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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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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Free Shipping from Black Prince Winery

For a number of years, Niagara has been considered the leading region for wine production in Ontario, but Prince Edward County is getting some buzz. Picturesque with a real feel of community and cooperation between producers, the area has everything to charm wine lovers. Black Prince Winery is one of the oldest wineries in the region. Established in 2000 by John Sambrook and Geoff Webb, the winery is located on a beautiful 50 acre estate with 10 acres dedicated to vineyards. Drinking and eating locally are important to the owners, perhaps this is why they were the first winery to use local county oak barrels to age their wine. In addition to making their wines, they also help start up wineries by providing them a winemaking facility to make their wines. This week My Wine Canada is featuring Black Prince Winery by offering free shipping on six or more bottles (feel free to mix and match).

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Top Wine Picks: Moon Curser Vineyards

Down in the desert country of Osoyoos, at the very southern end of British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, the mercury has been hovering around the zero-degree mark for a while now, but that shouldn’t last much longer. Soon enough, buds will burst on the area’s grapevines, and as vineyards bloom under the sun, those temperatures will climb into the thirties and forties. It’s as we get into vintage when the region’s desert classification becomes a lot more obvious. Not only is it ‘hot enough for ya’ more often than not, but while toddling around the area’s landscape, cacti and rattlesnakes aren’t exactly uncommon sights.

It is here where the Okanagan Valley excels at ripening the grapes for rich red and white wines, while sandy soils with pockets of clay, limestone and granite add distinct minerality and the cool nights allow natural acidity to be preserved.

These conditions make it possible for quite the variety of, er, varieties to be grown, and when it comes to Osoyoos wineries, this writer can’t think of anyone taking advantage of this scenario as much Beata and Chris Tolley, the owners of Moon Curser Vineyards.

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Top Wine Picks! Traynor Family Vineyard

Mike and Rebecca Traynor, the folks behind Traynor Family Vineyard, purchased the Prince Edward County property in 2008. They turned a cornfield into a vineyard of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as hybrid varieties Frontenac Gris and Marquette. Mike has a history with wine: working in retail shops and completing sommelier and winemaking courses before landing a gig as operations manager at Huff Estates. Later, he became the winemaker and general manager of Oak Heights. The first Traynor Family Vineyard harvest was in 2013.

This week My Wine Canada is featuring Traynor Family Vineyard by offering free shipping on six or more bottles (feel free to mix and match).

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Wine Club Feature: Sperling Vineyards

Here in Vancouver, it’s the week of the annual Vancouver International Wine Festival. This year is particularly exciting, because among the 180 participating wineries from 16 countries, there’s a strong Canadian contingent, as our home and native land is this year’s theme country.

Yup, to celebrate our nation’s 150^th birthday, wineries from coast to coast (many of them My Wine Canada partners) are gathering to pour their best and brightest for thousands of attendees.

One of the wineries I’m particularly looking forward to catching up with is Sperling Vineyards from Kelowna in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. Not only are the wines from winemaker Ann Sperling some of the best from the region, but there’s a notable heritage associated with them. This month, Sperling Vineyards is proud to be featured in My Wine Canada's Valentine's Wine Package. Check out this great deal and order by February 15th at midnight!

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Top Wine Picks for Valentine’s Day

Nothing sets the mood for a romantic evening quite like a glass (or, heck, a bottle) of wine. And whether your special someone prefers whites, reds, rosés or bubblies, My Wine Canada has got you covered for Valentine’s Day — if you act fast.

Here are some top picks for making an impression this Valentine’s Day — order now (like, NOW) and get these treats in time for the big day…

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Top Wine Picks! Summerhill Pyramid Winery

Summerhill Pyramid Winery is an unforgettable stop on the Okanagan wine trail. If it wasn’t for the giant floating wine bottle tilting toward a giant glass, you might think you were stepping onto the grounds of a spiritual retreat with an especially stunning view of Okanagan Lake. Founder Stephen Cipes’ dedication to the environment carries through to his grape growing and winemaking philosophies, including a biodynamic certification for the winery's Kelowna vineyard. Summerhill’s commitment to producing only organic wine has spurred the winery’s long-term growers into converting to organic farming. Stephen Cipes is also at the helm of an initiative to transition the entire Okanagan Valley to organic farming. As a shipping special for Valentine’s Day, the winery is offering free shipping when you buy 6 or more bottles (you’re free to mix and match). Below are a few of my top wine picks from Summerhill.    Continue reading →