Top 100 wines of Canada - Page 3

Discover the top 100 best wines of Canada as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the wines that are popular of Canada and the best vintages to taste in this region.

Discovering the wine region of Canada

Canada - the world's second-largest country by area - is far from the most obvious of wine-producing nations, yet its vineyards are capable of producing both quality and quantity. Powerful Cabernets and AromaticDryGrape/riesling">Rieslings play an important role in the country's wine portfolio, but the deliciously Sweet Icewine (mostly white, but also red) is unquestionably the quintessential Canadian wine style. Making the most of their consistently cold winter temperatures, Canadian wine producers have become world leaders in ice wine production. The Canadian wine industry is primarily based in four provinces: Ontario and British Columbia, which are responsible for 98% of quality wine production, and Quebec and Nova Scotia, which are emerging wine regions with a small but loyal local following.

Despite Canada's geographic vastness, its annual wine production is only 2% of that of the United States. Some of Canada's wine regions experience hot, sometimes humid summers and extremely cold winters. All of Canada's major wine-producing regions are close to Climate-modifying water sources that are essential to the survival of the vines in frosty weather. The Niagara Peninsula, on the southern shores of Lake Ontario, is perhaps Canada's most famous wine region, although the dry, near-desert Okanagan Valley in British Columbia has tried to make its mark in recent decades.

Flanked by the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic oceans, and with more coastline than any other country in the world, Canada's climate and landscape are heavily influenced by water. This is not only true for the coastal areas, as the interior of the country is home to many lakes of varying sizes. The Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) is a regulatory Body that represents a designation-based approach to Canadian wine. Membership in the VQA allows winemakers to use the VQA logo on their wines, which provides a degree of quality assurance to potential consumers.

Discover the grape variety: Gamay noir

Gamay is a Burgundian grape variety that has existed since the 14th century. For fear of competition with the pinot noir of Burgundy, gamay was finally uprooted and planted in the Beaujolais region, from Mâcon to Lyon. These siliceous and granitic soils suit it perfectly, and it gives its best here. But it is also planted all over France, such as in Lorraine, in the Loire Valley, in Bugey, in Savoie and in Auvergne. Gamay is early and very productive and needs to be limited so that quality prevails over quantity. Short winter pruning of the shoots and high density of vines per hectare are the methods that allow it to produce very fruity, fresh and greedy red wines. Gamay is also very popular in red wine futures, and produces wines from the Beaujolais region with very interesting character and ageing potential. The AOCs Crémant-de-Bourgogne, Mâcon, Anjou, Touraine, Rosé de vallée de la Loire, Côtes-d'Auvergne, Saint-Pourçain, Bugey, Gaillac, Côtes du Luberon... and many vins de pays are proud of it. Today, about 36,000 hectares of Gamay are cultivated in France, including 22,000 hectares in Beaujolais.

Food and wine pairing with a wine of Canada

wines from the region of Canada go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of korean bibimbap, lamb shoulder cooked for 5 hours or rabbit in foil.

Organoleptic analysis of wine of Canada

On the nose in the region of Canada often reveals types of flavors of pineapple, slate or red cherry and sometimes also flavors of licorice, coffee or strawberries. In the mouth in the region of Canada is a powerful with a nice freshness.