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Canadian Wine blog

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

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.)

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Published on April 25, 2017 by Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson
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.

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Published on April 18, 2017 by Kurtis Kolt
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 →

Published on April 11, 2017 by Michelle Bouffard
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.

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Published on April 11, 2017 by Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson
Top Wine Picks! Lang Vineyards

Here in Vancouver, we’ve had a record-breaking winter full of torrential rains and more snow than our West Coast capacity can handle. Finally, it’s spring - and as the sun beams a bit brighter and the cherry blossoms bloom, we look to refreshing, lively wines to echo the season.

I was clicking away here on My Wine Canada, and thinking how a selection from British Columbia’s Lang Vineyards, this week’s feature winery offering free shipping when you order six or more bottles, would suit the season so fine.

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Published on April 4, 2017 by Kurtis Kolt
Top Wine Picks! Trail Estate Winery

Prince Edward County is getting attention and wowing the press, and for good reason. The region is full of dynamic producers crafting wines with a standard that represents Canada well. Trail Estate Winery is among them.

A newcomer to the scene, the winery is already boosting an impressive line-up of small batch craft wines. The owners, Anton and Hildegard Sproll, bought the estate in 2011 after dedicating their life to their German bakery for 30 years. Hard work is certainly not foreign to them, so perhaps this is why they are achieving such success in a short amount time, as their first vintage was in 2013. Being well surrounded has also been key. Continue reading →

Published on March 30, 2017 by Michelle Bouffard
Top Wine Picks! Casa Dea Estates Winery

Casa Dea Estates Winery has been growing vines in Prince Edward County since 2000. Domenic Di Pietrantonio's 65 acres of vineyards in the County's famed clay limestone soil are two kilometers from the shore of Lake Ontario and its moderating effects. The winery and tasting room reflect the region's history in Loyalist-era architecture, and have become a popular wedding destination.

Winemaker Paul Battilana's focus is on a collection of grapes that do very well in Prince Edward County: Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gamay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. Along with still wines, they are also making sparkling wines and appassimento-style wine, including Eva, made with dried Chardonnay grapes.

This week Casa Dea is offering free shipping on any 6 or more bottles. Let's put together a Tasting Pack from their current offerings:

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Published on March 20, 2017 by Jake Skakun
Wine Club Feature: 50th Parallel Estate

A sense of place is crucial to any successful wine/winery, and it’s clear 50^th Parallel Estate has embraced this notion in spades.

Proprietors Curtis Krouzel and Sheri-Lee Turner-Krouzel have been in the Okanagan Valley for over a decade, first planting 10 acres of vines by hand in 2009 on what would become their Lake Country-region winery. Their now-61-acre property is located north of Kelowna near Lake Okanagan, where winemakers Grant Stanley and Matt Fortuna make wines from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Gewürztraminer — all grapes that thrive in Lake Country’s relatively cooler climate.

The winery’s rise has been impressive; their inaugural 2011 vintage saw them produce just 700 cases of wine, while last year they pumped out an impressive 14,000 cases. This month, 50th Parallel Estate 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 Wednesday, Mar. 15!

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Published on March 14, 2017 by Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson