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

Thanks to Twitter and Instagram, we're on hand to witness veraison in Canadian vineyards: Le Vieux Pin's Syrah on the Black Sage Bench is changing colour a week later than last year. More shots from Blue Mountain and Norman Hardie vineyards.

Over in the Globe and Mail, Beppi says it's time we revisit Sauvignon Blanc. You know what? He makes a strong case: Why it’s time to take another taste of this underloved wine.

You like us? Well, we're flattered. Remember USA Today's reader's choice award for the world's best wine region we mentioned a few weeks ago? The Okanagan claimed second place behind Alentejo, Portugal.

Worried the temperature of your summer sipper is too warm? Too cold? In the Kelowna Daily Courier, Julianna Hayes writes that you should be. And whisky stones? Forget about it. Here are some tips: What to do to beat the Okanagan heat with wine.

In the Halifax Herald, Luckett Vineyards' winemaker Mike Mainguy tells us about a Swiss aging technique they've borrowed to bury barrels of red wine deep underground. "To put it pretty simply, we dug a big-ass hole in the bottom of the vineyard," says Mainguy. It sounds pretty awesome.

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.