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Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson
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Here's to Victoria
Whether you're chilling out in your backyard/balcony or heading to the cottage this long weekend, there's no such thing as having too much wine on hand. You never know when you might get an impromptu invitation to a barbecue or have guests that pop by your place. So here's a May long weekend six-pack -- no reds, just a bubbly and five whites to pop open (or crack open, as the case may be; four of these wines are bottled under screwcap) and enjoy. These are wines I've tried recently that are fresh and drinking well on their own, but are extremely food-friendly, too.View Full Column | 05/18/2013 1:00 AM | 0
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Profitable pour
The 12th Winnipeg Wine Festival has once again come and gone, and by all accounts was a huge success. From the Media Grape Stomp that kicked off the fest to the last pour of Saturday night's public tastings, hundreds of wines were sampled by more than 7,000 attendees over the course of 10 days. Theme regions Argentina and New Zealand were very well-represented. Many winemakers and winery reps were on hand at the "Big Sky Party" ancillary event at the beautiful Qualico Family Centre, and stuck around to be part of the theme region section of the main public tastings last weekend. Between pouring and describing their wines, I overheard many talking enthusiastically about the remarkable turnout of Winnipeg wine lovers.View Full Column | 05/11/2013 5:43 AM | 0
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Bottleneck
In the past I've offered some tips and tricks on navigating the Winnipeg Wine Festival's public tastings (May 3 and 4), and the wine festival's website (www.winnipegwinefestival.com) and program guide (available at Liquor Marts) do a good job of the same. But in mulling over said program guide, I had a couple of other thoughts that will help maximize your time at the Winnipeg Convention Centre next Friday and Saturday night. If you've never been to the Winnipeg Wine Festival's public tastings, you might be shocked at just how big the weekend sessions are. Both nights typically sell out (or come close), with capacity each night in the neighbourhood of 2,800 people.View Full Column | 04/27/2013 1:00 AM | 0
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Kiwi choice
Last week's column on Malbec focused mainly on Argentina, one of the two theme regions at this year's Winnipeg Wine Festival. Malbec remains far and away the South American country's flagship grape variety. The other of the two theme regions at this year's festival is New Zealand, another country known mainly for one grape and region -- in this case Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough. The most prolific Kiwi wine region (especially when it comes to Sauvignon Blanc), Marlborough is located near the north end of New Zealand's South Island. The wines tend to be crisp, lean and grassy, often sporting bell pepper, herbal and tart citrus notes. Some producers make it in too vegetal a style, and the wine starts to pick up acrid notes often associated with, well, cat pee (as the owner of two geriatric cats, I get the connection).View Full Column | 04/20/2013 1:00 AM | 0
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Malbec World Day?
The Internet has given us all sorts of fun, quirky and sometimes annoying trends: laughing goat videos, Harlem shakes, angry cat memes and the classic, Gangnam Style.View Full Column | 04/13/2013 1:00 AM | 0
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Sweet and seductive
More than ever, people are looking for authenticity in their food, be it 100-mile diets, diverse restaurants with flavours from all over the globe or increasingly available exotic ingredients for cooking. There's been a push for similarly global-but-regional emphasis in wine. Australia ran a "Regional Heroes" campaign in 2011, highlighting the differences between regions like the cooler Mornington Peninsula and warmer Barossa Valley. Ontario's sub-appellations continue to expand, highlighting the differences from, for example, Riesling from the Niagara Escarpment and Niagara-on-the-Lake.View Full Column | 04/6/2013 1:00 AM | 0
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Pure, not simple
While the organic wine category enjoys decent popularity in the wine world, it's certainly not growing the way organic food is in the culinary world. Yet consider a recent study that tested over 300 French wines for dozens of molecules found in fungicides, pesticides and other common chemicals used in viticulture. Around 90 per cent of wines tested came back with at least trace amounts of one or more of these chemicals.View Full Column | 03/23/2013 2:49 PM | 0
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Irish vs. ours
I wrote about blind tasting last week -- how it's a humbling, rewarding learning experience and so forth. But there's certainly merit in knowing what you're tasting going in. Which is why, in the spirit of some "palate education" (as well as a tip o' the hat to St. Patrick's Day) I thought I'd taste a couple Irish brews against similar counterparts from other parts of the world -- namely, this side of the Atlantic.View Full Column | 03/16/2013 1:00 AM | 0
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The nose knows
Last week, I was one of around 60 contestants in the Manitoba Wine Tasting Championship, an event put on by The Winehouse (1600 Kenaston Blvd. -- one of Winnipeg's private wine stores). In our individual prescribed time slot, each contestant was given five wines (one white and four reds) to taste blind -- that is, without knowing the grape, country, region, or vintage. It's those qualities in the wine we had to guess -- up to 10 points total awarded for guessing those characteristics of each wine. The tasters with the eight highest scores were invited to a live tasting final taking place March 15 at The Winehouse, although the overall champion will be crowned from the initial round's scores. And wouldn't you know it, it just so happens I made it through to the final eight. While you always hope for the best, I honestly had no expectations of making it through.View Full Column | 03/9/2013 1:00 AM | 0
