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The Wines of Summer

Posted on July 14, 2019

by Abigail

So, summer hasn't very much felt like summer as of yet. It’s rained, it poured, and it rained some more, but I'm English, so this is a style of summer I’m used to. And for the record, we’re not buried in snow *touch wood* and Calgarians are notorious for making the most of nice weather (i.e. patio-ing as soon as its above 0 degrees), so this evening is all about celebrating summer with wines that are perfect for quenched palates.

When thinking about wines that are summer friendly, it's always safe to find styles of wines that are brighter in style, a touch lighter, and maybe lower alcohol (dehydration is REAL people!). For example, big heavy reds tend to have more of a comfort/warming effect, and that's why they work so well during the winter months. But in the summer, we tend to switch directions, craving food/wine that have more of a cooling effect, which are wines that aren't as bold or brash, rather wines that are brighter and fresher. For tonight's line up, I wanted to showcase other wines to explore during the summer months, not just Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir (even though they are perfect for summer, or any time of the year). Tonight, we are going on an adventure for the perfect summertime juice!



Saint Cyr Pet-Nat NV
St. Cyr is based in the beautiful region of Beaujolais. The vineyard is planted mainly in the town of Anse, where the sun beats down on the land. They practice only organic agriculture, limiting the use of chemicals on the land, and not adding any gunk into the wine. All of their wines on our market are perfect for summer, but the Pet-Nat is something special. Made from 100% Gamay, this dry, unfiltered sparkling wine shows notes of cloudy apple juice, blossom, citrus and a touch of spice. It's a wine that is easy, breezy, yet energetic. Enjoy any day of the week, especially if a patio is involved. $36.99

Domaine du Haut Bourg Pavillon Muscadet 2017
Located in the heart of the Appellation Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu, the Domain du Haut Bourg has been built by four generations of winegrowers. The first vine was planted in 1944 and today the total area of the vineyard has grown to 40 hectares. Pavillon is the name of the parcel where the grapes are from. The vines are 40 years old and produce a fine wine that is chock-full of minerals and bracing acidity. Showing greater length and complexity, this wine opens up to classic melon, citrus notes in the nose, but more reserved and more complex. $22.99

Tenuta di Castellaro Bianco Porticello 2017
I chose this one because not only is a perfect wine for summer, but the wine itself is named after one of the most popular beaches in Lipari! Malvasia Bianco and Carricante grapes from the volcanic island of Lipari, just north of Etna. Salvo Foti is the guru. All bush vines, no chemicals, all by hand, native yeasts. A dry white win...

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Tight Wad: Junk and Juice

Posted on July 11, 2019

by Brianna

Wine has a wonderful yet sometimes pretentious reputation to be accompanied with fancy five-course meals or food that is equally expensive. Well if you're like me sometimes all you want to do is sit in your pj's watching reruns of The Office, for the millionth time. What affordable snack and wine would go well with this perfect evening, you may ask? Oh, how about some sparkling Vouvray with Chicago mix or Mac n Cheese with Chardonnay. These are the types of ideas we explored and sampled at the Junk and Juice tasting.



The oh so fancy pairing; Domaine des Aubuisieres Vouvray Brut with Chicago Mix

My goal was to find a snack of whom we're all familiar with but give it a partner to elevate its stature. The caramel and cheese combination is genius! Giving us all what we crave, the sweet and salty. Paired with the delicate effervescent of the Vouvray refreshes after every sip. Therefore, if you need a break from the fistful of Chicago mix, Vouvray Brut will do the trick! This was the 3rd favourite of the evening.

Spice up your life pairing; Kuentz Fleur D'Alsace with Veggie Samosa

Every once and a while we crave a snack that challenges us both emotionally and mentally. However, it must not challenge us physically. That is why I chose a veggie samosa for our next pairing. Samosas can either be gorgeously handmade at a restaurant or something frozen you pick up in aisle 6. Kuentz Fleur D'Alsace went beautifully with the satisfying yet slightly spicy samosas. This white wine has the following bouquet; Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Blanc. Together they created a slightly off-dry wine with a complex floral yet spicy notes. This pairing was one of two favourite picks tonight. When pairing spicy foods with wine keep it simple. Try to find a wine with little to no tannin or a little sugar to help calm those taste-buds.



