deVine Thoughts

Author: Dirk Chan

deVine’s 2010 Bordeaux have arrived. Please visit us online or in-store for the unveiling of dozens of wines from this legendary vintage. Following the 2000, 2005, and 2009 as vintages of the century, the 2010 joins this group easily – it is indeed a great and ageworthy vintage in the classic style. The comparison between 2010 and the flashy 2009 neighbour will generate debate for decades to come similar to the comparison between 1989 and 1990.

A perfect growing season and an uneventful harvest has resulted in a vintage characterized by mature ripe fruit, great acidity and freshness, and one with incredible aging potential across the board. While 2009 is the so called California vintage that reminds of 1982 that doesn’t ever shut down, this is in the classic style that needs time to cellar and will likely go through a dumb phase.

Those of you who purchased futures deserve a pat on the back – 2010 is the most expensive vintage to date from Bordeaux and shelf prices are 20% higher than futures prices. While expensive, it is worthy of any serious cellar and for those with means and patience, it is a must buy. Many of you purchase in great quantities in 2009, and didn’t go as long on 2010’s, so now is the time to grab a few so you can do your own comparisons down the road.

Also not to be missed are the White Bordeaux 2010 from Pessac-Leognan, a great vintage for the whites and not to be missed.Terribly expensive, these Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blends are also great agers, and great food pairing wines with amazing aromatics and textures that only the Graves terroir can produce. Treat yourselves!

With 2011 and 2012 reds being only very good, and 2013 shaping up to be the same, the back pressure and pricing on the great 2009 and 2010’s will only increase with the passage of time. Put some in your back pocket now while supply lasts and reap the rewards in 10-20 years. Note quantities on most of these wines are limited, and once gone, we’ll likely not go to market for additional inventory, so don’t snooze.

Check out our available 2010 Left Banks here..

Check out our available 2010 Right Banks here..

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Author: Dirk Chan

For those of you where 2012 is a significant year, deVine’s is offering a small selection for your consideration as futures. With a wet spring affecting flowering and also a wet harvest season, the earlier ripening right bank Merlot based wines are the way to go in this vintage, with Pomerol and St. Emilion being acknowledged as the best appellations. The later ripening Cabernet Sauvignon based left bank wines are very variable, with only the best and richest estates that could afford to do severe selection were able to make fine wines.

We’ve chosen mainly right bank wines and some of these are amongst the very best this vintage has to offer, they are also some of a very small list capable of aging for two decades.

As usual with our futures program, 75% down is required with the remaining 25% due in 2015 upon arrival. Supply is limited as we bought in small quantities, so best to purchase early for the best selection. The offering closes July 31st at midnight.

View our 2012 Bordeaux Futures offering page by clicking here..

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Author: Dirk Chan

Moldova wines are getting some exposure in North American, you see their wines represented in numerous wine fares (as in VinItaly for example) nowadays. Moldova is a grape-cluster-shaped nation of 3.5 million inhabitants, bordering Romania on the west and Ukraine along the north and east, with only a jagged edge of Ukraine separating it from the Black Sea in the south. Declared an independent state in 1991 as part of the dissolution of the Soviet Union – while poor, Moldova has a well-established wine industry with many families having their own recipes and strands of grapes that have been passed down through the generations. As of 2009, Moldova was the 22nd largest wine producing country in the world.

Vinaria Purcari is the most respected winery in Moldova. Purcari is both a commune and a producer on the southeastern tip, The winery was formerly the property of the Afono-Zagraf Monastery dating back to 1827. at is located on the same latitude as Burgundy’s Macconnais.

In 1878 at the Paris World Exhibition, the jury awarded the gold medal to a dry, densely colored red which they believed to be a new brand wine from the Bordeaux region. The surprised unveiling was a Purcari wine. The wines have been served and enjoyed by historic figures such as the Russian Emperor Nikolay II, King George V and Queen Victoria. Currently, Queen Elizabeth is said to prefer the Negru de Purcari and ordered the 1990 vintage regularly.

Join us on Saturday, June 29th from noon-3pm as Celestial Wine & Spirits present two unique reds from Vinaria Purcari for your sampling pleasure.

More info on the free drop-in event and the wines here..

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Author: Dirk Chan

The rosy-hued wine known as Rosé used to only be popular for Valentine’s, but that is changing. Offering a nice transition point for white wine drinkers moving into reds, rosés also showcases the various varietals of reds that are used in making these pinks. They also represent easier access, without all the constraints and traditional formalities of more high profile reds, it symbolizes greater freedom without the snobbery of some.

Wonderful for outdoor and deck drinking, most are dry (don’t confuse Rosés with the White Zinfandel which has the same pink color and is quite sweet), delicate, diverse and perfect when drunk cool in the spring and summertime. It is a flexible food pairing wine too. While Provence and Rhone’s are very popular with North Americans, the other countries like Spain and Portugal are also gaining popularity.

