Follow Us:

Blog

Champagne, Bubbles and More!

Posted on July 14, 2018

by Abi

There something about cracking open a bottle of bubbles, especially when there is nothing the celebrate. Sparkling wine has this connotation that it is only a celebratory drink, which was created during the Belle Epoque, a celebration era in France between the years of 1871 (end of franco-prussian war) to 1914 (the beginning of World War One). Yet, sparkling wine has been around for centuries and has always been enjoyed just like red or white wine. So why do we still feel like Champagne or Cava are only to be enjoyed during celebration? This tasting was the focus on the beauty of sparkling wine, the diversity and elegance of it and to promote the fact that it can be enjoyed any day of the week.

Here’s what we sampled this evening:



CVNE Cava NV
CVNE, Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (the Northern Spanish Wine Company), was founded in 1879 in Haro, a small town in Northern Spain which many refer to as the beating heart of Rioja. This Cava (Spanish sparkling wine) made from a blend of grapes (Macabeo, Xarel Lo, Parellada) is terrific value coming from such a prestigious winery. Fresh and young, it shows a wonderful fruity bouquet with slight hints of yeast. Very fresh in mouth with a light sweetness that adds to its deliciousness; strong and consistent. Try as an aperitif and to accompany fish and seafood, pasta and rice dishes. $21.99

Costadila Bianco Col Fondo 2017
Costadilá is one of a handful of producers in the Prosecco region that are redefining the way we think about Prosecco. These producers have re-ignited the completely natural and ancient way of making Prosecco called Methode Ancestrale. The resulting wines are called Prosecco 'Col Fondo' because they are shipped un-disgorged 'with sediment'. This helps the wine remain stable without the addition of any sulphur," according to the importer. "This wine is not disgorged and the lees remains in the bottle. There is no dosage. This Methode Ancestral process produces wines with a light naturally produced frizzante and an enjoyable 11% alcohol. This is the perfect holiday celebration bubbly....Think peaches, baked bread and grapefruit pith with a fine bubble. $29.99

Schlossgut Ebringen Pinot Noir Brut NV
Schlossgut Ebringen is a small scale production coming from Baden in Southern Germany, where they focus on organic, sustainable and terroir-driven wines. This traditional method sparkling Pinot Noir Rose is made from the grapes grown on the cooler vineyards, allowing for an elegant acidity to show through the wine. It is outrageously complex, with notes of red berries, fine yeast and that beautiful minerality that Schlossgut is famous for. $44.99

Bride Valley Brut NV
Bubbles from England, one of the world's up-and-coming wine regions. If you haven't tried a bottle yet, track this down so you can see what all the fuss is about. ...

Continue Reading →




SMWS Canada Outturn for July 2018

Posted on July 7, 2018

July is upon us and Canada Day has passed.  That usually means one thing for many in Calgary: bring on the Stampede breakfasts and the Stampede hangover. But for SMWS members it also means something else: Another round of SMWS Outturn fun!

Quite the lineup this month. Here is a quick stat-based rundown:

Only one bottle coming in at a price north of $200.
Four of the seven bottles are priced at less than $150.
One Campbeltown distillery bottling from a number we have not seen much of recently. The last bottling was in the Fall of 2017 and was an excellent young bottling that did not last long on the shelves. How will this 93 stack up to the previous one?
Two Islay distillery bottles, both under 10 years in age.
A Cognac first seen in the Special Spirits Release this past May to round things off.

Also worth noting is the diversity of style showcased in the first four of the lineup. The 9.126 is lush and vibrant in style - a crowd-pleaser of a cask strength single malt. The 112.19? You might not have anything like it in your collection. To me, this is a very unique whisky. The 36.135 also shows differently than many bottles out there - the Society's own tasting notes can attest to that, which seem to be taken directly from a dinner menu or Foodies' blog post. Don't let the strange notes stop you from trying it though - for many this bottle was one of the highlights of the night.

All that being said, let us go talk a bit more about 112.19. This particular distillery number comes with an interesting bit of background information from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society headquarters.

