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Going Natural Wine Club - June 2022

Posted on June 15, 2022

by Eli

Sperling: Ruby Pet-Nat

Located on the benches of southeast Kelowna, Sperling Vineyards strives towards a better tomorrow with a focus on pushing into the biodynamic and organic world while still maintaining tradition. The family has been producing wine on the same land in the Okanagan since the 1930s, with the tradition of winemaking stretching over four generations. Although the Vinyards have been farmed and used to make wine since the 1930s, the company Sperling Vineyards was officially founded in 2008 and received its Organic Certification in 2017. Head winemakers Ann Sperling and her husband, Peter Gamble, travel around Canada helping winemakers and Vinyards to advance their winemaking style. Ann grew up on the Sperling property and has been experimenting with low intervention, biodynamic, organic viniculture, and winemaking practices since the 1980s. This has allowed her to maintain the family’s traditional winemaking techniques while also pushing the envelope, which is a difficult balance to achieve.

With a blend of 85% old vine Marechal Foch, and 15% Pinot Noir, this wine stands out from other Pet-Nat's due to the fact it’s red! Don’t let that fool you though as this wine has crisp acidity and low tannins with notes of fresh Haskap berries and just picked red cherries. After harvest the Marechal Foch goes into the fermentation tanks as whole berries and clusters where they let the juice begin to ferment inside the skins of the grapes (a process called Carbonic Maceration), it is then pressed, blended with a touch of Pinot Noir, and then bottled with no added yeast, sugar, or sulphur. The secondary fermentation that goes on inside the bottle brings the wine to 1.5 atmospheres, giving it a healthy amount of bubbles. Because they don’t disgorge the yeast from the bottle before capping, there is a small layer of the leftover yeast left at the bottom of the bottle. This wine drinks reminiscently of Lambrusco, making it the perfect pairing for the Canadian version of traditional Italian Pizza, Greasy Hawaiian Pizza! Please drink cold or else you’re going to have red wine spray all over yourself and anything else that’s close to you when you open it, not a threat, just a warning.

Les Cortis: Neumite

Based in the small, little-known French winemaking region of Bugey, which is just east of Lyon at the base of the Rhone-Alps. This small winery was started in 2016 by Isabelle and Jérémy Decoster Coiffier with support from investors. Jérémy has worked with some of the most well-respected natural winemakers in the world, the experience and knowledge gained while working under the likes of Agnes and Olivier De Moor, Lilian Duplessis, and other well-known producers, he decided to settle down and start his winery in Bu...

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Whisky Tasting - Private or Corporate - Off Site

Posted on May 28, 2022

Thank you for your inquiry regarding Private Scotch and Whisky Tastings. Below is some general information regarding event costs for you to look at.

Please keep in mind there is a tasting fee of $350 that is paid directly to the staff person that hosts the event. This is separate from the costs shown below. Depending on the size and scope of the tasting you are looking for, two or more staff may be needed to accommodate.

The typical pour is a 1/2 oz per bottle for each person, so we can typically get between 40 to 50 pours out of each standard-sized bottle purchased.

· Bourbon Tasting - This would focus on Bourbon Whiskey, which is made in the USA. It would usually involve a lineup of 5 to 7 bottles and focus on Bourbon Whiskey, with a potential Rye Whiskey thrown in for variety's sake. The typical budget for this would run around $600-1000 for ~15-30 people.

· Mid-Range Scotch Whisky Tasting - This tasting would focus on Scotch and Single Malt Whisky made in the Scottish style. It would consist of a lineup of 5 -7 bottles that range between $100 - $200 price-wise. The typical budget for bottles would be around $900 to $1400 for ~15-30 people.

· Higher End Scotch Whisky Tasting - This increases the budget used to select the Scotch Whisky poured for the tasting, offering you a wider range of Whisky to choose between $150 - $350+ per bottle. The range of 5 to 7 bottles usually includes multiple bottles that are 20+ years of age and would cost around $1500 to $2500+ for ~15-30 people.

Those are just three potential options. There is a lot of flexibility within this framework, and you could even blend the budget from two or all three options to come up with the tasting experience you are looking for.

The hosted event itself typically runs between 1 - 1.5 hours in length - sometimes longer if it is an enthusiastic group that wants to take their time and ask questions along the way.

If you also need to rent glassware for the event, we can provide that as well. The charge is $1 per glass with a replacement fee for damaged or lost glasses of $5 per glass. You would want one glass per bottle times the number of people attending. So, if it is a 6-bottle tasting for 15 people plus the host it would be 16 x 6 = 166 glasses for the rental fee. With the rental, we collect the glassware at the finish of the tasting and take care of the washing as well.

If you have any questions on this or would like more information, please contact us at [email protected]
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Wine Tasting - Private or Corporate - Off Site

Posted on May 28, 2022

Thank you for your inquiry regarding off-site Private Wine Tastings. Below is some general information regarding event costs for you to look at.

Please keep in mind there is a tasting fee of $350 that is paid directly to the staff person that hosts the event. This is separate from the costs shown below. Depending on the size and scope of the tasting you are looking for, two or more staff may be needed to accommodate.

For a sit-down, classroom-type tasting the typical pour is a 1 oz per bottle for each person, so we typically get between 20 to 25 pours out of each standard-sized wine bottle purchased. The upside to having us run this type of tasting is that the bottles purchased for the tasting itself are often half the price (or even one-third of the price!) of the same bottle if you purchased it at a restaurant.

Here are a few options for this type of wine tasting:

Basic Wine Tasting – Approximately $250-420 for the wine itself.

