deVine Thoughts

April 25, 2022

Weekly Online Offer for April 25/22

Filed under: deVine's Daily Blog Article — Dirk @ 11:30 am

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Author: Dirk Chan

Our online feature this week is the 2018 Château Sainte-Marie Vieilles Vignes Blanc (Bordeaux – Entre-Deux-Mers, France) – $16.99, regularly $20.99.

Château Sainte-Marie is located in the SW of France in the Bordeaux wine region, right in the middle of the prime wine-growing Entre-deux-Mers area between the Dordogne and Garonne rivers. The ideally situated plots stretch across two hills with perfect exposure to the sun on some of the highest land in the Gironde.

Specifically, the Vieilles Vignes for this lovely white partially surrounds Sainte-Marie near the town of Targon and consists of 25 hectares (62 acres) of mainly clayey limestone. Made in low yeilds, the blend is Sauvignon blanc 75%, Sémillon 25% and Muscadelle 5%.

Tasting Notes – this wine has a lovely aromatics, which reveals pretty notes of white blossoms and tree fruits, namely pink grapefruit and citrus. Its fine and distinctive nose of green apples, peach and pear. It is very well balanced and nuanced. It reveals fine freshness, good acidity and complexity with its multiple layers on the palate making it suitable for summer salads, fish and poultry dishes. A fine value for a white Bordeaux!

2018 Château Sainte-Marie Vieilles Vignes (Bordeaux – Entre-Deux-Mers, France)) – $16.99 (regularly $20.99)

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April 18, 2022

Weekly Online Offer for April 18/22

Filed under: deVine's Daily Blog Article — Dirk @ 10:17 am

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Author: Dirk Chan

Our online feature this week is the Undurraga T. H. Carignan (Maule Valley, Chile) – $25.99, regularly $31.99.

Undurraga was established in 1885 and their Terroir Hunter (T.H.) range of low-intervention wines is emblematic of the producer’s desire to show off the wonderful terroir which Chile has to offer.

A month ago, we very successfully featured the Carmenere from the T. H. series by Unduragga from the Puemo Valley, this time we go to the Maule Valley, which is a three hour drive SW of Santiago, and its location is considered another prime region for growing grapes. This beautiful Carignan has the requisite high acidity and tannins although both are not excessive, but it is the unusual raspberry and cranberry profile and clovey and peppery notes that intrigue. There is a sense of terroir that expresses the soil so very well. We absolutely love this full-bodied red – try with game or roasted red meats. Superb!

Undurraga T.H. Carignan (Maule Valley, Chile) – $25.99 (regularly $31.99)

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April 13, 2022

Annual Easter Dinner Wine Recommendations

Filed under: deVine's Daily Blog Article — Dirk @ 5:41 pm

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Author: Dirk Chan

Easter is this coming weekend, and you’ll want some celebratory wines to accompany turkey & ham dinner or that special meal you’ll be preparing for your loved ones.

We receive many requests for food and wine pairings for this festive weekend so please contact us sooner than later for the best available selection and recommendations. If you have special needs, please let us know and we’ll be glad to help. Enjoy the long weekend everyone.

Our store hours this weekend are:

Good Friday: 12-5pm
Saturday: 11-6pm
Easter Sunday: Closed

In the meantime, those looking for the classic pairings with turkey, ham and all the regular fixings, please see below some of our current favourites:

Start your evening off with a sparkling wine, followed by whites, reds, a dessert wine and perhaps a little meditation course for digestifs or Port.

Sparkling Wines

Sparkling wines are a great way to start any gathering whether its a greeting aperitif or to pair with appetizers. Lively and clean, these will get everyone’s palate ready for what’s to come next:

NV Balerin Prosecco Extra Dry (Veneto, Italy) – $19.99


NV Cune Cava Brut (Spain) – $21.99


NV Fernridge Winery Haha Brut Cuvee (Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand) – $24.99


2019 Mongarda Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore (Veneto, Italy) – $29.99


2020 Pittnauer Pitt-Nat Sparkling Rose (Burgenland, Austria) – $39.99

Champagne

Now if you serve Champagne, your audience will immediately know you’re here to do some serious partaking and celebrating:

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NV Champagne Liebart-Regnier Les Sols Bruns Demi-Sec (Champagne, France) – $59.99