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Soul by the sip
My good friend (and Montreal Gazette wine columnist) Bill Zacharkiw recently wrote a column where he riffed about the notion of wines with "soul." He grappled with how to explain such a concept, and I think he nailed it in the end -- wines with soul may not be perfect, but they taste like they're from somewhere, like they're made by people who give a damn. My turn to riff. Many of the most popular wines in our market come from expansive, sprawling growing areas -- wines labelled as simply coming from California or South Australia or Chile's vast Central Valley, for a few examples. They're often some sort of blend -- either one grape variety sourced from various vineyards throughout the region or a blend of different grape varieties from multiple vineyards.View Full Column | 03/2/2013 4:07 PM | 0
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Blush of youth
Take an informal poll of grape varieties people could name and the top five are pretty easy to name: Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and probably either Moscato or Gewürztraminer. You'd have to go way down the list to find grapes like Azal, Loureiro, Trajadura, Avesso, Arinto or Alvarinho -- in fact the only way you'd find them is if the poll included a) a large number of wine geeks or b) members of the local Portuguese community.View Full Column | 02/23/2013 1:00 AM | 0
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Chardonnay comeback
Sometimes art imitates life -- or in this case, writing imitates wine. I started writing this column about Chardonnay's resurgence after years of over-oaking and hyper-extraction of rich, blowsy fruit. I initially thought it would be clever to write it in the form of a fairly tale. I stepped away from the computer, and when I came back to read what I had written I realized it was complete drivel -- an overly "clever" piece of flowery writing. My point? Well, in many ways it mirrored the problems with Chardonnay circa the 1990s and early 2000s. A lot of Chardonnay being made was similarly overdone -- the wine became more about the winemaking process rather than the core attributes of the grape.View Full Column | 02/9/2013 1:00 AM | 0
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'Za right stuff
Winnipeggers are clearly passionate about pizza. It's a dish that's almost universally adored, and about which people get remarkably passionate. Part of the reason there's no clear consensus on a "best pizza" is that there are so many variables: crust, sauce, cheese, toppings, method of cooking and so on. You'd think it would make it trickier to find a great beverage to serve with pizza, but, in fact, it's the opposite. I'm as happy sitting down with my kids for cheese pizza and pop as I am tucking into pizza with a beer while watching hockey (or helping someone move -- a classic pairing).View Full Column | 01/26/2013 3:20 AM | 0
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Wine bloggers have unique voices and engage readers
If there's one field that has benefited from the advent of blogging, it's wine. For some, buying wine can be an intimidating crapshoot, while for others, the thirst for more knowledge is quite simply unquenchable. Wine blogs allow the curious imbiber to learn about wine at their own pace without having to worry about "asking a stupid question," as it were.View Full Column | 01/19/2013 4:26 PM | 0
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Ontario's Tawse Winery takes top title at Canadian Wine Awards
The scores have been tallied, and for the third year in a row, Ontario's Tawse winery has been named Wine Access magazine's Winery of the Year at the 2012 Canadian Wine Awards. In 2010, Tawse was the first Ontario winery to take the CWA's top spot, and has held the honour ever since.View Full Column | 01/12/2013 1:00 AM | 0
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Un-wine-ding
Every January I like to look back at the year that was in the wine world, contemplate the good and the bad, and look ahead at what to expect. I think I now taste too many wines (about 1,200-plus per year) to go through my tasting notes and pick certain winners, but there are some wines -- be it a specific bottle or simply a style of wine -- that leave lasting impressions. I also like to dabble in some predictions, be they perceived trends or simply wishful thinking...View Full Column | 01/5/2013 1:00 AM | 0
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Not all Champagne is Champagne, and if you’re a Brut, you’re anything but sweet
'TIS the season for haunting the sparkling wine section of Manitoba Liquor Marts and private wine stores, whether it’s for Christmas morning mimosas or for ringing in the new year. Buying bubbly can be a bit confusing to those who don’t drink it regularly, as there are a lot of terms red and white wine lovers may not regularly encounter. What follows are a few common key terms to remember when you’re bubbly shopping. And no, there won’t be a test.View Full Column | 12/22/2012 5:50 PM | 0
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No rules
I love the holiday season for so many reasons, not the least of which is getting together with family and friends over festive food and drink. I'm clearly not the only one -- my email inbox fills up with requests for wine suggestions for Christmas dinners, toasting the New Year and various other holiday get-togethers. I'll get to New Year's Eve and bubbly next week -- for now, let's focus on wines for your typical Christmas dinner. The holiday feast often features turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, some sort of veggies on the side and if you're lucky (or unlucky, as the case may be), the infamous green bean casserole.View Full Column | 12/15/2012 1:00 AM | 0
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Sip or shop?
