The Benjamin Bridge Winery.
It’s almost Canada Day, or, as it might be called in 2018, the D-Day of our country’s trade war with Donald Trump’s America.
On July 1, federal tariffs on $16.6-billion worth of U.S. goods come into effect, part of a counterstrike against levies imposed by the United States on Canadian aluminum and steel. Most Americans won’t know or care, of course. But it would be a good day for the President’s supporters in the rust-belt states to ponder a wine-related lesson from Canada’s original trade deal with the U.S. in the late 1980s. Liberalized commerce can actually help a loser industry grow stronger, providing there’s the humility, smarts and resolve to compete.
Older Canadians may recall that prior to the original bilateral deal three decades ago our domestic wine industry was a joke. Its invariable punchline: “Baby Duck.” Then the spectre of oceans of cheap California wine flowing northward prompted many growers in Ontario and British Columbia to accelerate the uprooting of wild, native vines responsible for our 1970s pop-wine plonk.
Vintners, who had already been experimenting with better vine material thanks to such pioneers as Château des Charmes founder Paul Bosc, doubled down on their commitment to replant with noble European varieties, such as chardonnay, pinot noir and merlot, the stuff that helped make California great and had long been considered too dainty for our frigid climate. Then the unthinkable happened. Canadian wine drastically improved, even winning top international awards. A new premium market, if mostly domestic, was born.
In related news, there’s a moral to this story for British Columbia, now facing international outcries at the World Trade Organization for giving preferential access to B.C. wines in grocery stores. For one thing, Canadian consumers deserve choice, plain and simple. As for the B.C. industry specifically, protectionist barriers are not the way forward for quality. They’re a recipe for Baby Duck mediocrity.
So, happy July 1. I’ll be raising a glass of good domestic wine. And I think you’ll find that most of today’s premium selections would compete favourably against similarly styled California wines at the same price.
Benjamin Bridge Nova 7.
Benjamin Bridge Nova 7 2016, Nova Scotia
SCORE: 93 PRICE: $24.95
This is Nova Scotia’s medium-sweet analogue to Italy’s crackling and marvellously floral Moscato Asti. Lemon-lime soda with ginger, poured over an orchard-fruit cocktail. Just 6.5-per-cent alcohol. They should have called it Supernova. The 2016 vintage is currently available in Ontario at the above price. The 2017 is for sale now direct from the winery at $24.95 through benjaminbridge.com.
Culmina Hypothesis 2013, British Columbia
SCORE: 93 PRICE: $47.95
The new icon wine of Canadian pioneer vintner Don Triggs and his wife, Elaine. Merlot, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon welded together into a solid, elegant and refined structure. California-style ripeness with Bordeaux-style finesse. Could continue to mature gracefully for 15 years. Available in Ontario at the above price, $46 direct from the winery through culmina.ca.
La Stella Fortissimo 2016, British Columbia
SCORE: 93 PRICE: $29.99
Full and intense, a super-Tuscan-inspired blend of mostly merlot with cabernet sauvignon, sangiovese and cabernet franc. Impressive tension between succulent dark-berry fruit and bracing, salty tang, with cigar box and cedar joining the show. Matured in French and Slavonian oak. A big red with high energy, perfect for roast leg of lamb. Available direct through lastella.ca.
Bartier Bros. Syrah 2016, British Columbia
SCORE: 92 PRICE: $30.34
Real syrah, genuflecting in the direction of France’s Rhône Valley. Velvety, with sweetly ripe plum, black pepper, licorice, autumnal underbrush and whispers of smoky bacon and leather. From veteran winemaker and hired-gun consultant Michael Bartier and his brother Don. Available direct through bartierbros.com or at select private stores in British Columbia.
Closson Chase Vineyard Chardonnay 2016, Ontario
SCORE: 92 PRICE: $29.95
Perfectly weighted, like good Meursault, with a generous mid-palate and fresh acidity. Tastes like grilled-pineapple salsa on buttered toast with a drizzle of caramel. Skilled winemaking. Available direct from the Prince Edward County winery at clossonchase.com.
