Pelee Island Winery is located on the Southerly most point in Canada.  It is on the same latitude as Northern California.  The climate is one of the mildest in Canada.  In fact, winemaking is not new to the area.  There is a history of winemaking there since the 1860’s.  Sadly the industry died out in the early 1900’s, but it came to life again in the 1980’s.  Thank goodness for that, otherwise we would have missed out on some very spiffy wine (technical terminology J). Map is courtesy of Norman Einstein

You know, in this industry we learn something new every day.  Although we have tried many of the Pelee Island wines, we did not know that the vineyards 550 acres make up Canada’s largest private estate.

One thing you will notice about the labels of Pelee Island wine is that there are various plants and animals on them.  The winery promotes the diversity of life on the island.  It is home to many rare insects, snails, mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians as well. But still many more stop off at Pelee Island on their travels south.  It is the meeting place of two different migration routes.  The island is a major stopover point for many groups of birds and insects on their way to their winter homes down south.

Take for instance the Monarch Butterfly, which is featured on Pelee Island’s Monarch Vidal.  The butterfly stops at Pelee Island on its long journey to Mexico.  Isn’t that truly amazing how that tiny winged being takes that long journey!  The Egret is featured on the Umbrella Gewürztraminer-Riesling.  The islands are home to one of the largest populations of nesting Egrets in Canada.  These are just two small examples of the diversity of these islands… not just in the winemaking.  The viticulturist at Pelee Island works hand in hand with the World Wildlife Fund with regard to their pest management.  This gives you just a small glimpse into how Pelee Island Winery takes care of everything on the island from the ground up.

Pinot Noir Reserve VQA

Winery: Pelee Island Winery
Vintage: 2008
Location: Pelee Island, Ontario, Canada
Alcohol: 13%
Blend: Pinot Noir
Tasting: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

They call the Pinot Noir grape the heartbreak grape.  It is a  very tough grape to grow.  As an example:  If the grapes don’t get enough heat, the wines can be very light and thin tasting.  If is gets too much heat the wines can taste more like cooked fruit.   When all goes right, however, it can make some of the most incredible wine and Champagne you have ever had the pleasure to try.  The price can vary from the teens to ad infinitum (infinity). Associated mostly with the region of Burgundy in France, the grape now grows in a number of countries around the world including our wonderful country of Canada.

This wine was matured for about eight to twelve months in European-style French Oak barrels with about 25 to 30% of the wine experiencing a malolactic fermentation (also known as MLF).   Why is that good and how does it change the wine?  The winemakers want to reduce the amount of the harsher acidity in the wine.  In order to do that, they will change some of the Malic Acid into the softer Lactic Acid.  This MLF takes place after the primary fermentation (during which the grape juice sugar is converted into alcohol).  The wine undergoes a secondary fermentation to change the Malic Acid into the Lactic Acid.  This not only reduces some of the acidity, but it makes the wine a little more balanced and palatable.  They also want to maintain the lovely fruit characteristics of the wine, so in this case only 25 to 30% of the wine goes through this MLF.

This is an easy drinking Pinot Noir and if people are just starting to drink red wine, Pinot Noir is a lovely place to start.  This wine is not overpowering, it is just simply pleasant.  You get some of the strawberry and other red berries, plus there is a wee bit of earth aromas in there too, and can be quite typical of Pinot Noir.

Food Pairing:

Turkey; salmon (broiled, roasted, grilled, or poached); grilled or roasted red meat; mushrooms (eg: grilled Portobello) and mushroom sauces; pork.

CSPC:     458521
Price:

$16.99 (Minus Winesday 10% discount.)

*Price correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice.

Umbrella
GewÜrztraminer-Rielsing

Winery: Pelee Island Winery
Vintage: 2008
Location: Pelee Island, Ontario, Canada
Alcohol: 12.5%
Blend: Gewürztraminer 50%, Riesling 50%
Tasting: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Okay, you have the best of both worlds here.  You have the Gewürztraminer and the Riesling.  Now I know that everyone thinks that there are basically two different colours of grapes, well there are other colours, as well.  The Gewürztraminer can actually be a pinkish colour. This grape ripens a bit on the earlier side.  The Riesling, on the other hand, is green in colour and it ripens rather late.  These two grapes make great wine all on their own, so bringing them together would bring out all the great qualities of each of them.

The history of Gewürztraminer  (guh-VOORTS-truh-MEE-nur)can be dated back to Italy near the village of Termino (Tramin) in Alto Adige.  It is considered to be an aromatic grape variety.  Now I know you are thinking that the name certainly doesn’t sound Italian, and you would be correct… it is German.  Gewürz in German is translated to mean ‘spicy’.  The grape is quite well known in the Region of Alsace in France, but can be found in California, Oregon, Washington, Germany (of course), Canada and recently New Zealand.

People think of Riesling and they think of Germany.  Though its history is a bit mysterious it can be said that Riesling goes back to the Rhine in Germany.  It too is considered an aromatic grape variety and brings a lot to the table when you get a whiff of the wine.  It grows quite well in cooler climates.  In Canada it is one of the grape varieties that we use for making Ice Wine… that yummy delicacy.

This Gewürztraminer-Riesling is considered off-dry, but it has a nice bit of acidity to it, so it isn’t going to taste as sweet as you would think.  There are some floral notes to the wine with a little honeysuckle and lychee and even a wee bit of rose.  The aromas of tropical fruit like mango are noticeable with some lovely peach, as well.   You will have fun pairing this wine with food.

Food Pairing:

  Baked ham; turkey; Thai, Chinese or Indian food; fresh fruit (especially tropical fruit); fish; pork.

CSPC:     738935
Price:

      $12.50 (Minus Winesday 10% discount.)

*Price correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice.