This saturday, deVine is hosting a ‘Drink Pink’ sit-down tasting at 7pm. Discover the diversity and see if it fits your palate while discovering the light and breezy freshness of these rosés. There are only a few spots left for this tasting, you can register online
here..

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Author: Ed Fong

The merchants on 104th-St. have partnered with ETS to encourage the use of public transit when planning visits to our vibrant Downtown neighborhood. Not only is the use of ETS green, it is easy and convenient. Whether you’re in Century Park or Clareview, you are just minutes away by LRT. The Bay/Enterprise Square Station is your gateway to 104th-St.

Merchants on 104th-St. are giving away prizes to visitors of ETS’ Facebook Page. The contest will start Friday on June 7.You can find out more by visiting the ETS website here.

Thank you to the following merchants who have supported ETS with some great prizes!

– Blue Plate Diner
– Cavern
– Carbon Environmental Boutique
– deVine Wines & Spirits
– The Helm Clothing
– Kelly’s Pub

Tickets, Transfers, Passes please!

On June 8 “Super Saturday”, participating merchants on 104th-St. will offer special discounts to patrons who used public transportation to visit our street. Just show them your bus pass, validated transit ticket or transfer to enjoy great savings.

Participating merchants in this program are:

deVine Wines & Spirits:
10% off on all wine, spirits, accessories and ticketed events (excludes beer, vintage room and vintage keeper items)

Carbon Environmental Boutique:
10% off on all store items

Kelly’s Pub:
10% off your entire check (includes all food and drink)

ETS, Our Partner in getting you to your destination!

June 8 “Super Saturday” promises to be a fun filled day in Downtown Edmonton. Take ETS to enjoy the Downtown Edmonton Community League’s Pancake Breakfast, the Downtown Edmonton Farmers’ Market, the annual Pride Parade and the 104th-St. Centennial Celebrations. We hope you can joy us for the festivities.

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Author: Ed Fong

Al Fresco is cancelled, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a block party! Come out and celebrate the centennial year of many of the heritage buildings that line our special street. Happy 100 years with many more to come!

The Centennial Block Party will take place on “Super Saturday”, the weekend where Downtown Edmonton comes alive with the Pride Parade. This year, Super Saturday falls on June 8th, so save the date!

Super Saturday gets started at 8:30 AM with the Downtown Edmonton Community League’s Annual Pancake Breakfast. This event is held in conjunction with the Downtown Farmer’s Market which runs from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The Pride Parade runs down 102 Ave starting at noon. Once again, deVine Wines will enter a float. We’re hoping to be graced with Marlene Dietrich’s presence and fabulous fishnets this year.

deVine Wines will be pouring wines at the store throughout the day beginning at 12:00 PM. In keeping with the celebratory mood, samples of bubbles will be served. In addition, we will be pouring our own Promenade Red. The label’s artwork was designed by Daniel Chmielewski, who many of you know from his exquisite large scale monochromatic stencil works that he has donated in support of the Al Fresco silent auctions. deVine Wines is donating $1 from the sale of each bottle in support of the Centennial Block Party. To learn more about the Promenade Red, please follow this link here..

The Block Party gets swinging at 4:30 with a BBQ, street performers, salsa lessons, a live band and MORE! Make your way down the Promenade to learn about the history of our Heritage buildings. At 6 PM there will be a balloon release and official celebration. At 8 PM, the party moves indoors to Mercer Tavern with live music from Russ Dawson throughout the evening and Josh Johnson starting at 9 PM! Mercer will also have special centennial food and drink specials throughout the day!

At time of writing, some of the restaurants are making plans to extend their patios. Stay tuned for updates by checking out the deVine Wines blog at www.devinewines.ca or by following us on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/deVineWinesEDM

Our street community is very fortunate in so many ways. To help those who are struggling with trying to meet the very basic necessities of life, we are assisting the Edmonton Food Bank. Please don’t forget to bring a food donation when you head down to the party! Food donations can be dropped off at deVine Wines at your convenience.

Hope to see you all there on the June 8th Super Saturday!!!

Author: Dirk Chan

deVine and International Cellars present 4th generation winemaker and proprietor of the Vietti Estate, Luca Currado for an evening of Piedmonte wines at the store on Thursday, May 30th at 7pm. Currado is a most interesting speaker, an avid spokesman for the Piedmonte region with a vast opinion that he is willing to share with all who will listen. His opinions on biodynamics is intriguing, and so is the history of his custom designed labels – this promises to be a night to remember.

The Vietti estate was founded in 1919 in the quaint town of Castiglione Falletto. In the last decade or so, Luca has raised the quality to a completely new level where it competes now with the best in this relatively small region.

We will taste their Arneis, a white grape that was nearly lost in the late sixties that Vietti is responsible for bringing back into prominence and in fact thriving and taking over from Gavi as the preferred white grape. The Dolcetto and Barbera d’Alba Tre Vigne will also be sampled, alongside the Barbaresco Masseria and what Vietti is most known for, their Barolo’s. This is a sit-down event with a duck confit food pairing. We’ll end with another Vietti favourite, their aromatic sparkling dessert wine – the Moscato d’Asti. Here is a rare opportunity to speak with a great winemaker, an alumnus of California’s Opus One, and of Bordeaux’s Mouton-Rothschild. Only 18 seats available, and advance registration is required.

