I have Canadian wine on my mind for personal and business reasons, firstly because I have just come back from Ontario after settling in a son who feels that four or five years added to his previous seven at a wonderful university is time well worth spending.

Secondly, the annual Canadian Wine Awards have just been granted and out of 1,335 wines entered from 209 wineries, our Mission Hill in British Columbia placed second overall and Tawse in Ontario, fifth.

These are based on total points awarded their wines in tastings and Mission Hill missed first overall by a hair.

The Canadian wine industry that now employs 31,000 people and generates $6.8 billion is described as ripe, robust and remarkable. Three bottles out of every ten consumed in Canada are made there and although 18,000,000 cases seems like a lot for a year it really is not.

By comparison Bordeaux averages about 45,000,000 and the world’s largest family owned wine company, Gallo, is rumoured to have an output from their worldwide holdings exceeding 70,000,000 cases.

One Canadian writes that Tawse Quarry Road Vineyard 2010 Chardonnay from Ontario makes him proud to be a local.

This vineyard, that is certified organic/biodynamic, has produced a wine with ripe apple, citrus and oak spice aromas that work in nicely with a gunflint minerality.

It has ripe and defined apple, pear and citrus. There is a kiss of butterscotch in the wonderfully long finish. $39.60.

For the same $39.60 price you could journey out to the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia and try the Mission Hill 2010 Perpetua Chardonnay that hails from their Osoyoos Vineyard that actually borders on the State of Washington.

Due to its proximity to Lake Osoyoos it has over two hundred frost free days each year which is pretty unusual just over one thousand miles more northerly than Bermuda.

Perpetua Chadonnay 2010 will drink well until at least 2018 and it is a beautiful wine of fine texture, balance and structure that will keep you wanting more.

If you enjoy the delicacy and fairly light colour of most red Burgundies then I am sure that you will appreciate the Tawse 2010 Growers Blend Pinot Noir that was made by Paul Pender, the Ontario Winemaker of the year in 2011.

He comments “The nose is a potent blend of ripe fruit, blooming flowers and earthy notes.

“The palate is filled with black raspberry, ripe cherry, violets, tomato leaf and brown mushrooms that linger in a delicious finish”. $35.50.

Two years ago while celebrating a certain level of academic achievement with our family I asked the sommelier in a fine dining spot in Waterloo, Ontario how he could charge over $140 for a bottle of Canadian red wine; he suggested that we try it.

The result was that we now represent the Mission Hill Winery and have in stock this particular 2009 Oculus, their flagship red blend.

Mission Hill “Oculus” is a blend of 15 per cent Cabernet Franc, 50 per cent Merlot, 30 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon and a dash of Petit Verdot that should put to rest any suggestion that Canada cannot make a red wine of remarkable quality.

If aromas of cassis and liquorice, vanilla, black plums, spice cake and a chocolatey core do not convince you then the supple, yet brooding palate, rich, dark fruit, cocoa, great structure and balance will. The bottle itself is masterpiece in design. $74.25.

While staying at a hotel in Kitchener last month we would visit a neighbouring LCBO shop (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) where only Canadian wines were stocked.

It is definitely our opinion that the quality has risen steadily over the nine years that we have often found ourselves in this area.

This column is a paid for advertorial for Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. Michael Robinson is Director of Wine at Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. He can be contacted at mrobinson@bll.bm or 295-0176. Burrows Lightbourn have stores in Hamilton (Front Street East. 295-1554), Paget (Harbour Road, 236-0355) and St. George’s (York Street, 297-0409). A selection of their wines, beers and spirits are available online at www.wineonline.bm.