2014 Gaston Chiquet Premiier Cru Brut Tradition (Champagne, France) – $69.99


NV Champagne Lancelot Pienne Rosé Delice (Champagne, France) – $79.99


NV Champagne Gardet 120th Anniversary Brut Cuvee (Champagne, France) – $119.99


NV Henri Billiot et Fils Cuvée Laetitia Grand Cru Brut (Champagne, France) – $129.99


2004 Bollinger R.D. Extra Brut (Champagne, France) – $379.99

Whites & Pinks

Whites with a touch of sweetness is preferred because of the sweetness of some of the fixings – candied yams, cranberry sauce, and honey for the glazed ham. A completely dry white will seem more austere and void of fruit due to the sweetness of the food so I recommend Rieslings (dry or off-dry, both work), Gewurztraminers or other Germanic or Alsace varietals. Having said that, some will always go with a dry creamy Chardonnay or Chenon irregardless and that’s perfectly fine. Also, don’t forget that rosés work really well too!

2020 Casas de Moya Tibo Merseguera (Valencia, Spain) – $16.99


2020 Anselmo Mendes Muros Antigos Escolha (Vinho Verde, Portugal) – $17.99


2020 Agricola Gorgo Chardonnay (Veneto, Italy) – $19.99


2019 Château Le Grand Verdus Blanc (Bordeaux, France) – $21.99


2020 Colle Corviano Pecorino (Abruzzi, Italy) – $22.99


2020 Losada Vinos de Finca Godello (Bierzo, Spain) – $33.99


2019 Domaine La Croix Montjoie Bourgogne L’impatiente (Burgundy, France) – $37.99


2015 Hupfeld Hochheimer Konigin Victoriaberg Riesling Spatlese (Rheingau, Germany) – $39.99


2013 Alain Brumont Chateau Montus Pacherenc du Vic Bilh (Madiran, France) – $48.99


2016 Trimbach Riesling Mandelberg Grand Cru (Alsace, France) – $82.99


2018 Domaine Alain Chavy Puligny-Montrachet Les Charmes (Burgundy – Cote de Beaune, France) – $134.99


2020 Spinelli Tratturo Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC (Abruzzi, Italy) – $17.99


NV Johannes Zillinger Revolution Pink Solera (Weinviertel, Austria) – $34.99


Reds

For reds, try to avoid the big oaky tannic monsters. Oak and tannins are the enemies when pairing with slightly sweet food, try for a red with lots of up-front fruit, little oak and a soft tannins like a Beaujolais (served slightly chilled) or a Pinot Noir.

2019 Casas de Moya Bobal Justina (Valencia, Spain) – $17.99


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2018 Oisly et Thésée Les Bremailles Touraine Gamay (France) – $21.99


2019 Neil Ellis Groenekloof Syrah (Western Cape, South Africa) – $24.99


2016 Château Bouscasse (Madiran, France) – $29.99


2020 Serafini & Vidotto Pinot Nero Colli Trevigiani (Veneto, Italy) – $33.99


2020 Marcel Lapierre Morgon (Beaujolais, France) – $49.99


2008 Lopez de Heredia Vina Bosconia Reserva (Rioja, Spain) – $56.99


2016 Louis Jadot Savigny-les-Beaune La Dominode Premier Cru (Burgundy – Cote de Beaune, France) – $76.99


2010 Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia (Piedmont, Italy)) – $124.99


2018 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon (California – Napa Valley, United States) – $379.99


2009 Le Dome (Bordeaux – St. Emilion, France) – $399.99


Dessert

As for dessert, remember dessert wine should be sweeter than the dessert itself:

2021 Massolino Filli Moscato d’Asti (Piedmont, Italy) – $29.99


2019 Gruber Roschitz Beerenauslese Chardonnay (Weinviertel, Austria) – 375mL – $39.99


2003 Rolet Vin de Paille (Jura, France) – 375mL – $52.99


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Port (Post Dinner)

Port is always good for the final touches of a meal:

Taylor Fladgate NV Historic Limited Edition Reserve Tawny Port (Douro, Portugal) – $54.99


2015 Croft Quinta da Roeda Vintage Port (Douro, Portugal) – $74.99


Kopke 40 Year Old (Douro, Portugal) – $179.99


1963 Messias Colheita Selecionada (Douro, Portugal) – $329.99


1985 Fonseca Vintage Port (Douro, Portugal) – $389.99


Happy Easter all!

