Ben Sigurdson

Never waste backyard apples … or cereal-beer dreams

IF your apple tree is loaded down with fruit, Manitoba cideries might have options to help get rid of it.

In Winnipeg, Jesse Oberman of Next Friend Cider is always looking for apples (and other backyard fruit, particularly grapes). Oberman and a couple of volunteers are working on getting through a backlog of about 100 trees to be picked right now; if you’d rather not wait, he’ll gladly accept fruit being dropped off at Low Life Barrel House (398 Daly St. N.). For more see nextfriendcider.com.

Dead Horse Cider pays cash for apples, or will take them in exchange for juice. They also have a Backyard Blend community cider program which directs your apples towards the production of their cider of the same name. Hauling your apples out to the Winkler-area cidery would certainly be worth the trip, as their cozy new tap room and patio are well worth the visit — although you’re best to get in touch in advance rather than just show up with a trunk full of fruit. See deadhorsecider.com for more.

Infused beers a tasty way to get your daily serving of fruit

If anything was to be gleaned from last weekend’s successful (at least from outward appearances) Ballpark Brewfest at Shaw Park, it’s that fruit-infused brews are as big a deal as ever — at least as far as the locals are concerned.

In addition to core pours and seasonal brews available throughout the concourse of the home of the Winnipeg Goldeyes, many of the smaller-batch and/or limited-release beers being poured by the 18 participating breweries featured some sort of fruit infusion made in styles ranging from crisp, clear and fresh to sweeter, heavier brews.

While not every one of these fruity beers was a home run, and fruit-infused beers might not be in everyone’s ballpark, style-wise, they’re certainly a compelling style of beer, working particularly well in summer months. Here are a half-dozen new/newer examples currently in our market made by local breweries…

Keep a clear head with alcohol-free brews and bubblies

Summer’s a great time to kick back on a patio, in a backyard or poolside with a refreshing beverage. And while an ice-cold beer, a fun cooler or a glass of white/bubbly/rosé can really hit the spot in warmer weather, there are times when you might not want the buzz that comes with them — or perhaps, for whatever reason, you’ve chosen not to drink alcohol.

Thankfully the selection of non-alcoholic beverages (beyond soda) continues to get bigger and, in many categories, better. Here’s a roundup of some zero/low-alcohol drinks tried recently, many of which are worth your time even if you do regularly imbibe.

Selection varies, so included is where these drinks were picked up, although many may be available beyond the listed shops. (In addition to Liquor Marts, beer vendors and private wine stores, non-alcoholic drinks can be sold at grocery stores and elsewhere.)

And because some choose non-alcoholic drinks because they’re lower in calories, that information also follows where available.

For warm-weather sipping, rosés have skin in the game

In last week’s Uncorked I dove into whites and reds to enjoy in warmer weather, only mentioning in passing the ideal summer sipper — rosé wine.

It goes without saying that drinking pink when the mercury rises is never a bad idea. But not all rosés are created equal — from the depth of colour to the aromatic profile to the sweetness level and flavours pink wines bring, if you don’t know what you’re looking for, it can be tough to know what you’re getting before you buy and open that bottle.

More so than whites or reds, the appearance of a pink wine can tell you a lot about what to expect before you open the bottle, one of many reasons producers tend to package the stuff in clear bottles rather than in tinted glass. Most rosés that are paler in colour tend to be on the more delicate side, offering up more floral, chalky and tree fruit flavours than their deeper, darker counterparts, which bring more fleshy red berry notes. New World rosés tend to be a bit riper, weightier and fruit-forward, while Old World (read: European) pink wines are often more austere, lighter-bodied and delicate.

Crisp, refreshing wine options ripe for summer sipping

In winter, there’s nothing quite like cosying up with a hearty, robust red wine or a richer, fuller-bodied white wine. But we’re heading into summer, which means lighter, fresher wines are the order of the day.

