Exciting Canadian wines to try
Best known for its Icewine, Canada is steadily gaining international recognition for its dry wines too. Track down some of these Canadian wine recommendations, tasted by Decanter's tasting team...
Those in-the-know will not have been surprised to see Canada performing so well at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2018, spearheaded by a coveted Platinum Best in Show award for Thirty Bench’s Small Lot Cabernet Franc, from Beamsville Bench in Ontario.
See all Canadian wine medals at DWWA 2018
It was with this in mind that Decanter’s tasting team headed down to a wine showcase at the Canadian embassy in London.
Finding some of the wines recommended below may prove tricky to find if you live outside of Canada, but stockists in North America and UK have been included where possible.
This difficulty is partly down to the low production levels, but mostly because of the strict laws regulating Canadian wine sales which make it far more profitable for wineries to sell their wares at the cellar door – but this makes finding one of the gems below all the more rewarding.
Page updated with new recommendations on 30 July 2018. Originally published in July 2017.
Canadian Wine recommendations:
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From the archive: California Cabernet 2011 panel tasting results
Painted Rock, Red Icon, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada, 2015
Owner John Skinner, with the hands-on help of a Bordeaux viticulturist, has brought his vineyard to peak production quality in quick time, witnessed by this...
2015
Painted RockOkanagan Valley
Le Vieux Pin, Ava, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada, 2017
Languedoc-raised winemaker Severine Pinte has made a speciality of Rhône grapes at Le Vieux Pin, with resounding if discreet success. This 53% Viognier, 27% Roussanne,...
2017
Le Vieux PinOkanagan Valley
Stratus, Charles Baker Riesling, Niagara Peninsula, Vinemount Ridge, Ontario, Canada, 2012
Banks is a Riesling lover, and this is his personal project, supported by the team at Stratus where he makes more Bordeaux-style wines. This has...
2012
StratusNiagara Peninsula
Cave Spring Cellars, CSV Riesling, Niagara Peninsula, Beamsville Bench, Ontario, Canada, 2016
This fine Riesling comes from the two oldest blocks in the Cave Spring Vineyard in Beamsville Bench. The vines are aged 39 and 43 years,...
2016
Cave Spring CellarsNiagara Peninsula
Checkmate, Attack Chardonnay, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada, 2014
92
Describing itself as making 'New World Chardonnay and Merlot with Old World elegance', this winery is part of Anthony von Mandl's group of Okanagan estates which includes Mission Hill and Cedar Creek. All the wines have a chess link, and the Chardonnays at this stage are putting the Merlots in check. This cuvée spends 18 months in new French oak and produces just seven barrels. Lovely line and length with great integration of spicy wood notes, savoury, leafy apple fruit and lemon curd creaminess. Rich yet fresh, this should age well.
2014
CheckmateOkanagan Valley
Le Vieux Pin, Equinoxe Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada, 2014
This wine is inspired by the masters of the northern Rhône, and takes the route of a blend of sub-appellations rather than a single vineyard...
2014
Le Vieux PinOkanagan Valley
Foxtrot, The Waltz Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada, 2014
91
This is the little brother to the Estate Pinot Noir, with fruit sourced from three vineyards (the waltz is a dance done in triple time, linking nicely to the three vineyards and the Foxtrot name). A third of the fruit is whole-cluster fermented and then spends 20 months in oak barrels, 50% new. It has a touch of VA which adds complexity to the concentrated, vibrant cherry fruit. Delicious purity.
2014
FoxtrotOkanagan Valley
Seven Stones, Standing Rock Meritage, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia, Canada, 2011
91
George Hanson farms 8 hectares of vines in the beautiful Similkameen Valley, often overshadowed by neighbouring Okanagan. This is a blend of the two Cabernets and Merlot, planted in 2000, plus some Petit Verdot and Malbec planted in 2005. It's autumnal and savoury, with notes of cigar box, cedar and dried dark fruits. Showing some age already but it should improve.
2011
Seven StonesSimilkameen Valley
Vieni, Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada, 2016
Taut, restrained and appley, but aromatically fine-grained and appealing. Elegant, fresh, almost Riesling-esque here. Zesty, spritzy, clean, crunchy, crisp and cool - a character that...
2016
VieniNiagara Peninsula
Okanagan Crush Pad, Haywire Switchback Organic Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada, 2016
The Switchback Vineyard in Summerland has been organically farmed since 2011. This wine is made up of five parcels, fermented with wild yeasts and aged...
2016
Okanagan Crush PadOkanagan Valley
Martin's Lane, Simes Vineyard Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada, 2014
This Pinot is the second vintage from this quite new winery, using vines grown in the cooler northern part of Okanagan. It has some nice...
2014
Martin's LaneOkanagan Valley
Southbrook Vineyards, Skin Fermented Vidal, Ontario, Canada, 2017
Foot trodden Vidal grapes are fermented on their skins for around a week, and the resulting wine is is bottled on its lees. It's bone...
2017
Southbrook Vineyards