112 hails from one of the few distilleries being codified by the SMWS under multiple designated numbers depending on the style of spirit created. There are a few other distilleries that receive multiple classifications, one of the more famous being a fan-favourite Campbeltown Distillery.

Here is what the SMWS says about this particular Highland Distillery's case:

"The Society already has two different codes for bottlings from this distillery – 112 and 122. Both were produced using its distinctive straight neck pot stills, which were designed specifically for the distillery when it was built in 1964. The stills have a pot still base and a straight neck. The spirit still has fixed plates, while the wash still doesn’t.

Here’s where the difference comes in. Bottlings with the Society code 112 were distilled using a process of still head cooling, which creates higher collection strength for the alcohol and a lighter, more malty spirit.

Bottlings with the code 122 were distilled without using the process of still head cooling, resulting in a lower collection strength for the alcohol and a fuller-bodied, fruity character. Most of them were also heavily peated. We believe the difference in t...

Continue Reading →




New Beers for the Month of June part 2 of 2

Posted on July 5, 2018

by Shawn

We are now past the end of June, we’ve already forgotten about the solstice, and the city is getting ramped up for the annual big ol’ stampede celebration.
Through the last half of the June, I was able to host a Canada day tasting as well as secure a small amount of yet another US cult beer (CBS anyone?) and an exciting brewer out of Halifax, both of which are arriving this week. I don’t mean to get too ahead of myself here though, I just wanted to tease you a little. There are still a bunch of really cool beers that came on the tail end of June, and I’m going to list those out for you here. A few of these I’m particularly excited about (super session, trillium, Brewdog, Dankwood).

Founder’s Dankwood BBA IIRA ($8.39 for a 350mL bottle)
Blindman Super Session ($19.89 for a 4-pack of 20oz stove-pipe cans)

Fuggles & Warlock Gin and Lime Pilsner ($17.69 for a 4-pack of cans)

Meinklang Urkorn Ancient Grain Beer ($5.49 for a 330mL bottle)

Omnipollo and Brewdog I Wanna Be Your Dog ($13.99 for a 355mL can)

Omnipollo and Trillium Covered in Puppies ($9.49 for a 330mL bottle)

8-Wired Cucumber Hippy ($6.70 for a 440mL can)

Wild Beer co Jambo! ($15.49 for a 750mL bottle)

We find ourselves heavy in quality rather than quantity for the latter half of June. That Dankwood and Omnipolllo/Brewdog collab is an insane beer, by the way, so make sure not to miss out on those. Aside from new beers, we also released our summer tasting schedule that includes some pretty awesome beer tastings. Check out the tastings page and jump on some of those seats before they fill up!

That’s about all for now. Until next time, cheers!

Shawn
beerguy@kensingtonwinemarket.com
Twitter: @ShawnsBrewsCGY
 ...

Continue Reading →




Canada Day Beer Showdown

Posted on July 5, 2018

by Shawn

Oh, Canada! You impress me so much with your thriving beer culture and skillful brewers. I remember 6 years ago when I first started at Kensington Wine Market, the main sources for real craft beer were the US and select overseas brewers. Sure, we had some amazing Quebec and east-coast beers too, but it was the import market that was truly thriving. I’m grateful to be here to see the rising tide for Canadian brewers. To see folks like Bellwoods, Four Winds, Blindman and so on, start up and gain a huge following so quickly out of the gates is really incredible.
Thankfully Alberta’s market is open enough that we can support both Canadian and import beers, which is part of what makes us the best beer scene in Canada. But to stay on topic, this post isn’t about imports, no, this is all about tasty brews from our home and native land. It’s time for an all-out brawl among some of the country’s best to see who may reign supreme. Of course… we’re trying a bunch of different styles, so it’s not a direct 1 to 1 comparison, but you get the idea! Check out what we tasted below!