Next week Richard and I are heading off to Marlborough, New Zealand.  Come join us.

Style: Double India Pale Ale
ABV: 7.8%
Presentation: 6 packs of 341 ml brown bottles
Brewery: Alley Kat Brewing Co. exclusive for Sherbrooke Liquor
Country: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

This one’s for you dedicated Hopheads out there, and the adventurous amongst the crowd.  The name, the label…..loaded with puns, I’ll let you connect the dots yourself.  Instead let’s start off with pedigree:  Bad Hare Day was the first Double IPA brewed in Alberta, back in the Spring of 2008, and remains a rotating seasonal offering in the Sherbrooke beer pantheon, and currently on the shelves in its second run.  I’ll be honest with you folks, this is my personal favourite style, as rare as it is around these parts, although it took me years and years to develop a palate that appreciates its intense hoppy nature.  I’m well aware that many people out there consider India Pale Ales as too much to handle as it is, trust me, I used to be amongst you on that one.

In the case of a “Double” or “Imperial” India Pale Ale (an IPA being a hoppy enough style on its own!), we are pushing the ticket and adding even more hops and bitterness to produce this style.  Truly an invention of the American craft brewing scene, more specifically the West coast (where the mentality usually tends to be go big or go home to say the least), the Double IPA was said to have originated in the mid-1990’s at a brewery in San Diego completely by accident, when a recipe was slightly botched and then entirely overcompensated for.  The end result was the epitome of hophead heaven.  They tasted the finished product and deemed it not only drinkable, but worthy of mass consumption and repeated production.  Yet another historical incident of a happy accident that became a groundbreaking milestone.

For a lot of people an India Pale Ale seems like a daunting style, hoppy and bitter and beyond the capacity of where their taste buds are able to humanly endure, whereas a Double IPA should be twice as intimidating based on theory.  Fair enough, yet allow me to bust and elaborate on certain myths and misconceptions.  First off most DIPA’s are produced with American variations of hops, it being an American invention in the first place.  A lot of people tend to overlook that the predominant domestic varieties of hops tend to be the citrusy ones, lending characteristics of tangerine and lemon, to the more common and familiar grapefruit qualities.  Also being rounded out by earthy pine notes.  And whereas many regular IPA’s can be a bit on the lopsided scale sliding dramatically towards the bitter end of the spectrum, what makes Double IPA’s more unique is that with more hops comes a necessity of more malt to help keep it all in check, if not to lend a more cohesive balance.  A proper DIPA requires a strong enough backbone of malt to help keep everything in check.  From earthy grainy malt, to sweet toffee malts or anything in-between, it will be there to greet you up front in the flavour even if the hops manage to get a leg up and a head start on things too.  Sometimes they can even seem like young tasting barleywines.

Given that sort of background, let’s see how Bad Hare Day holds its own in light of it all.

Allow about 10 minutes of warming up after pulling a bottle right out of the fridge, there’s a lot of flavour and aroma to be discovered within.  A pint glass will be the most ideal receptacle as well, unless you want to accentuate the aroma more, then grab an oversized snifter or wine glass.  When poured the appearance is an inviting hazy deep amber, topped by a tall spongy cream coloured head that slowly settles to a thick frothy cap.  Things jump up several levels in the aroma with an intense hoppy profile revealing notes of citrus, blood orange, pink grapefruit, even some papaya and pineapple, rounded out with some fresh pine. When I close my eyes it almost smells like a bowl full of gummy bears.  A bit of bready caramel malt manages to come through in the flavour before the hops grab the spotlight for the rest of the show. Yet it’s fairly refined, not out of control. It tastes like a few layers of hops as well, with the citrus coming up first, but notes of floral and herbal hops wash up to shore as well on the finish. The lingering aftertaste is more herbal, but also combined with white grapefruit rind, and a bit of sticky pine. Yet as it warms even more the malt becomes even more apparent, adding a refreshing balance to it all.  The mouthfeel is medium-bodied, but somewhat sticky on the finish.  Complex yet refined, this is a big beer with manners.

Keeping that in mind this bold beer requires fairly intense foods to pair up with.  For the cheese lover this balanced hoppy beer will compliment something sharp like Gorgonzola better than most wines.  Tex-Mex and Thai cuisine, with its contrast of chills and lime, spice and citrus, have also found their match with a beer like Bad Hare Day.  If dessert is on the menu consider something rich and savoury such as carrot cake, cream cheese icing and all.

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
Aprikat
Full Moon Pale Ale
Alley Kat Amber
Charlie Flint’s Original Lager
Olde Deuteronomy
Pumpkin Pi Spiced Ale

Also From Sherbrooke:
Sherbrooke Shamrock
Chocolate Cherry Ostiarius
Pi Jiu
Aaiieeeeeeeeee Caramba!
Van Helsing’s All Natural Mouthwash

In-Style:
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
Lagunitas Hop Stoopid
Rogue XS India Pale Ale
He’Brew Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A.
Hardcore IPA - BrewDog
Storm IPA - BrewDog
Half Pints Humulus Ludicrous

Winery: Wayne Thomas
Vintage: 2002
Location: McLaren Vale, Australia
Alcohol: 14%
Blend: Shiraz
Tasting: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Now I know you are looking at this and thinking ‘what the heck?’  I thought she said she was going to Germany.  Well as luck would have it, when I got to the airport and passed through security didn’t I go to the wrong gate and end up on a flight to Australia!!  You don’t believe me?  Well, I don’t blame you.  It sounds a little far fetched even for me!  We had planned to sample a German wine, as you know, but something came up at the last minute and we had to make a change.  Hence this blog is being posted so late.  We will visit Germany soon.  To make up for it, we have a special treat for you…Wayne Thomas American Oak Shiraz 2002.  I was speaking with the wine agency this morning and they told me that the Wayne Thomas wines are only available in Alberta, so this truly is a treat.

