Canadian sparkling wines to enjoy beyond Valentine's Day.

Wineries across Canada are refining bottle-fermented, traditional-method sparkling wines, and the article highlights five recent domestic releases, including Nova 7 and Cave Spring Blanc de Blancs.

On Valentine's Day many stores and restaurants see higher sales of bubbly, but the piece notes that Canada's sparkling-wine producers are making bottles worth drinking at other times. Wineries from coast to coast are using the traditional method, capturing bubbles through a secondary fermentation in bottle, and several recent releases show a range of styles from frizzante to aged bottle-fermented sparkling. Key releases and details: - Nova 7 (Nova Scotia): A blend of muscat, ortega, riesling, l'Acadie and other hybrids from the Gaspereau Valley; an off-dry frizzante with fruity and floral flavours; 6.5% ABV and 71 g/L residual sugar; listed as a current release and available in multiple provinces and direct from benjaminbridge.com. - Cave Spring Blanc de Blancs Brut (Ontario): Made from 100% Chardonnay from the Beamsville Bench vineyard, showing citrus, apple and toast with a creamy complexity; rated 92; 12% ABV and 3 g/L residual sugar; noted drinking window to 2030 and availability in Ontario or direct from cavespring.ca. - Evolve (Okanagan): A bottle-fermented blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc and Riesling aged five years after secondary fermentation; described as rich with toasty, citrus and honeyed notes; 12% ABV and 2 g/L residual sugar; available direct from timewines.ca. - Fort Berens (Lillooet, B.C.): The second release from grapes at the Dry Creek Vineyard; a chardonnay-based sparkling showing lemon, green apple and almond notes; 11.5% ABV and 6 g/L residual sugar; drinking window noted to 2031 and availability direct and in British Columbia. - Kew Pinot Meunier Natural Brut Sparkling 2019 (Ontario): A pinot meunier-led bottling from a Beamsville-based producer, aged five years on the lees for texture and complexity; described as round and approachable; rated 90; 13% ABV and 2 g/L residual sugar; availability noted in Ontario and direct from greatestatesniagara.com. Summary: These five releases illustrate the range of sparkling styles now made in Canada, from off-dry frizzante to extended lees-aged traditional-method bottles. The article notes specific alcohol and residual-sugar figures, stated drinking windows for some wines, and differing availability and prices across provinces and direct winery sales.