Canada Day 2018

Tomorrow is Canada Day and each year I do a wine blog highlighting Canadian wines. Every year, in my opinion, the selection and quality if wine coming from Canada just gets better and better. Here is a prime example.

The See Ya Later Ranch Red Blend out of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia was almost my wine of the week. This is a blend in every sense of the word, Comprised of 30% Shiraz, 24% Zinfandel, 18% Petit Verdot, 16% Tempranillo, and 12% Merlot. This is a flavorful wine and if you’re planning a visit, the vineyard is also extremely dog friendly. The original owner, Major Hugh Fraser, was not only a dog lover, one of the charities he was very passionate about was the SPCA. He was also very passionate about wine and started planting grapes on this plot of land in the Okanagan Valley in 1920. If you’re planning to start the barbecue this weekend, and let’s face it, who isn’t, this is the wine that will go with everything you’re serving this long weekend. I highly recommend it!

Apparently a humid mass is supposed to hover over Nova Scotia this long weekend, and temperatures could hit +36-degrees. That’s hot for here. A great way to beat the heat, in my opinion, is rose wine, and this one from local producer Benjamin Bridge is a winner! Cabernet Franc is an elegant red wine, so it comes as no surprise it makes a fantastic rose wine. The 2016 vintage of this wine also represents Benjamin Bridge’s first step toward’s its conversion to organic viticulture. Beautiful flavors of strawberry and oranges, this is a perfect patio wine, and is also extremely food friendly.

And now for my wine of the week….

The reason this particular wine nosed out the See Ya Later Blend as the wine of the week was price point. From Mission Hill Vineyards in British Columbia, half the grapes from this wine comes from the Osoyoos region and the other half from Oliver BC. But the Estate Series Cabernet Merlot from Mission Hill represents the finest grapes from the region and this Vineyard. The name might suggest it only contains Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, however, it also contains small amounts of Petite Verdot and Cabernet Franc. These 4 grapes make for a spectacular wine, and this wine sells for under $20. It’s a Bordeaux style blend and Mission Hill has done a wonderful job with this wine. Grilling a steak this Canada Day weekend? Try a bottle of this wine, you’ll love it.