Follow Us:

Blog

New beer arrivals - February 18 2015

Posted on February 20, 2015

Wednesday is always my favourite day of the week. We’re getting close to the weekend, I get a break from classes, but most importantly it’s order day at Kensington Wine Market!

It’s like Christmas day in the store as we all open our new products, and collectively drool over them.



On the beer side of things, here are the tasty new arrivals and restocks:

Methode Pilsner from Moa Brewing

These New Zealand brewers bottle condition this classic German style Pilsner in order to keep the beer full of bready yeasty notes along with an impressive and lively carbonation. $6.99 for 750ml.

Cuvee Bru from Big Rock Brewing

Right from own backyard, this Druivenbier features Pinot Gris grapes from BC’s Therapy Vineyards. This off dry brew features lovely scents of sweet grapes and honey. Perfect for modestly sweet desert. $11.49 for 750ml.

Garrison Black IPA from Garrison Brewing

Practically every brewery has taken a stab at this relatively new style. “Cascadian” is definitely the first work used to describe this Cascadian dark ale. Like eating citrus fruits while surrounded by pine trees with sticky sap running all down their trunks. With a generous helping of roasted malts, this medium bodied dark ale fits perfectly into winter time in the mountains. $6.99 for 650 ml.

Cascadian East from Stewart Brewing

This American style IPA is dominated by west coast hops, the big C’s. The off pale malts provide a decently rich and caramel filled body with a crisp and bitter finish. $8.19 for 500ml.

Cali Belgique from Stone Brewing

It’s Belgium meets California for this IPA. Stone classic IPA has been fermented with a carefully selected Belgian yeast strain to give this brew the best qualities of both old world and new world beers. $10.59 for 650ml.

Aside from the new arrivals, I just wanted to quickly mention that we have one more bottle of the Eclipse Imperial stout from Fifty Fifty brewing. This rare beer has been aged in Four Roses Bourbon barrels and we won’t see the likes of this again until next Christmas. The volume and price are perfect to share with a few adventurous friends, so come pick up this treat before it’s gone! ($39.39 for 650ml).

Check out my new Twitter account at @ShawnsBrewsCGY

 ...

Continue Reading →




Love at First Sip tasting - February 12, 2015

Posted on February 20, 2015

Have you ever had raclette? Similar to a fondue pot, the electric raclette grill makes for a fun communal dinner party – guests gather round the grill and cook small tasty dishes for themselves. The top hot plate is ideal for grilling vegetables, potatoes, meat and more. Cheese is melted in individual raclette pans (coupelles) under the heating element that’s beneath the grill top and then scraped out of the pans with small heat-resistant spatulas.



That’s what guests enjoyed last night at our annual ‘Love at First Sip’ Valentine’s Day tasting. I decided to switch up the format, as I’ve done the same sweets and bubbles tasting every year. I’m glad I did because it was an absolute hit!

The wines of the evening were indeed, Love at First Sip! Every wine I chose had a love story. Our favorite was the story of Casa de Oleiros Vinho Verde NV. The wine label is inspired by a romantic tradition; a love story lived through the regional popular “Valentine Handkerchiefs”. Young girls in love embroidered these handkerchiefs with a variety of love motifs for the beloved man on a cotton cloth. It is a piece of craftsmanship typical of Minho, the heart of Vinho Verde. Inspired by this tradition, this wine was born as a call to love as an act of sharing Vinho Verde with your loved ones.



Dumangin Rose NV (3rd favourite of the night) is another love story that we adore. As one of our longest standing exclusive wines in our store (for over 15 years!), Gilles Dumangin’s wines are only getting better. It also was the Champagne of choice for Sir Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell wedding back in 2011 – we say they have great taste!

The clear favourite of the night was Bussola Amarone BG Classico 2008! This gorgeous wine is an intense red blend with a combination of old vines and ancient clones: Corvinone (which helps to give the wine depth), Corvina Grossa and Rondinella.



Second was the Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Magnum 1.5L 2011! Don’t let the word magnum scare you! It is only two bottles and it is lovely for dinner parties! This wine is a forward, perfumed example of the cuvee that has classic Rhone black fruits, tobacco leaf, pepper and leathery notes as well as medium to full-bodied richness and depth on the palate. A great choice that is in between Old World and New World and we are very proud to say that we

Items for the Raclette:

Murcia al vino
Spain – pasteurized goat’s milk – supple aged
This drunken old goat will leave you smiling in your glass of wine

Le 1608
Canada – pasteurized cowâ€â„...

Continue Reading →




Whisky Magazine - Icons of Whisky Rest of the World - Highly Comended!

Posted on February 12, 2015

We are absolutely thrilled to be recognized by Whisky Magazine's "Icons of Whisky 2015: Rest of the World" as Highly Commended (or Runner Up) for "Whisky Retailer of the Year Single Outlet". We finished second behind Berry Bros & Rudd, and offer them our sincere congratulations. Berry's is Britain's oldest wine merchant, founded 1688, also an independent bottler of whisky and owner of the Glenrothes single malt brand. Is it high praise to be considered in the same category as them as well as the rest of the esteemed field.



This is Kensington Wine Market's 3rd straight year in the running for this award, having been shortlisted in both 2013 and 2014. We remain the only Canadian whisky retailer to be so honoured, and we would like to thank our customers, suppliers and partners for helping us to achieve this rare hounour!

Full results of the Icons of Whisky will be published in Whisky Magazine Issue 125 and can be visited at the Icons website www.iconsofwhisky.com/2015/restofworld/ ....

