Cheer on Canada with homemade offerings

Two weeks ago, we kicked off the World Cup of drinks with a roundup of wines made by visiting countries for this year’s big men’s soccer tournament. Last week we collected reviews of beers made by countries participating in the World Cup.

This week we turn our attention to drinks made by Canadian producers. It’s a cross-Canada roundup of both wines and beers stretching from coast to coast, with drinks in a range of styles and price points for all palates.

And as Canada advances to the World Cup knockout round for the first time, it’s a chance to raise a glass to the team — or, if soccer’s not your proverbial cup of tea, the opportunity to toast Canada on July 1. Products are listed from province of origin, from west to east.

Sourced from a single vineyard on the Naramata Bench near Penticton, the Moraine 2023 Estate Pinot Noir (Okanagan Valley, B.C. — $38.99, Liquor Marts and beyond) delivers aromas of bruised cherry, wet earth, violet, plum and cedar. It’s medium-bodied and dry, with deep, ripe cherry flavours coming with earthy, woody and blackberry notes, soft tannins and, at 14.5 per cent alcohol, a long and warm finish. Having spent 18 months in oak barrels before bottling, it trends more towards bigger, gutsier Sonoma County Pinot Noir than, say, Burgundy. Fans of the former style, take note — this is very well done. 4.5/5

The Cabin Brewing Co. Luminous Rain Cold IPA (Calgary — $4.79/473ml can, select beer vendors) is a mashup of two of the brewery’s core beers, the Luminosity German Pils and the Sunshine Rain IPA. Medium straw in appearance and hazy, there’s a lovely hit of grass on the nose of this IPA that comes with herbal, malty and lemon zest notes. It’s light-bodied, crisp and dry, with grassy and citrus notes front and centre, secondary malty and almost chalky components, a hit of tropical fruit, not-too-intense bitterness and then a medium-length finish (it’s six per cent alcohol). As IPAs go, this one’s pretty crushable. 3.5/5

From a stalwart Saskatchewan brewery, the Rebellion Brewing Co. Zilla IPA (Regina — $4.79/473ml can, Liquor Marts and beer vendors) is pale gold in appearance and hazy, bringing a more malt-forward profile aromatically, with some dank and resinous notes from hops as well as citrus rind and grassy notes. It’s a medium-bodied IPA with loads of malt and resinous flavours, secondary tropical and grassy notes, bright bitterness and, at 6.5 per cent alcohol, a lingering finish. A robust, rounder style that’s delicious. 4/5

On the local front the Devil May Care Brewing Co. Give’r Black Friggin’ Dark Lager (Winnipeg — $4.09/473ml can, brewery, Liquor Marts, beer vendors) is deep cola brown in appearance and clear; this dark lager brings Tootsie Roll, roasted malts, caramel, white pepper and espresso bean aromas. It’s dry and medium-bodied, with loads of toffee/Tootsie Roll, roasted malt, chocolate-covered espresso bean and white pepper flavours, modest bitterness and, at five per cent alcohol, a finish that fits just right. Brings just enough weight and depth of flavour for cooler summer nights. 4/5

The “AF” in the Rosewood 2023 Riesling AF (Niagara Peninsula, Ont. — $20.95, Kenaston Wine Market) here stands for “arrested fermentation” — the fermentation is stopped while there was still some residual sugar left in the wine, making for a wine that’s slightly sweet and lower in alcohol (just over 10 per cent). It’s pale gold in appearance, with ripe red apple, peach, brown sugar, lemon zest and subtle tropical aromas; on the medium-bodied, off-dry and viscous palate (the latter thanks to eight months aging on the lees, the spent yeast cells), the red apple, peach, lemon and light herbal notes are expressive, with vibrant acidity and great length to the finish. 4.5/5

There was a time when the Unibroue La Fin du Monde Triple (Chambly, Que. — $16.99/4x473ml cans, Liquor Marts, beer vendors) was available in individual bottles in our market, but now seems to mainly land in our market in four-packs and mixed 12-packs from the legendary Quebec brewery. It’s a medium gold, hazy and intensely frothy brew, with fresh malt, tropical fruit, dried plum and wheat aromas, with an underlying saline, almost metallic note. On the palate it’s medium-bodied and off-dry, with an some banana candy/tropical flavours coming with fresh malt, lemon candy, white pepper, citrus rind and saline notes; the bitterness is low, while the nine per cent alcohol is punchy but not overpowering — rather, it’s deceptively subtle. 4/5

From the Maritimes comes the Nine Locks Brewing Co. Frig Off East Coast IPA (Dartmouth — $4.79/473ml can, Liquor Marts and beer vendors); medium straw and hazy in appearance, there are notable lemongrass, grapefruit rind and malt notes that come on the nose, along with more modest bitter hoppy components. It’s light-plus-bodied and mainly dry, picking up a more resinous note on the palate that comes with the citrus rind, herbal and malt notes. The bitterness isn’t overwhelming (it’s 30 IBU), while the 6.7 per cent alcohol on the medium-length finish is slightly punchy. 3/5

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Ben Sigurdson
Literary editor, drinks writer

Ben Sigurdson is the Free Press‘s literary editor and drinks writer. He graduated with a master of arts degree in English from the University of Manitoba in 2005, the same year he began writing Uncorked, the weekly Free Press drinks column. He joined the Free Press full time in 2013 as a copy editor before being appointed literary editor in 2014. Read more about Ben.

In addition to providing opinions and analysis on wine and drinks, Ben oversees a team of freelance book reviewers and produces content for the arts and life section, all of which is reviewed by the Free Press’s editing team before being posted online or published in print. It’s part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.