The Changing Face of Canadian Wine
by Bill Ross
President of the Canadian Vintners Association
Do you remember over a decade ago when former Minister Joe Clark decreed that, where possible, Canadian wine be served at Departmental, Embassy and Canadian functions? It was a timewhen, while there were few good Canadian wineries and wines, they were as scarce as promotions and salary increases.
Well today it is a different story. DFAIT, it's staff and their spouses can choose from a broad range of superb, award-winning Canadian wines. Indeed, during our last posting (Bogotá, 1996-99), my wife and I served over 30 cases of Canadian wine, to the surprise and delight of our many Columbian, Canadian and diplomatic guests from throughout the world. These days thereis even greater choice with increased availability and transportation options.
The past two decades have seen significant changes in grape growing and winemaking techniques, increased plantings of European grape varieties, extensive new winery investments and the arrival of talented, enthusiastic winemakers from all over the world. The uprooting of North American grape varieties in the early 1990s and their replacement with European vitis vinifera varieties was a major turning point for the industry.
As a result, the Canadian wines of today are very different from those of the past and have been winning international accolades and prizes at major wine competitions throughout the world, including VinItaly, the International Wine and Spirits Competition in London and Vinexpo Bordeaux. Canada, similar to New Zealand, Germany and Champagne in France, is a cool climate wine-producing region. The majority of Canadian wine is made in the southern parts of Ontario and British Columbia, though small amounts of wineare also made in Quebec, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
The most commonly grown grapes for white wine are Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Vidal. For reds, popular varieties include Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Gamay, Baco Noir and Pinot Noir, with small but increasing plantings of Shiraz. In addition to an assortment of table wines, Canada is also renowned for its world-famous Icewines. Icewine is typically made from the Vidal and Riesling grape, although winemakers have now started making this luscious dessert wine from such varieties as Cabernet Franc, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Grigio and even Chardonnay. The wine is intensely concentrated as the grapes are left on the vines until a sustained drop in temperature to at least -8 Celsius is reached, at which point they are harvested and crushed while still frozen.
Icewines are wonderful sipped on their own after a meal, or make an ideal accompaniment to fruit-based desserts or strong soft cheeses, especially Blue cheese. Canada's wine appellation system, the Vintners Quality Alliance or VQA, is similar to France's AOC, Italy's DOC and Germany's QmP. It regulates and guarantees quality production, content, varietal percentage, appellation and vintage, and like the European systems, comprises an extensive range of wines. There are seven Designated Viticultural Areas (DVA) under the VQA system; the Fraser Valley, Okanagan Valley, Similkameen Valley and Vancouver Island in British Columbia; and Lake Erie North Shore, Niagara Peninsula and Pelee Island in Ontario.
Canada's national wine industry association is the Canadian Vintners Association (CVA) whose members include vintners from Ontario and British Columbia whose production accounts for over 90% of wine production and exports, as well as the Wine Council of Ontario, the British Columbia Wine Institute and the Nova Scotia Winemakers Association. For more information on Canadian wine and the CVA, contact our Ottawa office at 613-782-2283 or info@canadianvintners.com . You can also find more information on our website at http://www.canadianvintners.com
I would encourage all DFAIT personnel going on assignment (or already abroad) to delight both their guests and themselves with Canadian wine. Sante
Bill Ross spent over 30 years with DFAIT and ITC, including 7 foreign assignments