By  the hair of my chinny chin chin 

When opening a bottle of wine one does not expect to be hit on the chin by the bottle top. However it did happen to me.. Lucky it was a Stelvin top.  It was the sound of the pop "bang" that startled me far more the  hit to the chin.

Stelvin, the original wine closure, developed more than 60 years ago. It is a packaging concept which combines a screw cap, specific glass finish, (BVS), head-space and capping conditions, and sophisticated liners tailored made for the wine. They are often referred to as screw caps.

Stelvin is a brand name so other companies will also make this type of closure for wine bottles as well.

Key benefits- Tightness guaranteed when compliant with capping specifications.

The fact that the top exploded off the bottle hitting my chin was not the fault of the screw cap. It was the fault of the wine. Pressure had built up inside of the bottle. 

When one runs a website named Wines of Canada many people have mistaken my personal website as an official representative of the Canadian wine industry and sent me their consumer complaints. Recently screw caps been too tight has been one of then.

Other benefits of switching over to Stelvin closures, but not the main reason, is the fact that Stelvin closures are much better at preserving the qualities, bouquet and fragrances of the wine. Stelvin closures also help ensure that every bottle in a case is just like every other bottle. Some corks let in more or less oxygen and the variability between each bottle in a case can be tremendous. For Sandra, consistency in each bottle was extremely important. The easy opening and resealing of the Stelvin closures and the fact that a bottle of wine can be stored in any position were other benefits of the switch as well. 

 Bananas and Wine

Okay! What comes to mind when I say " Bananas and Wine? Are you thinking Banana Wine? Banana Bread? or just a banana and a glass of Wine. All three are quite possible and in fact make a great combination.

Banana wine is not that common. I cannot think of a commercial producer of this wine.

Banana wine is a sweet-smelling homemade beverage that comes with a very unique taste, a light fruit flavour, its colour similar to honey. The wine can be made sweet or dry. It is not that easy to make either.

Banana wine comes with a number of healthy benefits. It can reduce blood pressure, reduce the risk of stroke, depression, anemia, stress and heartburn. Wow so Why does no one produce it??

Rubisi, a traditional banana wine, was made in Tanazania over 300 years ago.

It is actually produced in Africa. Along with Tanazania, Malawi  and Rawanda produce Banana Wine.

Panama City Beach  Winery and Florida Orange Grove Inc  in Florida produces a banana wine.

Now, Banana bread is very common, many people bake it in their homes and can be found in almost all grocery stores. The bread is usually sweet. A good Chardonnay is recommened. I also like a Ortega.

Can you peel back a banana and have wine! You sure can.  One suggest I heard was to have dessert wines, such as a late harvest. Even a botrytis. Another suggestion was a blueberry wine.

 

 Happy New Year!

2021 is behind us, thank goodness. It had some very difficult times and yet some very good memories were created all so! We were forced to stay indoors and close to home for most of the year.

Been home gave me a great deal of time to concentrate on three main project,

The Best Wineries to Visit in 2022

The Wineries to Watch for in 2022

The Best Wines of 2021

The task get more difficult every year. There are more wineries. The wineries keep improving! The wines just get better and better! Narrowing  them down   is very challenging.

We were of course restrict to limited travel. Or selections from provinces out side of British Columbia required a great deal of research and assistance from friends across the country. I listened, I read I did the research. Are the results perfect, No! It is simply one man's insight to Canada's amazing wine industry. Even now I can think of wineries who I should have added. 

As for the Best Wines of 2021 I can only talk about the wines we drank. I never rely on on a tasting session at a winery or wine event to make my selections. The minimum requirement is a full glass  enjoyed in  a relaxed setting. The majority of the wines are selected  with more than two opinions.

You are welcome to send me your thoughts winebob49@gmail.com

I hope you have a safe, healthy and prosperous 2022 and of course drink many many good Canadian wines!

