Molto bene, eh? Festival celebrates best of Canadian and Italian wine

A well-known Edmonton wine journalist brought together wine producers from Canada and Italy this month for a competition and exploration of offerings from across the Atlantic.

Every two years, Gurvinder Bhatia organizes the Northern Lands festival to celebrate Canadian wines with winemakers' dinners, tastings, seminars and a competition.

On The Coast's master of wine, Barbara Philip, was there and says the inclusion of an Italian contingent is a new wrinkle.

"Northern Lands is one of the most exciting wine festivals in Canada," she told On The Coast host Stephen Quinn. "In 2017, Gurvinder Bhatia assembled top wine writers in North America together with some excellent boutique wineries in Italy and Canada."

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Here are some of Philips' picks for Canadian and Italian wines that stood out at the event.

Monte Creek Ranch Riesling. British Columbia. 2016. $20.00

"Monte Creek Ranch is a member of the emerging wine scene around Kamloops and their Riesling came runner up in the Northern Lands competition in the Riesling category. The field was extremely tough and included established Riesling producers from across Canada; Tawse Winery from Ontario took top spot, for example."

50th Parallel 'unparalleled' Pinot Noir. Okanagan Valley. 2014. $50.00

"This restrained and pretty Pinot Noir took top honours overall at the competition. When I last checked, there was still stock available from the winery but I expect it will go fast! Only 347 cases were produced. Convincingly, the 50th Parallel Estate Pinot Noir came in runner up, so look for that, too."

Tiberio Pecorino. Abruzzo. Italy. 2014. $27.99

"Cristiana Tiberio represents her family winery around the world and was recently in Edmonton to spread the word about Abruzzo and the region's native grape varieties, like Pecorino. The wine is a fresh mix of lemon and briny flavours with a distinct saline aftertaste that makes you think of fresh seafood immediately!"

Marchesi di Barolo. Barolo. Piedmont. Italy. 2011. $69.99

"Another family winery, Marchesi di Barolo has been making wine for over five generations. Anna Abbona and her daughter, Valentina, spend several months touring the globe to share their wines and talk about their family's story. The 2011 Barolo is starting to show dried flower, cracked black pepper and sour cherry aromas. It will continue to develop complexity for several years."

With files from CBC Radio One's On The Coast