Light and fresh, however, doesn’t have to mean suffering through watery wines devoid of flavour. There’s all manner of exciting wines out there that are crisp and clean without being bland and boring.

First off, let’s take it as a given that sparkling wines and rosés will be in heavy rotation this summer, and instead look at options when it comes to whites and reds.

In the former category, the first and most obvious choice is Sauvignon Blanc. While there are some examples of the grape that are a little on the nondescript side, generally speaking Sauvignon Blanc from Chile, New Zealand or South Africa will rarely steer you wrong, offering fresh tart fruit with zippy acidity that’s perfect for summer sipping.

Local breweries offer palate-pleasing lagers and ales

With my recent trip to Italy’s Abruzzo region in the rearview mirror, and having spent five days tasting hundreds of Canadian wines at WineAlign’s 2022 National Wine Awards of Canada in Niagara, Ont. last week, I figured it was time to give my palate a quick break from the acids and tannins that come with excess wine tasting. And nothing resets a bruised and battered palate quite like cleansing summer lagers and ales. Plus, it was a chance to see what’s new and exciting from local craft breweries.

The Sookram’s Brewing Co. Shore Leave (Winnipeg - $4.15/473ml cans, brewery, select beer vendors) brings the flavours of summer in a big way. A pale gold and hazy sour beer infused with pineapple and coconut, both those additions come through aromatically along with wheat and oat notes. It’s slightly chewy and off-dry, with mouth-watering acidity highlighting the pineapple and almost-salty flavours while the coconut chills in the background with the grainier ingredients. Four per cent alcohol; pass the sunscreen. 4/5

For summer fruit flavours in a package that’s neither sweet nor tart, the latest version of the Good Neighbour Brewing Co. French Blanche (Winnipeg - $4.25/473ml can, Oxus, Liquor Marts, beer vendors) delivers. Pale straw in colour and hazy, this Belgian-style wheat beer features the addition of peach, apricot and lemon, all of which show well aromatically along with the pronounced wheat and spice notes. Dry and light-plus bodied, the peach note brings some weight and is the most prominent on the palate, with wheat, spice and the other fruit notes doing their trick and the lemon addition bringing some acidity. Lots going on here, but also dangerously drinkable. Five per cent alcohol; brewed at Oxus but also available from One Sixteen on Sherbrook St. 4.5/5

Much has been made of (and said about) Winnipeg’s new branding and slogan; the Kilter Brewing Co. Prairie Lager (Winnipeg - $3.75/473ml can, brewery, Liquor Marts, beer vendors) sports both on the package of their latest lager. It’s very pale straw in colour and mostly clear, sporting up-front grain and malt aromas and a hint of citrus. Light-bodied and mainly dry, it brings classic lager notes of bread dough and fresh malt as well as toasted nut and some modest bitterness. At 4.5 per cent alcohol, think of this as an easy-going post-lawnmowing beer — like the new logo/slogan, it’s decent but not mind blowingly inspiring. 3/5

Wines abuzz in Abruzzo

For as long as I’ve been writing about wine (more than 16 years in this space now), there’s been one wine-producing country that’s been top of my bucket list to visit — Italy.

So when the chance arose to visit the Abruzzo region in early June with a whole bunch of Canadian and American wine writers, sommeliers and influencers, I jumped at it.

Abruzzo isn’t as well-known (or opulent) a wine-producing region as, say, Tuscany or Piedmont, but what it does offer up are wines with a great sense of place that are typically very good values and incredibly food-friendly.

The region itself is located about two hours northeast of Rome, nestled near the Adriatic Sea. It’s a fairly rustic region that might not bring as modern a style as its Tuscan or Piedmontese counterparts, but what it does deliver is timeless beauty as well as wines with a true sense of place and with great character — not surprising given it’s one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the western world.

Plenty in the wine, beer aisles for Father’s Day toasts

If dads were judged solely by whether or not they were around on Father’s Day, I’d certainly not be anywhere near the top of the good list.

