Quebecois Satin Red a Canadian delight

There was a song recorded I think in the ‘70s by a Quebecois artist that translated means “My country is not a country, it is winter.” This is a sentiment I think all Canadians can wrap their head around. Even Pelee Island can get snow. I’ve often thought that Canadian wine should somehow reflect that fact.

I came across a bottle of VQA wine from Ontario. The brand is Fresh Perspectives and the label is Satin Red. With that label I didn’t expect much. I figured it for yet another Apothic clone. It is anything but. For a start it is made from grapes most Canadians have been slow to embrace because they don’t get much ink in the Wine Spectator. The blend is Baco Noir (zero coverage), Gamay (close to zero), and Merlot (only from Bordeaux and preferred advertisers in California.)

Both of the primary grapes tend to medium bodied reds, berry-like with some herbs. Merlot of course can be notoriously fruity but it actually has pretty stiff tannins. Adding some to this blend gives the wine a slightly more formal structure than I expected. One thing it is NOT, is sweet. The residual sugar is well under 10 g/L. The tannins are present and accounted for but not obtrusive.

The bouquet is mostly dark berries with some chocolate behind it. The palate is fresh, and slightly peppery. It is in short a thoroughly refreshing red table wine for people who like something with a bit of flexibility. It will do fine against something like chili, or a bean and beef burrito, but I think it would be best treated as a Burgundy. Pair it with stuff like roast chicken. Or pizza.

Fresh Perspectives Satin Red $16 ****

A great anniversary next week. Other wines on Twitter @drbooze.