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New beers June 24th, 2015

Posted on June 27, 2015

Shawn Michael Young
Friday June 24th, 2015
So I just finished hosting my Canadian whiskey class! It was a ton of fun, and we had some amazing whiskeys! It was a long day, and I have to write another blog post for it, so I'm going to keep this one short-ish. We received a ton of new items this week, and it's all pretty darn exciting! A bunch of new stuff, a bunch of old stuff came back in stock, and a special treat or two.



Brewdog Dogma
Definitely one for malt lovers! huge toffee, caramel, and malty sweetness. The sweetness is boosted by the addition of heather honey, that accompanies the 10 different malts very nicely. I wonderful bow of the head to the ancestors of our favorite Scottish punks! ($5.09 for a 330mL bottle)

Pike Naughty Nellie golden ale
This golden ale from Washington is light and clean, with notes of fleshy fruit and bread on the nose, and yet more bready and fruity notes all over the palate. Plenty of floral accents and citrus as well! ($17.49 for a 6-pack of bottles)

Aecht Schlenkerla Helles
There are just some things that remain mostly inaccessible to modern brewers. One such thing is the process of lagering your beers in "century old caves". Schlenkerla indeed has this ability, and along with a light smoky quality from using the same boilers for their smoked beers and non smoked beers, this Helles lager is truly unique and just another reason why these guys are among some of the best breweries in the world. ($4.79 for a 500mL bottle)



Equinox pale oat ale by Lagunitas brewing
Lagunitas just continues to surprise us! Protein heavy oats give this pale ale a rich body, while equinox and simcoe bring a pine forest to your mouth(well, that sounds great to me at least) along with a healthy dose of semi-tropical and citrus fruits. ($7.79 for a 650mL bottle)

Naughty Hildegard by Driftwood brewing
An extra special bitter that boasts huge north west hop aromas and layers them overtop a light-medium slightly sweet red malt base. Grapefruit, pine and resin, along with hints of marmalade and biscuit tones. A real gem from Victoria's finest! ($6.59 for a 650mL bottle)

HiFi+LoFi mixtape by Stone brewing
A call back to old English pubs who used to blend older barreled beers with fresh beers. Stone brews a high ABV beer to store away in barrels for a few months, then brews a low ABV version of the same beer, and then marries them together! Yeasty, wood-full and barley wine-esque, and yet another reason to love these mad scientists! ($13.79 for a 650mL bottle)

Stones Enjoy By 07.04.15 is in store and on the shelves, and as fresh as ever! If fresh IPAs are what get you up in the morning then you owe it to yourself to make sure you get this each and every time it's released. Limited quantities hit the store so make sure to be quick! And speaking of fresh IP...

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Chianti Classico tasting June 19, 2015

Posted on June 30, 2015


Lisa Zinck
June 19 2015

Oh how I love Sangiovese! I am amazed at how diverse the varietal is and how it offers so many different expressions. Tonight’s tasting was a walk through the sub-regions of Chianti Classico DOCG.

The benefits of being in the wine business are that you are afforded opportunities to travel to these beautiful places and meet the people who make the wine and also educate yourself on the region. Reading a book about a region helps geographically and also helps to understand the processes, however when you sit with the winemakers and viticulturists (usually the same person on small farms) you better understand the life they live and the wines they make and we are always enhanced and understand, in an intimate way, what they are all about.

In Florence this past February I had the luxury of attending the release of the 2013/2014 Chianti Classico vintages (Annate) and the 2012 Riserva and Gran Selezione. Just imagine 140 vintners each with at least 4 wines and a mere 5 hours to taste through their offerings! I managed as I had a plan of attack…just jump in!

Our tasting on Friday June 19 was a small gathering, but everyone was ready to learn about Chianti Classico and the new classification of Gran Selezione. I narrowed our offering to 9 carefully selected Chianti. This is a great deal to taste through; however my intention was to express the sub-regions and show their differences as well as winery styles.

We started with Il Palagio Chianti Classico 2012, one of my favorites from Tavarnelle Val Di Pesa – Panzano and we finished with their Gran Selezione Le Bambole. I wanted to show how Sangiovese can age and so presented Rocca Montegrossi Chianti Classico 2008 from the Gaiole. I was not surprised that it won first place. It was drinking at its optimal. Not far behind was the Le Bambole from Il Palagio. Third place, and I was not surprised, was the Il Palagio Chainti Classico Riserva 2010.



