Mark your calendars for second wine festival of the year

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/07/2024 (538 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Doing a deep dive into a particular grape variety, wine-producing region or country is tough when you’re up to your eyeballs reviewing Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival performances and having to turn around your thoughts in short order.

Instead, here are some newsworthy local beer, wine and cider tidbits to whet your proverbial whistle.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to the fringe beer tent…

First off, the Winnipeg Wine Festival is now selling tickets to this fall’s public tastings Sept. 20 and 21 at the RBC Convention Centre. Didn’t the festival already happen this year? Yes … well, sort of. The 2023 fest was pushed back to January of this year due to the work stoppage at Liquor Marts last summer.

The September Winnipeg Wine Festival’s theme is wines of Europe, and tickets to the public tastings, which benefit Special Olympics Manitoba, are on sale for 20 per cent off ($65.60 including taxes and fees) until Aug. 1. For more info and to buy tickets see winnipegwinefestival.com.

 

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Good Neighbour Brewing Co. has rolled out its special cans of Pet Pals Pilsner, featuring four cute critters (one cat, three dogs) adorning the labels.

The brewery, located at 110 Sherbrook St., held a contest where pet owners could send in pictures of their pets to potentially feature on the cans; the contest saw more than 1,800 entries and raised over $110,000 for the Winnipeg Humane Society.

Four-packs of the 473ml cans are available at Good Neighbour’s tap room while supplies last. They’re awfully darn cute.

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Just up the street, the Pourium (942 Portage Ave.) is holding a “Christmas in July” sale on July 23 and 24.

Buy a bottle of unlisted wine from the Pourium on those days and receive a second bottle from a special selection of wines for $10. The promotion is in-store only, while supplies last.

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Dastardly Villain Brewing Co. has started demolition of the space that will become its new brewery.

Located at 726 Osborne St., Dastardly Villain doesn’t currently have its own brewing facilities — they’re considered a contract brewer rather than a proper brewery. (Cans are currently produced at Torque Brewing.)

An opening/completion date isn’t yet known. Perhaps they’ll have more info to share at their third anniversary celebration, which takes place Aug. 3 at Park Alleys (730 Osborne St.) from 4 p.m. to close.

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One Great City Brewing Co. (1596 Ness Ave.) is the latest Manitoba brewery, following the likes of Kilter, Fort Garry and others, to create a light beer.

The Lovin the ‘90s Light Lager launches at the Beer Can (1 Granite Way) on July 23 starting at 6 p.m. with a ‘90s-themed party featuring DJs, prizes (including for best ‘90s-themed outfit), giveaways and deals on brews. The event is free.

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If you prefer your music a little edgier than ’90s jams, Little Brown Jug (336 William Ave.) and the Winnipeg Punk Rock Flea Market have teamed up for a punk patio night Saturday at 7 p.m.

Check out Filipino-Canadian power-punk trio Heavy Visions and the 12/21, who will be covering the songs of Blink 182.

And if you need a break from the rocking, pop around the corner to the fringe festival beer tent, which for the first time this year is now serving local brews from Torque. (Their Copper Moon wine selections leave much to be desired, but that’s a conversation for another time.) Or cross Main Street and visit Patent 5 Distillery (108 Alexander Ave.), which is offering 10 per cent off cocktails with your fringe fest ticket stub.

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While there are plenty of new local brews that continue to hit store shelves in the province, there are other fresh local drinks to explore as well.

Next Friend Cider (398 Daly St. N) has just launched a pair of new fruit ciders — The Apricot Oz, made from apricots (and apples), and another made from plums (and apples). The former comes from fruit grown at Sustainable South Osborne’s community commons, while the latter is made from fruit sourced from a range of different plum varieties throughout the province. They’re $16.99 each (plus tax), are available at Low Life Barrel House (with whom Next Friend Cider share a space) and are delicious.

Bee Boyzz (4743 McGillivray Blvd. in Oak Bluff) has launched a new line of tea-based mocktails. The Taurus mocktails come in three flavours — Earl Grey and gin, peach and bourbon and strawberry margarita — and are all zero per cent alcohol. They’re available from Bee Boyzz’s website or at farmers markets, the Søbr Market (484 Academy Rd.) and other select retailers for around $5.

uncorked@mts.net

@bensigurdson

 

Wines of the week

Vignobles Barreau 2022 Château Haut-Garriga Blanc (Bordeaux, France — around $22, private wine stores)

Pale gold in colour, this white from France’s Bordeaux region is made entirely of the Semillon grape. It offers bright herbal and honey aromatics as well as secondary lanolin, honeycomb, pear and floral notes. It’s light-plus bodied and brings a lovely viscous texture, with ripe tropical fruit and honeyed notes as well as pear, peach and nectarine flavours, light acidity that ramps up the liveliness and texture and a medium-length finish. An elegant but deeply flavourful white — available at the Winehouse and Kenaston Wine Market. 4.5/5

Wente 2020 Riva Ranch Pinot Noir (Arroyo Seco/Monterey, Calif. — $33.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

Pale garnet in colour, this single-vineyard Pinot Noir offers lovely ripe cherry aromas as well as earth, raspberry candy, spice and subtle vanilla notes (from 11 months in oak, mostly older barrels). It’s dry and light-bodied, and flavour-wise isn’t as intense as some California Pinot Noir; rather, it delivers fresh cherry and earthy flavours along with plum, white pepper and spice, all wrapped in light tannins. The alcohol is a touch warm at 14 per cent, but on the whole it’s a lovely, relatively restrained Pinot from a cooler region in the Golden State. 4/5

Wirra Wirra 2021 Church Block (McLaren Vale, Australia — $24.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

A 50-41-9 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot, this Aussie red blend is deep purple in colour and offers dark berry and chocolate notes along with cedar, plum, iron and cassis aromas. It’s full-bodied and dry, bringing cassis, plum, cherry and dark chocolate notes with secondary black tea, cracked pepper and meaty notes, hints of spice from time in barrel, medium-grippy tannins and a long, warm finish (it’s 14.5 per cent alcohol). Tasty now, but could be set aside for 3-5 years to smooth out the rough edges. 3.5/5