LET’S DIGITAL THIS TOGETHER
With this new year and decade, we figured it’s time to adopt digital. That means launching this new website, renewing our social media activity, and more actively and interactively reaching out to the public, our clients, and to you, our suppliers. One thing that gets us to work every day is how proud we are […]
ISOLE E OLENA — PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
We all have it. But what do we learn from it? The first time I met Paolo de Marchi, owner of Isole e Olena in Tuscany, I was an insignificant young wine seller working the floor in a shop in south Calgary. I’d recently tasted his Chianti Classico and had been astounded by its elegance […]
WINEMAKERS, COME TO ALBERTA FOR THE MOOSE, SPRUCE, AND GOOSE
If you’re from Italy, Spain, or France, you might not come to Alberta for avant-garde fashion. If you’re from California, you may not be keen on our beaches or cutting-edge technology. And if Australia is your home, our diving, café culture, and poisonous animals may not be worth your time. But there’s a lot you […]
RETHINKING CAHORS TERROIR AT TERRACAË
Did you notice the label? The words “Cahors” and “Malbec” have equal real estate and the same style. This sums up how Pascal Verhaeghe and Frédéric Brouca are rethinking Cahors terroir at Terracaë. Terracaë is the charming, honest, precocious vinous lovechild of two giants of the south: Pascal Verhaeghe of Chateau du Cèdre in Cahors and Frédéric Brouca of […]
WINE AS PART OF OUR DAILY LIES
Do you lie about your products? Hey, booze industry peeps. A question: When you’re selling, how much is it OK to misrepresent your product? A little bit? Maybe a medium amount? Or a lot? And what would that look like? Can you say it earned an award it didn’t or name a grape or hops […]
TIBERIO FROM ABRUZZO IS MAKING YOUR NEXT GO-TO WINE
Abruzzo-cadabra—pulling great out of seemingly nowhere When was the last time you sought out a wine from Abruzzo, never mind kept some at-the-ready? The truth is, it’s never been a default drinking option beyond satisfying a curiosity or including it in an educational tasting. The closest it’s come to staplehood are some fairly mass bottlings […]
WORDS LIKE NO OTHER FOR CHÂTEAU DE SAINT COSME WINERY
With her, and Saint Cosme, having dinner, in Toronto She sat across the table, her usually carrot-red hair more copper in the candlelight. It’s not curly and big like a lot of hair that colour. Rather, it’s naturally pin-straight and falls well past her shoulders. That shimmer set off the tiny, bright, dancing squares of […]
PRODUTTORI DEL BARBARESCO SHOWS CO-OPS DON’T HAVE TO SUCK BY DEFAULT
A lot has been written about Produttori and their superb wines. More than that, they’ve done it in the cooperative model which is infamous for medium- to low-quality wine. But Produttori del Barbaresco shows co-ops don’t have to suck by default. How? The short answer is “intention”. But it goes much deeper than that. First, […]
WHERE LIES TRUTH, AND JUSTICE, AT BETHEL HEIGHTS VINEYARDS?
When you read about Bethel Heights‘ vineyards in the Eola-Amity Hills in Oregon, you first find conflicting accounts of their agricultural suitability. You also read about romantically idealistic pastoral perfection… right next to Salem, where there were those trials. So, where lies truth, and justice, at Bethel Heights Vineyards? Here’s what we mean: *From Bethel Heights’ […]
DOMAINE MARCEL DEISS VIEWS TERROIR AS SYNESTHESIA
The word terroir is a fun one to drop because:1. many agree on its general definition2. some dispute its validity altogether3. others have a more specific idea of what it really is and its true role.This last group is the most interesting, and is where one Alsatian wine legend is firmly planted. With a history of going […]