Laughing Stock Viognier 2017, British Columbia
SCORE: 92 PRICE: $24.99
Luscious, concentrated and ripe, comparable to good (and much more expensive) Condrieu. Seville-orange marmalade with honey, fresh green melon and gingery spice. Delectable. Available direct through laughingstock.ca.
Tawse Quarry Road Pinot Noir 2015, Ontario
SCORE: 92 PRICE: $35.75
Light-medium-bodied yet with great depth of flavour. Crisp, vibrant and deftly oaked. Cherries, tangy cedar, sweet spices and an earthy-woodsy undercurrent. Burgundy comes to Beamsville in Niagara. Available at select LCBO stores in Ontario.
Haywire Vintage Bub 2013, British Columbia
SCORE: 91 PRICE: $34.90
Equal parts pinot noir and chardonnay. Wonderful yeasty depth and notes of apple, honey, hazelnut and candied citrus. Age has been kind to this old Bub. Available direct through okanagancrushpad.com.
Domaine Queylus Tradition Pinot Noir 2014, Ontario
SCORE: 91 PRICE: $29.95
Lovely textural arc: fleshy in the middle, then gently and pleasantly dusty and crisp around the edges. Plums, berries and earth, with well-integrated, ripe tannins. From Niagara’s noted “flying winemaker” Thomas Bachelder. Available in select Ontario LCBO stores.
Black Hills Tempranillo 2016, British Columbia
SCORE: 91 PRICE: $59.90
Yes, there is such a thing as tempranillo outside Spain and Portugal. Behold this fine example. So jammy and ripe it’s almost sticky in the middle, yet with a tangy, spiced-oak character for balance. Like a Rioja gran reserva on overdrive. Expensive, yes. And it’s scarce, too; available only through the estate’s wine club and “Wine Experience Centre,” blackhillswinery.com.
Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Cabernet Merlot 2012, Ontario
SCORE: 91 PRICE: $39.95
Attractively evolved, with fruit moving to the dried side of the spectrum, plus lovely underbrush and tobacco. Smooth over all, but with satisfyingly chalky tannins that make a beeline for the bottom of the tongue. Available in Ontario Vintages stores and direct through henryofpelham.com.
Le Vieux Pin Petit Blanc 2017, British Columbia
SCORE: 90 PRICE: $18.99
A wine of many grapes, including but not limited to sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, viognier, chardonnay, muscat and marsanne. And a fine minestrone this is: light, crisp and flinty, chiselled with fresh acidity. Just 12.2-per-cent alcohol. Perfect for oysters, salad courses, even grilled shellfish, trout or halibut. Available direct through levieuxpin.ca.
Winemaker’s Cut Sauvignon Blanc 2017, British Columbia
SCORE: 90 PRICE: $25
Rich and oily, closer to weighty California than green New Zealand or the whispering Loire Valley. Abundant tropical fruit and citrus notes. A sauvignon that’s more about trees than grass. Just 180 cases produced. Available direct from a small Okanagan estate that also makes a fine syrah, winemakerscut.ca.
Clos du Soleil Capella 2016, British Columbia
SCORE: 90 PRICE: $27.90
From the Similkameen Valley, west of the Okanagan and just over the border from Washington State. A Bordeaux-blanc blend of sauvignon blanc and sémillon showing sweet peach, passionfruit and lemon-candy flavours over juicy acidity. Good density thanks in part to barrel aging. Available direct through closdusoleil.ca.
Malivoire Guilty Men Red 2016, Ontario
SCORE: 88 PRICE: $15.95
A hearty, medium-bodied red with impressive depth and complexity for the money. Like sturdy Bordeaux colliding with cheerful Beaujolais: merlot, gamay, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. Grillmeisters, your burger wine has arrived. Available in Ontario.
Rocky Creek Pinot Gris 2017, British Columbia
SCORE: 88 PRICE: $20
From Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley. This tilts toward the trendy “orange-wine” spectrum, a white wine fermented in contact with grey-tinted pinot gris skins for a fetching, light-peachy-pink hue. Bone-dry, clean and minerally, it hints at crisp peaches and pears topped with lemon zest and stone dust. Just 11-per-cent alcohol. Good match for delicate seafood. Available direct through rockycreekwinery.ca.