deVine Thoughts

Author: Dirk Chan

The Produttori del Barbaresco Cooperative is one of the most successful cooperatives in the world of winemaking. The winery is one of the stars of the Barbaresco region in the Piedmont region in Northern Italy. Established in 1958, there are now 51 growers who contribute their Nebbiolo grapes to the cooperative. The region covers over 100 hectares of premium nebbiolo grapes. In 1967, they were amongst the first wineries to produce single vineyard Barbaresco’s – there is nine different Cru Riservas produced only in exceptional vintages like 2015 and next year the 2016’s.

These Single Vineyard Riservas that are spectacular for the money and those in the know stock up. Verticals going back 40 years have shown how great these wines can be. Superbly located – Gaja (6 min away) and Giacosa (13 min away) are neighbours whose wines sell for 4-7 times this price.

A must in every connoisseur’s cellar, a bargain in the expensive world of Nebbiolo not to be missed!! Quantities are very limited, in some cases only a couple bottles available for sale.

Pictured Left to Right:

2015 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Rabaja (Piedmont, Italy) – $99.99

2015 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Pora (Piedmont, Italy) – $99.99

2015 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Paje (Piedmont, Italy)- $99.99

2015 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Muncagota (Piedmont, Italy) – $99.99

2015 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Ovello (Piedmont, Italy) – $99.99

Other available Produttori’s for your consideration:

2015 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano (Piedmont, Italy) – $99.99

2015 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Montefico (Piedmont, Italy) – $99.99

2013 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Ovello (Piedmont, Italy) – $109.99

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Guest Author: Chris Buyze – President, DECL (Downtown Edmonton Community League) & 104 Street Committee Representative

Hello Downtown Residents,

We are in an unprecedented time. After much consideration and conversations with area stakeholders, the 104 Street Committee is pleased to share information on an outdoor COVID Recovery Event that will be running from July 18 to September 19, 2020 for 10 Saturdays from 11 – 4pm. This event, Al Fresco on 4th will be a weekly community celebration on Saturdays for 10 dates located on 104 Street from Jasper Avenue to 102 Avenue NW. This activation will host a curated vendor market, sidewalk patios, business activations and community programming that is family and pet friendly in efforts to continue to create a vibrant downtown and animated 104 Street!

We understand that there are concerns from a safety standpoint. We want to reiterate that the health of our staff, vendors and patrons and residents remains top priority, while providing access to local food and essential products that are so important to our local economy and social fabric. We are in the process of creating a public document that will outline all the safety measures that our team will be following in providing access to our local vendors on a weekly basis. Weekly updates will be posted on our website and social media platforms:
Al Fresco on 4th: 4thstpromenade.ca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/4thStreetPromenade
Twitter: @4thStPromenade

Safety measures will include:

● Physical distancing between vendors and patrons (Minimum of 2 meters)
● Forming of queues and line management
● Regulating and limiting traffic within the market area and patios at all times with frequent patron counts
● Robust cleaning and sanitation procedures
● Reduced physical programming

In order to achieve these regulations, and work with the businesses and sidewalk patios on 104 Street, we will expand our footprint on the road to ensure that we are providing the government mandated 2 meters of space for distancing.

ROAD CLOSURES/PARKING BANS:

The following sections of road will be closed to traffic and on-street parking every Saturday from July 18 to September 19, 2020 between 7:00 AM-5:00 PM:

1. North and south back alley access between 104 – 105 Street will be reduced and closed. All other points of entry to these alleys will be maintained for ease of entry and exit.
2. 104 Street from Jasper Avenue to 102 Avenue. This will be the primary event site.

Al Fresco on 4th is a collaboration with the 104 Street Action Committee, 104 Street Businesses, Downtown Business Association, Downtown Community League and identified stakeholders; Wild Heart Collective has been brought on board to launch this activation.

Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Chris Buyze – DECL President & 104 Street Committee Representative
E: info@decl.org
E: hello@wearewildheart.com P: 780.760.9453 (WHC Offices)

See you all on July 18!

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Author: Ed Fong

Feast on Fourth is a new weekly event that showcases the numerous culinary destinations located on the 4th-St. Promenade. Feast on Fourth will be held every Thursday, beginning on June 25, 2020. Events will be held on each subsequent Thursday, rain or shine, up to and including September 4, 2020. We anticipate that this event will grow throughout the summer as businesses adapt their spaces and determine how they can best participate.