Richard and I had the opportunity to try this wine just after we were engaged in October 2007.  We were given a bottle as a congratulations present by Jim at Sherbrooke Liquor.  When Jim first told us about this wine, we were completely intrigued.  Of course, I immediately went to Google Wayne Thomas.  There was not a lot of information to be found at the time

Wayne Thomas was a veteran in South Eastern Australia.  He started his winemaking career in 1961.  He studied at the Roseworthy Agricultural College in South Australia.  (In 1991, Roseworthy became a part of the University of Adelaide).

In years to come, Wayne worked for Stonyfell Winery just outside Adelaide, Ryecroft Winery in McLaren Vale and Saltram Winery in Barossa Valley before establishing Fern Hill Winery in 1975 with his wife Pat.  Wayne and Pat sold Fern Hill in April 1994.  They were not leaving the wine industry, however.  They started a new label called, you guessed it, Wayne Thomas Wines.   The winery itself was located in the old Maxwell Winery in McLaren Vale.  Their approach this time was to use contract-grown grapes sourced from vineyards throughout the McLaren Vale region.  They had amazing success with their wines.  Sherbrooke carries both the Shiraz and the Petit Verdot in the store.  You shouldn’t miss the Petit Verdot, either.

Wayne’s wife passed away in 2001 and she did not get to see him win the “Bushing King” title in 2004 and 2006.  This is a time honoured title that goes back to days of old in Great Britain.  Vines/bushes were hung on doorways to announce the arrival of the new vintages of wine.  The McLaren Vale Bushing Festival started in 1973. The winemaker who wins the best wine of the year is bestowed the title of “Bushing King/Queen”.  In April 2007, Cancer took Wayne’s life.  He had just finished supervising the harvest and crushing of the 2007 vintage.  Wayne’s talented son Andrew agreed to finish the 2007 vintage in honour of his dad.  Like so many… Wayne was gone too soon.

The wine is a bright ruby colour.  There are the wonderful notes of the blackberry, black raspberry and that wonderful Shiraz peppery spice is on the nose too.  If you dig a little deeper, there is even a wee touch of vanilla from the 432 days that this wine spent in the oak barrels.

There is a very special offer for our customers today.  If you buy a single bottle of the Wayne Thomas Shiraz you will for sure get your ‘Winesday 10% discount’.  If, however, you buy 6 bottles of the Wayne Thomas Shiraz today, you will get a whopping 20% off the price.  This is the first time that this has been offered, so it is a great time to take advantage.

Come by and enjoy this wine with us.

Food Pairing:

BBQ beef, BBQ chicken, BBQ Salmon, Duck, Osso Bucco

CSPC:     711825
Price: 

$34.99 (Minus Winesday discount.  See the extra special noted above.)

*Price correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice.

We are going to be back on Canadian soil next week.  In particular… Ontario.  See you there!

Jason Foster

Check out more of Jason Foster’s beer news and views at onbeer.org

Think about sitting around enjoying a glass of beer. Maybe you are on your deck on a sunny summer afternoon. Or you are in a pub chatting with a few mates. Something you are not likely to be thinking about is how the bottle or glass that your beer comes in might affect the taste.

Well, it can in the most telling fashion. In the wrong container, your delicious beer could quickly turn into something undrinkable. The wrong colour of glass can create the most unpleasant beer taste imaginable. Allow me to explain.

In short, if a beer is not protected by the right kind of glass, it quickly becomes “light-struck”, or in the beer biz what we call “skunked”. Beer, as it turns out, is very sensitive to light. Or, more accurately, the hops in beer are sensitive to light.

Here is what happens. Hops contain something called alpha acid, the substance that gives beer its bitterness. When dissolved in beer it isomerizes and turns into something called iso-humulone. Beer also naturally possesses undetectable trace amounts of sulphur.

When iso-humulone comes into contact with light, it triggers a photo-chemical reaction with the sulphur to create 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol - not a very pleasant compound. In fact, it is the same substance skunks spray to ward off attackers. Yummy!

The reaction can happen very quickly. Exposure to the sun of even 10 or 15 minutes will create noticeable levels of this compound. Leave an unprotected beer in the sun for a few hours, and it will taste and smell of skunk to almost any palate. This effect happens in both natural and fluorescent light.

If you don’t believe me, try it yourself.  A few years ago in preparation for my beer judge certification exam, I intentionally skunked a beer to familiarize myself with the taste. I put a clear bottle of beer in the sun for 12 hours. Upon opening skunk aroma filled the room in seconds. I will never forget the horrid taste and smell.

Before you panic, there is some good news. This reaction only occurs with light wavelengths closer to the violet spectrum. This means something can be done. Brewers have discovered that brown beer bottles filter out the offending wavelengths and the beer is protected from skunking. That is why most beer is bottled in brown glass.

You may see where I am going with this. Clear or green bottles are no help whatsoever to prevent skunking. Which naturally leads to the question - what about those beers in clear or green glass?

Quite frankly most of them are skunked before you even buy them from the store (since most stores are lit by fluorescent light).  Maybe, luckily, you buy it soon after it hit the shelves and the skunkiness is mild.  At low levels it can add a sweetness and silkiness to the beer. Or more likely the beer has been sitting on the shelf for three weeks. Skunk-a-rama! There is a reason why some of those companies advise adding lime or lemon to the beer. The fruit masks the skunk with strong citrus flavour and aroma.

If you are perplexed by the thought of professional brewers packaging their beer in a fashion that guarantees it will develop off-flavours, I share your confusion. The explanation is, unfortunately, rather cynical. A while back I had a chance to ask a European brewer why they put their beers in green bottles for North America (in Europe they use brown bottles). His response? North Americans apparently like skunked beer because it seems “European” to them.

