literary editor for the Winnipeg Free Press. He’s on Twitter and Instagram at @bensigurdson.