Feast on Fourth is an event that focuses on culinary and gustatory experiences. The event will allow restaurants to offer specials on existing menu items, or introduce new features. Keep your eyes peeled for the many drink specials that are sure to come. Restauranteurs will be looking at ways to safely use their extended patio spaces and/or bring action cooking stations out onto the street. We are eagerly looking forward to seeing what our restaurant neighbors feature in upcoming Feast on Fourth events!

Many additional 104th-St. Promenade retailers have expressed an interest in participating in or supporting Feast on Fourth. They are currently working on ways to welcome back customers and support the street community at large.

Businesses that have confirmed their participation in Feast on Fourth for the June 25, 2020 inaugural event include:

deVine Wines & Spirits
Careit Urban Deli
Say Uncle
A Bite of Brazil
Cavern
Ono Poke
Cask & Barrel

Ed Fong, one of the partners at deVine Wines commented, “Feast on Fourth will allow the many independently owned small businesses and restaurants to come together to celebrate the culture of food and drink in a safe, responsible and fun manner. Members of our business community want to demonstrate how we are all adapting to the “new normal” in the safest way possible. We are looking forward to seeing our neighborhood come back to life, but in a well-managed manner. For patrons who do not yet feel comfortable dining in, there will be options for takeaway, curbside pickup or delivery available at many establishments. The businesses on 104th-St recognize the challenges many of us face during these times, and want to acknowledge their valued customers with a wide range of specials to say a collective Thank You. We hope to see you at Feast on Fourth this summer!”

deVine Wines & Spirits will be participating in Feast on Fourth by extending special pricing on select wines up to 20% off. Here is what we will be offering over the next three weeks.

Specials are valid while quantities last. No rainchecks please. We reserve the right to limit quantities. No other discounts can be applied to the special sale price.

July 25 to August 7

2018 Staatlicher Hofkeller Wurzburg Sauvignon Blanc Trocken (Franken, Germany) – Regular Price: $27.99, Sale Price: $22.39
2018 Jose Maria da Fonseca Waterdog (Terras do Sado, Portugal) – Regular Price: $14.99, Sale Price: $11.99

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Author: Dirk Chan

July is Petit Chablis month as several boutique stores around town promote and create awareness of this fine Chardonnay AOC region. While Petit Chablis is within the Chablis AOC, covering all areas not included in the Chablis Village wines, the Premier Cru’s and the Grand Cru’s – it is a source of great, easy to enjoy Chardonnays for early drinking that speaks of the terroir that it came from.

There’s nothing really “little” or “lesser” about b>Petit Chablis, it is a Village designation that makes up around 18-20% of all wines made in Chablis, it is mostly spans the higher slopes or the beginning of the plateau in hard limestone or silty soils and of course, younger vines. The textures are light and full of verve, light straw in color with lovely minerality, green apples and gunflint – a great drink in the summer in your back yard.

The promotion this month includes a draw to win three bottles of Petit Chablis and to participate in a Zoom Virtual tasting with Barb Philip, MW and Gurvinder Bhatia, organizer of this event on Thursday, August 20th at 7:30pm. Enter in-store at deVines – no purchase necessary.

Try a couple of Petit Chablis this month:

2017 William Fevre Petit Chablis (Chablis, France) – $34.99

2018 Alain Geoffroy Petit Chablis (Chablis, France) – $28.99

More on Chablis here..

Happy Canada Day and Happy Petit Chablis month!!

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Author: Dirk Chan

We miss connecting with you, our loyal customers – it’s been awhile since we last had a tasting, so lets meet online on Wednesday, July 1 as we celebrate Canada Day with a white and a red made from Ontario.
Rosewood and Pearl Morissette are not household names for a lot of us, but what wonderful wines they are making. The Rosewood Riesling is a dry version while the Violette is a finessed style of Cabernet Franc – there’ll be lots to talk about. We’ll start a little earlier than usual at 6pm.

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.

Book for the Virtual Tasting here…

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Author: Ed Fong

Feast on Fourth is a new weekly event that showcases the numerous culinary destinations located on the 4th-St. Promenade. Feast on Fourth will be held every Thursday, beginning on June 25, 2020. Events will be held on each subsequent Thursday, rain or shine, up to and including September 4, 2020. We anticipate that this event will grow throughout the summer as businesses adapt their spaces and determine how they can best participate.

Feast on Fourth is an event that focuses on culinary and gustatory experiences. The event will allow restaurants to offer specials on existing menu items, or introduce new features. Keep your eyes peeled for the many drink specials that are sure to come. Restauranteurs will be looking at ways to safely use their extended patio spaces and/or bring action cooking stations out onto the street. We are eagerly looking forward to seeing what our restaurant neighbors feature in upcoming Feast on Fourth events!