Oak isn't just for buttery popcorn pairing; Susanna Balbo Signature Torrontes with Fried Chicken

Torrontes has yet to develop a fan base and I am here to help! Wanting to find a new twist on oaky chardonnay paired with popcorn, this particular Torrontes sprung to my mind. Susanna Balbo created a beautifully balanced wine filled with complex oak aromas with white pear, white flowers and ripe peach. This wine is full of body and may I add is really yummy with some popcorn fried chicken! Move over Chard, Balbo's Torrontes is coming for you...

Don't Call it a Come Back: Paltrinieri Solco Lambrusco with Cotton Candy and Raspberry Gummies

Having risen to popularity in England during the 80's Lambrusco had its moment in the spotlight. Or did it....

Lambrusco Solco is a delight to drink! This dry, delicious fizz is dark purple-red in hue and hails from Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, just outside of the city of Modena. It has a long history in the region...

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Canadian Whisky Rising

Posted on December 11, 2022

by Evan

The Canadian Whisky scene as a whole can be described as three or four Goliaths plus a few dozen or so (with more on the way) Davids. Many of these Davids are up-and-coming Craft Distilleries, a few of which are featured in this tasting. You have a few that have been operating for nearly a decade and sometimes more like Two Brewers, Shelter Point, Still Waters Distillery (Stalk & Barrel), and so on. Then you have the newest generation in which I would include Eau Claire, Burwood, Last Best, Victoria Caledonian, Dubh Glas, and many more. Some of these now have actual, bonafide whisky that they have produced themselves and released. Others are in hurry-up-and-wait mode when it comes to whisky, with nothing in a barrel that has reached the three-year mark needed to legally qualify, biding their time selling vodka, gin, and aged spirit releases.

The Domestic and Import Beer industry has suffered a thousand cuts over the last decade or more, as many customers flock to the many craft beer producers that continue to pop up. The industry of Big Beer is nowhere near close to dying, but whole swaths of beer lovers have essentially written them off. In my opinion, the main reason for this is that a lot of consumers have decided flavour and variety are king. When you can have a new seasonal or one-off beer in your hands every day of the week, do you really need to go back to the Molson, Labatts, Heineken and Stella of the world?

It could be that we will see the same thing happen on the whisky side of things. I would argue we already have - at least on a smaller scale. We have more choice in Canadian Whisky then we have ever had before, and as more distilleries get closer to whisky-age, this will continue. This and other influences already seem to have pushed the big companies to innovate and offer more new releases - many at the higher than bog-standard 40% ABV. You also see a greater push for more flavour, usually through more experimentation with barrels and/or a push for more flavourful grains and casks to be used.

Hopefully, that continues as well. A decade ago, it would have been easy to write off the Canadian Whisky Industry as a whole as stagnant and homogenized; happy to blend away the flavour with neutral casks and bland, bulk whisky. With the single malt boom and the current rye resurgence, things are shifting.

The best part of all of this chaos? More choice for us whisky lovers! That, and I can pour an eight-deep lineup of Canadian Whisky where NOTHING is stuck at the dreadfully low 40% ABV…



Curious about the lineup? Read on!

Canadian Club Barley Batch $52
Canadian Club is pushing the boundaries of the style we know (and occasionally love) as Canadian whisky. Barley Batch is a 2018 expression released to commemorate the 160th birthday of the brand, and it does so in a very unique style...

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Natural Wine Battle

Posted on July 11, 2019

by Dave At our recent Natural Wine Tasting, we were lucky enough to have Erik Mercier from Juice Imports and Andrew Stewart from Vino al Vino Wine Imports going head to head for 4 rounds of wine vs wine battle. They tried to pick wines that had similarities, with selections focused on minimal intervention style wines or "natural" wines.

I personally have a very hard time with the term "natural wine". First and foremost it is because there is not a set or agreed upon definition of what it exactly means. It can mean one thing for one person but something different for someone else. The other unfortunate part is that a lot of wine that has been termed as natural may potentially sell quite a bit even though it could be just a faulted wine.

