With so much turmoil in the world, many of us are looking for things we can rely on. Read More
Here are three wines from long-time producers you can count on
Here are three wines from long-time producers you can count on
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With so much turmoil in the world, many of us are looking for things we can rely on.
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Keeping tabs on tariffs, counter-tariffs and annexation jokes/threats can wear a person out. Maybe some great Canadian wine can offer solace. Canada makes outstanding wines from coast to coast.
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When looking for Canadian wine, there are a few things you can check for. Firstly, if a label has a VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) symbol, you can be sure it is produced from Canadian grapes at a local winery. It also must meet several standards regarding typicity, chemical analysis, the grapes used and labelling, to name a few.
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Not all Canadian wines are VQA-certified, though. The program only operates in Ontario and British Columbia, the provinces that produce most of our grape wines. Wineries also aren’t required to submit their wines for VQA approval, it is their choice. Some wineries will submit some, but not all, of their wines for VQA consideration.
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Other wineries avoid the VQA program completely. That makes it tougher to confidently know what is in the bottle, but if the winery has a good history and pedigree, you can generally rely on that. Wineries don’t want to risk a hard-earned reputation.
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While B.C. and Ontario are the only provinces using VQA certification, Nova Scotia and Quebec have similar programs.
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Perhaps that’s enough talk about rules and guidelines, let’s look at some wine. Here are three Canadian wines from long-time producers that you can count on.
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Henry of Pelham Family Estate
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2021
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Speck Family Reserve Baco Noir
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Ontario
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One of the oldest wineries in the Niagara Peninsula, Henry of Pelham is run by three brothers in the Speck family — Paul Jr., Matthew and Daniel. They took over the winery from their parents — Paul Sr. and Bobbi — who planted the first vineyards in 1982.
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Baco noir, a hybrid grape originally from France, has a special place at Henry of Pelham. The winery produces several tiers of wine from the grape with the Speck Family Reserve sitting near the top.
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It’s a meaty, smoky, rich wine with juicy flavours of seared black cherry, plum, clove, vanilla, blackberry and a hint of herb. It’s medium-bodied with higher acid and moderate tannins. Very easy drinking for a wine with a lot of intensity.
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Price: About $33. Look for it at Sundown Liquor, Willow Park Wines & Spirits, Wine and Beyond and Zyn the Wine Market.
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Drink: In the next couple of years. Try it with venison, lamb shanks or mushroom rigatoni. Cork; 13 per cent alc./vol.
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Flat Rock Cellars
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2020
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Nadja’s Vineyard Riesling
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Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
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Ed Madronich Jr. is the president of this family winery launched in 2003 with his father, Ed Madronich Sr. Located near Jordan, Ont., the winery’s vineyards run down the Niagara Escarpment, with views across Lake Ontario toward Toronto.