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Writing on Canadian Wine by the MWC team Kurtis Kolt (BC), Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson (MB) Jake Skakun (ON), Michelle Bouffard (QB) and various national guest contributors.

My Wine Canada

A Clip ‘N Save Guide to Elephant Island Orchard Winery Food Pairings!

In previous posts here at My Wine Canada over the last couple of years, both Michelle Bouffard and Jake Skakun have spoken to their initial skepticism on fruit wine, and how in spite of that, they’ve become big fans of the on-point, acid-driven, honest wine coming out of Miranda and Del Halladay’s Elephant Island Orchard Wines, hailing from British Columbia’s Naramata Bench in the Okanagan Valley.

So, now that we know their wines are awesome, what do we do with them? For this post, I give you a clip ‘n save guide to fun food pairings for all of Elephant Island’s wines available here at My Wine Canada. This is also a great week to take advantage of this info, since THIS WEEK ONLY you can get FREE SHIPPING from them when you order a minimum of six bottles, and you can feel free to mix your selection!

Continue reading →

Published on August 23, 2016 by Kurtis Kolt
Top Wine Picks from Trail Estate Winery

Trail Estate Winery is one of the most exciting new wineries in Prince Edward County. The Sproll family purchased the 14-acre property in 2011 and began producing small lot wines in 2013. In 2015, the Sprolls hired Mackenzie Brisbois as winemaker and grape grower. Mackenzie honed her winemaking and grape growing skills all over the world, but she's particularly familiar with Prince Edward County. Not only did she grow up in the County, but she spent five years working for one of the greats, Norman Hardie. Mackenzie also brings an emphasis on experimentation to Trail Estate. I had the chance to taste through a range of her skin contact whites with Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling, and loved what I tasted. Below are a few favourites.

As part of My Wine Canada's Free Shipping Series, this week the wines from Trail Estate Winery are available for free shipping when you buy 6 or more bottles. This is a deal worth jumping on. Continue reading →

Published on August 16, 2016 by Jake Skakun
Canadian Winery Spotlight: GreenLane Estate Winery

I had the chance to sit down with the wines from GreenLane Estate Winery in advance of its feature as this month's Wine Club winery. The winery thrives within the Lincoln Lakeshore appellation on the Niagara Peninsula under the helm of Dianne Smith, winemaker and general manager. These are mostly small lot wines from Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gamay, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The winery has some coveted plots of old vine Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon. For more info on the winery, check out my past post on GreenLane Estate Winery. And for notes on my favourite wines from them that I tasted last week, read on! Continue reading →

Published on August 10, 2016 by Jake Skakun
Top Wine Picks From Orofino Vineyards

While there’s plenty of great wine coming from B.C.’s Okanagan Valley, it’s the neighbouring Similkameen Valley where much of the buzz is at of late. My last trip to B.C. wine country was in June as a judge at this year’s National Wine Awards of Canada. And while we spend most days cooped up in a convention center meeting room tasting 80-90 wines a day, at night we get treated to some pretty special dinners, winery visits and other events. Orofino Vineyards was one winery that we visited; they fared very well at the show, earning a half-dozen medals, five of which were silver. Continue reading →

Published on August 8, 2016 by Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson
Pair It Up! Upper Bench Wines & Barbecue

I love this point in the summer, when farmer’s markets are right at that sweet spot with an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruit, and it seems like there’s more selection than ever. One thing we’ve been gorging ourselves on as of late around our house are fresh B.C. blueberries.

Now, there’s a bit of a caveat with this.

My wife owns a PR and communications company, and one of her clients is the B.C. Blueberry Council. One of the perks of her having this client, besides the wealth of blueberries we always have around, is that she works with them on recipe development. Continue reading →

Published on August 2, 2016 by Kurtis Kolt
Pair It Up With The Grange of Prince Edward

The Grange of Prince Edward's wine portfolio is perfect for summer drinking. Whether white or red, the wines express the cool climate of Prince Edward County with high acidity and innate freshness. Even Cabernet Franc, a grape often vinified into a full-bodied, structured wine, is medium-bodied, vibrant, and extremely elegant in the hands of the Grange. In honour of the drinkability of these wines and the fact that they're featured this week for FREE SHIPPING, I've paired a few of them up with recent summer recipes from Western Living Magazine. Continue reading →

Published on July 27, 2016 by Jake Skakun
Pair It Up! BENCH 1775 Wines + Free Shipping

I’m filing this post from sunny Barolo in Northern Italy, where I’ve been immersed in the Collisioni Festival. A dish I’ve always had a soft spot for at home that hails from this region is a simple plating of cheese ravioli with butter and sage. It’s at once rich and decadent, yet simple and elegant – the richness of the cheese and creamy, buttery angle is lifted by the herbal freshness of fresh sage.

While here in Barolo the dish pairs well along side wines made from area grape varieties like Nebbiolo or Arneis, I couldn’t help but think many homegrown British Columbia wines would easily suit as a pairing.

Looking on the site here at My Wine Canada, you may have noticed that Naramata’s BENCH 1775 Winery is offering an awesome deal of free shipping if you order a minimum of six wines from ‘em, and you can mix and match your selections, too! Well, let’s take advantage of the opportunity with my recommendation of a handful of their wines that’d jive well with this pasta. Continue reading →

Published on July 19, 2016 by Kurtis Kolt
Top Wine Picks from 13th Street Winery

Once again this year I had the privilege of being a judge at the National Wine Awards of Canada hosted by WineAlign. It’s truly exciting to witness the growth of the Canadian wine industry. New wineries are constantly opening, not to mention the overall quality keeps on rising. 13^th Street Winery has been making great wine from day one. If they were solid right from the start, they’ve never been better now. Below are four of my top picks currently available right here at My Wine Canada. Sign up to join the Wine Club, and you'll automatically get these wines sent to you this month. Go Canada Go! Continue reading →

Published on July 13, 2016 by Michelle Bouffard