Wine Club Canada Review November 2024

I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve finished a glass of wine and yet I’ve been told it’s not that I don’t like wine, I just haven’t found one I like yet. So when I’d like to bring a nice bottle to a friend’s or have some on hand, I’m totally lost. Luckily there’s a subscription for that. 😉 Wine Club Canada is a monthly service for the clueless and connoisseur alike, delivering top Canadian VQA wines chosen by experts and a guide to each ie. tasting notes, ratings and food pairing suggestions.

Subscribers can choose an all-red box, all-white box, or mixed red and white, along with the number of bottles (2 to 12). Wine Club Canada features a different winery each month and the boxes are shipped directly from the winery.

My first box included a red and a white from two Niagara, Ontario wineries — a 2019 Fogolar Picone Cabernet Franc (Fogolar Wines) and a 2023 Liebling Sauvignon Blanc (Liebling Wines). Like other Wine Club Canada selections, you won’t find these in your local liquor stores, which does lend them a certain cachet. Tucked alongside was a detailed product card for the Cabernet Franc and a QR code for information on the Sauvignon Blanc. I’d prefer a physical card for both for easy future reference, but I’m old school like that. Perhaps long-time subscribers feel the opposite.

My hubby and I opened the Sauvignon Blanc one evening last week. I didn’t expect to like it so I was surprised by how smooth and easy it was to drink, not nearly as acidic as some I’ve tried. Sadly I’m woefully unequipped to critique it more than that. But everyone has to start somewhere, right?

Geographical Indication: VQA Four Mile Creek
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
Vineyard: Andrews Vineyard
Alcohol: 12%
Residual Sugar: 2 g/L
Cases Produced: 153

Appearance: Very pale straw in colour.
Nose: Grassy, gooseberry bouquet.
Palate: Medium-bodied, crisply dry. True varietal character. Green passionfruit flavour. Great length.
Quality: 90 points — Wine Club Canada. Outstanding. Drink now and through 2025.

Food Pairing: Tuna tataki with ponzu sauce, grilled halloumi with honey and walnuts, clam chowder, potato and leek galette, and cheeses like goat cheese, Manchego, and aged cheddar.

(Tasting notes by Tony Aspler)

We brought the Cabernet Franc to our friend’s dinner party on the weekend, where it was enjoyed with turkey and all the fixings in honour of American Thanksgiving. My husband’s cautious when it comes to red wine but he said this one was pleasantly smooth and not too juicy, as some can be. I’ll take his word for it.

Fogolar Picone Cabernet Franc, 2019

Geographical Indication: VQA Vinemount Ridge
Varietal: Cabernet Franc
Vineyard: Picone Vineyard
Alcohol: 13.2%
Residual Sugar: 3 g/L
Cases Produced: 70

Appearance: Deep purple in colour.
Nose: Spicy, cedary nose of black plum with vanilla oak notes.
Palate: Medium- to full-bodied, dry, plum flavour carried on fresh acidity.
Quality: 90 points — Wine Club Canada. Outstanding. Drink, now or hold til 2026.

Food pairing: Beef bourguignon, turkey roulade with wild mushroom and truffle, slow-roasted Turkish lamb, gnocchi with Gorgonzola, pear, and walnut sauce, and spinach and cheddar quiche.

(Tasting notes by Tony Aspler)

Wine Club Canada is definitely a lovely gift for wine aficionados, but also for people like me who know very little about wine but want to serve their guests something special. The food pairing suggestions are particularly helpful as I understand an excellent wine can taste terrible with the wrong food. Now that the kids are getting older, I think it would be lovely to plan a nice meal as a couple around the latest shipment, or a monthly tasting with friends.

Have you tried Wine Club Canada?

— with thanks to Wine Club Canada, who sent us this box to try in exchange for a review.