Continue Reading →




Scotch Malt Whisky Society Canada February 2015 Outturn Tasting

Posted on February 7, 2015



This month's range was superb, with all 7 of the whiskies showing well. We had a very rare Irish whiskey, bottled at 22 years of age. And intensely popular Campbeltonian dram and a subtle and very tropical Speysider from one of the first licensed distilleries in Scotland. All 7 whiskies had their fans, here is February 2015's Outturn:

2.87: Satisfying as a butcher's blade - 21 Year - 51.7% - Refill Hogshead - Speyside - Profile: Sweet, fruity & mellow. - Outturn: 194 Bottles - Panel's Tasting Note: "The nose was something of a contradiction – ‘old’ impressions of polished floorboards in antique bookshops, old paint cupboards and mentholated snuff – yet with fresher elements of stewed apple, mandarins, toffee, carnations and peppermint. Water brought out honey and lemon toddy notes and freshly baked Eve’s pudding. The palate was fascinating and very tasty – mouth-coating sweetness of toffee apples and caramel apple granny cake with a dry finish of flowers, humbugs and tiger balm. Panellists were yakking away – fair enjoying the mellow easiness of it – as sweet as a Scotsman’s Snickers; satisfying as a butcher’s blade. From George Smith’s 1824 distillery." Drinking Tip: "For anyone who might appreciate the dignity ofage and the freshness of youth in the same body." - $255.99
77.35: Fresh, vibrant and attractive - 11 Year - 58.4% - Refill Barrel - Highland - Profile: Young & spritely. - Outturn: 203 Bottles - Panel's Tasting Notes: "Our panellists were transported from November drizzle to sunny, summer meadows and hay lofts – it was young, fresh, vibrant and attractive (the whisky, not the panel), with oranges and lemons, jam tarts, pears, apples and grapes; hints of bourbon and vanilla. The palate gave us pleasant tingling heat (chili, ginger, cardamom, clove, liquorice) with sapid citric flavours of blood orange and sherbet lemon fizz – not complex, but a good bitter-sweet duality. Water brought more woodiness to the nose, with quinine, quince and orange blossom, while the palate sweetened up nicely – cloudy lemonade, apple sponge and lemon drizzle cake. An ordacious dram." Drinking Tip: "A good session starter or aperitif - served with the Ord-oevres?" - $134.99
73.63: Vanilla spice latte - 11 Year - 59.8% - Refill Sherry Butt - Speyside - Profile: Juicy, oak and vanilla. - Outturn: 426 Bottles - Panel's Tasting Note: "We were greeted by an enticing fruity and sweet aroma of caramelized sugar, apple pie and lemon drizzle cake. There was also the freshness of an Appletiser Mojito with mint leaves over crushed ice which carried on in the taste neat, fizzy and spritely with a kick of chili flakes and Cayenne pepper. With time sweeter; lemon sponge ...

Continue Reading →




Cheese Please - "Spain" - January 30th 2015

Posted on February 22, 2015

Our evening got off to a celebratory start with a glass of the Canals Nadal Cava Brut. Cava is Spain's answer to Champagne, and they've made a sparkling international success out of it! In Penedes, the wine region near Barcelona, Cava is made the same way as the French bubbly but with different grapes including Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada. In this case three's company and delicious. Floral and fruity on the nose, the flavors emphasize apple, pear and peach. Soft, elegant and worth it. $25.99

Our Cava was paired by Garrotxa a Spainish pasteurized goat’s milk, supple aged. This little gem of a cheese out of Catalonia, Garrotxa had almost disappeared.  Luckily young artisan cheesemakers revived it in 1981.    Now this delicate, herbal flavoured cheese with a dusty rind is a sweetheart with a new generation of cheesemakers.

What’s prettier than a glass of bubbles? How about a glass of Coca i Fito Rosa.  Montsant, where Coca i Fito is grown, is a remarkably beautiful region with steep mountains rising to more than 3,300 feet. Coca i Fito Rosa is made from 100% Syrah grapes. Matured in cherry wood and French oak barrels, it shows a vibrant cherry color leading into a lovely fruitiness as well as spice and balsamic notes. Lovely any time of the year. $24.99

Crystal, the owner of Peasant Cheese, paired this beautifully with Murcia al Vino, another Spain beauty made from raw goat’s milk and supple aged. This little drunken goat is washed in the red wine from the Murcia region.  The supple paste is floral and fruity.

AN Negra An/2, the star of the evening, made by  Anima Negra, a winery in Mallorca, Spain, is  "a blend of the most important varieties of the island of Mallorca: Callet, Mantonegre and Fogoneu," according to the winery website. The wine is then aged in both French and America oak barrels. The result? A beautifully balanced, elegant wine with a unique and very enjoyable personality. This one hasn't yet been reviewed, but Robert Parker's Wine Advocate scored the previous vintage a fine 92 points! $37.99

Crystal chose Le Secret de Compostelle, a Basque raw sheep’s milk, firm aged. The Basque region is a magical place that produces heavenly cheeses. Le Secret de Compostelle is no exception.  Made in France with milk from Spain, it is the perfect example of what it means to be Basque.

From the islands we moved on to Manchuela, the heart of Spain and Altolandon L'ame Organic Malbec. Made by Winemaker Rosalia Molina, who also designs the labels, Rosalia started making wine for herself and her friends after a visit to France. "Then came the day when we moved the furniture out of our family home and replaced them with wine tanks," she says on her website. "I realized then that we had become quite serious about being wine...

Continue Reading →




Newer Posts →

← Older Posts

Recent Posts
Archives

Categories