Buyers Guide to Vintages February 7 Release

Priming for Valentine’s Day, and New Calls for an Open Wine Market in Canada

By David Lawrason, with notes from Michael Godel, Sara d’Amato and Megha Jandhyala

This mid-sized, mid-February release features Vintages selections for Valentine’s Day, as it has for over 30 years. It is a rather Harlequin collection, including wines that are pink and/or sparkling, and of course an obligatory (thankfully very good) Saint-Amour from Beaujolais. Overall, it is a mushy grouping quality-wise.

I was not impressed until I tasted three Ontario sparkling wines. First up, and very much on theme, was Smitten, a very good sparkling riesling from Back Ten Cellars in Niagara. Interestingly they have chosen not to indicate riesling on the label, but the wine delivers that particularly fine acid/sugar sipping balance that riesling does so well. As a Charmat- or tank-fermented bubbly, it delivers well at a fair price. The ice breaker.

Things escalated with a bright, crisp 100% pinot noir Divergence Brut Rose Hughes Vineyard 2021. This label by Jeff Moote has been impressing me recently with precision winemaking creating well-defined and very well-balanced wines. He doesn’t own a winery but purchases good fruit from old-vine sites in Niagara and works his magic at the Collab co-op facility at Marynissen Estate. Up the game with oysters and raspberry mignonette perhaps.

Yet another rung was scaled by Kew Pinot Meunier Natural Brut 2019. Now owned by Arterra Wines Canada, this small property on the Beamsville Bench has solid sparkling wine record. Pinot Meunier is one of the three Champagne grapes, rarely rendered as a single variety. This long bottle aged, complex, very leesy edition has surprising intensity and depth with terrific acidity. Not as charming as the two above, but if you are out to make a Valentines dinner more soulful, this is the one. At only $32.95!

From here on, the rest of the WineAlign Crü reveal their favourites below, and you can skip right to them here. But please note two great vermouths that melt the depths of winter.

New Calls for an Open Wine Market in Canada

You may recall last spring that Canadian wine became a political focus of the promised breaking down of interprovincial trade barriers in response to Trump’s tariffs and building Canada’s self-reliance. The main idea was to introduce direct to consumer shipping (DTC) across provincial boundaries. A target for agreement (at least on a framework for agreement) was set for May 2026 — three months away. After that, the topic turtled.

But its head has popped out again in recent days as the Canadian industry seized the moment during a first ministers meeting at the end of January. Wine Growers Canada, the Canadian industry’s lobby arm in Ottawa, issued an open letter to the premiers, asking them to create “an open national wine sales market including a harmonized direct-to-consumer wine delivery, by May 2026.”

But the letter went farther. “Once a national DTC framework is implemented, provinces should shift their focus to opening the domestic wine market more fully, ensuring Canadian wine can compete fairly with imports, increase domestic market share, and drive regional economic growth, including investments in advanced agriculture, tourism, hospitality and adjacent sectors.”

The whole issue came up again February 4 during a 90-minute webinar hosted by the Vancouver-based Canadian chapter of AIDV, an international wine law association. It was held to provide updates on the interprovincial situation, and to call for action.

The four panelists of the AIDV conference described and analysed the issues with which the provinces are dealing. It is complicated because each province has over 100 years of evolved regulatory, legislative and economic structures, and they need to deal individually with other provinces. Great fun for the lawyers, but rather frustrating and sleepy stuff for those who just want to be able to drink good wine from other provinces.

My interest perked right up however when conversation turned towards the federal government needing to do more to move things along. It was suggested that “the feds” might have some legislative upper hand “to start imposing some order on this chaos” if provinces aren’t compliant.

And then came the thunderbolt from panelist David Clement, North American Affairs Manager of the Consumer Choice Centre, an international group that advocates against government regulation of several consumer products, including alcohol.

“This may seem radical,” he began. “But if I could start over and redo the system, I would abolish the provincial liquor boards and create a national open market with a uniform national alcohol tax rate. It would resolve all the provincial revenue issues, and consumers across Canada would understand what they are paying for.”

Another panelist, lawyer Shea Coulson of Coulson Litigation & Advisory, made perhaps the most compelling argument that “a truly competitive market, without the arbitrary controls imposed by the liquor boards, would greatly improve productivity.”

The rest of the time was taken up with other reasons about why this was such a good idea. Of which I have never needed convincing. And given that the feds created the provincial liquor boards almost 100 years ago, it follows they should have some sort of constitutional levers within in the webbed clockworks of the Peace Tower to dismantle them.

Panelist Dan Paszkowski, CEO of Wine Growers Canada, who signed the open letter to the premiers mentioned above, was already on record in favour of this idea. His letter ended with the following statement.

“The public interest is clear: greater choice for consumers, fairer prices, stronger domestic supply chains, and a more resilient Canadian economy. Proven policy models already exist. Consumer demand is evident. The opportunity now is to act.”

Amen, and now to our critic’s picks from the Valentine release.

Buyer’s Guide Vintages February 7: Sparkling

Kew Pinot Meunier Natural Brüt 2019, Ontario, Canada
$32.95, Arterra Wines Canada
Megha Jandhyala – Here is something a little different that might spark curiosity at a dinner party — a traditional method sparkling wine from Ontario made with pinot meunier! I really like how it feels both rich and sprightly, with delectable toasty notes layered over resonant flavours of honey roasted nuts and fresh and dried orchard and citrus fruit.
Michael Godel – Ginger spice, toasted bread and caramel accents. One of Niagara’s coolest bubbles and always worth a glass.
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And that’s a wrap for this edition. We return two weeks hence with a review of Vintages February 21 release with its focus on wines from the Southern Hemisphere.

Use these quick links for access to all of our February 7th Top Picks in the New Release. Non-premium members can select from all release dates 60 days prior.

Lawrason’s Take – February 7th
Michael’s Mix – February 7th
Sara’s Selections – February 7th
Megha’s Picks – February 7th

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