Bordertown Vineyards, MWC Wine Club, and a Revelation in NYC
The BC wine industry is growing so fast, it's getting harder to keep up with new wineries appearing on the scene. When we used to count the wineries in dozens instead of hundreds (we’re pretty much at the 300 mark), the learning curve was a gentle slope. But now, this writer has to put in extra effort just to keep a basic handle on what’s going on! This matter came to the surface about a month ago, when I had the opportunity to travel to New York City, with the B.C. Wine Institute and a handful of B.C. wineries -including Bordertown Vineyards & Estate Winery, this month's featured vineyard for the wine club. One of their wines unexpectedly became a star of the evening.
Celebrate Mother's Day with Top Picks from 13th Street Winery
Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and the best possible gift you could give is time. The scarf, sweater or piece of jewelry might end up forgotten, but the laughs and stories shared over a few glasses of wine will be in your mom’s memories forever. 13th Street is one of my long-standing favourite wineries in Ontario. This week if you order 6 bottles or more from 13th Street Winery, you get FREE SHIPPING. Why not order a case for mom? Here are three of my top wine picks, and a delicious homemade meal that you can make with each one. It's a fabulous recipe for time spent together. Santé Maman!
RECIPE - Homemade Wine Ice Cream for Mother's Day!
Today, we have UK photographer and foodie Veronica Shah sharing a special ice cream recipe that you can make yourself – oh, and it’s made from wine. This is a recipe that is sure to impress any wine-loving Mom!
This ice cream is simple to prepare and can be made in the comfort of your own home, without using an ice cream maker. It’s the perfect treat for celebrating Mother’s Day! All you need is a good wine (today we're sampling some gems from Sperling Vineyard - offering you free shipping all week long), some basic ingredients that you can find at your local grocery store, and a few common kitchen utensils.
Free Shipping from Sperling Vineyards
Here in Vancouver, we’ve just gone through one of the rainiest, coldest and even snowiest winters on record. While I realize I’m not going to get much sympathy from those living in the rest of Canada, that certainly doesn’t diminish my eagerness for sunnier days and warmer temperatures. Consequently, I’m feeling a little more seasonal when it comes to what I’m drinking, and am fine to take a little sabbatical from rugged red wines that comforted throughout those abundant dark and rainy days. Is it possible that the Okanagan Valley’s Sperling Vineyards have read the minds of us who are so done with winter, by dangling the carrot of FREE SHIPPING when ordering six or more of their wines this week, so we can enjoy their lifted and bright wines that will suit our spring and summer well? With Mother's Day approaching, this is the perfect opportunity to give Mom her favourite wine and get free shipping!
Top Wine Picks! Annapolis Highland Vineyards
Nova Scotia continues to be Canada’s hidden gem when it comes to wine. Producers in the Annapolis Valley and beyond are making reds, whites, rosés, bubblies, dessert wines and fruit-based bevvies that bring a unique sense of place.
Among the province’s best producers is Annapolis Highland Vineyards. Using grapes that are both estate-grown and sourced from throughout the region, they’re creating some of Nova Scotia’s most compelling and food-friendly wines.
See below for thoughts on their delicious wines and the food pairings that immediately popped to mind when enjoying a glass. (Sunny backyards, relaxation and enjoying with friends are also a must.)
Top Wine Picks! Moraine Estate Winery
After honing her skills in her native New Zealand, Moraine Estate Winery's winemaker Jacqueline Kemp (‘Jacq’ to those around her) had worked vintages in Western Australia and a little place in France called ‘Burgundy,’ before eventually settling in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. While working with various wineries, she was raising her young boys in her Naramata home, and had always kept an eye on what looked to be an ideal vineyard property down Naramata Road, perched just above Lake Okanagan.
When area newcomers Oleg and Svetlana Aristarkhov eventually purchased the property, even though it wasn’t Kemp signing on the dotted line, serendipity struck and she took the role of winemaker, enjoying the opportunity to get her hands in the soil after all.
The hot days and cool evenings treat the grapes well, preserving their natural acidity, while the clay soils built from glacial deposit lend fresh minerality and provide solid structure for the wines.
Wine Club Feature: Diamond Estates Winery
Diamond Estates Winery is an umbrella company for many different brands including Lakeview Cellars & EastDell Estates. Contracts with 25 different growers allows them to produce lines of wine where each brand has a unique focus. Located on the highly regarded Niagara escarpment, the sites benefit from the lake's influence. Lakeview Cellars was originally founded by Eddy Gurinska and his wife Lorraine in 1991 and then purchased by Diamond Estates Winery in 2005.
Winemakers Scott McGregor and Tom Green craft wine in one of the largest wineries in Ontario. Sustainability is part of Diamond Estates' philosophy. Steps such as using solar panels and insulated tanks have been taken to save energy, and water usage is also carefully controlled.
This month, Diamond Estates Winery is proud to be the featured winery for our lucky wine club members. Check out which wines you'll receive this month and subscribe by April 13! Continue reading
Top Distillery Picks! Park Distillery
If you don’t start with the best ingredients, you’re almost certain never to make the best product. For wineries that means grapes; for spirits such as vodka, rye or gin that means water and grains.
So it’s not surprising that a distillery set up near Banff’s Rocky Mountains would thrive, creating an impressive range of small-batch vodka, gin and rye in a variety of styles. Park Distillery makes their spirits from glacier water sourced in Banff National Park, organic grain grown at high altitudes by family-run farms and carefully sourced materials for flavouring — mostly local and organic as well.
Whether you’re looking for pure, classic flavour from your vodka or are keen on trying one of Park’s infused vodkas, now’s the time to do it — this week you can get free shipping when you order $120 or more of their product here at My Wine Canada.