The reason brewers use clear or green glass is marketing pure and simple. It makes the beer more attractive, especially if it is a summer-inclined brew. For Europeans, it is a way to distinguish themselves on the shelves as an import. They are all hoping that beer drinkers don’t notice.

Avoiding skunked beer is not that difficult. The easiest approach is to buy beer only in brown or other light-impermeable packages. If your favourite beer does come in clear or green glass, I suggest you do your best to keep it out of the light. Buy it fresh and keep in an enclosed container until consumption.

This can be a challenge. Even in the best liquor stores the beer cooler is lit by fluorescent lights, and the beers sit exposed on the shelf. Try encouraging them to package clear and green bottles in cardboard box or similar solid container.

Beer in mugs and pint glasses can be more difficult. At home on a sunny day, go for a ceramic or opaque mug. On a pub patio, where you can’t choose your glass, just do your best to shield it from the sun and try to drink it as efficiently as you can. For most drinkers exposure of 30-60 minutes will not create noticeable off-flavours.

But mostly don’t let it wreck your enjoyment of the moment. Beer is supposed to be a relaxed beverage. Enjoy your friends and the time you are having. That is more important than some photo-chemical reaction.

Style: Weizenbock
ABV: 8.2%
Presentation: Single 500 ml brown bottle
Brewery: Private Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn GmbH
Country: Kelheim, Germany

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

If you’re looking for a special beer, then look no further, Aventinus is an ale of legendary status.  For starters it is named in honour of Johannes Aventinus, a Bavarian philologist and historian of the 15^th and 16^th centuries whose body of work turned out to be an important record of early Germanic history and linguistics.  Yet it must be noted that Aventinus is actually the Latin name for Abensberg, the town of his birth.  To get a bit closer to the present we then turn to the story behind the beer itself.

Developed in Munich in 1907 by Mathilde Schneider, Aventinus exists as the world’s oldest top-fermented Wheat Doppelbock (often referred to now as a Weizenbock).  In non-geeky terms, that means it’s a high strength, dark wheat beer that’s been brewed with ale yeast.  It’s also bottle conditioned too for extra goodness.  Because of this extra tasty yeast it’s generally a custom to either swirl the bottle or gently roll it on its side to blend it back in with the rest of the ale.  Gentle that is, as you don’t want to agitate it too much and cause a sticky geyser when you uncap the bottle, there’s going to be more than enough of a tall head on the initial pour to already.

Traditionally served in a weizen glass, any tall fluted glass will do, or your handy pint glass when all else fails.  Like I mentioned above, extra room in the glass is desired since there will be a healthy amount of head to anticipate.  That usually tends to be the occupational hazard with either bottled conditioned beers, or traditional German Wheat beers, and in this case both of them apply.  Aventinus is robust enough to be consumed chilled straight out of the fridge, but you’ll be missing half the excitement that way.  If you’re patient enough let it sit a good 20-30 minutes before opening, and even room temperature is a palatable option with this stuff.

There’ll be a tall, creamy, slightly off-white head with excellent retention from the pour.  This dark wheat ale presents itself as a cloudy opaque brown, while it becomes a hazed yet translucent amber mahogany when held to direct light.  Your nose should pick up a sweet, almost banana-like aroma at first, with some mild spicy clove and nutmeg resting in the background.  The warmer it gets some toasted chocolate malt, raisin and plum may become more apparent.  By focusing more on the aroma, you should be able to discover even more complexities and hidden gems, similar to port with its richness.  For such a big beer the mouthfeel is still fairly medium-bodied, with a low carbonation and dry, almost sherry-like finish the warmer it is.  If all this wasn’t enticement enough, prepare your lips to be greeted with sweet and toasted malt, followed by candied banana sweetness in the middle, then mild spice along with a dry nutty finish.  A dry spicy aftertaste lingers too.  Just as with the aroma, the more you focus on the flavour, the more black gold you can uncover for yourself.  Oh my, life is rough when you are exploring quality beer…..

Roast pork or smoked ham could not be a better match for Aventinus.  Or German cuisine in general if you wish to branch out, as much of it still centres around pork dishes.  Mushrooms will be complimented by the dry, earthiness of it, and the same goes with aged, earthy cheeses.  Wild game and fowl will also pair up very well, from venison and wild boar to duck and pheasant.  Let’s not forget the potential challenge of preparing lamb well either, it will be right at home when served with Aventinus.

Discover for yourself what makes Aventinus such a legendary beer.  Then again as with any legend, make sure you’re ready for the bold reception you’re bound to encounter.

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
Schneider Weisse

In-Style:
Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse
Tree Weizen Bock
Impériale Weizen Grande Cuvée - Les Trois Mousquetaires

Lateral Steps:
Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock
Doppelbock Grande Cuvée Printemps 2009 - Les Trois Mousquetaires
Coopers Vintage Ale

For The Adventurous:
St. Bernardus Abt 12
La Trappe Quadrupel - Koningshoeven
Thomas Hardy’s Ale

Distiller: Tullamore Dew
Age: 12 Years Old
Location: Ireland
Alcohol: 40%
Tasting: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Now what would St. Patrick’s Day be without a little Irish Whiskey!  Irish Whiskey dates back to the 6^th century.  If you are doing your math right now, you would be correct in realizing that Irish Whiskey was being made before Scotch Whisky, “hence the broad similarities between the two nations’ products.”  “The monks, who were the healers of their day, used spirit as a base for medicines, rubs and liniments. Why wouldn’t they? Here was a substance as clear as water; that burned like fire and literally preserved flesh. It was nothing less than the legendary ‘Uisce Beatha’ or Water of Life in English, eventually anglicized to give us Whiskey.” *

Now as you are reading this, you are probably wondering what the heck is wrong with me and my spelling ability.  I write ‘Irish Whiskey’ and then ‘Scotch Whisky’.  Actually, they are both correct.  The Irish and Americans spell theirs with an ‘e’ and the Canadians and the Scots spell theirs without.  It is enough to make a spell checker go mad!!!  That isn’t the only place where these two wonderful drops of pleasure differ.

