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January feels like the longest month of the year. The holidays are over, the decorations all packed up and the bank balance is hurting. We’ve been mired in a weeks-long deep freeze, having to layer up big time at the painful prospect of leaving the house. Perhaps you’ve also decided to partake in Dry January, making the month seem that much longer…
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January feels like the longest month of the year. The holidays are over, the decorations all packed up and the bank balance is hurting. We’ve been mired in a weeks-long deep freeze, having to layer up big time at the painful prospect of leaving the house. Perhaps you’ve also decided to partake in Dry January, making the month seem that much longer…
January feels like the longest month of the year. The holidays are over, the decorations all packed up and the bank balance is hurting. We’ve been mired in a weeks-long deep freeze, having to layer up big time at the painful prospect of leaving the house. Perhaps you’ve also decided to partake in Dry January, making the month seem that much longer…
Thankfully, the month is nearly over, the mercury is slated to tick up slightly and there are plenty of drinks-related events on the horizon to help you forget the slog that was January…
First up is Good Neighbour Brewing Co.’s Brûlée Fest, which takes place Jan. 31 from 3 to 10 p.m. at the brewery (110 Sherbrook St.). Essentially you buy a mug of beer (usually a stout or porter), and one of the folks at Good Neighbour stick a red-hot poker in your brew, which caramelizes the beer and gives it a richer, creamier texture. It’s a whole experience, well worth trying. In addition to a whole bunch of small-batch stouts and porters, the brewery will have non-alcoholic beers available for brûlée service (in the event you’re finishing up Dry January), while adjacent restaurant Next Door (116 Sherbrook St.) is serving up hot cocktails and featuring a fondue special.
The crew at Low Life Barrel House (398 Daly St. N) and Snack Häus, the brewery’s in-house eatery, are serving up slider-sized fat boy burgers Feb. 1 from 1 to 7 p.m. (or until they sell out) for the second volume of Häus Party. The party will feature special guest Richard Caron, also known as the guy behind the Instagram account @fortheloveofallfatboys, where he posts video reviews of fat boy burgers from all corners of the province. (He’s well worth a follow.)
If you’re already thinking ahead to Valentine’s Day, a number of drinks-related events are on offer, no matter what you’re looking to do with your sweetie (or solo). On Wednesday, Feb. 11, Jones & Company is teaming up with Forum & Bistro for a four-course dinner at the Southeast Event Centre (321 Elmdale St. in Steinbach). The Amore e Vino event gets underway at 6:30 p.m. — tickets are $135 (including tax and tip) and are available online.
On Valentine’s Day proper, Sookram’s Brewing Co. (479-B Warsaw Ave.) is hosting a Raw Bar Oyster Company pop-up, which runs from 2 to 5 p.m. and will see the brewery tapping some small-batch brews for the event. Then in the evening, Sookram’s hosts a ticketed three-course lobster dinner, with two seatings (6 p.m. and 8 p.m.). Tickets are $100 and are available online for the 6 p.m. slot or the 8 p.m. slot.
Up in Gimli, Interlake Brewing Co. (72-A 1 Ave.) has a special four-course Valentine’s Day menu featuring the culinary stylings of guest chef Brad Joyce and music by Steffa Fridfinnson from 7 to 9 p.m. Dinner is $70 per person; while there aren’t tickets for the event, reservations are encouraged by calling 204-642-8313.
If Valentine’s Day really isn’t your thing, Patent 5 Distillery (108 Alexander Ave.) is teaming up with jeweler Silver and Stone for the “Charms for the Un-Charmed” charm bracelet workshop on Feb. 14. The event runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the distillery, and includes supplies to make your own bracelet (with more than 400 charms to choose from), guidance on how to craft your bracelet, and a cocktail. Tickets are $84 (tax included) and are available online.
Later in February, Bordeaux winemaker Pierre-Charles Dartier returns to Winnipeg for a masterclass tasting of his Château Cailleteau Bergeron and Clos Mansio wines. The event takes place Friday, Feb. 20, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Piedmont Room at Piazza De Nardi (1360 Taylor Ave.). Tickets are $27, or $20 for members of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS). To get yours visit this website.
Last call: Saturday, Jan. 31, is the last day to get early-bird pricing for tickets to the Winnipeg Whisky Festival before prices go up. The fest takes place March 6 and 7 at the RBC Convention Centre (375 York Ave.), and this year is featuring Canadian craft spirits producers.
First call: Tickets for the annual (and always excellent) Beer Is Art tasting, which features most of the province’s breweries, are now on sale. The event takes place Thursday, April 2, from 7 to 10 p.m. at WAG-Qaumajuq (300 Memorial Blvd.). Tickets are $65 plus fees, include all samples (and access to galleries), and are available online.
Wines of the week
Miguel Torres 2024 Gran ViñaSol Chardonnay on Lees
(Catalunya, Spain —$17.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)
This organic, vegan Spanish Chardonnay is pale straw in appearance, with lush peach, red apple and melon notes along with lemon meringue, bread dough and chalky notes on the nose.