The last two pandemic years aside, I almost always end up spending the day with a couple of dozen other folks in Canada’s wine industry judging at the WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada which, this year, is being held in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. For five consecutive days — starting at 8:30 a.m. Sunday — I’ll be tasting between 250 and 300 of the 2,000-plus Canadian wines entered in the competition.

As such, my Father’s Day beverage of choice will certainly be Canadian. Perhaps, if it was entered in the competition, it will be the Lakeview Cellars 2019 Serenity Pinot Noir Rosé (Niagara Peninsula, Ont. — $17.99, Liquor Marts and beyond). It’s a pale orange-pink wine, made predominantly from Pinot Noir but with 10 per cent Gamay and five per cent Chardonnay Musqué thrown into the mix. There are plenty of peach and raspberry candy aromas as well as subtle strawberry and watermelon notes. It’s mainly dry and light-plus bodied on the palate, with the peach and raspberry notes bringing a hint of sweetness before the strawberry flavours kick in on the modest finish. Simple and fun, and decent for the price while it’s just $15.99 until the end of June. 3/5

For those whose beer-loving dads will be around this weekend, some local breweries have pulled together Father’s Day packages your pop is likely to love. Nonsuch Brewing Co., for example, has put together a Father’s Day craft beer package that includes their Italian grape ale, lambic, goji berry sour, craft pilsner and apricot hefeweizen. The package is $70 plus taxes and can be ordered for pickup at wfp.to/nonsuchdad, or pop into the taproom and try your luck and see whether they have any left.

Manitoba bevvies clean up at first Prairie Beer Awards

Manitoba breweries may have taken home the most hardware at the first annual Prairie Beer Awards, but it was a Saskatchewan brewery and one of its beers that took home the top beer honour.

In mid-May, 284 beers from 45 of 52 breweries in Manitoba and Saskatchewan — as well as a handful of ciders, meads and other beverages such as hard seltzers and kombucha — went head to head in 25 categories at the inaugural Prairie Beer Awards, presented by the Manitoba Brewers Association and the Saskatchewan Craft Brewers Association. (Alberta meaderies were also permitted to enter their wares, as there’s no mead competition in that province.)

Organizer and beer judge Dave Cole was thrilled with the number of entries for a first-time competition. “The Alberta Beer Awards had around 400 entries and has been running for a long time, and in a much larger market,” he said.

Cole was instrumental in making the Prairie Beer Awards a reality. While judging at the Alberta Beer Awards, he was asked why there wasn’t a regional competition for Manitoba/Saskatchewan breweries. After chatting with the brewery associations in both Prairie provinces, he was given the green light to organize the competition.

Hotter weather heralded with summer sipping events

Summer’s almost here, and while folks head out to the lake or on vacation throughout the warmer months, there’s still plenty to do when it comes to food and drink — locally made and otherwise.

Low Life Barrel House, whose year-long build I wrote about in the Free Press in early May, just released its first batch of wines made from organically grown Ontario grapes. The five initial offerings are all available by the glass or for takeaway by the bottle from the Daly Street facility, and include a white wine made from Riesling and Geisenheim grapes, a sparkling rosé made from Cabernet Franc and Vidal and an orange wine made from Vidal and Gewürztraminer.

Sticking with local wine (including some made with Manitoba grapes, no less), Shrugging Doctor Beverage Co. is collaborating with Loaf and Honey for a wine-and-cheese event taking place Wednesday, June 22, at 6:30 p.m. in its tasting room, located at 448-B Brooklyn St. A selection of cheeses will be paired with a range of wines, and Dustin Peltier of Loaf and Honey and Willows Christopher of Shrugging Doctor will talk about their respective products and processes. Tickets are $40 plus taxes and fees are available at wfp.to/shrugdoc.