The Production Process:  In Ireland the malted barley is dried in enclosed kilns.  With Scotch Whiskey the malted barley is dried over peat fires.  The Irish use both malted and unmalted barley in the pot still and the Scots use only malted barley.  The Irish distill 3 times and the Scots distill 2 times.  The result is totally different.  I will explain it the way a gentleman said it to me the other day.  ‘Irish Whiskey is gentle, soft and round.  Scotch Whisky is still a clean good tasting whisky, but it can be smoky, or peaty and even a little bold too.  What you want to sip on depends on how your liver feels on that particular day.’  That kind of says it all.

Now this is only a short blog, so there isn’t a lot of time to go much further into this spirit.  Whiskey (or whisky) is a great sip to enjoy whether it is Irish, Scottish, Canadian or American.

Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey dates back to 1829 when the distillery was founded in Tullamore, County Offaly by Mr. Michael Molloy. Daniel E. Williams, was “the major influence on the development of the distillery.”  “His initials, D-E-W, inspired the whiskey to be named ‘Tullamore Dew’ with the original slogan “Give every man his Dew” still in use today.”  The Williams family later became shareholders in the distillery.

The trade war with England (1930’s) and The American Prohibition (1919 - 1933) dried up Irish Whiskey sales not only in the United States, but throughout the British Empire.  The 1950’s and 1960’s saw major changes.  The Tullamore Distillery closed and was bought by Power’s about 6 years later.  “Between 1966 and 1972, all the remaining Irish distilleries came together to regenerate the industry - ultimately under the name of The Irish Distillers Group. Production was also consolidated into two distilleries in County Cork (where Tullamore Dew is distilled today) and County Antrim.”

As of 2009, Tullamore Dew is the No.2 Irish whiskey brand in the world”.  ”It is currently the fastest growing Irish whiskey brand globally in the fastest growing spirits category.”

Just a little note on the logo for Tullamore Dew:  You will notice two dogs on their trademark logo.  One is lying down and the other is standing.  The breed of dog is the Irish Wolfhound.  I have been owned by Irish Wolfhounds for 27 years.  (yes I meant ‘owned by’ because they truly get into your heart)  Why would an Irish Whiskey company put dogs on their logo?

Well, originally there was a red jug, which was related to Red Cup Tea.  Daniel E. Williams was the head of the Red Cup Tea commercial venture.  However, when Desmond (Daniel’s grandson) came into the picture, he decided on a change.  Desmond bred Irish Wolfhounds and he felt that the wolfhound’s loyalty and courage (I can confirm those traits from my personal experience) would make a good symbol for his Irish Whiskey.  The Irish Wolfhounds remain as a symbol on the bottles even today.  The connection between the Irish Wolfhound and Tullamore Dew is still very strong.  They still sponsor the Irish Wolfhound Club of Ireland.

The Tullamore Dew 12 Year Old Special Reserve is our drop of choice for our tasting.  This particular one has won so many awards including Gold medals at the World Spirits Competition and International Spirits Challenge plus Double Gold at the World Spirits Competition.

There is a lot of flavour in this whiskey.  Nuts, vanilla, spice and even “faint notes of Christmas cake”.  Now for those of you who are not big fruit cake fans (I am a fruit cake addict, by the way), notice the word “faint”.  When you smell this whiskey, you will fall in love long before it even touches your lips.   The whiskey is aged in Bourbon and Oloroso Sherry casks.  This will bring out some of those great aromas and flavours.  The taste will have just a wee touch of sweetness.  Now I don’t mean sugary sweet, it is just a hint sweet flavour from the fabulous Sherry casks that they use.  It will almost be mellow.

Wait till you get a taste of this heaven.  Yum.  Now if you are so inclined to have a little Irish Coffee on St. Patrick’s Day, or if you have never tried one before, we will also be serving a little bit of that, as well.  By the way… the cream is totally non-fattening (in my dreams only).

Come by on Wednesday from 4:00 until 7:00 to try this wonderful Irish treat.

CSPC: 719398
Price:

$41.99 (minus the 10% Winesday Discount)

*Price correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice.

SHERBROOKE SHAMROCK

Style: All-Malt Lager (Bavarian style lager)
ABV: 5%
Presentation: 6 Packs - 341Ml bottles
Brewery: Alley Kat Brewing Company
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

St. Patrick’s Day, being the special day that it is… well, we have two products to try.  The second one is the perennial favourite Sherbrooke Shamrock.  A few years ago Jim from Sherbrooke approached Neil Herbst, founder of Alley Kat Brewing Company and asked if they could come up with a special St. Patrick’s Day themed beer specifically for Sherbrooke.  Sherbrooke Shamrock came to life.

Now Sherbrooke Shamrock is not the only beer that Alley Kat has brewed for Sherbrooke Liquor.  They have also made:  Big Al’s Red Kiss, Bad Hare Day, Chocolate Osterious, and the famous Pumpkin Pi to name just a few.

Neil from Alley Kat told me that “up until this year, Sherbrooke Shamrock was brewed in the style of a Belgian lager.”  Sherbrooke decided this year to shake things up a little and do a Bavarian style lager.  It is still brewed by Alley Kat, in fact “it is Alley Kat’s Charlie Flint lager”, with a smidgeon of green to add to the festivities.  After all, what would St. Patrick’s Day be without a little green?  So if you think you have tried Sherbrooke Shamrock before, you have to come back again to try the new one.

