Canadian Reds

I've had a couple of Canadian reds in the past week or so. I opened the Mission Hill Cabernet Merlot last week and had glasses of it over a period of 4-5 days. It held up well in the bottle, even without the sucker pump - just sitting on the counter for all that time. It is a good, moderately robust Cab/Merlot blend and I would buy it again. It is less fruity then comparable Australian or Californian wines which will appeal to some. Yesterday I opened the Red Willow Shiraz from the Prospect Winery in the Okanagan. It has a bit of the same problem as most Canadian Shiraz I have had - needs a couple hundred more heat units as it is a bit tannic and has that slightly off, coffee taste. But it wasn't bad and the second glass was a bit more pleasing once it had opened up a bit. It went pretty well with the moose steak that I now have UNLIMITED ACCESS to now that I am housesitting for an avid hunter for the next six weeks or so. Eat anything in the freezer? Okay! I will try to be somewhat restrained, but intend to enjoy it.

Another note on the meh Chilean wine I mentioned last post. That got better after a few days of sitting on the counter (which is unusual for cheap wine), so I will change it from a 'meh' review to slightly better than meh (if you have a few days to wait) but you can still do better for a bit more money.