Black Sage, Viognier, 2017, Okanagan Valley, Canada
Can you get a bad bottle of Canadian wine? Probably but not this one because this is excellent. A little heavier in texture to most white wines this has plenty to taste, apple, melon, hints of citrus and honey. It’s dry and with balanced acidity works well with fish or chicken dishes. At £15 a bottle it’s reasonable value too.
Broken Stone, Pinot Noir, 2020, Canada
Easy drinking Pinot Noir is my favourite style of red wine presently and this one fits perfectly. Reasonable fruit flavours and a fresh lightness make it approachable while good length makes it fell more premium. There’s a bit more red cherry than anything else but it’s a very good wine to have in the garden on a summer’s day or in front of s fire watching TV.
NK’MIP cellars, Meritage, 2012, Okanagan, Canada
I’ve yet to have a bad bottle of Canadian wine and this Meritage blend from NK’MIP cellars in the Okanagan Valley iis no exception. This though is a fantastic red wine.
Theres not so much on the nose but the black and red fruit flavours are well represented. There’s leather, oak, blueberry undertones with a long length. It’s dry, bold and feels soft when you drink it but there’s good acidity to hold everything together.
At £70 a bottle it’s not cheap but this is quality wine.
Aldi, Henry of Pelham, The Falls, Riesling, Canada
Aldi sell some amazing wines and some terrible wines luckily this one made by Henry of Pelham is amazing especially for the price. The Falls, Riesling comes from the Niagara region in Canada. It’s very hard to get a bad bottle of Canadian wine in the UK but you normally have to spend 2 or 3 times the £7.99 the Aldi are charging for this wine.
It’s dry why with plenty of citrus fruit flavours with a slight kerosene undertone as you would expect from a new world Riesling but it’s fresh and credibly drinkable. This is the wine of the summer for me. THANK YOU Aldi for such a great wine.
NK MIP cellars, Red Meritage, 2016, Canada
I really do like a Canadian red wine, you never get a bad also that’s whats brilliant. This is made from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec which gives red fruit and vanilla notes on the nose and full blackberry and plum flavors with a bit of spice and dark chocolate. The tenants of the structure is good and with a long finish this went well with venison stew.
At £25 a bottle is not cheap, that is part of the Canadian wine issue, great wine but expensive.
Black Sage Vineyard, Viognier, 2017, Okanagan Valley, Canada
Canadian wine is generally excellent and a lot of the time exceptional, which this Viognier from Black Sage Vineyard in the Okanagan Valley, Canada is. This us a dry, crisp wine. The aromas are clean minerals, citrus and hints of peach these follow through into the taste with lime.
This is a clean wine that has subtle flavours that are delightful, playful and long enough for you to say ooohhh.
Mission Hill in the Okanagan Valley, Canada is a premium winery by any standard and this Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a classy wine. Its not a full on, ball breaking Cab Sauv though.
At 9 years old this has aged well, the aromas and flavours a restrained, more than subtle, like a rock climber scaling a cliff face and each hand or foot exactly where it should be. There’s pepper, herbal, blackcurrant and an underlying smokey note on the nose and additional sour cherry, plum and black olive with hints of an earthy undertone. Its a mid bodied wine, pretty smooth but with tannins in there and very dry. Its best drunk now as I can see the flavours and aromas weaken over time.
At £15 a bottle its good value
Mission Hill, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2011, Okanagan Valley, Canada
Burrowing Owl in the Okanagan Valley have a reputation of excellent wines and this Cab Franc underlines this.
Like many Cab Francs is dry, fairly acidic with a decent hit of tannins and a little jammy in taste.
This is a bold wine with aromas and flavours of blackberry, black cherry, plums and chocolate undernotes. Spice, tobacco, oak and earthy flavours make this an interesting wine, very good on its own, possibly excellent with food, esp lamb kebabs and BBQ ribs.
As with most canadian wines its not cheap at approx £30 a bottle.
Burrowing Owl, Cabernet Franc, 2012, Okanagan Valley, Canada
Sumac Estate is east of Vancouver in British Columbia an area that does some excellent wine. This won’t let the side down but don’t expect trophy winning wine.
Aromas of green apple and a hint of lime are followed through with tastes of grass, lemon, stone fruit and a slight creaminess on the finish. Its light and crisp with high acidity and perfectly paired with shell fish. A little grassy and acidic for me but I can appreciate the work thats gone into making this wine. A bronze medal winner at the IWSC its a very good wine.
Sumac Ridge Estate, Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc, 2018, British Columbia, Canada
Rich in colour and aroma. The texture is heavy, thick but works with the richness that is first apparent on the first smell. Aroma and flavours of ripe citrus and oak overtones make this quite heavy in comparison to most commercial Chardonnays out there. That said it’s perfect with a roast turkey and all the trimmings.
At £35 a bottle it’s not cheap, is it worth it? Maybe but I think it’s worth trying and making your own mind up.
Quails Gate, Chardonnay 2013, Okanagan valley, Canada