Let the WineAlign Critics help you find the Right Wine
for the Right Price, Right Now!
Buyers’ Guide to VINTAGES May 16, 2020
USA Spotlight Comes at a Rough Moment By David Lawrason, with notes from Michael Godel and John Szabo There are two features to this Vintages release: Women in Wine and Spotlight USA. Both themes were plotted months ago, pre-Covid. But of course all the best laid plans have fallen apart. We have not been able […] More
By Sara d’Amato American wine writer Matt Kramer may have coined the term “Somewhereness”, but it is the group of now 13 wine producers in Niagara who have adopted the namesake to succinctly identify their purpose. To embody a sense of place in a wine is the noble aim of any quality minded winemaker. This […] More
Top Values at the LCBO (May 2020)
May Top Values + Getting Wines on your Doorstep by Steve Thurlow I continue my home isolation and am grateful to those agents who have brought wine samples to my house for me to taste. As a consequence, I have been able to be quite productive in finding new wines for the Top50 list since […] 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.
View Award-Winning Wines
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.
View Award-Winning Wines
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.
