Tag Archives: Canada
Chardonnay, Upper Bench Winery, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley VQA, BC, 2013, 13.7% abv, C$22@winery
My mother loves this wine, so I was honestly trying to save my second bottle for a dinner with her. But then it got busy at work. And I deserved it. Sorry, Mom. This great little homegrown Okanagan beauty is … Continue reading
Sauvignon Blanc, Waters & Banks, Haywire, Okanagan Valley BC VQA, Canada, 13% abv, 2014
Love. Haywire wines are consistently gorgeous. It doesn’t get much better than this on the BC wine stage. When you’re committed to using organically grown grapes, and providing little intervention in the cellar – no additives or oak, indigenous yeasts … Continue reading
Hypothesis, Culmina Family Estate Winery, Okanagan Valley VQA, BC, 13.5% abv, 2011
Culmina Winery owner, Don Triggs is no stranger to the really big wine industry business. No, really. I’m serious; as one half of the former Jackson-Triggs group (yes, that Jackson-Triggs), with his business partner, Don Triggs built and sold Vincor. … Continue reading
Merlot, Upper Bench Estate Winery, Okanagan Valley VQA, BC, 2012, 14.3% abv, C$26
I visited this winery in mid-August 2015 on the day they were actually harvesting Chardonnay for sparkling wine out back. Yes, in August! While I had real trouble getting the attention of those behind the bar for tastings, eventually I … Continue reading
Muscat Ottonel, Hillside Winery, Okanagan Valley VQA, BC,13.2% abv, 2014
I’ve never been there, but it’s not for lack of trying. It has just never worked out – yet. But others I know have been and have enjoyed the award-winning restaurant, in addition to the wines made there on the … Continue reading
Pinot Gris, Switchback Vineyard, Haywire, Okanagan Valley VQA, BC, Canada, 2013, 13% abv, C$25
As the bottle mentions, this delicious tipple was created by Michael Bartier, Matt Dumayne and consultant winemaker Alberto Antonini at the Okanagan Crush Pad and has been “..fermented using wild yeast and raised in concrete.” Okay, so let’s talk about … Continue reading
Sauvignon Blanc, Free Form, Haywire, Okanagan Valley VQA, BC, 2014, 13% abv, C$35
This is a Sauvignon Blanc I can actually get behind. Now, I know many wine enthusiasts enjoy your favourite Sauvignon Blancs and that characteristic herbaceousness touched by citrus and gooseberry. So often though, they’re industrially made and sweetened, showing little … Continue reading
Sauvignon Blanc, Open Wines, Niagara Peninsula VQA, Ontario, Canada, 2013, 12.5% abv, $12 @ LCBO
After arriving late at the hotel located in the heart of the Niagara Peninsula, I selected this bottle from the wine list to take to my room. I was hopeful that being in the heart of Ontario’s wine region, I … Continue reading
Meritage, Clos du Soleil, Celestiale, Similkameen Valley VQA, BC, 2011, 13.4% abv.
Straight from the heart of the Similkameen Valley in BC’s Okanagan, a veritable desert (yes, I know – non-believers have a hard time with that – there is actually a desert in Canada), here we have a Meritage wine. What … Continue reading
Pinot Gris, Malivoire, Beamsville Bench VQA, Ontario, 2014, 12.5% abv, C$19.95
There is something really rewarding about turning up at a winery you’d thought would be cool, meeting the folks pouring, seeing the place, tasting the wines and realizing that what you’d imagined is spot on. I went to Malivoire on … Continue reading
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