This tasting includes wine bottles that are typically between $20-30 per bottle. For a sit-down, formal tasting at least one bottle would be needed for approximately every 20 people. Assuming you are having an event with 25 people and a 5-7 bottle wine tasting, you would be looking at a budget of approximately $250-420 for the wine itself.

Mid-Range Wine Tasting – Approximately $450-700 for the wine itself.

A mid-range tasting gets you into some higher-end and sometimes cellar-worthy wines and would include bottles priced at around $35-50 per bottle.

Higher End Wine Tasting - Approximately $800-1400 for the wine itself.

Featuring a range of impressive wines ranging from $60-100 or more each that would be at least twice the price at a restaurant.

Those are just three potential options. There is a lot of flexibility within this framework, and you could even blend the budget from two or all three options to come up with the tasting experience you are looking for.

The hosted event itself typically runs between 1 - 1.5 hours in length - sometimes longer if it is an enthusiastic group that wants to take their time and ask questions along the way.

If you also need to rent glassware for the event, we can provide that as well. The charge is $1 per glass with a replacement fee for damaged or lost glasses of $5 per glass. You would want one glass per bottle times the number of people attending. So, if it is a 6-bottle tasting for 15 people plus the host it would be 16 x 6 = 166 glasses for the rental fee. With the rental, we collect the glassware at the finish of the tasting and take care of the washing as well.

If you have any questions on this or would like more information, please contact us at [email protected]
...

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Going Natural Wine Club - April 2022

Posted on April 12, 2022

by Eli

Milan Nestarec Nach

Milan Nestarec, whom the company is named after, was born into a wine making family in a small Czeck winemaking village. His father during this time worked at a German vine nursery, and with the skills learned over this time period which include not only agricultural techniques, but also how to fix secondhand machinery, his family began to purchase some vineyards.

When speaking about his wine Milan prefers to use the word “normal” over anything else. He believes that labels such as “natural” and “low intervention” tend to be a bit gimmicky when it comes to the sales of said wines. The whole process of winemaking in his eyes is to show off the grapes and terroir to the best of his abilities without any help from pesticides, herbicides, and industrial fertilizer.

The wine itself, Nach, named after the Czech word for Purple, is Milan's attempt to show that the winemaking region where he’s located can produce high quality reds. In the past locals in Morovia have said that the area doesn’t receive enough sun to produce anything of quality (Referencing medium to full bodied reds from warmer regions). Milan has flipped this idea on its head by focusing on what the region does well instead of focusing on what it can’t do, this wine is the end result. Being a blend of Pinot Noir, Blaufrankish, and St.Laurent, all grown in a cooler climate, and aged in 3000L neutral oak barrels. The end result is a bright, refreshing, high acid red that is very very drinkable. The idea behind the bottle was an ode to Milan’s childhood where he remembers buying juice in the same containers under a crown cap. I personally feel as though Milan has accomplished his goal, producing a red that almost all people will like, especially with a light chill on a hot day.

Eli's Tasting Notes:

In the glass, it has a cloudy ruby colour to it.

On the nose, an energetic bouquet of cherry blossom, rhubarb, slate, and fresh strawberries hit first. As you delve into the glass more, Nightshade, Blanched beets, and Cranberries reveal themselves as well. Reminds me of making a summer salad on a lazy afternoon.

On the palate, medium acidity and light tannins keep the Strawberry and rhubarb notes at the forefront of the palate. Slate, cranberries, and raspberries develop on the palate as you sip. On the finish an earthy beet note keeps the finish going on and on. Like picking fruits and veggies on a cool August morning small farm in rural BC.

Zsirai Dry Tokaji Furmint

Starting in 2005, Csaba Zsirai, who was a successful entrepreneur at the time, decided to fulfil his dreams of becoming a winemaker by over time buying 18 hectares of vi...

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Going Natural Wine Club - February 2022

Posted on March 14, 2022

by Abi

Joao Pato Duckamn Romy Espumate

Bairrada DO, Portugal

100% Baga

Organic, Biodynamic,

Coming from the famed Pato family, Maria sought to make her own distinctive and creative wines that highlight the beautiful indigenous varietals of Bairrada, Portugal. Here, she focuses on low-intervention production, tending to the vineyards in a way that goes against modern societal norms in Bairrada. There are no indications of the region on the labels, done intentionally to demonstrate an acute sense of place and varietal typicity through minimal intervention in the cellar.

This spumante is made from 100% Baga, one of the notable grapes of the region. From 30-year-old vines planted to several plots of chalky-clay soils in the São Lourenço and Óis do Bairro vineyards. The grapes are hand-harvested at the beginning of August, spontaneous fermentation takes place in stainless steel with ambient yeasts for three weeks without temperature control, no dosage. The wine is vinified in the traditional method and aged in bottle Rose in colour, vibrant notes of cherry, red apple, raspberries and ocean breeze. A fun wine to sip and enjoy with cheese, crackers, olives or even shellfish.

Save Our Souls Sagrantino

Yarra Valley, Australia

100% Sagrantino

Organic, Biodynamic, Vegan,

Save Our Souls is a collaboration with William Downie, one of the top natural wine producers within Australia, and his close friend, Jason Searle. The premise of this production was to create wines that are adventurous, equal parts serious and playful, with the goal of always evolving and always having a good time doing it.

This is the first time we are seeing the Dave Our Souls Sagrantino on our shelves. It’s a flavour bomb, with unique texture. The grape itself typically creates extremely high tannins in wine (the drying sensation typically felt along the gum line), yet the tannins show through in texture in this wine; When sipping this Sagrantino, you may feel like you just licked plum skin. You’ll feel the juicy tannins all over and it plays well with the wines vibrant, fruity character. We recommend slightly chilling this wine and serving it along with a greasy hamburger.

Pip pip, cheerio,
Abi
[email protected]
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