Many additional 104th-St. Promenade retailers have expressed an interest in participating in or supporting Feast on Fourth. They are currently working on ways to welcome back customers and support the street community at large.

Businesses that have confirmed their participation in Feast on Fourth for the June 25, 2020 inaugural event include:

deVine Wines & Spirits
Careit Urban Deli
Say Uncle
A Bite of Brazil
Cavern
Ono Poke
Cask & Barrel

Ed Fong, one of the partners at deVine Wines commented, “Feast on Fourth will allow the many independently owned small businesses and restaurants to come together to celebrate the culture of food and drink in a safe, responsible and fun manner. Members of our business community want to demonstrate how we are all adapting to the “new normal” in the safest way possible. We are looking forward to seeing our neighborhood come back to life, but in a well-managed manner. For patrons who do not yet feel comfortable dining in, there will be options for takeaway, curbside pickup or delivery available at many establishments. The businesses on 104th-St recognize the challenges many of us face during these times, and want to acknowledge their valued customers with a wide range of specials to say a collective Thank You. We hope to see you at Feast on Fourth this summer!”

deVine Wines & Spirits will be participating in Feast on Fourth by extending special pricing on select wines up to 20% off. Here is what we will be offering over the next three weeks.

Specials are valid while quantities last. No rainchecks please. We reserve the right to limit quantities. No other discounts can be applied to the special sale price.

June 24/25

NV Bodegues Sumarroca True Colours Brut Cava (June Pride Month) – Regular Price: $22.99, Sale Price: $19.49
2018 Cono Sur Pinot Noir Bicicleta Reserva – Regular Price: $15.49, Sale Price: $12.49
2018 Domaine de Pellehaut Harmonie de Gascogne Blanc – Regular Price: $17.99, Sale Price: $14.49

July 1/2 and July 8/9

2018 Cono Sur Pinot Noir Bicicleta Reserva – Regular Price: $15.49, Sale Price: $12.49
2018 Domaine de Pellehaut Harmonie de Gascogne Blanc – Regular Price: $17.99, Sale Price: $14.49

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Author: Dirk Chan

The Bordelais has decided to proceed with the 2019 Futures program as per usual despite COVID not allowing anyone to go to Bordeaux to taste as is the norm. The 2019 vintage is definitely excellent, some comparing it to 1982, others calling it a combination of 2009 fruit and 2016 structure. With very little critic’s scores to go by, the primary selling feature of this campaign is that at the high end, prices are 30% less, with lesser cuts for the mid-tier – this kind of deep cuts are unheard of in Bordeaux Futures, but with the Trump 25% surtax incoming into the States, a volatile economy, high job loss and wild dollar fluctuations, they are afraid without deep cuts the campaign will be a bust.

Alas, this kind of pricing provides a rare opportunity to buy some higher Classified Growths that has previously been out of reach. Of course, there isn’t enough to go around as every retailer wants some leading to some frenzy buying and quick sellouts and staying up all night waiting for offers.

If you’ve purchased Futures before, you know prices never go down, they always go up in the next great vintage, so the nice price is wonderful for those who are starting to build a cellar. Plus, you gotta think in two years time when the wines are bottled and shipped, the price will be much higher then than it is selling for now as estates will want to recoup any losses.

Given the economic uncertainty, selection will be reduced from previous ‘normal’ years. So instead of 70 selections, we’ll have 50 and quantities will also be much smaller and strictly on a first-come first served basis and in some cases maximums applied. In many cases we won’t be able to go back for more of something once it sells out and if we do, price will be second tranche.

Alas, we’re already in the home stretch of this campaign. So, for those hedging it is now to dive right in and purchase. Some products have already sold out.

There are great wines in all regions as per usual but I’m seeing some great wines from Cru Bourgeois to Satellites that will retail around $50 – these are great earlier drinkers, a smattering of 1855 5th Growths around $75 (which we rarely see) and even some top bottlings under $100, so there is wines to consider at all levels. For the first time in 4 years, there’ll be some sweet dessert Sauternes offered as well.

Bottom line, if you’ve been hesitant to get into the Bordeaux Futures game, jump in now, there may be never be another great opportunity as this, we won’t likely ever see this kind of pricing again so don’t dilly dally or you’ll miss out. If we can help you decide, drop us a line.

Check out and bookmark the current offers here..

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Author: Chad Gascho

Please join us on June 25/020 @ 7:30MST for Rogue Ales Live Virtual Tasting w/ Rogue’s President Dharma Tamm