Great Canadian Wine

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Happy Birthday to my favourite country in the world! While it is true that Canada is fairly new and unknown on the wine scene, there are many outstanding varieties of wines produced in this amazing country that have gained international attention.

I have spent many of my wine drinking years turning my nose up at Canadian wine. I simply haven’t been convinced that there are Canadian wines out there that I would enjoy. But some of my fellow wine drinking friends and a couple of sommeliers that I follow online have been raving about Canadian wine. I decided it was finally time to give Canadian wine a chance so my husband and I have decided to celebrate Canada’s birthday this month by sampling solely Canadian wine.

Here are some fun facts that you may not know about the Canadian wine industry:

• there are four main wine producing regions in Canada: Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Quebec
• Canadian wine regions are situated between 41^o and 50^o North similar to many acclaimed wine regions around the world like France, Italy, Portugal and Spain
• Canada is renowned for its Icewine
• next to Germany, Canada is the leading producer of Icewine
• there are over 500 wineries in Canada
• Wine tourism attracts over 3 million visitors to Canada every year

I did do my research on Canadian wines before heading to local wine stores in Saskatchewan and wasn’t able to find everything I was looking for but I guess this means we have to visit these vineyards or join their wine clubs! What’s that saying, “wines that are hardest to find, are often hardest to forget”?

Here is a list of Top Canadian Wines that get great reviews most of which I was able to find at our local wine shops. Our goal is to give these wines a try over the month of July (and beyond) and I will share some of our favourites on Instagram.

There are many varieties of Canadian wine aside from the ones I’ve listed here but we tend to steer toward Rosé, Chardonnay, Cab Sauv, Shiraz and Pinot Noirs which are the varieties that make up most of this list.

Great Canadian Wine Worth Trying

Rosé

Honest John’s Rosé I really want to get my hands on this one because it was recommended by a couple of friends and it gets great reviews online. From what I can tell, it is only available in a few select retail stores in Alberta and BC. This rosé is made by Road 13 which describes the location of the vineyard in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia.

Thirty Bench Small Lot Rosé Found in the Niagara Wine region in Ontario, Thirty Bench produces all of their wines with the grapes grown right on the vineyard. This award-winning Rosé is described as deliciously dry with aromas of strawberry, cherry, and watermelon. Thirty Bench receives a lot of recognition for their premium wines. I am guessing there are many wines worth trying from winemaker, Emma Garner.

Lola Rosé Made by Pelee Island Winery on an island at the southernmost point of Canada in Ontario, this medium-bodied and fruity blush comes in a really pretty bottle and will pair nicely with happy hour appetizers.

Sandhill 2018 Rosé This is new winemaker Sandy Leier’s first Rosé for Sandhill and it is getting awesome reviews. Unfortunately, it is not available in Saskatchewan yet but I will definitely pick up a couple of bottles when in Alberta this summer.

White

Burrowing Owl Chardonnay This fresh and crisp Chardonnay is produced in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. It is easily accessible with a price point that suggests it isn’t going to disappoint.

Tinhorn Creek Chardonnay We came across this Chardonnay at the wine store and thought we’d give it a try. Tinhorn Creek is located in the south Okanagan. I think it’s safe to say that the Okanagan Valley in B.C. produces some lovely chardonnay!

Quail’s Gate Chardonnay I have tried this one a couple of times actually and I quite enjoy it so I thought I would give it a recommendation. It’s fresh and fruity with hints of oak. You will find this wine accessible, affordable and delightful.

Gray Monk Pinot Gris I typically lean toward Chardonnay when selecting a white wine but my husband picked up this Pinot Gris to try. I have learned that Pinot Gris is very similar in structure to a Pinot Noir which is a wine variety we have definitely come to enjoy over the past year so I’m looking forward to giving this one a try. Gray Monk Estates Winery is also located in the Okanagan and produces some of the world’s finest wine.

Avondale Sky White My husband’s childhood bestie who, along with his wife, remain great friends to this day, live in Halifax, Nova Scotia which also happens to be a top Canadian wine region. They are home for a few weeks this summer and brought this white for us when visiting our farm this weekend. I thought I’d add it to my list. Avondale Sky Winery is an award-winning vineyard located on the Avon Peninsula in Nova Scotia. We will definitely put a visit to this winery on our list when we head to Halifax to visit our friends.  

Reds

Mt. Boucherie Pinot Noir We found this pinot at a local wine shop and are looking forward to a lovely meal to share this bottle with. Mt. Boucherie is found in the Similkameen Valley in British Columbia. It’s described as light and fruity with a bit of spice.

See You Later Ranch Pinot Noir We enjoyed this Pinot Noir at the beach this weekend paired with a steak dinner. It definitely stands up to other Pinots we have tried. I’d buy this one again.

TH Wines Cab Franc A friend recommended this wine and I have fallen in love with this winery after reading about them online. Before becoming a winemaker, Tyler Harlton grew up on a grain farm in Saskatchewan and was drafted by the St. Louis Blues national hockey team. Now his hand produced wines are gaining popularity across Canada. I cannot wait to pick up a few bottles of wine from this Summerland, B.C. vineyard.

Dirty Laundry Cabernet Sauvignon The Dirty Laundry Chardonnay was actually the wine that was suggested to me but we weren’t able to locate it. We did find the Cabernet Sauvignon though and gave it a try this weekend. This is a nice, bold Cab Sauv from the Similkameen Valley in B.C.

Wayne Gretzky Cabernet Sauvignon It seriously doesn’t get any more Canadian than Wayne Gretzky! I was skeptical to even add this wine to the list but after a couple of friends said it’s actually a decent bottle of wine, I decided we will give it a try.

Luckett Vineyards Red This is another wine that our friends brought us from Halifax, NS. Luckett Vineyards overlooks the Bay of Fundy in the Gaspereau Valley. I can’t wait to try this one.

I’m sure you all can see where this blog post is heading. You guessed it! After all of this research on Canadian wineries, it’s time to plan some Canadian wine tours.

What is your favourite Canadian wine? Did it make it to my list? Please let me know if there are other Canadian wines I should try by leaving a comment below.

Cheers!