It’s dry and light-plus-bodied, with a lovely creamy texture (thanks to the aging on the lees, the spent yeast cells) that comes with the red apple, peach and lemon-lime component.
If there’s oak, it’s minimal, while the acidity is modest and the 13 per cent finish offers decent length. Offers impressive complexity for the price. 4/5
Allan Scott 2023 Pinot Noir
(Marlborough, New Zealand — $21.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)
Reddish brick in appearance, this New Zealand Pinot Noir brings earth, cherry, plum, forest floor and black tea aromas.
It’s light-plus-bodied and dry, with juicy cherry and raspberry flavours coming with red licorice, white pepper, black tea and earthy notes, a hint of cola, medium acidity and, at 13.5 per cent, a modest bit of warmth on the finish.
Another wine that offers both ripeness and complexity at a good price. 4/5
Amatria 2024 Despistao Garnacha
(around $23, private wine stores)
This sustainably produced Spanish red is medium garnet in appearance, with blueberry, plum, ripe cherry, strawberry and subtle herbal notes.
It’s a medium-bodied, juicy red, with a decent dollop of acidity that delivers vibrant, slightly tart red fruit and a blueberry component that comes with a black tea note, while hints of white pepper arrive with the soft tannins before the medium-length finish (it’s 13.5 per cent alcohol).
Chill this lively, fresh red for 10-15 minutes and try with charcuterie, olives and cheeses. Available at Calabria Market, Kenaston Wine Market, G.J. Andrews and The Pourium. 4/5
winnipegfreepress.com/bensigurdson
Ben Sigurdson Literary editor, drinks writer
Ben Sigurdson is the Free Press‘s literary editor and drinks writer. He graduated with a master of arts degree in English from the University of Manitoba in 2005, the same year he began writing Uncorked, the weekly Free Press drinks column. He joined the Free Press full time in 2013 as a copy editor before being appointed literary editor in 2014. Read more about Ben.
In addition to providing opinions and analysis on wine and drinks, Ben oversees a team of freelance book reviewers and produces content for the arts and life section, all of which is reviewed by the Free Press’s editing team before being posted online or published in print. It’s part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Ben Sigurdson Literary editor, drinks writer
Ben Sigurdson is the Free Press‘s literary editor and drinks writer. He graduated with a master of arts degree in English from the University of Manitoba in 2005, the same year he began writing Uncorked, the weekly Free Press drinks column. He joined the Free Press full time in 2013 as a copy editor before being appointed literary editor in 2014. Read more about Ben.
In addition to providing opinions and analysis on wine and drinks, Ben oversees a team of freelance book reviewers and produces content for the arts and life section, all of which is reviewed by the Free Press’s editing team before being posted online or published in print. It’s part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Taylor Allen6 minute readUpdated: Yesterday at 9:44 AM CDT
OTTAWA — For three and a half quarters, it looked like it was going to be a night Dru Brown would want to forget.
And in some ways, he still might want to erase Sunday from his memory because it wasn’t overly pretty.
But in the end, Brown got his revenge and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers recovered from a sloppy start to escape the nation’s capital with a 36-34 overtime victory over the Ottawa Redblacks.
The game literally went down to the wire as it remained tied after two overtime mini-games and had to be decided by alternating two-point conversion attempts from the 3-yard line — a first in CFL history as the new overtime format was introduced this season.
Dean Pritchard4 minute readYesterday at 5:09 PM CDT
Two teens who thought they found temporary harbour in a stranger’s apartment after they missed their late-night bus home were instead terrorized, beaten and injected with methamphetamine against their will, a court has heard.
Zoe Pierce6 minute readUpdated: Yesterday at 6:39 PM CDT
Search-and-rescue crews continued efforts Monday to locate two boys who are presumed drowned after falling into fast-moving rapids at Nutimik Lake on the weekend, as community members and Manitoba Parks begin conversations about preventing future tragedies.
The boys, identified as brothers Aaron Au Ramirez, 13, and Maximo Au Ramirez, 10, were visiting Whiteshell Provincial Park with their father and some friends when they entered the water near the Sturgeon Falls Trail Saturday afternoon.
Lac du Bonnet RCMP received a report of a possible drowning at about 12:40 p.m. Police, along with local emergency responders, searched the shoreline and waterways but were unable to find the boys, RCMP said in a news release.
The Manitoba RCMP Underwater Recovery Team and the Hutterian Emergency Aquatic Response Team were later deployed to assist with the search.
Mike McIntyre8 minute readYesterday at 2:40 PM CDT
Adam Lowry’s wedding was the main event, of course. But the Winnipeg Jets had even more reason to celebrate this past weekend as they returned from their off-season homes for a spirited summertime gathering.
Not sure what to see at this year's Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival? All of the Free Press’s reviews will be published here. Find a show and click to read its review.
