Arneis Canadian Whiskey Red Blend Portugal Porto

The Arneis white wine grape varietal is a native fruit of the beautiful northern region of Piedmont, in Italy. Whilst it has had great success over recent decades in several New World countries, Arneis has been cultivated for centuries in northern Italy, where it is recognized as one of the most representative grapes of the region. Arneis has long been used as a blending grape, due to its highly aromatic character, but it is becoming more and more common to see single variety bottles made using this grape. At its best, Arneis produces beautifully full bodied white wines, packed full of orchard fruit and apricot flavors, with a fine crispness and acidic punch. However, it is a notoriously difficult grape to cultivate successfully, hence its name which translates as 'little rascal'.

Benefiting from both the hot, dry Iberian climate as well as brisk Atlantic winds, Portugal is a perfectly situated country for vineyard cultivation and wine production. With a wine making history which stretches back thousands of years, it comes as little surprise that wine plays an important role in the cultural identity and practices of the country. The Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, the Greeks and the Romans all had a hand in forming Portugal as an important center for wine production, and over the millennia, this resulted in each region of this beautiful part of Europe producing its own distinctive wines easily identifiable and separate from neighboring Spain's. Today, the varied terroir and climate across Portugal allows a great range of wines to be made each year, from the fresh and dry Vinho Verde wines to the famous and widely drunk fortified Port wines, and many in between.


The magnificent city of Porto - the capital of Portugal - is located near the mouth of the beautiful Douro river, in the beating heart of the Douro wine region. The Douro region has been regarded as one of the most important viticultural region of Europe for several centuries, and was the third region to be officially recognized and protected as a wine region, with laws having been passed in the mid 18th century regarding its status. Porto is, of course, most famous for the production of Port wine, an aromatic and slightly viscous tawny colored fortified wine, with a fascinating history of seafaring, experimentation and innovation. The vineyards used in the region for the production of Porto's wines contain up to a hundred different grape varietals, resulting in the wide range of Port wines on offer today.