Tidings Magazine

Every emerging wine region needs a magnet. Something to draw us city folk into wine country. In British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, it is the magnificent temple to Dionysus that Anthony von Mandl built at Mission Hill. In Quebec, it’s the Chapelle Ste. Agnès Vineyard, a tiny piece of the Rhône in the Sutton Mountains of southern Quebec, established in 1997 by Montreal antique dealer Henrietta Antony. In Ontario, it could have been the proposed Frank Gehry winery for Le Clos Jordanne, until Constellation put the project on the back burner after they purchased Vincor. Currently in Niagara, the draw is such architectural eye-openers like the ones of Stratus, Tawse, Flat Rock Cellars and Jackson-Triggs.

For Nova Scotia I predict that the crowd-puller will be a new winery in the Gaspereau Valley called Benjamin Bridge that is set to open in an interim building early next year. In keeping with the new wave of Canadian wineries Benjamin Bridge’s owner Gerry McConnell made his fortune in another field (mining) before getting his feet into the vat, so to speak.

Excellent paired with crystal blue lakes

Great wine, exquisite food and breathtaking views can’t help but leave you wanting more.

Enjoy a wide range of delicious and decadent products at Summerland Sweets. Their mouth-watering fruit jelly candy is made with real Okanagan fruit, and their intensely flavoured jams contain 20% more fruit that most others. Try the scrumptious fruit syrups as well. Maplapple Syrup drizzled over pancakes, ice cream or cheesecake can’t be beat.
(250) 494-0377   
6206 Canyon View Drive, Summerland, BC

When my husband brings home a bottle of red wine, he won’t let a corkscrew near it until it’s had a few hours to reach room temperature. Do we really have to wait that long?

Your husband must be a real history buff, because his wine-serving techniques are right out of the 1900s. That said, let’s give him a bit of a break because, like so many old wine tales, there is a hint of truth lying somewhere between the past and the present.

Back in the day, upper-crust English people were big drinkers living in large manor houses, ventilated like modern-day wood sheds. Their idea of “room temperature” was actually pretty close to the ideal serving temperature for their favourite tipple — reds from Bordeaux.

Might we recommend rolling hills with your Chardonnay?

Discover the Okanagan and explore the heart of award-winning British Columbian winemaking.

Carmelis Goat Cheese Artisan is a family-run boutique dairy that produces over 20 different varieties of delicious goat cheeses using 100% goat’s milk. Connoisseurs swear by the Goatgonzola, a lovely blue cheese that is earthy and sweet, as well as nutty. Carmelis also makes 24 flavours of goat’s milk gelato.
250-870-3117
170 Timberline Road, Kelowna, BC

Nightlife fanatics in search of something new will be well rewarded next September 18 when The Decanted Series will be officially launched at the Cabaret Lion D’Or, in Montreal:  evenings simultaneously celebrating good wine and good music – through wine tasting activities animated by a renowned sommelier and a concert served up by a top-rated artist – all this in one of Montreal’s finest venues.  The happy mix of ambiance, outstanding music, and conviviality will contribute to making these evenings memorable.  Basically, the idea is to make wine more accessible, in a relaxed atmosphere, by combining it with live music in a warm environment. 

In the September 1912 issue of Empire magazine, Frank Schloesser describes the cuisine of our young country, then less than fifty years old, as follows: “When one comes to Canada, one is on somewhat delicate ground, for leaving aside the splendid traditions of good French bourgeois cookery in the province of Quebec, Canadian food may roughly be divided into the rough-and-tumble in the wilds, where, after all, little else could be expected, and the very American food in the towns.

While the culinary landscape may have been bleak in Schloesser’s time, today it’s hard to imagine anything could be better. From Salt Spring Island to Lunenberg, modern Canadian cuisine is exceptional. But what exactly is Canadian cuisine? Ask four chefs and you’ll find there isn’t any one answer; there are many.