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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.

pairings

Wine Club Feature: Marynissen Estates Winery

This month, our wine club members will receive a selection of beautifully crafted wines from Marynissen Estates Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON. Keep reading to learn more about the winery's rich history and a few of our favourite bottles – then sign up for our wine club by Tuesday, August 15^th to taste them for yourself!

John Marynissen came to Canada from the Netherlands in 1952, and found a job picking fruit in Niagara Falls. By 2009, at the end of his career, he was recognized as a pioneer and unsung hero of Canada's burgeoning wine industry. Continue reading →

Published on August 9, 2017 by Mark Prince
Wine Club Feature: Quinta Ferreira Estate Winery

This month, our wine club members will receive a selection of fabulous wines from Quinta Ferreira Estate Winery in the Okanagan Valley, BC. Keep reading to learn more about this great family winery and some of our favourite bottles – then sign up for our wine club by July 15th to taste them for yourself!

Quinta Ferreira's story began in 1979 when John and Maria Ferreira purchased an orchard. Both were born in Portugal and had immigrated to Canada at a young age, and for 20 years they produced apples, peaches and cherries on their Black Sage Bench estate. Meanwhile, their son Michael worked as a cellar hand. Through years of hard work under some of the Okanagan's top winemakers, he learned what goes into making premium wine, from vineyard to vino. John and Maria saw his enthusiasm, and shared a passion for wine themselves. They took a big leap, and began the 3-year process of converting the orchard to a vineyard, planting their first grapes in 1999. Ever since, their award-winning wines have reflected both their Portuguese heritage and the beautiful desert terroir of the Black Sage Bench. Continue reading →

Published on July 13, 2017 by Mark Prince
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.)

Continue reading →

Published on April 25, 2017 by Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson
Pair It Up! Food & Wine Resolutions

If you’re one of those people who starts a detox and renews their gym membership on January 1^st, by now you might be thinking: enough already! I read once that it was better to minimize alcohol consumption to a couple nights a week, instead of cutting it out cold turkey. I am not sure if it’s true but it certainly makes sense! I, personally, have never believed in extremes BUT….. I am on a cleanse too!! This is what I propose: let’s get back to real life in a way that’s slow and smart. Below are 4 healthy dishes that you can enjoy with a delicious glass of wine and have the bottle sent right to your door. It’s all about balance, isn’t it? Santé!

Continue reading →

Published on January 24, 2017 by Michelle Bouffard
Pair It Up! SpierHead's Pinot Noirs

I’m not gonna lie. As a guy who writes about wine as part of his profession, it’s pretty cool to receive semi-regular deliveries of wine to my doorstep. I’m certainly not looking for sympathy when I say this, but I’ll say it anyways:

A lot of the wine I receive samples of is, well, not very good.

While those “not very good” wines come and go without my spending any ink or pixels on them, there are those wines received that barely hit the table before I bust open the box and pull a cork or two. In saying this, I received some samples from British Columbia’s SpierHead Winery the other day and, knowing my personal experience with, and their reputation for, producing incredibly well-crafted Pinot Noir, I tore into the package with gusto. Continue reading →

Published on November 19, 2015 by Kurtis Kolt
Pair It Up! Fall Dessert

It's that time of the year when my sweet tooth starts to go crazy, and thankfully, while scouring the web for dessert recipes, I stumbled onto Food & Wine Magazine's Best Fall Desserts slideshow. I’ve always found pairing dessert with sweet wine a harder task than it seems. While matching complimentary flavours in a wine is important, matching sweetness levels is often essential. Biting into something very sweet can make the next thing you drink taste flat and dull by comparison, even if it's also sweet. Fortunately, the best route for discovering dessert pairings is experimentation. Continue reading →

Published on November 12, 2015 by Jake Skakun
Pair It Up! Wine and Caesar Salad

Whether you’re at a greasy spoon or a white-tablecloth eatery on this continent, you’re almost certain to find Caesar salad on the menu. Continue reading →

Published on November 4, 2015 by Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson
Pair It Up! Chicken Soup for the Cold

Let’s face it, plenty of us are likely to get a cold or two this winter and a little chicken soup will be in order. In fact, I was thinking that the healing power of chicken soup was more of a placebo effect, but according to the New York Times, it can indeed reduce congestion, help you stay hydrated and have other positive benefits. Of course, for many of us, we’re not going to let a little cold get in the way of enjoying a glass or two of wine, right? Continue reading →

Published on October 29, 2015 by Kurtis Kolt