Topic

Is There Any Good Canadian Wine?

Date September 17, 2021

Words by Grant Reynolds

Has any good wine ever been made in Canada? Apparently! As any American who grew up near the Canadian border would, we were skeptical too. We were wrong. Right there with poutine, Gretsky, and Celine Dion, we’ll add L’Imparfait– a Canadian-made natural wine from the restaurant Joe Beef as a Canadian treasure.

Here’s what’s up:

2019 was the first vintage of these wines, but their origin is inspired by some of our favorite old-school wines from France. They’re made in collaboration with the restaurant Joe Beef. If you don’t know Joe Beef, it’s one of the best restaurants in the world to eat loads of foie gras, lobster covered in truffles, and a giant steak. The food is hedonistic while their wine list is full of the wine treasures we’d travel abroad for just to drink Overnoy, Allemand, Domaine des Miroirs, Raveneau, etc. It’s the type of place where the music is loud, you can wear a hoodie, go big on wine, and not feel bad for eating more food than necessary. Therefore, it’s a place we love.

The wines they’ve made are an extension of that spirit. They’re the type of wines you want during a big meal full of loads of different flavors, they’re made with quality in mind, and are delicious too. These wines are made in the bit of southern Ontario that looks like the paint on the map accidentally dripped below the border. This area is along the same latitude as Oregon and Burgundy– two places for the best rich whites and light reds in the world. The style of the wines is natural with floral and wild flavors, as well as very low extraction and alcohol. The result is incredibly delicious and drinkable wines that are fresh and original, without being too funky.

Buy a six pack, steam some lobster, grill some steak, and drink some special wine. That’s what happens at Joe Beef.