deVine Thoughts

Author: Dirk Chan

We miss connecting with you, our loyal customers – it’s been so long since we last had a tasting, so lets meet online as we introduce deVirtual tastings, the next one on Saturday, May 30 at 7pm – a Rosé tasting.

Here’s how it will work – two wines totalling around $50 will be featured, you purchase from our events page, we deliver the wines to you free of charge anywhere within the city limits ahead of time (i.e. before the event). If there is a white to be tasted, we request it be fridge cold and that you take it out 15 minutes prior to the event to warm up slightly. We will send you a Zoom invite using the email address that you purchase the event with. You click on to enter the Virtual tasting – installing Zoom is not a requirement. There will be a little handout with your package to describe Zoom and privacy information. The tasting will be half an hour and limited to the first 25 people who sign up.

Our first tasting will focus on Veneto (one of the hardest hit COVID-19 regions) wines, a Soave and a Ripasso. Then, the next day, a special Mother’s Day afternoon virtual tasting featuring French wines. I hope you can join me as we travel in a new path down the virtual road to wine epiphany.

Book for the Virtual Tasting here…

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Author: Dirk Chan

If not for COVID-19, I would be talking to you and soliciting interest for the 2019 Bordeaux Futures campaign. Normally, the world would be descending on Bordeaux to taste the 2019 vintage with the Chateaux presenting, the negociants tasting and avid drinkers from all over the world also tasting. Well, everything is postponed at the moment and the entire En Primeur is on hold.

There is talk to squeeze the campaign in for September although that seems quite optimistic as different countries are at different stages of the pandemic. Plus, they will be competing with other releases from all around the world that ironically and historically have pushed their releases back so as not to not compete with the Bordeaux Futures campaign. There are rumors also that the Bordelais will come to us with samples or alternatively supply samples to longtime negociants who can present to the retail buyers – now if this happens, it would definitely be a first.

Finally, I personally agree with those who are for pushing the 2019 campaign to next spring at this same time – the wines would be a year older and a lot closer to their final character, it would also allow the world’s economy to settle down. I am doubtful it would be a successful campaign at this point with so much uncertainty about jobs, the economy, American tarrifs on French wines, diminishing interest from Asia, falling dollar etc etc.

I guess we all have to wait to see what will transpire. Irregardless, the 2019 vintage will be linked to COVID-19 for eternity.

Oh, and by the way, it is a great vintage with the richness of 2018 and the purity of 2016.

Stay tuned everyone..

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Author: Dirk Chan

As you all know, we love our German Rieslings at deVines, and our order from the famous J. J. Prum winery last fall has finally arrived. Prum is without doubt one of the most respected houses in the Mosel – their longevity and history of excellence in the Mosel is really only matched by Egon Muller. For Riesling lovers, Prum doesn’t need any introduction and once you taste their Rieslings, you’ll know why. We have brought in multiple vintages and formats of the three most famous vineyards (descriptions below). Quantities are limited so stock up early for best selection. Listen to your Voice of Riesling and enjoy some today!!

Lets talk about the most famous vineyard, the Wehlener Sonnenuhr. The Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard is the flagship – there is five hectares of this majestic site. It offers perfect growing conditions for the Riesling grape with its deep, grey slate soil, good water support, extreme steepness, and its optimal south-south-west exposure. Wehlener Sonnenuhr is named after the sundial erected in the vineyard in 1842 to give the workers a better time orientation. The wines of this vineyard offers excellent structure, show beautiful, ripe aromas and flavors of stone fruits, a fine minerality, and great depth and length. And they age effortlessly for decades. Gone in recent vintages are the sulphur like notes (which blow off in the glass anyways) which were prevalent pre-2010.

2015 Joh. Jos. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese (Mosel, Germany) – $65.99

2018 Joh. Jos. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese (Mosel, Germany) – $63.99

Our favourite vineyard is the Graacher Himmelreich, which borders the southern edge of the Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard. The wines from this site often rival the quality of those from its more famous neighbour, especially in hot, dry years. Graacher wines attract with their fine racy acidity, a pronounced slate and rock like minerality and a more citrus fruit aromas and flavors. Another aspect is it tends to drink slightly earlier than the Wehlener Sonnenuhr and are deliciously juicy and mouth-watering when young. The vineyard has a south-west exposure, is less steep which act as excellent water reservoirs.

Pictured left to right:

2012 Joh. Jos. Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese (Mosel, Germany) – $64.99

2015 Joh. Jos. Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese (Mosel, Germany) – $61.99

2016 Joh. Jos. Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese (Mosel, Germany) – $57.99

2017 Joh. Jos. Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese (Mosel, Germany) – $59.99

2018 Joh. Jos. Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese (Mosel, Germany) – $54.99

Finally, there’s the Bernkasteler Badstude vineyard, borders that of the Graacher Himmelreich on its southern edge. The slopes are on a marginally shallower gradient, with deeper soils than the Graacher and Wehlener, while the western orientation allows the vines longer exposure to the afternoon sun. The Badstube is very floral, delicate and minerally wine. Overall, the wines are usually slightly more delicate in structure and weight when compared with the wines of Graacher or Wehlener, but they are wonderfully racy and fine examples of the middle Mosel.

2018 Joh. Jos. Prum Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett (Mosel, Germany) – $45.99

2017 Joh. Jos. Prum Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spatlese (Mosel, Germany) – $54.99

Last but not least, for those who have large gatherings, we have brought in some rare Magnums (1.5L) (gorgeous looking) offerings to tempt you with:

2018 Joh. Jos. Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett (Mosel, Germany) – $109.99

2017 Joh. Jos. Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett (Mosel, Germany) – $119.99

2018 Joh. Jos. Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese (Mosel, Germany) – $129.99

2016 Joh. Jos. Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese (Mosel, Germany) – $129.99

2018 Joh. Jos. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese (Mosel, Germany) – $144.99

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Author: Dirk Chan

In light of physical distancing due to COVID-19, we want to make things easier for our customer base to shop and obtain products.