Oleksyn: toast Canada's birthday with some homegrown wines this weekend

Rows of young grape vines growing in a Niagara Peninsula vineyard. Elena Eliseeva/Getty Images Photo by Elena Elisseeva /Getty Images/Hemera

Canada is a large country with a growing thirst for wine.

Figures from Statistics Canada show that the value of wine sales grew to $8 billion in 2020-21, an increase of 2.1 per cent after a 5.2 per cent jump in 2019-20.

While beer still dominates the market in all provinces except Quebec and British Columbia, foam sales have declined. In fact, in 2020-21 beer sales per person hit an all-time low since tracking alcohol sales began in 1949.

To whet your appetite for wine, why not toast Canada’s 155th anniversary this weekend with a bottle of homegrown wine? Here are some Canadian bottles to try.

poplar grove

2021

Pink

Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Overlooking Lake Okanagan on the Naramata Bank, Poplar Grove has a beautiful location with a very nice restaurant. This rosé would be a great option to enjoy in the cellar over lunch while enjoying the view.

Dry and juicy, the rosé is a blend of 46 percent Malbec, 32 percent Merlot, 11 percent Cabernet Franc, and small amounts of Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The winemaking team has done a great job of limiting the sugar level despite a hot start to the summer that included the late June heat dome.

Look for flavors of watermelon, apricot, cherry, thyme, pear, white flower, and strawberry in this medium pink sip with light brassy undertones. It has a slight touch of tannin as well. It reminds me a bit of Tavel, the robust rosé from the Rhône Valley in France.

Price: About $26. It has been sold at Aspen Wine and Spirits, Co-op Wines Spirits Beer, Crowfoot Wine and Spirits, Market Wines, Richmond Hill Wines, Rocky Mountain Wine and Spirits, Wine and Beyond in Sage Hill and Deerfoot City, and Willow Park Wines & Spirits.

To drink: Now. Try it on pizza, grilled skewers, or a light curry. Screwcap; 12.9 percent alc./vol.

Mount Creek Winery

2020

Living Earth Chardonnay

British Columbia

Perched above the South Thompson River and the Trans-Canada Highway, 30 kilometers east of Kamloops, BC, Monte Creek Winery’s sleek, modern architecture casts an impressive shadow.

General manager Erik Fisher said during a tour this spring that the winery, which recently underwent a major rebranding, is focused on quality wines, innovative winemaking and sustainability.

With an eye on quality, they brought in legendary Chilean soil scientist and winery consultant Pedro Parra to inspect their newest vineyards in the southern Similkameen Valley. After digging 30 holes, they found five different types of soil. They then established vineyard plantations to capitalize on soil types.

Fisher considers the Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling to be Monte Creek’s calling card, as they have plantings at the North Estate Vineyard and in Similkameen.

With 25 percent of the fruit in this particular fermented chardonnay, it strikes a beautiful balance of texture, oak, and acidity. Look for creamy, nutty notes, with flavors of apricot, lime, mandarin orange, and Granny Smith apple. It is alive and balanced.

Price: About $26. Look for it at Liquor Emporium, Safeway Liquor, Wine and Beyond on Signal Hill, and Willow Park Wines & Spirits.

To drink: In the next five years. Enjoy it with grilled chicken, creamy pasta or seafood. Screwcap; 12.9 percent alc./vol.

Red rooster

2020

Pinot Gray

Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Another Naramata winery, Red Rooster Winery has been producing wines since 1997.

Winemaker Elaine Vickers, who has been in charge of wines since 2019, began her career as a cancer researcher with a master’s degree in molecular biology. However, she fell in love with the world of wine and changed course, completing a degree in oenology from the University of Adelaide in Australia.

Vickers has introduced some new winemaking practices at Red Rooster, including working with natural yeasts, using natural fermentation practices like carbonic maceration, and fermenting and aging some wines in concrete tanks. She is also experimenting with adding some sweet unfermented grape juice, sometimes called süssreserve, to this Pinot Gris before bottling to naturally elevate the sweetness.

The 2020 Pinot Gris features attractive floral and fruity aromas, with a pleasant richness on the dry, textured palate featuring flavors of pear, orange and apple. A very nice Alsatian-style Pinot Gris.

Price: About $27. Check it out at Co-op Wines Spirits Beer, Safeway and Sobeys Liquor, Wine & Beyond and Willow Park Wines & Spirits.

To drink: Now. Try it with white meat fish such as sole, pike perch or tilapia, a creamy dessert or a fruit salad. Screwcap; 13.5 percent alc./vol.

Malivoire Wine Company

2020

Gamay Farm

Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

Canada’s reigning winery of the year, according to the Wine Align National Wine Awards, Malivoire Wine Company focuses on producing wines with minimal unnatural disturbance to the land.

The winery, owned by former film industry special effects director Martin Malivoire, focuses on sustainable and organic practices. Winemaker Shiraz Mottiar, a member of the first class of Brock University’s cold climate viticulture and enology program in 2000, has been in charge of wines since 2005.

While he doesn’t make a shiraz, Mottiar does make some extraordinary wines including several different gamays, a red grape particularly suited to Canada’s climate. The Farmstead is Malivoire’s entry-level gamay, produced from grapes grown in the Four Mile Creek, Beamsville Bench and Twenty Mile Bench regions of the Niagara Peninsula.

Certified sustainable and suitable for vegans, this is a punchy gamay with herbal flavors of cherry, raspberry and strawberry, moderate tannins and a slightly bitter aftertaste.

Price: About $27. Look for it at 17th Ave. Liquor Boutique, Bin 905, Kensington Wine Market, The Cellar, and Vine Arts Wines and Spirits.

To drink: In the next four years. Pizza, beef, or duck would be great pairings. Screwcap; 12.5 percent alc./vol.

Contact Darren Oleksyn at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter either Instagram. Are you looking for a specific wine? Since wine inventories are always changing, it’s a good idea to call a store to confirm they have it. a search in Liquorconnect.com It can give you an idea of the stores that have carried the wines.