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

The Montreal Gazette’s Bill Zacharkiw begins a fascinating (so far) four-part print and video series on Quebec wines. First stop: Chardonnay pioneers Les Pervenches in Farnham.

Gold Medal Plates, a series of fundraising wine and food events that benefit the Canadian Olympic Foundation, begin their nation-wide tour in Winnipeg October 2. Top local chefs create innovative dishes and pair them with a Canadian wine, beer or spirit. Dishes are judged (as are beverage choices), with the winner heading to the Canadian Culinary Championship in Kelowna, B.C. in February. (Disclosure: I’m one of the judges on the drinks side of things here in the ‘Peg.)

A restaurant offers a diner a five-ounce glass of wine. But is it really five ounces? Nancy Walsh has a look over at CBC Newfoundland & Labrador. (Oh, and bringing your own measuring cup to a restaurant is not recommended)

In the Penticton Herald’s The small guys of B.C. wine, Bella Wines get some love.

In The Province, Kelowna-based Geoff McIntyre roasts the Ontario provincial government for impeding a national wine industry.

In The Star, meanwhile, Martin Regg Cohn has his own take on Ontario’s wine and beer-selling problems, advocating strongly for the dismantling of The Beer Store.

Don’t forget about the Niagara Wine Festival, which runs through to Sept. 28. If you’re not sick of U2 (thanks, Apple), you can always check out Desire: A Tribute to U2 at Montebello park’s Centre Stage on Saturday, Sept. 20.

Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson is the wine columnist and literary editor for the Winnipeg Free Press, and judges at wine competitions across the country. He’s on Twitter and Instagram at @bensigurdson