For this tasting, we were lead by two very knowledgeable and resourceful agents that we work with quite a bit who both focus on minimal intervention wines. This basically means that the people who produce these wines use little mechanics, don't add anything to their juice, use minimal interference when producing their wines and also have low to no sulphur added. Some of the wines that they represent are some of the best and most sought after in the world and we are fortunate enough to be able to taste them here in Alberta.

To start the night we went off with a bang of face ripping acidity, Riesling vs Riesling. Both of the Rieslings were from the new world. One from California and the other Australia.


Vinemind Riesling 2017 $31.99
A Clare Valley Riesling of more charitable mouthfeel and relaxed acidity. Well… relaxed for Clare…. Sure, we still see the bracing backbone the region is synonymous with, but with a more juicy, citrus-up palate, accented with a jasmine/lavender floral character, and flinty, chalkiness that doesn’t distract AT ALL, form the juicy and crushable fun time, go-go nature you will definitely love. Whole-cluster pressing handpicked, and a fantastic intro to the quality potential of the region at low $$. Also, skulls…

VineMind is the brainchild of Jen Gardner and Colin McBryde. Whilst their other endeavours, Adelina and Some Young Punks, are still very much ongoing projects, VineMind was born out of the opportunity to source fruit from vineyards and make wines in quite an experimental fashion diametrically opposed to what they do for the family estate Adelina and the collaborative Some Young Punks. An exercise in exciting regional wines that stray somewhat from the norms of stoicism.

Stirm Kick-On Riesling 2016 $30.99
Kick-On vineyard is located 16km east of the ocean in Los Alamos Valley, just north of Santa-Barbara. As this is an offshoot of the transverse range, the valley runs west-east which means oceanic breezes cool the vineyard daily. Ryan’s vineyard block is planted mostly on windblown sand with just a pinch of clay and dirt cobbles. St...

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Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada July 2019 Outturn

Posted on July 6, 2019

by Evan

July is here, the Calgary Stampede is underway, and it is raining outside as I type this. I am sure we could use the rain (as long as it doesn't lead to flooding), and I personally prefer when the temperature doesn't go above 20 degrees Celsius outside. It may bum out most everybody else, but at least I am happy!

In the summer months, the Scotch Malt Whisky of Canada releases six new bottles instead of the typical seven. At KWM, we add a returning SMWS bottle to the lineup that was featured in a previous Outturn. July's bottle is 72.57 - CHEERFUL SOUL, which was originally released as part of the December of 2018 Outturn. Regularly priced at $126.99, the price has been dropped on the few remaining bottles by 15% off to $107.94!

What are the new six bottles in the July Outturn? Here is a quick rundown:

We start with two solid, summer-ready sippers, including one of my favourites from the lineup: the first release we have seen from Distillery 88 in Canada. The saltiness in the dram was enticing...
The second dram offers an exciting mix of sweet notes and oak. Like the 72 featured above, the distillery that produced this bottle of 71 also plays a prominent role in the Ballantine's Blend.
The SMWS Canada chapter had saved a Bourbon with a Stampede-ready name for this Outturn. Bucking Bronco is the second Bourbon we have seen in a green bottle in Canada. Both have been from B3 - a young distillery in Little Rock, Arkansas. Looking for a cask strength Bourbon with wood, fruit, and a lot of other notes going on? Check this one out.
We finished the lineup with three straight cask finishes. Each one was wilder than the last. First up was my favourite from 135, which hails from the most versatile distillery in Scotland. It was finished in a first fill Sauternes cask, but it is unlike any other Sauternes cask finish I have personally tried...
Next comes what is a contender for best recent SMWS bottle name: SPEYGERMEISTER! Not only worth checking out for name alone, this guy is a crazy px cask finish that doesn't just go for syrup and sweetness in style.
Last but not least comes our only foray into peat, but not from Islay. Great Fun comes to us from the Highlands workhorse distillery that is featured in Teachers Blended Scotch. Finished in what might be called an STR cask by other companies. It is a wild twist on this distillery's typical style.

All of this information, plus the information on previous releases that are still available can be found on our website here. If any SMWS bottles show as being out of stock on our website please contact us – we might still be able to get more. As always we would like to give a big thank-you to our awesome neighbour’s Peasant Cheese for supplying the small bites for the tastings.

What does this all mean? What does it add up to? Will I ever stop stalling and...

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