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John Szabo’s Vintage’s Preview April 27th: Best of Vintages, Oregon and Spain
By John Szabo MS, with notes from David Lawrason, Sara d’Amato and Michael Godel This week we bring you an assortment of smart buys from the Vintages April 27th release (with much alignment), including the crü’s top picks from the Pacific Northwest, which is in the spotlight this week. In a separate, special report, Michael […] More
Special Report: Emerging Oregon
Getting deeper into Oregon, thanks to a recent masterclass and trade tasting, as well as a private sit-down interview with the thoughtful David Adelsheim of Adelsheim Vineyard by Michael Godel When I think of Oregon, it delivers me to a place where you saddle up to a pioneer town bar and lie beneath a blanket […] More
A John Szabo Feature: New Spain
by John Szabo MS Awareness and popularity of Spanish wines in Canada lags desperately behind the US market (and many others), so it was a real pleasure to see the country in the spotlight here in April with two significant tastings, both for the first time in Toronto. The inaugural visit of winery association Grandes […] More
National Wine Awards of Canada
Discover Canada's best wines! In 2016, 22 judges tasted 1,535 wines from 230 wineries across the country to identify Canada's top wines.
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World Wine Awards of Canada
Seventeen judges tasted 1,000 wines in 21 categories in 2015 to find the world's best wines sold in Canada under $50.
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Meritage is pronounced Meh-rih-TIJ, rhyming with Heritage. This is a made-up word, registered as a US trademark, that wineries must pay to use on their wines. Back in 1989, wineries were all choosing names for their various blended wines, and it was getting hard to keep track of them all. An association was formed to try to define a "Bordeaux Blend" of grapes that was done on non-French soil. They had over 6,000 people submit choices for the name of this blend, and "Meritage" won. Just like Bordeaux, since they're made with the same grapes, Meritage wines tend to have a rich, full aroma. Depending on the particular blend, it can be blackberry, black cherry, spices, chocolate, and vanilla. Most Meritages have the Bordeaux signature flavours - cigar box, rich fruits, with a hefty feel. They're great with a steak, or with game meats - venison, pheasant etc.