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April 11, 2022

Weekly Online Offer for Apr 11/22

Filed under: deVine's Daily Blog Article — Dirk @ 11:42 am

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Author: Dirk Chan

Our online feature this week is the 2016 La Playa Tinga Rio Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Colchagua Valley, Chile) – $16.99, regularly $21.99.

La Playa (the Beach) is a family-owned winery with sustainable certification producing artfully crafted, estate bottled wines of Chile. TINGA is what the native people of Chile called the loud river that brought life to their land. Today, water from the TINGuiriricA river runs through the vineyards and nourishes specifically selected vines to create the line of Tinga Reserve wines.

Sustainable grapes yield the cleanest and most pure varietals, and there is no use of chemicals. They employ water-saving irrigation practices and use only native yeast strains and no genetically modified organisms.

The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon hails from vines of 24 years of age, cropped at 4.0 tons per acre, aged 12 months in French & American oak with a production of 2800 cases.

An intense ruby red colored wine with notes of ripe strawberry and raspberry that is well structured and giving. Drinking well now with volume and well-rounded tannins. Not huge like American wine, but true to the varietal. Enjoy!

2016 La Playa Tinga Rio Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Colchagua Valley, Chile) – $16.99 (regularly $21.99)

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April 4, 2022

Weekly Online Offer for Apr 4/22

Filed under: deVine's Daily Blog Article — Dirk @ 11:58 am

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Author: Dirk Chan

Our online feature this week is the 2018 Bodega y Vinedos Mi Terruno Expresion Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina) – $17.99, regularly $22.49.

The Baigorria family has been involved in Mendoza’s wine industry since 1960; first with the purchase of their own vineyards and later, in 2004, with their own winery. Located in the picturesque town of San Roque, Maipu, the winery was retrofitted from an old glass tile factory – combining new technology with traditional wine making techniques.

In the High Mendoza River Area they have sites in Lujan de Cuyo and Maipu where vineyards are irrigated by the snow melts of the Andes from the Mendoza River. Here the average daily temperature is just 15 degrees C and with a large diurnal temperature change the grapes benefit from a long growing season permitting Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon of fine quality and character. They also have vineyard sites in the Uco Valley where the grapes have a good acidity and produce wines of great freshness with plenty of ageing potential.

Mi Terruño, meaning “my terroir” presents a red of full ruby red color with violet hues. Black raspberry, toasted tobacco, chocolate and violet aromas are perfectly combined with strong dark fruit and elegant tannins. Very good persistence. Ideal to pair with red meats and hard cheeses, extremely good example of the emblematic red variety from Argentina.

Malbec World Day is coming up in a couple of weeks, so enjoy a bottle this month.

2018 Bodega y Vinedos Mi Terruno Expresion Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina) – $17.99 (regularly $22.49)

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April 1, 2022

2018 Bordeaux Grand Cru Classé – In-Bottle Release

Filed under: deVine's Daily Blog Article — Dirk @ 12:44 pm

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Author: Dirk Chan

The 2018 Bordeaux vintage is the first of a trio of legendary vintages, with 2019 arriving next year, and 2020 the year after that. Only one other time has Bordeaux had a trio of great vintages – it was 1988, 1989 and 1990. Many of you purchased futures for the 2018, 2019 and 2020 trio and it will serve you well down the road – what an intriguing theme it will be to taste these 3 vintages in a single evening.. Here is our first release of the high end Grand Cru Classe for your consideration..

Pictured left to right:

2018 Château Marquis d’Alesme (Bordeaux – Margaux, France) – $109.99
2018 Château Berliquet (Bordeaux – St. Emilion, France) – $114.99
2018 Château Pavie Grand Cru Classé A (Bordeaux – St. Emilion, France) – $949.99
2018 Château Feytit-Clinet (Bordeaux – Pomerol, France) – $169.99
2018 Château Giscours (Bordeaux – Margaux, France) – $155.99
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2018 Left Bank Wines

2018 Right Bank Wines

Quantities are very limited so purchase early to avoid disappointment.

Happy shopping everyone!!

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