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Exciting New Wines at Kensington Wine Market

Posted on August 21, 2014

This week has seen the arrival of three especially noteworthy new wines.



LES DEUX COLS - New and exclusive to KWM! This artful blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault is made by an Irish fellow named Simon Tyrrell in a tiny region called Estezargues, near Avignon. Production is small, with just over 10,000 bottles. Here’s what the Irish Times has to say: "An exceptional wine for the price with wonderful fresh but rounded dark berry fruits, herbs and black olives. It has the substance to stand up to a full range of flavours”. Les Deux Cols will pair beautifully with lamb on the grill, or a hearty beef stew for those cooler days ahead.  - $27.99



7 IRON CALIFORNIA CABERNET - Another exclusive for KWM!  We love the winery description, we think the label rocks, and we love the wine! This  well-priced, easy-drinking California Cab! "The club that never lets you down," according to the winery team. "The dependable 7 Iron always swings smooth, flies straight and gets you where you need to be. If only your putter was this reliable." - $21.99



SAN GIUSTO CHIANTI CLASSICO - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave the 2011 vintage 90 points He hasn't yet reviewed the 2012, but  here's what his team has to say about the winery: "Run by the Martini di Cigala siblings (Elisabetta, Luca and Francesco), Fattoria San Giusto a Rentennano is a flagship winery in the Gaiole, a Chianti subzone of the denomination." The blend is 95% Sangiovese and 5% Canaiolo grapes giving a rich, earthy and intense wine. - $44.99

 

 

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Bourbon Basics w/ Hunter Sullivan - Tuesday August 5, 2014

Posted on August 18, 2014



This is the first whisk(e)y tasting in a long while where we all sampled standing up! So much more than just an educating class, the one hour event was fun and informal. Those present had a great time discussing the different styles of Bourbon and other American whiskies which I had lined up for us. As a group we sampled through Basil Hayden’s $57.99 (a rye heavy bourbon), Makers 46 $63.49 (a wheat heavy Bourbon finished in French oak), Masterson’s 10 Year-Old Straight Barley (not bourbon, nor an American single malt, it is a straight barley whiskey) and finally Wild Turkey Rare Breed (standard Bourbon mash bill).



In the end the Wild Turkey Rare Breed was triumphant with the highest number of votes for favourite. Not far behind the other three whiskies finished in a tie.  The shocker of the night was the Masterson’s 100% Malt, a very weird and unusual American whiskey, interesting with excellent notes of barley. Being as the bottle is now open, come in for a taste. Last but not least, on this we had one of the first very successful cheese and bourbon pairings; something really awesome that I haven’t seen until now. Peasant Cheese shop, our neighbor sent us over a pair of cheese. Each of them paired beautifully with one of the whiskies:

Maker's 46 w/ San Simon Smoked Cheddar
Basil Hayden w/ Pico Bello

Who knows what’s next, maybe cheese and tequila!...

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Wheat's Up! w/ Marty Rozon - July 18th, 2014

Posted on August 5, 2014



Wheat beers are perfect for summer refreshment. When the weather is warm and the days long, these lighter bodied brews are the perfect patio companion. This summer quickie tasting introduced our guests to five wheat based beers:



1. Konig Ludwig Weissbier - a German hefeweizen with lively fruit aromas, light tartness and hints of apple and banana. - $4.19

2. Howe Sound King Heffy Imperial Hefeweizen – a weizenbock beer with rich flavours of banana, yeast, spice and citrus. Refreshing and tasty. - $10.79

3. Le Trou Du Diable Four Surfers of the Apocalypso – a white IPA brewed with Belgian hops but with an American style IPA recipe. Aromas of resin, sweet, lychee and pear. - $7.49

4. Gigantic Firebird Rauchweizen – a smoked German style hefeweizen using malt smoked over beechwood giving a light smokiness mixing with the clove and banana aromas. - $8.19

As time allowed, a fifth beer was added (not shown in the attched photo):

5. The Bruery Hottenroth Berliner Weisse – This tart Blrliner style weisse is a tasty and refreshing low alcohol brew with tart fruit notes and bracing acidity. - $11.99

 

Favourites of the evening.

