Last Summer Wine writer and blogger Natalie Maclean launched the Great Canadian Wine Match. Great Canadian wines featured across the country. I was thrilled to be asked to participate and even more thrilled to learn my nomination won in the chicken category. It was Clos Jordanne Le Grand Clos Chardonnay. It is one of my ultimate treat wines and one of my favorite chicken wines.
If you haven’t seen the video with the 3-way conversation with myself, Natalie Maclean and winemaker Sebastian Jacquey. Here it is
Wine, Happiness, Chicken & Sommelier’s in Training
Recently, Natalie has launched the BBQ Edition of the Great Canadian Wine Match, featuring wines under $25. You can vote for your favorite wines here.
Great Canadian Wine Match BBQ Edition
Now I pride myself on being a bit of a Grilling Queen, and have called myself the Grilling Queen of both Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. I BBQ on average 4 times per week. I love it. I have a beautiful patio that over looks the water, and I am there with my glass of wine in hand, some great tunes, and great food.
So I wanted to take this opportunity to encourage you to vote, and to share a little information on the wines I have nominated.
I love a Chardonnay with chicken, but I also love Pinot Noir. And because we had to keep it under $25, this summer for chicken I nominated Le Clos Village Reserve Pinot Noir. I just love how Sebastian Jacquey makes wine, and Pinot Noir is so food friendly, it goes with everything, especially chicken. It reminds me of a beautiful expression of a Burgundian Pinot Noir with its subtle fruit and spicy flavors. Please go on and vote for this wine now.
Here’s the wine I have nominated for best BBQ pork. I love a good Merlot with BBQ pork, whether it’s a stuffed pork tenderloin or chops on the grill. Gorgeous flavors of rich dark fruit, chocolate and spice. A very sophisticated Merlot. I am in love with Merlot wines from the Okanogan region of British Columbia. They are making some very fine Merlot wines. I didn’t nominate a wine for beef because one of my favorites was already taken. It is the Burrowing Owl Cabernet Sauvignon. I still have one left in my wine rack, as we have to bring the wine in from BC. It’s very good, and nominated by Jim Coady out of P.E.I., so go on and vote for that one as well.
I’m leading in this category for the region, so get on and vote now! LOL In the category of vegetables, I nominated the Gaspereau Vineyards Riesling from right here in Nova Scotia. This is a darling of a wine, with gorgeous vibrant flavors. The lime, citrus and green apple flavors come alive in the glass and make it a perfect counterpart for vegetables. This is also one of my favorites to go with Indian and Asian cuisine. There’s also another beauty nominated, that if I don’t wine the category, I hope the Nova 7, also from Nova Scotia wins. I love this effervescent beauty. The flavors of orange zest and honeysuckle make it perfect for summer time patios as well.
Now my family and friends are going to surprised if they go on to vote, to see me nominate a wine for fish. I am allergic and can’t eat fish. However, in my training to become a Sommelier, we spend a lot of time on food pairings. Recently I had a wine tasting with winemaker Howard Soon from Sandhill, and I got to try this Viognier. I love a Viognier with roast turkey as well, but this would go well with the oily fishes too. Honeyed peach and crisp grapefruit flavors have this beautiful Viognier wine come to life. Another wine is in the lead for the Atlantic region, and that is the Luckett Vineyards Ortega, also out of Nova Scotia. I have a bottle of this wine in my wine rack, but haven’t had the opportunity to try it yet. Adam Bower out of Nova Scotia nominated the wine, and I’m sure this man knows a thing or two about seafood.
I couldn’t nominate one of my favorite Canadian dessert wines in the category, because it’s over $25. But so worth it. It is the Borealis Ice Wine from Benjamin Bridge, and it is heaven in a glass. Rich flavors of honey and sweet apricot make this the perfect after meal dessert all on its own, or the perfect accompaniment with your favorite dessert. Personally, I like this wine as the dessert. No chocolate necessary. Because I couldn’t nominate Borealis, I have been voting for its sister. Nova 7. The perfect balance of sweetness and acidity will make it a winner in this category I’m sure.
So once again, here’s the link
Great Canadian Wine Match BBQ Edition
You can vote in each category once a day, and its fun and interesting to see the different wines. This is a fun wine match, so please, I encourage all of you to participate.
Take care and till next week, Cheers
Darlene
Wine-It’s Just My Opinion 