Jeff Werstiuk of Sherbrooke Liquor gave me some insight into who Charlie Flint was.  Charlie was ‘the first successful small craft brewer in our province, which was actually part of the Northwest Territories’ back in his day.  You should read Jeff’s blog on the history of this great guy and the great beer that Alley Kat has brewed in his honour.

In a few words, Jeff described the style of beer this year.  He said that the Bavarian style lager “is more malty” and has “like a bread and butter sweetness”.

The beer is still available in 6-packs this year and there will be lots in the cooler for you.  However, as always, Sherbrooke Shamrock is in limited quantity.

CSPC:  726080
Price:

  $14.99 (minus the 10% Winesday Discount)

*Price correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice.

Come by on Wednesday and try this ‘new’ Sherbrooke Shamrock.
We will be there from 4:00 - 7:00 pm.  See you then.
Sláinte (to your health).

Next week we are leaving the greens of Ireland and heading off to Germany.   Spreken ze Deutsch?

Style: American Amber/Red Ale
ABV: 5.5%
Presentation: 6 packs of 341 ml brown bottles
Brewery: Yukon Brewing Company
Country: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

When I first met this red ale over a decade ago it used to be called Arctic Red.  Due to some legal issues a couple of years ago, regarding Molson’s apparent trademark over part of that name for some of their own defunct products, Yukon Brewing chose to tweak things around a bit.  Fortunate for all of us they simply dropped the offensive aspect that was causing all the litigation, but the beer itself stayed the same as it has been the past 13 years.

With all that behind them now this Red Ale from Yukon Brewing gained national recognition the  past year, bringing home not only a gold medal for its style, but also beating out all other gold medal winners to take the best in show and “Beer Of The Year” award for 2009.  The event was the Canadian Brewing Awards in Toronto, which has been running the past 7 years, although this year was the first to be sanctioned by the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program), with certified and seasoned beer judges picking out the cream of the crop this time around.  That’s the kind of street cred that gives Yukon Brewing even greater bragging rights in light of this newfound exposure.

After this sort of build-up here’s a beer not to be missed if you haven’t tried it before.  Really, it offers the best of all worlds, a balance of sweet malt, some crisp hops with a dry finish, yet not too complicated.  It’s even a safe way to start accustomizing your palate to a bit hops without being overwhelmed.   Let me help walk you through your first glass of this award winning ale from the frequently frozen North.

This particular style is pretty versatile as it is, you can grab your favourite glass to enjoy this one.  And even though there’s some hearty flavoured to be discovered, you can still drink it fairly chilled and not miss out on all it has to offer.  When this red ale makes its way into your favourite glass you’ll get a nice big hello from the clean mahogany appearance, and when held to light will reveal a rich clear garnet hue.  Rounding off that hello is a thick, creamy off-white head that will retain for a short while but will leave lacing down the inside of the glass as it recedes.  The texture is as enticing as it looks too, creamy and smooth mouthfeel with a crisp dry finish.  There’s a simple yet effective bouquet on the nose, sweet, caramel malts with some green floral hops.  This balance continues on in the flavour with a healthy dose of toasted and caramel malt notes at first, ending with crisp spice and citrus from the hops in equal measure, the two blending once more in a dry aftertaste.  There’s something for everyone in here, enough hop bite to draw the hopheads away from their precious IPA’s for a spell (no offense, as I’m one of them, guilty as charged….), and enough backbone from the malt to keep those hops in check in order to keep this red ale still approachable for those who are still exploring and defining the boundaries of their palates.

Yukon Red remains just as versatile and user-friendly when it comes to serving with food.  The healthy combo of the malt and hop present will do well to both compliment and contrast beef or pork roasts, along with almost anything you can think of pulling off the barbecue grill.  The hops will accentuate mildly spicy dishes, although the malt might be a bit of a third wheel when too much heat is involved.  However anything you choose from an appetizer menu will play well with this red ale, especially saltier choices.  I also noticed that the Springbank Cheese Co. recommends pairing this particular ale with some Cambozola, which makes absolute sense as they are both somewhat sweet yet sharp, it’d almost be like the two were double dating.  All that aside this has been one of my favourite session beers since I first tried it several years ago, it seems to hit all the right spots without making me have to work too hard in the process.

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
Yukon Gold
Chilkoot Lager
Chilkoot Lead Dog Ale
Yukon Cranberry Wheat
Discovery Ale
Ice Fog IPA
Midnight Sun Espresso Stout

In-Style:
Lagunitas Censored
Santa’s Private Reserve Ale - Rogue
Broken Rake Amber Ale - Pyramid
Fish Tale Amber Ale

Lateral Steps:
Fuller’s London Pride
Warsteiner Dunkel
Tall Timber Ale - Mt. Begbie
Innis and Gunn Oak Aged Ale
Full Moon Pale Ale - Alley Kat

For The Adventurous:
Trappistes Rochefort 6
Paddywhack IPA - Nelson Brewing
Shakespeare Stout - Rogue

Winery: Quails’ Gate
Vintage: 2008
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Alcohol: 12.5%
Blend: Chenin Blanc 92%, Sauvignon Blanc 8%
Tasting: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

To get the whole picture of Quail’s Gate Winery, we have to go back almost to the beginning of the 20^th Century.  Back to 1908, to be precise.  That is when Richard Stewart Sr. arrived in British Columbia from County Kildare in Ireland.  Richard had worked in the greenhouses of Lord Guinness in Ireland.  When he arrived in British Columbia, he set his eyes on some greenhouses in Gellatly Bay.  Together with his brother Bill, Richard started Stewart Brothers’ Nurseries in 1911.  That love of agriculture would be passed down through the decades.
In 1956 Richard’s son, Dick, purchased land on the slopes of Mt. Boucherie in Kelowna, “which is now the home of Quail’s Gate Winery”.  The first vines were planted in 1961.  The land also had orchards abound.  There were peaches, pears, apples, cherries and vineyards of table grapes too.  Dick knew that the land that he was so blessed to have would be “destined to be some of the most sought after vinifera vineyards in North America.”

