Nyarai Cellars, Veritas, 2007, Niagara Peninsula VQA

Conventional wisdom states that Niagara is home to serious emerging wines - Rieslings, Sauvignon Blancs, Pinot Noirs, sparkling and ice wines. Mainly those varietals that thrive in Northern France. Canada has many good things. Its weather is not one of them. Following this logic, if you swear by California Cabernet Sauvignon or Australian Shiraz you should probably veer away from Ontario Bordeaux blends or, god help you, shiraz or cab franc blends. Green and tannic come to mind. But what do you expect? There isn't enough sunshine or a long enough growing season to produce big lush wines in the new-world style. You can't squeeze deep, full-bodied reds from five month snow-drifts. Well, that's not necessarily true. An exceptional wine maker in an exceptionally warm year can shatter conventional wisdom with well placed rabbit-punches.

Osoyoos Larose, Le Grand Vin, 2006, Okanagan Valley

I was in an elegant financial core restaurant a few days ago. At a corner table sat a some businessmen. Not any kind of businessmen. Expense account gladiators. A slowly dying breed. Some deal had been reached. Some return on investment coupe or other tax sheltered conquest. Their hands smacked down on the reclaimed wood table. When the check was dropped, a wrestling contest with corporate credit cards ensued. None of them would back down. Each insisted that their company's shareholders would be taking care of the bill. Ordering another bottle diffused the conflict and ended the questionable groping session. I did like what they were drinking. They were on their third bottle of the 2006 Grand Vin from Osoyoos Larose. It was being decanted and I caught the deep toasted chocolate and sunny black fruit curling over me in muscular waves. I decided that I had every right to try this wine. I didn't order it and swallow the 200 percent markup. There's no need to be foolhardy while getting into imaginary entitlement contests with white collar workers. Pick your battles, is my philosophy. I found the Grand Vin at the LCBO. At $45.00 CAN, Osoyoos Larose isn't the cheapest option, but it is a flagship Canadian wine - one that should be tried whether you're from Kamloops or Bordeaux or Napa.