Canadian Wine?

International Canadian Blended (ICB) wines have very little to do with Canada. Some of them are in fact 100% foreign fruit while others have a minority percentage of Canadian grapes in the bottle. So why do they carry the “Canadian” label?

ICB wines, formerly known as Cellared in Canada wines, are the means by which some Canadian wineries make ends meet, and also meet consumer demand for low-cost wines. Growing grapes and making wine in Canada is an expensive business, especially compared to countries with more conducive climates and infrastructure. Using that costly winery equipment to make extra wine from imported juice does have some economic logic, and that juice is typically a lot less costly than local sources.

Of course the wine that comes from such a process really does appeal only to the low-end, low-price part of the market. There can be no sense of terroir, and even varietal characteristics are questionable. There is a place in our market for such wines, so long as the limitations are understood.

For many years ICB wines were sold side-by-side with true Canadian wines in the “Canada” section of liquor stores. This practice allowed ICB wines to leverage the “Canada” label, while out-competing them on price, and negatively affecting consumer perception of the quality of Canadian wines. It’s likely that many consumers did not understand that ICB wines had little local grape content. Growers have also been forced, in some years, to let their grapes rot on the vines as imported juice was favoured in production,

Some jurisdictions now require true Canadian wines and ICB wines to be shelved separately. It’s not clear that such a measure will be sufficient to reduce the issues with ICB wines.

There is another approach, and it seems a winery with a Newfoundland and Labrador connection is leading the way. DCW International is a division of Devonian Coast Wineries (who also own Jost in Nova Scotia). They are bringing in wines from other parts of the world, in the lower price ranges, but clearly labelling them for their country of origin. They describe themselves as a “curator of classic and iconic varietals made in the quintessential style of key winemaking regions from around the world”. I had my first taste of a couple of them this past weekend.

DCW Sauvignon Blanc 2016, South Africa (NLC $15.98 for 1 liter, on sale for $13.98) – The wine was identifiably Sauvignon Blanc with good acidity and mild varietal aromatic characteristics. A quite acceptable sipper, at a value price. Score 13/Good.

DCW Shiraz 2015, Spain ($ same as above) – Another value purchase here with medium body, sweet fruit, and a light touch of tannins to keep it interesting. Score: 13/Good.

New Arrival

A new arrival just in time for summer, which also seems to have finally arrived, is the Château Bellevue La Forêt 2016, AOP Fronton, Southwest France (NLC $18.00). Soft bramble fruit flavours, particularly strawberry; moderate acidity; dry but with fruit sweetness – was great on the back deck! Score: 14/Good.