Many years passed and Dick was starting to reach retirement.  Ben, Dick’s oldest son, came home and over the next ten years, together with his dad, transformed the whole property.  They went from a “grape grower to a wine producer”.

In 1992, Ben’s brother Tony joined him at the winery.  Both Tony, his brother and their sisters have worked hard to make this family farm into one of the most recognizable names in the Canadian wine industry.
Grant Stanley is the winemaker at Quails’ Gate.  Grant is a Vancouver native, but was trained in winemaking in New Zealand.  He returned to North America and then worked in Oregon honing his Pinot Noir winemaking skills.  He started working at Quails’ Gate in 2003.

The winery has a relatively short history, but people have taken notice of this family owned winery.  Wine Enthusiast magazine gave their 2005 Quails’ Gate Family Reserve Pinot Noir 93 Points. Quails’ Gate Chenin Blanc was served to President Barack Obama during his first state visit to Canada in February 2009.  What an honour indeed!!

Talking about Chenin Blanc… that is exactly what we will be tasting this week.  It isn’t a grape that we hear a lot about.  The grape originally came from France.  It is grown extensively in the Loire Valley in France. Chenin Blance makes some wonderful wine going from dry to quite sweet and even some sparkling wine.

The 2008 Quails’ Gate Chenin Blanc is a remarkable white wine that tastes nice and juicy fresh.  Lemons and limes for sure, but also some gooseberry.  The gooseberry most likely comes from the Sauvignon Blanc in the wine.  When you taste it, you get the nice fruit taste with the crispness of the acidity.  It left me wanting more after the first sip.

Food Pairing:

Oysters (especially British Columbia Oysters); chicken with a cream sauce; roasted pork stuffed with fruit; fish prepared with lemon.

CSPC:     391854
Price:

$19.99 (minus Winesday 10% discount)

*Price correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice.

Next week we will be staying in Canada as well as travelling across the pond to good ol’ Ireland.  We will get lots of air miles for this trip!

Come join us for St. Patrick’s Day.

Style: Vegetable Beer
ABV: 5%
Presentation: Single 341 ml brown bottle
Brewery: Alley Kat Brewing Co. exclusive for Sherbrooke Liquor
Country: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

In the quiet fog of a chilly, hushed morning a lone small wooden craft deftly sliced through the currents and eddies of a glassy, indifferent surface belonging to the North Saskatchewan River.  All along the river valley dogs barked and birds alit from the skeletal branches of the endless trees as this foreign dilapidated vessel ominously sailed by haphazardly, as if on a crash course with destiny, or perhaps its untimely doom.  Old, nearly rotted boards creaked, some hanging out with protesting nails exposed for the world to see that they had already outlived their simple yet vital purpose.  Without warning this ferry of uncertainty ran aground with a sudden jarring thud, while in the space of a heartbeat a massive feral beast leaped ashore, pausing only long enough to let out an unearthly howl before it disappeared into the shadow and brush.  Further inspection of this pitiful, desolate boat would reveal the occupancy of a single, ashen figure;

a woe-begotten soul with sunken, hollow eyes who was clothed solely by the sun bleached tatters of what once could be assumed to have been human clothing.  With both hands lashed to the boat wheel by rags, he clutched a solitary brown bottle with what could only be assumed the last of his mortal strength.  Gasping a long held sigh of relief the bottle dropped to the decrepit filth-strewn deck where it rolled off the edge and landed hard enough to mount itself upright into the muddy riverbank.  The label read Van Helsing’s All Natural Mouthwash.  And it’s the cure for whatever ails you, no matter how fiendish…..

Fortunately the kind and talented folks at the Alley Kat Brewery were able to reproduce this miracle liquid to assist us decent folk of Edmonton to keep the bogeys and the ghastly shadows at bay.  And while I only play a doctor on television, there may be a good chance that this may be the closest thing we have for a cure to the common cold so far.  If nothing else it goes great with pasta!

The prognosis of this miracle liquid can be summed up thusly.  After removing the seal and transferring the contents to a prescribed drinking vessel be prepared to be greeted by a libation of a deep golden hue, lots of carbonation present, and a decent amount of creamy white head that settles to a thin frothy cap.  Depending on your taste you may fish out the garlic clove found within the bottle and add it to the awaiting drinking receptacle, or leave it be where it is, or save it to cook with later on in the day since it will already be pleasantly marinated from the malty goodness it had been resting within.  Several precautionary inhalations will exhibit a faint biscuity malt, however the predominant characteristic shall be that of a healthy dose of warming garlic-not too slight, and not too overwhelming, but just right.  The Baby Bear’s version of Italian bliss.  Yet for those faint of heart the flavour has a healthy dose of biscuit malt that carries an essential yet refined infusion of garlic.  The mouthfeel is medium-bodied, rounded, yet with some carbonation kick and bite.  If you are one of the few who can’t stand the flavour of garlic, you are out of luck here, and perhaps this is an elixir best avoided.  For you I would recommend sleeping with the lights on from now on, with sharpened stakes close at hands and your windows and doors nailed shut.  Perhaps some holy relics resting under the pillows.