Complete tasting information and registration here..

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Author: Dirk Chan

deVine’s first ever custom wine has arrived! A year in the making, it is named the “Promenade Red”, in the spirit of the 104th Street Promenade. We’re thrilled to have it in the store and are throwing a special launch party for this Spanish red on Saturday, May 18th coinciding with the opening day of the City Market. Please join us from 11am to 3pm

The label for the “2011 Promenade Red” is the product of local self-taught stencil artist Daniel Chmielewski, whom many of you know from his exquisite large scale monochromatic stencil works that he has donated in many Al Fresco auctions. Daniel will be on hand at the launch party to autograph bottles and we will be sampling the wine in this free, drop-in event.

The wine is made by Nathalie Bonhomme of Les Vins Bonhomme, whose Spanish red “Le Petit Bonhomme” has adorned our shelves over the last two years. She had one barrel (only 56 cases) of a special cuvée and thus the birth of our custom wine. The wine is a blend of 50% Monastrell (Mourvedre) and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Valencia region in the Eastern coast of Spain.

Dark cherry in color with a nose of assorted red and black berries, plums and noble wood. Clean and precise on the palate, this serious red has lovely minerality, is medium-bodied mouthfeel with juicy ripe fruit flavors, fine acid balance and structured yet with soft tannins that makes it eminently enjoyable with a short decant now. Pair with roasted meats.

Visit the market and then come in for the special Promenade Red Launch Party on Saturday, May 18th from 11am to 3pm with artist signing and the sampling of the wine. We look forward to seeing you!

Our sincere thanks to International Cellars for brokering this wine for us!

Purchase the wine here..

Info on the Launch Party..

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Author: Dirk Chan

You are invited for a free drop in tasting of Portuguese wines on Tuesday, May 7th with Mariana Rocha Ferreira, Export Director of Vinihold, one of the biggest suppliers of deVine’s Portuguese portfolio.

Mariana was born within a noble port family of the Tabuaço region where her great-great
grandfather was Mayor back in the old days. Her mother’s family – the Macedo Pinto’s, were the owners of Quinta de São Pedro das Águias where they produced both port and olive oil.

Mariana has a Bachelor of Business Administration and worked for a multinational dairy company in Porto. After a few years, she took a Master’s degree in Hospitality Management in Spain, where she graduated with honors and top of the class. At this time she was already in a relationship with Fernando van Zeller, whom she knew since she was in elementary school and whose family was very dear and well known to her own. Mariana is a fascinating lady so we hope you can drop by and visit with her this Tuesday.

Houses represented include Barao de Vilar, Quinta de Maritavora, Quinta de Mimosa, Quinta da Lixa and Casa Ermelinda. Please visit with Mariana from 5:30pm to 7pm to talk and sample wine. Note this is a drop-in tasting, no advance registration is required.

More details on this event here..

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Author: Dirk Chan

Amidst the hoopla of VinItaly, through agent Serge Levesque of Longo & Sincini,
Annabelle and I were invited to a special dinner at the Tedeschi Winery in Veneto.
The Tedeschi family has owned land in the Valpolicella region going back to 1630
with winemaking since 1824. Since then five generations have continued the stellar work.

Today, this medium sized estate is ran by Riccardo, Winemaker and Export Director along with his sisters Antoinette and Sabrina (who graciously drove Annabelle and
myself to their winery home – I must say she is a great driver to successful negotiate the traffic
out of Verona).

The multi course dinner for 45 invited guests was wonderful, set right next to the cellars (that’s me
queuing for the self served cheese course amidst the huge wood barrels). We sampled numerous wines from the portfolio – I was surprised how well the San Rocco and Amarone went with beef, while the Monte Olmi was great with cheese. The dessert course was paired with the very unique Vin de l Fabriseria, a Vino Passito, made from Garganega and Saorin white grapes done in the same raisin-dried style – delicious and hopefully to arrive in our market soon. The consistent theme of the wines was clearly indicated from the winery motto – “be as good as possible, but also as personal as it can be, while letting nature lead the way.”

Riccardo is once again coming to Edmonton in the summertime, and we look forward to his visit. We’ve carried the Tedeschi line ever since the store opened, and in stock currently for your consideration are:

2010 Tedeschi Soave Classico – $17.99

2010 Tedeschi Valpolicella Superiore – $18.99

2007 Tedeschi Ripasso Superiore Capitel San Rocco – $25.99

2007 Tedeschi Amarone della Valpolicella – $49.99

2005 Tedeschi Capitel Monte Olmi Amarone della Valpolicella – $84.99. The 2007 Olmi just received 94 points from the Wine Spectator, we await its arrival in the fall.

You can visit the Tedeschi website here..

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