"Making Wines is not what we do, it's who we are!"

Château des Charmes was founded in 1978 by Paul Bosc, a fifth-generation French winegrower. Paul and his young family arrived in Niagara in the 1960’s with the idea that growing our own grapes was the best way to make fine wine.

Paul Bosc was born in Algeria under French rule. When Algeria was granted independence from France the new regime took everything. Paul and his wife Andree owned their home, their winery, their land, they came to Canada. Paul working for the liquor board in Quebec noticed a yeast problem with Château-Gia wine. He contacted the company spoke to the Vice-President who granted him an interview with Alexander Sampson who hired him. Paul helped develop Alpenweiss, a very successful product. 

Paul Bosca winemaker at Château-Gai began experimenting with Viniferas in 1962. He was the man in the TV ads for Chateau Gai promoting Marcécal Foch. He would later leave to form his own winery based on Vinifera called Château des Charmes. He was given the Order of Canada in 2005 for his work in developing Canadian wines. He has also been the recipient of many honours including a doctorate from Brock University, The Order of Ontario, The Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals, the inaugural Canadian Vintners Association Award of Distinction and The Order of Canada; all for his significant contributions to the modern Canadian wine industry. In 2011 Paul was awarded the LCBO Special Recognition Award.

After Labatt's gained control of Château-Gai Paul decided it was time to start his own winery. He wanted control over growing the grapes and making the wine. He purchased an established vineyard (1976) but after one year he pulled everything out and started completely from scratch. The winery was named Château des Charmes here he continued to experiment and raise the bar in wine making.

Madame Bosc plays an important role in the winery, a teacher by profession, she devotes much of her attention to producing a highly educational and enjoyable winery tour. The Globe and Mail once commented that " Château des Charmes boasts one of the best tours any oenophile is ever likely to take, Napa Valley and Champagne districts included. Paul Bosc's winemaking style is Burgundian. Noted wines are Brut (V.Q.A.) Sparkling Wine and their Riesling Icewines. 

The Bosc family is very proud of their reputation as pioneers and innovators. As Hugh Johnson pointed out, Château des Charmes was the first winery in Canada to plant a vineyard dedicated to "vitis vinifera"- the European grape species that produces the world's finest wines. These include Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Gamay Noir and Riesling. Back in 1978, this was a controversial innovation but it has become the standard for the modern Canadian wine industry. "Paul did much to convince the industry that the future lay in vinifera varieties and his early Rieslings and Chardonnays were models for other wineries," wrote wine author Tony Aspler in his book Vintage Canada.

The Order of Canada is the center piece of Canada's Honours System and recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. Paul Bosc Sr. was honoured in 2005. .

Paul Bosc Sr. was honoured with the Grape Growers of Ontario​ “Award of Merit” for 2017. The award was presented on behalf of his peers in recognition of the innovative contributions he has made to the grape and wine industry.

The winery (35 hectares)  is located in St Davids, Ontario just outside of Niagara-on-the-Lake.

 The Burger Needs Wine

Barbara and I decided to invite friends over for the Super Bowl. The game itself will start about 3:15 pm PST. It will of course run longer than an normal game and take us through the supper hour. Therefore a simple and light dinner will be prepared. One that requires little to do, but still fits the event . Hamburgers!

Barbara will still provide some amazing appetizers and make one of her famous salads. Our guests always bring something delicious too. The big decision will be what wines to serve.

For the appetizes a rose would work. However I will go with a Pinot Grigio or a Pinot Gris. I also feel quite comfortable with a Ortega or Bacchus wine.

The hamburger is a whole new ball game. A simple burger on a bun easy, but once you put cheese and other topping on the burger  as I said it becomes a whole new ball game.

Take the simple burger try it with a slight sweet wine or even a sparkling wine. I prefer a German or Ontario Riesling. Now add cheese (what kind of Cheese) . W are going with cheddar. I am serving Chianti Classico. You could go with a Sauvignon Blanc.

If you are adding BBQ sauce Oh Boy!  So many different types of sauce. To cover a wide base of varieties try chardonnay (not with spicy), Zinfandel or Chianti. On stand by I have my personal favourite Bacchus.

If combinations become confusing just serve your favourite wine.

The die hard Red wine drinker may prefer a Pinot Noir or a Merlot. Both go well with the Bacon Cheese burger.

 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