The night was a whirlwind and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the evening and many were eager to continue on! Sadly, all good things do come to an end, but the good news was all bottles were available for purchase so participants could continue to enjoy tasting at home with friends.

Tavarnelle Val Di Pesa – Panzano

1.    Il Palagio Chianti Classico 2012

A Kensington Wine Market exclusive! This wonderful easy-to-drink Chianti Classico hails from a small, family-owned producer in Panzano, in the heart of Tuscany's Chianti Classico wine region. We love it with a range of cuisine: steak, pasta, lasagna or game. It shines with Italian-influenced dishes. Not Sting's winery, which has a similar name, just in case you're wondering!

2. Poggio al Sole Chianti Classico 2011

A charming Chianti Classico from an excellent producer. Gio...

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New beers June 19, 2015

Posted on June 19, 2015

Shawn Michael Young
Friday June 19, 2015
Our yearly sour madness has come and gone! The Cantillon arrived, barely hit the shelves, and left. I say "barely" because even after all of the pre-orders, a couple of bottles of the Grand Cru Bruocsella did end up on the shelf and lasted, somehow, through the weekend! Alas they are all gone now and we will all have to wait patiently until next year for our fill. I mentioned last week that the Oude Beersel Lambics are on their way, and on top of that, the latest release of Tilquin's gueuze and the Quetsche gueuse with plumbs. This year 2 different bottlings with 2 different kinds of plumbs are expected. Look for them on our shelves in a month or so. Good news is there will be no shortage of sours come July!

June/July being prime BBQ season I also have to shamelessly plug our smoked beer selection. What could pair better with saucy, spicy, charred BBQ than a smoked beer? We currently have 4 different varieties in stock, including 2 from Germany (with one more expected soon). Here’s the lineup:  1 from Norway, and 2 of the last cases of Smoke Boss, Calgary's own Dandy brewing's brilliant Rauchbier. It's a match made in heaven and you really need to try it this summer!

I could go on and on as I love talking beer, but I have to leave some things for next week and the weeks after, so here are the new goodies received this week!



Jack Hammer IPA from Brewdog brewing.
A new one from our Scottish friends gives us our bitter just desserts and then some! The IBU's on this monster are calculated at over 200 (so theoretical IBU's) and I must say it takes a spot in my top 5 most intensely bitter beers. Wonderfully huge grapefruit and a ton of spice and pine resin precede the bitterness and accompany the medium bodied malt and generous caramel flavors.  ($4.39 for a 330mL bottle)

Big Wave Golden Ale by Kona brewing.
If Kona's fire rock is a little too bitter for you, then try their crushable, tropical golden ale on for size! One of their best selling beers is finally available in good ol' land-locked Alberta and it seems to be selling out everywhere! Their secret tropical hop blend brightens a light malty backbone, putting this high on a list of things to be stranded with on a desert island.($19.79 for a 6-pack of bottles)Lemon

Hefeweizen by Alley Kat brewing.
Edmonton's finest brings you a summer quencher with this unfiltered wheat ale. A classic euro style complete with aromas of banana and clove. The kicker (or maybe quencher?) is a zesty lemon zing. They recommend you have a lemon wedge in it, and I promise not to judge you if you do.($6.49 for a 650mL bottle)





Sweet Heat Chilli Wheat by Burnside brewing.
Fleshy fruits and soft wheat flavors are sure to be a relief to the mind when tasting this odd sounding brew. It's not all...

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Poggio Antico Brunello tasting June 16, 2015

Posted on June 22, 2015

Tuesday June 16, 2015
Lisa Zinck

The skies were looking very ominous when we began this intriguing tasting. They looked deep and dark and Brunello ominous!

The tasting format was new for us and everyone seemed a bit shy to begin. No worries though, a sip of delicious Sangiovese, paired with Italian cheese, and we were soon in dinner party mode!

This was a technical tasting of Poggio Antico with a very limited table of 12 guests (most were tasting regulars) including myself.

Laurie Driscoll, the representative for Poggio Antico, was our guest speaker.

We tasted through the wines slowly, thinking about each vintage, noting the differences and similarities. It is always hard to pinpoint favorites. The Altero wines are usually more fruit forward, less traditional, and so we were surprised at their earthiness. This is due to the small French Barriques used for aging. The wood makes the wines more approachable earlier.

