Canada is a developing wine country. Like the United States, Canada started making wine when the settlers came to discover the New World about 200 years ago. For a quarter of a century, Vineland Estates Winery in the Niagara Peninsula has been cultivating wine on their soils, creating products that are slowly entering our market.

Vineland Estates produces over 60,000 cases of wine a year and their product consists of the varietals that survive the cooler climates, such as Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc. 

Their soil is said to be similar to Germany, which is why they also focus on Late Harvest Wines and Ice Wines made from Riesling, Vidal and Cabernet Sauvignon. The have also created Vice, the first vodka icewine martini to be introduced to the world. It is a blend of Vineland's Ice Wine and Canadian made Vodka. Believe it or not, but Canada has become the leading producer of ice wine in the world because of its consistent cold climate, which guarantees the ice wine production every year.

The other day we tried the 2010 Pinot Meunier, the cousin of the Pinot Noir grape. It was tasty with cherry on the nose.  It sees oak for about 3 months, which makes this wine complex yet elegant. 

The wine is ruby-garnet in color. It is fruit forward and tastes like raspberries, sour cherries and strawberries. It is light in body with soft tannins and a delicate finish.

This wine would go well with chicken or other white meat. Duck would even be a good pairing because of the fruit forward qualities this wine possesses. Even a fatty fish could stand up to this light acidic red.