 Best Wineries to Visit in 2022

We have to take this opportunity to brag about the website winesofcanada.com. It represents a great deal of hard work and dedication. So far in 2021 the most popular page has been The Best Wineries to visit in 2021. It was a little unexpected as the number one page since it was first posted in 2015 has been The Wineries to Watch .

The new page release today has taking four month of research to complete and it most likely will not please everyone. With well over 1000 meaderies, Cider Houses and Wineries in Canada someone who deserves to be on the page will be left out. Some wineries were omitted because they did not respond to information request.

This year (2022) the list of wineries to visit is bigger than ever! In less than two hours of been uploaded it has received over one hundred hits from 7 different countries.

The wines of Canada website started in 1992. It has been a good thirty years. We have tasted some very good wines over the years. 

In recent years the cider industry has taken off. We tip our hat to those producers and also to the meaderies. 

As the year draws to a close we wish everyone a safe, healthy and Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays everyone!

The Best Wineries to Visit in 2022

 

 Home Cooking !

Barbara and I just returned home from a four day stint  of pet sitting in Tsawwassen. The best and most enjoyable part, was the two invites to our friends home for dinner.  Thankfully our friends always enjoy a glass or two of fine Canadian wine.

On our first night in Tsawwassen we were invited to join June and Peter on a Thursday evening. Thursday is important because that is Peter's night to prepare diner. On this Thursday Peter was preparing his special Baked Beans. If Peter was to can these beans he would put Libby's beans out of business. They are that good! 

The wine, for red, was Ink Red Rebel. A nice red blend offering black and red fruit flavours. I, myself chose the Ink Pinot Grigio. The Pinot Grigio was refreshing, light, with nice fruit flavours.

It was a pretty amazing meal. Thank you June and Peter.

The following evening once again we met up with June and Peter this time at the home of Jane and Ken. We started mid afternoon playing Ramoli. My five amazing friends are all red drinker. Where as I prefer to enjoy a fine white wine. 

Once seated at the card table Ken present me with a glass of white wine. Upon my first sniff of the wine I had a pretty good idea of what the wine was. My first sip confirmed my assumption. A Bacchus from Chaberton Estate Winery. Bacchus is one of my favourite wines.

Once Barbara and I had defeated (lol) everyone at Ramoli it was time for diner. A Beef Bourguignon to die for. It was amazing. The wine a Cabernet Franc 2019 from Church & State Winery. The perfect wine for a perfect diner.

Barbara and I consider ourselves to be so very lucky to have such very good friends. Friends who enjoy the fruits of Canada's wine industry as much as we do and are excellent chefs too!

 Rosé 

wines, often referred to as blush wines or written rosé , are wines typically made with red grapes but that have a much lighter color than red wine due to the way the wine is made

Rosé versus Blush 

Many people use the two terms interchangeably, but there actually is a slight difference. Any wine called a rosé is made from juice left in contact with the skins for an hour or so. Rosés are never a blend of red and white wine, while blush wines may be made using either method. Therefore, all rosé wines are blushes, but not all blushes are rosés. 

Rosé is a term describing the French technique for making wines ranging in color from grayish pink to very dark pink. In recent years, the trend has been to use the term rosé instead of blush. While the results may be similar, wines labeled as blush wines tend to be more mass-market wines made in large lots as opposed to the carefully crafted small batches of rosé. 

Some good producers are

Lunessence Winery & Vineyard, BC

Hillside Winery  BC      

Monte Creek Ranch Winery         BC    

Corcelettes Estate Winery            BC         

Dover13 Wines & Spirits Ltd.       ON  

Two Sisters Vineyards    ON        

Byland Estate Winery     ON         

Diamond Estate Wines   ON          

The best wines to match with Rosé are Chicken and Salmon. Another good match would be Duck.

Traditional Portuguese Rose with a touch of sweetness go well with salads.

Zinfandals on the lighter side go with spicy food and maybe even dessert.

For a Sparkling Rosé bring out the lobster.