Striking selections to sip and savour

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/08/2023 (1114 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Last week I offered tips and tricks on shopping during the Liquor Mart labour dispute. Since then, Uncorked readers, the situation for consumers has gone from bad to worse.

Single-day lockouts and the occasional strike day have been replaced by a full-on work stoppage by unionized Liquor Mart employees. A visit this week to one of the five Winnipeg Liquor Marts during their limited hours (noon-5 p.m. on weekdays, and not at all on weekends, as of this writing) saw long lineups at the door, with tills being operated and shelves being stocked by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries management while disgruntled Liquor Mart staff walked the picket line outside. In short, a tense and not-so-pleasant experience.

By contrast, stops at beer vendors, private wine stores and local producers this week found them busier than usual as a result of the labour dispute, but still offering a far more enjoyable retail experience. For the most part shelves continue to be well-stocked (save for a few of the bigger-name ciders and coolers) and there’s far more elbow room.

This week’s featured wines are carried by private stores, while the beers tasted were made locally and are available either at the brewery where they were made (and where you can sit and enjoy some in person) or at better beer vendors.

Barn Hammer Brewing Co. Core Memory Cold IPA (Winnipeg — $4.85/473ml can, brewery, beer vendors, Liquor Marts)

Pale gold in colour and slightly hazy, this IPA features lotus and sabro hops and is fermented at lower temperatures than would normally be used to make an ale (hence the “cold IPA” moniker). Aromatically there are fresh, lovely grassy and citrus rind-driven notes, with an underlying backbone of fresh malt and biscuit components. It’s light-plus bodied and dry, with a slight resinous note to the hops that accentuates the pine, grass and grapefruit oil components. There’s some decent bitterness here but it’s not overpowering, and the secondary malt notes add depth before the medium-length finish (it’s 6.7 per cent alcohol). Deceptively drinkable and delicious. 4/5

Oxus Brewing Co. Neipula Small Batch Edition Hazy IPA (Winnipeg — $4.00/473ml can, brewery, beer vendors, Liquor Marts)

This smaller-batch run of Oxus’ Neipula features Azacca, Cashmere and Enigma hops; it’s medium straw in colour and quite hazy, with loads of tropical fruit aromas, a decent helping of fresh malt and secondary citrus and herbal notes. It’s light-plus bodied and slightly off-dry, with the tropical notes leading the charge followed by malty/biscuit flavours and some subtle bitterness before the medium-length finish (it’s six per cent alcohol). Refreshing yet with good complexity. 4.5/5

Sookram’s Brewing Co. Double Desert Island DIPA (Winnipeg — $5.35/473ml can, brewery, beer vendors)

This high-octane riff on Sookram’s Desert Island IPA is double dry hopped; it’s medium gold in colour and clear, with deep grassy and ripe grapefruit notes on the nose, with hints of floral notes and fresh malt lingering in the background. It’s an intense, high-octane double IPA, with fresh grapefruit, pine, grass and gooseberry flavours, hints of tropical fruit, generous malt notes, medium-plus bitterness and a robust (but not rough) eight per cent alcohol on the long, warm finish. If you like a punchy, hop-driven IPA, this is the stuff for you. 4.5/5

Salentein 2021 No. 5 Portillo Rosé Malbec (Uco Valley, Argentina — around $16, private wine stores)

Medium pink in colour, this Argentine rosé offers strawberry candy, watermelon, peach and raspberry notes aromatically. There’s a touch of sweetness on the light-plus bodied palate, with strawberry candy and ripe raspberry flavours front and centre followed by juicy watermelon and peach notes. Not overly complicated, but quite tasty for the price. 3.5/5

Dirty Laundry 2022 Unoaked Chardonnay (Okanagan Valley, B.C. — around $26, private wine stores)

This unoaked Chardonnay is made up of fruit sourced from various vineyards in Summerland; it’s pale straw in colour, with fresh peach and pear aromas as well as floral, ripe red apple and chalky notes. It’s light-bodied, dry and quite fresh and fruity, with all manner of tropical and stone fruit flavours showing beautifully, a hint of viscosity that accentuates the peach and apricot notes, and a crisp, clean finish. A lovely example of unoaked Chardonnay, one that could easily sway the anti-Chard crowd who have been turned off by rich, buttery and often-overoaked New World examples. Available at De Nardi Wines on Taylor Ave. and Calabria Market on Scurfield Road. 4.5/5

Tenute Girolamo 2020 Monte Dei Cocci Negroamaro (Puglia, Italy — around $27, private wine stores)

This Italian red made from the Negroamaro grape is medium ruby in colour, with attaractive plum, spice, orange peel, blackberry and blueberry aromas. It’s medium-plus bodied and dry, although the dark berry flavours are ripe and juicy while the secondary orange peel, spice and hint of vanilla (the latter two coming from six months in barrels) show well before the medium length (14 per cent alcohol) finish. A solid pasta-in-tomato-sauce red available at the newly renovated Calabria Market. 3.5/5

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