As wonderful as Van Helsing’s All Natural Mouthwash is at repelling creatures of the night, bogarts and ghouls (along with first dates and potential employers), it is an amazing compliment for fine dining as well, truly versatile.  It does wonders alongside Italian, Thai and Chinese dishes, and is the perfect dance partner for any garlic-laced dish you can imagine and whip up.  Repel the undead and entice fellow garlic lovers at the same time, Van Helsing’s All Natural Mouthwash will help you keep all your bases covered.  Beware and drink well!

The next steps in the cooler:

Also From Sherbrooke:
Chocolate Cherry Ostiarius
Bad Hare Day
Sherbrooke Shamrock
Pi Jiu
Aaiieeeeeeeeee Caramba!

Also From Alley Kat:
Aprikat
Full Moon Pale Ale
Alley Kat Amber
Charlie Flint’s Original Lager
Pumpkin Pi Spiced Ale
KGB Imperial Stout

Other Unique Beers:
Midas Touch - Dogfish Head
Rogue Chipotle Ale
Rogue Juniper Ale

2008 The Stump Jump Red

Winery: d’Arenberg
Vintage: 2008
Location: McLaren Vale, Australia
Alcohol: 14%
Blend: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre
Tasting: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

What a great name… The Stump Jump!  Of course you can’t have a name like that without there being a story to go along with it.  “The name ‘Stump Jump’ pays homage to a significant South Australian invention - the Stump Jump plough.”   This plough cleared the land around McLaren Vale.  It had the ability to “ride over stumps and gnarled roots”, which saved a lot of time and money.  Because of that, it was adopted worldwide in the late 19^th century.

In 1912 Joseph Osborn, who was a director of winemaker Thomas Hardy and Sons, purchased 25 hectares in what is now known as McLaren Vale.

Along came Joseph’s son Francis Ernest (‘Frank’) Osborn.  Frank had originally decided he wanted to be a doctor.  Well, that was not to be.  He left medical school, “choosing to forsake the scalpel for pruning shears.”  Not too long after he joined his dad, the size of the vineyard increased to 78 hectares. Up until their cellars were completed in 1928, the family sold their fruit to local wineries.

In 1943 Frank’s son Francis d’Arenberg Osborn (nicknamed d’Arry), was just 16 years old.  He came home from school to help his dad, who was ill at the time.  At the age of 30, d’Arry assumed full management.  A mere two years later in 1959 d’Arry decided he wanted to start his own label.  He named the winey d’Arenberg after his mom, Frances Helena d’Arenberg.

Fast forward through the 60’s and 70’s when d’Arenberg won the attention of many.  There were medals… many medals and the winery garnered attention not only nationally, but internationally as well.

As a young lad, Chester d’Arenberg Osborn, d’Arry’s son, would help in the vineyards and in the cellar every chance he got.  He was there during school breaks and Christmas holidays. Chester was very keen on “continuing his family’s winemaking tradition.”

Chester graduated from College with a Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Oenology and toured wine regions throughout Australia and Europe returning to d’Arenberg.  He took over as Chief Winemaker at d’Arenberg in 1984.  ”He immediately set about returning the family’s vineyards to their traditional grape growing practices of minimal inputs and no fertilization, cultivation and irrigation wherever possible, therefore achieving natural soil flavours with very low yields.”  Since Chester took over the wheel, the winery has won numerous awards and accolades.

“All grapes, red and white, are basket-pressed. The reds are still traditionally fermented with the grape skins (caps) submerged in open wax-lined concrete fermenters utilising the age-old technique of foot-treading.”  Yes that is exactly how it sounds.  They stomp the grapes with their feet.  Why would they do that when there are machineries that can do it?

Although technology has come a long way, it is tough to mimic the gentle pressure of walking on the grapes, you gently express the juice and extract colour and press the pips.  The pips (or seeds) don’t get pounded by the machines and therefore you don’t get that bitter taste that you can get sometimes from the seeds if they are over manipulated.  If you don’t know what that taste is like, the next time you have a grape with a seed in it, bite into the seed and see what happens.  If you haven’t peeled a red grape before, try that too.  Don’t just eat the pulp, however.  Eat the skin all on its own.  That drying feeling in your mouth is caused by the tannins in the skins and the seeds.  Tannins are a good thing.  The tannins and the acidity give the wine good balance and longevity.  You just want to make sure that they are extracted gently.

I digress.  Back to the d’Arenberg family…

“In June 2004 Chester’s dad, d’Arry was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his contributions to the wine industry and to the McLaren Vale region.”  D’Arry has overseen over 65 consecutive vintages.  Since Chester took over the wheel, the winery has won numerous awards and accolades.

“If you travel to South Australia, visit d’Arry’s Verandah Restaurant, one of South Australia’s most loved and highly awarded restaurant, set on a picturesque hilltop with the Cellar Door tasting room adjoining.”

Talking about tasting… on to our wine.  Australian wines are known (what us wine nerds say) as being fruit forward.  What the heck does that mean?  Well, it is just as it sounds.  As soon as you smell the wine, even if you are new to wine, you will smell fruit right away.   In Stump Jump Red, there are nice ripe and juicy red fruit, red plums, dark cherries, rhubarb and even some cardamon spice.

The taste… fresh red berries (yum) a little pomegranate.  After you taste all that, just sit back and have another sip.  Hmmm… plum stone, star anise and a wee bit of cinnamon.  Okay, now I am hungry after talking about all those flavours.

Food Pairings:

Roasted Duck, Lamb Lolly Pops, Grilled Beef with mushrooms, Stew (I would even add a little of the wine to the stew beef).

CSPC: 1024961
Price:

$15.99* (Minus Winesday 10% discount)

*Price Correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice.

Thanks for taking this journey with us.  See you on Wednesday

Next week we are off to the all time highest Gold Medal winning country of (drum roll please)… C A N A D A.