I had decanted one of the 2009 the day before as I wanted to explain how the wines are enhanced when decanted in advance, especially if they are young. The Riserva’s on the other hand had the lovely earth, violet and tannins which we expected to find.

We tasted the highly rated 2007 vintages, and to our surprise, most of us preferred the more subtle, less rated vintages.

We finished with a treat from San Guisto, a fantastic Vin Santo. Peasant Cheese went over and beyond pairing it with gorgonzola, honey comb and dried figs. This is the best way to finish an evening …
By the end of the tasting, as the grey clouds departed and the blue skies returned, we all left feeling enlightened.



www.poggioantico.com

A combination of people, love for nature, and passion for winemaking in the beautiful landscape of Tuscany.  Brunello, Brunello Riserva, Altero, Madre, Lemartine and Rosso di  Montalcino are the result  of great care and dedication.

Altero was created in 1983 with the intention of making a more modern style of Brunello.  Altero is a proprietary wine that is distinguished by being aged in 500-liter French oak tonneaux for a period of two years rather than aging for three years in the large new Slavonian oak barrels which are used for the traditional Brunello. Altero completes its aging requirement by spending two years in the bottle before release.



1.    Poggio Antico Altero 2007 $108.99

95 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - close to perfection! The review: "The 2007 Brunello di Montalcino Altero is a gorgeous, sleek wine laced with dark red cherries, kirsch, menthol, pine and spices. Sweet floral notes wrap around the silky finish. The 2007 stands out for its finessed texture and impeccable overall balance. I can't remember a more polished, elegant vintage of A...

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Bordeaux 2012 tasting Friday June 12, 2015

Posted on June 16, 2015

Eric Southward
Friday June 12, 2015
It was a special night, full of anticipation as a lucky group gathered together eager to taste the new vintage of red Bordeaux .  And, what did we learn?  That everyone needs to be drinking more white Bordeaux!  It was a pleasant surprise, that after a tasty evening of drinking top flight red Bordeaux – Saint-Emilion, Pomerol, Margaux and Saint-Estephe – that two of the top three wines, as voted by the group, ended up being the first wines tasted of the evening….  The Whites!

There are a few myths surrounding Bordeaux.  One, that Bordeaux is all about the red stuff.  Bordeaux is loaded with tangy, intensely-flavoured, complex white wines, and it was a treat to watch the group’s eyes, and taste buds, open to the  white wines of Bordeaux.  And, the second falsehood that plagues Bordeaux is that the wines are all overpriced.  There are over six thousand chateau in Bordeaux, and once you get past the most expensive wines that make up a fraction of the region’s production, you’ll find a region full of delicious, unique, high quality wines in that land in that approachable $20-$40 range.  I was encouraged by the group’s recognition of the deals to be had within Bordeaux, especially for the sake of the hard-working Bordeaux producer who can’t charge a fortune for their vino.



All-in-all, we were spoiled.  The classically-styled Chateau Figeac was the runaway favourite of the night, followed by the two whites of the evening – Chateau Marjosse took second place and Chateau Ferran what the crowd’s third place finisher.  For the record, I absolutely loved the Chateau Gazin for its absolute deliciousness, and the well put-together Calon-Segur.  Here are some notes on the wines, and thanks to all of those who joined us at the shop.  Cheers.



2012 CHATEAU MARJOSSE Bordeaux Blanc (Bordeaux) - $26.  "Fresh grapefruit and caramelized citrus jump from the glass of this overachiever from Entre Deux Mers made by the meticulous Pierre Lurton. The wine is medium-bodied, fresh, lively and best drunk over the next 4-5 years.” - Robert Parker, April 2015

2012 CHATEAU FERRAN Pessac-Leognan Blanc (Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux) - $33.  "This straw-colored 2012 exhibits notes of figs, citrus oil, grapefruit and wet grass. Drink this intriguing, Sauvignon-dominated, dry white over the next 7-10 years.” - Robert Parker, April 2013

2012 LE GARAGE Bordeaux Superieur Rouge (Bordeaux) - $28.  A testament to the long-standing friendship" between Quebec's Alain Proteau and Jacques Lurton (fromf Bordeaux's famous wine family). "It is a garage wine in the truest sense, handmade in a tiny quantity each year, simply for the joy of doing it," according to Trialto, which imports the wine and where Proteau works...

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