Dageraad De Witte: BC's Belgian beer authority (and brewery of the year at CBA) have crafted a real treat with this Flemish wit. The usual suspects are all here, malted and unmalted wheat, coriander and orange peel, but the addition of Lactobacillus gives this beer a refreshing, lovely tartness. ($10.09 for a 650mL bottle)

Burdock Three: Three is a can-conditioned sour saison. Light, crisp with plenty of citrus, light funk and some wine-like fruitiness. An incredibly solid beer to showcase Burdock’s skill with yeast. ($6.19 for a 350mL can)

Blindman Super Session ale: or those who love the hazy and juicy trend, but wouldn't mind having 3 beers before the end of the night (like me), Blindman has got you covered for this summer! The Super Session is like their NEIPA, but brought down to 3% ABV. All the silky (though lighter) body, and fruity hops you can handle! ($19.89 for a 4-pack of 20oz stovepipe cans)

Collective Arts Liquid Arts Fest IPA: For their Liquid Arts Fest this year, Collective Arts has put together this insanely fruity IPA. The so-called milkshake IPA has plenty of mango and passionfruit, along with the lactose and heavy hopping you'd expect. The flavour is VERY reminiscent of childhood citrus punches such as High C and Five Alive. ($6.19 for a 473mL tall can)

Dieu du Ciel Solstice D’ete: A highly acidic beer due to the lactic fermentation. Its aromas are acid, tart, with tons of rich raspberries. Though on the lighter side, its acidity is quickly felt on each side of the tongue before leaving all the room for the wonderful fruity taste. ($20.29 for a 4-pack of bottles)

Outcast Neon NIghtmare: A big, robust IIPA from Alberta’s favourite gypsy brewer. Double dry hopped for ultimat...

Continue Reading →




The Spirit of Canada

Posted on December 11, 2022

by Evan

Canadian Whisky as a concept is very much in flux. If you go back in time by a decade the idea of what defines Canadian Whisky was a lot more clear. With the craft distillery boom very much in swing and a lot more of these producers having stock old enough to be called whisky, we are now seeing a greater depth in style than ever before.

We are living in exciting times. Let's see where some of thee younger craft distilleries around us are at:

Dubh Glas
Dubh Glas Distillery in Oliver, BC is now three years old. Kensington Wine Market has its own barrel ageing away at the distillery and is now passed the two-year mark. Their Noteworthy Gin lives up to its name and is worth tracking down (when it isn't sold out!).

Eau Claire Distillery
The Turner Valley Distillery released their first Single Malt Whisky earlier this year. Sadly it was sold only through the distillery and also sold out quickly. There first Rye Whisky release may be on the horizon though and a sample I tasted was very promising...

Burwood Distillery
This Calgary distillery is a relatively new kid on the block, having only been in operation since May/June of 2017 and only having started laying stuff down later that summer. Definitely worth keeping an eye on. Burwood does a very good Vodka and Gin as well as some cool and unique Honey Eau de Vie and Honey Liqueur.

Last Best Distillery
Our store also has a barrel with Last Best Brewery and Distillery right here in Calgary. It is about 19 months old right now. They also have excellent beer by the keg and are in the middle of an ambitious plan to release a new Gin for each week of 2018 as well.

Victoria Caledonian Distillery
Vancouver Island seems to be a busy place for distilling - already to home to both Shelter Point and Victoria Gin as well as Sheringham Distillery. Victoria Caledonian Distillery in Saanich has been operating since September of 2016. No Whisky yet beyond some blended malts that they sell and an aged spirit. They also do beer.

--

This is just a small sampling of the distilleries operating in our neck of the woods right now - even just within 200KM of Calgary, I neglected to mention both Wild Life Distillery and RAW Distillery in Canmore, Park Distillery in Banff, and probably a few more.

The only disappointing news is that nothing new has come out of Calgary’s own Alberta Distillers since Canadian Club 100% Rye and Alberta Premium Dark Horse Rye were released a few years ago. All of those amazing barrels of whisky they have ageing away only to be sold off to some other company to take credit and acclaim or blend away to oblivion in their own bar rail stock. Would it be too much to ask for a return of the 25 or 30-year-old? Or even better - something at Cask Strength?

But I digre...

Continue Reading →




Newer Posts →

← Older Posts

Recent Posts
Archives

Categories