Holiday shopping is enough to drive many of us to drink. Whether you're creeping around the Exchange District, scouring suburban malls or hitting the big box stores, there's plenty of frustration and anxiety to go around. My holiday shopping experience -- especially since my kids came along -- has taught me it's important to pause and enjoy a little quiet time for yourself. For some that might mean yoga, for others it might mean a good book, but for me it means sitting at home enjoying a sip of something or other. And with the recent arrival of a certain massive furniture chain, I've had local producers on the brain -- after all, it feels good to support the little/local guys.View Full Column | 12/8/2012 1:00 AM | 0
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Read all about it!
November has come and gone, meaning holiday shopping is in full swing. If you're the proactive, organized type, chances are you may be well into (or done) your shopping, and can now simply sit back and enjoy some festive sippables. The rest of us, however, will be sweating over just what to get our friends and family. And while there are plenty of wine-related gadgets out there of varying degrees of usefulness (more on them soon), a good book on wine is a gift that can truly enrich wine lovers, from the novice to the full-blown wine geek.View Full Column | 12/1/2012 1:00 AM | 0
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Here's to Earl Grey
Well, our Winnipeg Blue Bombers are nowhere near a locker room or Astroturf this Grey Cup weekend. If you've been following the roller-coaster of a season -- from the delay at the stadium to the hiring, firings and quarterback woes -- chances are you've dipped into the sauce at some point to take the edge off this less-than-memorable year. Yes, it's been a season to forget for Bomber fans, but it doesn't change the fact the 100th Grey Cup will be played on Sunday. If you're a football fan, chances are you'll be glued to the TV, with a full spread of snack food laid out for the devouring.View Full Column | 11/24/2012 1:00 AM | 0
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Extra! Extra! Drink all about it!
Last week we got a sneak peek at what a couple of Winnipeg Free Press editors enjoy when it comes to wine. As the resident wine geek here at the Freep, it pleases me greatly to have seen my colleagues "get it," so to speak, when it comes to wine and food. Among Winnipeg Free Press writers, it would seem, there's a similar appreciation of wine and food. Columnists Gary Lawless and Doug Speirs each had such thoughtful responses and genuinely interesting wine picks to provide that, like last week, the column practically wrote itself.View Full Column | 11/17/2012 1:00 AM | 0
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Free Press editors wax poetic about their wine choices
Every week I spend 750-ish words in this space talking about wine in what are fairly standardized wine columny terms. For a change of pace, I thought it would be fun to get some non-wine writers to talk about some of their favourites in this space. And since the Winnipeg Free Press is chock-full of talented writers and editors, I figured it was the perfect place to start. What was surprising was how many of 'em are drinking darn good wines. (Can I chalk that up to them reading my column every week? No? OK, then.) I queried a number of Freep writers and editors, and many seemed pretty excited for the chance to talk about wine.View Full Column | 11/10/2012 12:11 PM | 0
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Best bargain bottles
MOST of us don’t buy wines over $25 on a regular basis. I try and keep most wines I review in this column in the under-$25 range for this reason; also, the majority of wines on shelves in Liquor Marts and private wine stores are in this price range as well. I’m also fortunate enough to try hundreds of wines in this price point every year as a judge at Wine Access magazine’s International Value Wine Awards (IVWAs). Held every summer in Calgary, thousands of reds, whites, bubblies, rosés and dessert wines are scrutinized and discussed by a national panel of judges.View Full Column | 11/3/2012 2:30 PM | 0
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Best bargain bottles
Most of us don't buy wines over $25 on a regular basis. I try and keep most wines I review in this column in the under-$25 range for this reason; also, the majority of wines on shelves in Liquor Marts and private wine stores are in this price range as well. I'm also fortunate enough to try hundreds of wines in this price point every year as a judge at Wine Access magazine's International Value Wine Awards (IVWAs). Held every summer in Calgary, thousands of reds, whites, bubblies, rosés and dessert wines are scrutinized and discussed by a national panel of judges.View Full Column | 11/3/2012 1:00 AM | 0
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