As the weather heats up, rosé becomes the wine of choice for many, myself included. On Wednesday, June 29, De Luca Fine Wines will host an in-store “Rosé All Day” wine-and-food pairing event which, despite its name, doesn’t actually start until 7 p.m. at the wine store, located at 942 Portage Ave. Tickets are $75 and will feature five rosé wines being poured as well as small bites. For tickets visit wfp.to/roseallday.

Liquor-law changes could go a lot further

The provincial government announced this week it will be introducing a bill to modernize Manitoba’s liquor retail system.

This isn’t the first time the province has toyed with tweaking the way booze is sold in our province; last year the Tories introduced Bill 40, which would have significantly changed how and where alcohol is sold, but that bill, more wide-reaching than the expected legislation, was withdrawn in October.

There are plenty of fixes needed in our province’s liquor regulations. Here’s where to start:

Liquor and Lotteries Minister Scott Fielding hinted the proposed legislation may do away with the rule that beer vendors need be connected (either physically or adjacently) to hotels. That’s a no-brainer; it’s an archaic law from a time when a hotel room was needed in order to be able to sell booze, presumably so that someone could go sleep off the good times, if needed.

Taste some ripping Chardonnays for a good cause

The Manitoba chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS) is holding a Chardonnay tasting for a very good cause — and you’re invited.

Rebecca Lechman, a sommelier and wine educator at private wine store Jones & Company, passed away suddenly in March 2020. Lechman was quite active in the local wine community and had a particular fondness for Chardonnay. In her honour the local CAPS contingent has created the Rebecca Lechman memorial bursary, a $1,000 award that will be presented annually to a female looking to further her education in the wine or hospitality trades.

With International Chardonnay Day falling on Thursday, May 26, the Manitoba CAPS chapter will be serving up all manner of Chardonnays that day at Tony Roma’s at 1500 Pembina Hwy. from 1-3 p.m. Tickets are $40 for non-members, $30 for CAPS members or, for those who can’t make it, $20 for a support ticket. Proceeds will go towards the funding of the bursary.

CAPS Manitoba puts on a number of events that are typically informal, educational and fun — and you don’t need to be a sommelier to become a member. For more info see wfp.to/capsmb. For information on the Chardonnay tasting and for tickets, see wfp.to/lechman.

Apple of their eye

Set aside some precious gas money now, cider lovers, as next weekend you might want to make the trek to the Morden-Winkler area of the province when Dead Horse Cider Co. opens its indoor/outdoor taproom to the public for the first time on Saturday, May 21.

Dead Horse is one of many local producers now making cider, including Next Friend Cider (out of Barn Hammer’s facilities), Shrugging Doctor, Stone Angel Brewing Co. and Little Brown Jug in Winnipeg, as well as Wooden Gate, located near Pilot Mound. Some producers are focusing on local apples, while others are importing fruit from Ontario and/or British Columbia.

For more information on Dead Horse’s taproom, including how to get there, see deadhorsecider.com/taproom.

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Who needs flowers when there’s wine?

Don’t feel like standing in line for flowers at the grocery store/florist this Mother’s Day? Forgot to make that brunch reservation weeks ago? (What is it about Mother’s Day and brunch that they’re so interconnected anyway?)

Fear not, as there are plenty of other options out there for mom this year, particularly if she enjoys a good tipple.

A gift basket’s always a safe and appreciated bet, and a number of private wine stores have pulled together a bevy of baskets filled with wine and fun accessories and/or snacks for mom. Kenaston Wine Market, De Luca Fine Wines and Calabria Market, for example, all have Mother’s Day baskets listed on their respective websites, and La Boutique del Vino has even added gift baskets for mom to its SkipTheDishes page. Most other private stores, meanwhile, will gladly throw together something nice for you in a pinch.

It’s always fun to learn about wine in a relaxed, casual environment, so why not get mom tickets to an upcoming education session? Liquor Marts will feature the wines of southern France on Thursday, May 26, in a virtual tasting that kicks off at 6:45 p.m. The tasting box costs $81.66 and includes four wines in a range of styles — for more and to order one for mom, visit liquormarts.ca.