The calendar is in our favour this year as Canada’s 149th birthday fell on Friday, giving us three days to reflect on our home and native land.
What better way to mark the national birthday than with some outstanding Canadian wines. While a small international player when it comes to exports, Canada’s wines have built a reputation for quality.
And that goes beyond icewine, our most famous export if not exactly a huge domestic seller. British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, our largest nearby wine region, has enjoyed a recent string of warm growing seasons including 2015, which resulted in a record early harvest.
And if 2015 was fast-paced, 2016 started with the intensity of sprinter Usain Bolt, or, since it’s Canada Day weekend, Donovan Bailey. At one point this spring the grapevines were progressing about two weeks ahead of last year’s record pace.
A few cooler weeks in May slowed things down a bit, which isn’t a bad thing. While getting perfectly ripe fruit can sometimes be a challenge in the Okanagan Valley, winemakers also don’t want the grapes to ripen too quickly. The ideal situation is a long, slow, warm vintage, giving the grapes lots of time to develop flavours to go along with the sugar that sometimes forms too quickly during prolonged spells of hot weather.
Slow and steady does indeed win the race. So as another vintage journeys along, and the national patriotism flows, raise a glass to our winemakers who put a taste of Canada into every glass.
Hillside Winery
2015
Unoaked Pinot Gris
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
One of the leading wineries on the Naramata Bench, north of Penticton, Hillside got its start in the mid-1980s when Bohumir and Vera Klokocka bought the property.
The couple, who had emigrated from Czechoslovakia, pulled up the existing apricot trees on the 1.4-hectare property overlooking Okanagan Lake and replaced them with vineyards. Now owned by an investor group overseen by president Duncan McCowan, Hillside also boasts a bistro and wine tasting centre.
Longtime winemaker Kathy Malone, who came to the Okanagan Valley from Vermont 30 years ago, is focusing on expressing the individual terroirs of the estate vineyards.
This lively and refreshing bottle, slightly salmon-pink in colour, brims with just-picked stone fruit flavours; perfect for the patio. Look for flavours of white peach, apricot, watermelon, plus orange blossom and pear.
Price: About $23. Seek it out at Co-op Wines Spirits Beer, Crowfoot Wine and Spirits, Liquor Lane, Point McKay Wine Store, Sobeys Liquor, Willow Park Wines and Spirits.
Drink: Now, try it with white-fleshed fish such as pickerel, pike or tilapia, cheesecake or on its own. Screw Cap; 14.2 per cent alc./vol.
Hillside 2015 Un-oaked Pinot Gris.
Covert Farms Family Estate
2013
Amicitia red
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
The folks at Covert Farms have been farming near Oliver in the Okanagan Valley since 1959 when George and Winnifred Covert moved to Canada from California.
The family focused on producing a variety of vegetables and fruits, including grapes, for decades. Then in 2005, grandson Gene Covert and his wife Shelly decided to go beyond just growing grapes. They joined forces with Kirby and Crystal Froese and started their own winery — Dunham and Froese Estate Winery.
In 2012, the Coverts bought out the Froese’s share and renamed the winery. The spot is a hub of activity featuring everything from tastings to elaborate farm tours where guests travel the 263-hectare property in a bright red, 1952 Mercury one-ton truck.
The experiences are considered so authentic that Destination Canada, a federal tourism agency, awarded Covert Farms designation as offering a Canadian Signature Experience. The farm was also included in an episode of the travel adventure program Amazing Race Canada in 2015.
As for the wine, the Amicitia, which is Latin for friendship, is a medium-full bodied blend of Merlot (41 per cent), Cabernet Franc (21 per cent), Cabernet Sauvignon (17 per cent), plus splashes of Malbec, Petit Verdot, Syrah and Pinot Noir. Look for flavours of plum, blackberry, tobacco, vanilla, black licorice and earth.
Price: About $32. Check for it at Co-op Wines Spirits Beer, Safeway Wine and Spirits, Sobeys Liquor and Willow Park Wines and Spirits.
Drink: In the next couple of years. Try it with grilled meats or a hard cheese such as a Manchego. Screw Cap; 13.4 per cent alc./vol.
Covert Farms Family Estate 2013 Amicitia red.
Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars
2013
Reserve Chardonnay
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
This is a big year at Blue Mountain as the family-run winery marks its 25th anniversary.
Ian and Jane Mavety first planted vineyards on the picturesque property with drop-dead views in 1971 and they started the estate winery in 1991. A true family winery, son Matt now makes the wines and daughter Christie handles sales and marketing.
Relying solely on fruit from their Okanagan Falls vineyards, the Mavetys produce both stellar still and sparkling wines that are built to last. This Reserve Chardonnay is no exception. Burgundian in style, it delivers aromas and flavours of lemon, lime, tarragon, green apple and a bit of spice.
It’s medium-bodied with a bright core of refreshing acidity and a long finish.
Price: $32. It’s available in Calgary at J. Webb Wine Market and a selection of Alberta restaurants.
Drink: The Blue Mountain Chardonnays aged extremely well. Drink it now or age it for five or six years. Try it with roast chicken, oysters on the half shell or crab cakes. Cork; 13.5 per cent alc./vol.
2016 Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars 2013 Reserve Chardonnay.
Contact Darren Oleksyn at dm.oleksyn@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter: @doleksyn. Looking for a specific wine mentioned here? Because wine inventories are always in flux, it’s a good idea to call the store before you go.