Canadian Wine: The Basics

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The neighbor to the north, as it is known in the USA, is most often viewed as the land of hockey, beer, snow, Bob & Doug MacKenzie, and a laundry list of semi-forgivable pop stars. Not as well recognized is the fact that Canada’s wine industry is on a fast paced ascension. Nearly all of Canada’s provinces have made great strides in wine quality and production and it’s much more than Icewines, although these are clearly the nation’s great wine success to date. Canada’s wine scene is but an infant in many ways having planted it’s first Vinifera vines (for commercial purposes) in the 1970s while continuing to rely on native and hybrid varieties suited for cool climates. Further, the government monopoly of alcohol sales does little to help promote the native wine industry. 1988 was a crucial year ushering in the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA), which set quality and production standards as well as promoting a new spirit of cooperation among producers. The 1990s witnessed continued growth with the number wineries growing from about 30 to over 100 at decade’s end. Today Canadian wineries are producing some tremendous wines that sadly rarely manage to catch the eye of their neighbor to the south. The time may be right for your Canadian wine discovery.