It’s not very often that I just happen to come upon a wine. I often seek out new and interesting bottles in the liquor store, or happily open a bottle I’d never tried that a guest brings for a dinner party or gathering. But for me to be on Christmas holiday, at my in-laws in rural Alberta, and be told to go down to the basement and pick out a bottle of wine for Christmas dinner, and to find a treasure amongst the dusty collection – it was fate!
I scanned the rickety wine rack row by row and saw some familiar labels, but nothing that really jumped out at me. I was starting to lose faith until I saw a red bottle on the bottom row. Literally, red. Bright, like the red on a Canadian flag. Low and behold, I grab the neck of the bottle and turn my wrist so I can read the label. ‘Canadian Red’ is what it simply states. What the eff does that mean?
So I scan further:
Okanagan Valley VQA. Go on....
St. Hubertus & Oak Bay Estate. Ok…. I’m intrigued.
Pinot Noir & Foch. Whaaaaaaaat???
2004. Geez, this is either going to kill me or be A-May-ZING!
I contained my excitement bringing the bottle upstairs. I didn’t want to oversell it to the family in case it was a total bust. But I was super excited to try something brand new, a varietal combination that I never knew existed. I opened the bottle and the cork didn’t break (high five). I poured the wine and it was a deep tawny purple. Not overly heavy looking which I was surprised at; my only experience with the Foch variety was Quail’s Gate’s version which they fortified into a Port-style. So I was expecting something heavy and dark. The mid-weightiness got me even more like, ‘whoa’. I took a quick whiff of the glass, and I mean quick. I don’t like doing the whole swirl and smell thing around other people, especially during Christmas dinner. But I did manage to get a quick sniff of the dark berry attributes. It smelled full and layered, I crossed my fingers and took a sip. I instantly tasted the classic green/vegetal Pinot characteristics and then a wave of cherry, fig and vanilla took over. It made me happy. I polished off two glasses with my turkey dinner and then two more a couple of nights later. It held up even after being open for a couple of days.
I wanted to know more about this surprise wine. The in-laws had no recollection of how or when they acquired the bottled so I emailed the winery and was so excited with their response. As it turns out, they’re releasing a new version of their Canadian Red later this year to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday. The 2004 I had tasted was roughly 65 per cent Pinot Noir/35 per cent Foch but their new creation will include some Gamay as well. I can hardly wait to try it!
My ‘discovery’ of this Canada Red coincided with a week away in a quintessential Canadian winter setting. I got to witness some breathtaking Albertan sunrises thanks to my kids early rise schedule. We got to go sledding and pet the horses and wear three layers of sweaters to go outside. Being away from home with kids over Christmas is hectic. But thanks to the Canadian Red wine, it made me remember to take a moment and savour the Canadiana of it all.