1.  Konig Ludwig Weissbier

2. The Bruery Hottenroth Berliner Weisse

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Scotch Malt Whisky Society Canada August 2014 Outturn

Posted on August 2, 2014



We had two excellent back to back Society tastings last night, and the lineups were superb. In my humble opinion, one of the best in recent memory. Unusually for a summer tasting we had three Islay whiskiess, but all of them fit well into a lineup of summer/breakfast style drams. The lineup was as follows:

125.67: Clean and innocent - 58.7% - 14 Year - First Fill Barrel - Highland Northern - Outturn: 193 Bottles - Panel's Tasting Note: "The nose inspired sweet descriptors (meringue, barley sugars,toffee, honey, crème brûlée) and woody references (tea chests, sawdust, coconut, polished Steinway) – also leather, lemon zest,banana, apple, elderflower and vanilla – clean and innocent. With water, some perfume and tropical mix appeared. The unreduced palate had clove and nutmeg spice, sugar-coated fennel seeds and old-style wooden toys (sticky with love and sweets and chocolate and ice-cream and honey and custard)... more perfumed with water, we found orange blossom, suntan oil, guava, mango, peach and Cadbury’s creme eggs. The finish was long-lasting – like the memory of a first kiss. Made by sixteen men." Drinking Tip: "This could turn a lazy Sunday into a perfect lazy Sunday" - $141.99
77.30: Attractively accessible and mouth-watering - 61.9% - 9 Year - Refill Hogshead - Highland Northern - Outturn: 273 Bottles - Panel's Tasting Note: "The nose was attractively accessible, with barley sugars, cream soda, fondant sweets, shortbread and pastry with custard – other notes included fresh linen, lemon, pear sorbet, candied angelica, orange zest, flowers and felt-tip pens. Some preferred it with water– tinned fruits in syrup, lime, under-ripe mango, daffodil stems, cream horns and malted cereal. The palate was straightforward and easy-drinking, yet mouth-watering; stewed apples, pears in syrup, vanilla, pineapple tarts, caramelised sugar, hessian and cayenne pepper. The reduced palate was softer and more ‘giving’ –toffee, tablet, rice pudding, apricot jam, tropical fruits and sherbet fizz. The distillery complex includes a substantial maltings." Drinking Tip: "Suited to an afternoon in springtime -aperitif perhaps." - $115.99
9.78: White chili chocolate - 59.3% - 11 Year - 1st Fill Barrel - Speyside - Outturn: 223 Bottles - Panel's Tasting Note: "Sweet notes dominate the aromas neat; brown sugar, golden syrup, toffee and the cream of coconut in a piña colada. With time notes of gingerbread and freshly picked blackcurrants appear. The taste has a devilish combination; just when a burst of fiery heat explodes in your mouth you get the creamy sweet sensation of white chocolate – quite an experience. With water fresh, grassy and herbal notes on the nose and creamy on the palate, like a whi...

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BBQ Wines - July 31st

Posted on August 3, 2014



AKA   our “Tight Wad” class. I was ready for the beautiful sun shining day and then the clouds rolled in … overcast , a threat of lightening and rain.. That didn’t stop our group..
Lets imagine we are on a patio...
1. We started with off  with Poggio Al Sole Rosato 2013. We can't keep it in stock! Fresh and lively , easy to drink on its own  and even better when  paired with the always popular  Dauphin cheese.  A great starter for the crowd  and easily forgotten once we moved on to the next.  $21.99

2. Mayu Sauvignon Blanc. A new addition to our selection. At first people weren’t too sure about this one; a restrained mineral nose and earth with some acidity. Enter  Le 1608, a beautiful cheese from Quebec and this was a great opportunity to explain how food makes a wine sing.  It was one of my favorites. $15.99

3. Next, if you have been to any of my Tight Wad classes, you know I am going to include a Portuguese wine. It is one of the best value/quality ratio  countries for your hard earned dollars.  Vinos de Altitude Beyra Colheita Red  2012 it was a bit dirty , always rough around the edges which I like and I was able to convince a few others. Delicious, easy drinking with medium to full body. This was paired with Laguiole cheese. The cheese was very strong in flavor with quite a bit of acidity, the pairing was one of the favorites and the wine softened the strong flavours of the cheese. $15.99

4. And the winner is…  Altolandon Irrepetible Syrah/Malbec  2012. Not shocking; a very well rounded, full bodied organic red made by Rosalia Molina. Beautiful packaging and tastes even better. This is the perfect wine with our Alberta beef; not too heavy but just enough to carry any slab o’meat. A blend of 50% syrah and 50% malbec. A perfect combo! It was paired with the favorite cheese of the night Prestige de Brugge, an aged Gouda. Nobody really cared if it paired well, they just really enjoyed the wine. A few people ran next door to Peasant to pick up the selections of cheese.  $19.99

And 50 minutes later we were done. Off to dinner and to fight off the storm …

- Lisa Zinck...

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