Celebrating wines of Canada…minus the politics
Canada wants to be known by the world’s wine drinkers as a place that produces good wine — not just ice wine. We still have a lot of work to do to convince our own citizens that excellence in wine is exhibited in several regions across the country, not just the Okanagan Valley or even the Niagara Peninsula. We have oddly few choices on broadcast television and radio where audiences can find out about Canadian wine, but one exception is a single segment on CTV’s Powerplay political chat program. For five years straight, host Don Martin accompanied by Alberta MP (and sommelier) Michelle Rempel (Calgary Nose Hill), conduct a tasting of wines from Canada’s three major wine producing provinces — BC, Ontario and Nova Scotia — with a member of parliament from one of the province’s wine regions there to showcase the wines.
The MPs (in feature photo L-R) are Scott Brison (Nova Scotia/Kings-
It is always a fun segment, and we always learn a bit from the wine talk. It is great to see our friend Dan showcasing wines from two of our favourite stops, Fairview Cellars (Oliver, BC) and TH Wines from Summerland. The segment is not easily sharable like so much of Canada’s broadcast content, so we’re providing it below. For more about CTV Powerplay visit their website.