deVine Thoughts

Author: Dirk Chan

deVine held its first ever top Wines of the Year tasting this past thursday. Attended by 80 people, it was quite a night. Ed, Annabelle, Dirk and Nick collectively chose the wines tasted after much deliberation. Alas, the best laid plans of mice and men. What would have been our first and only white wine of the evening would have been the 2005 Domaine d’Ardhuy’s Corton Charlemagne, a $159.99 chardonnay from Burgundy, but all four bottles were oxidized and we had to quickly switch to plan B with the tasting just a few hours away. We needed something costing about the same price, yet reflect the same outstanding quality. The result was the 2004 Quinta do Crasto Quinta da Ponte – $159.99 (a stunner with blueberries, blackberries, kirsch and a lovely, lingering mouthfeel with a finish that went on for minutes).

But I’m jumping ahead. Without a white, we had changed the menu to include the Val d’Oca Punta Rosa, a lovely rosé from Veneto with lovely mousse, a touch of earth and plenty of strawberry and cherry fruit. We moved onto our selections after that with a string of 5 reds: The Chateau Princé Brissac (CabFranc) with its wild flowers, the unusual Pares P3 from Bierzo from Spain screamed violets and elegance, made from the indigenous Mencia grape. In sucession, the Crasto Ponte was extremely well received – what incredible class and sneaky length, the Achavel Ferrer Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina was a full-bodied, wonderful wine for the money, the Purple Angel Carmenere from Montes in Chile had layers of spicy velvety fruit yet full of finesse, the J.C. Cellars Frediani Vineyard Petite Sirah appealed with its earthy, mushroom, meaty nose accentuated with huge extraction.

Two exquisite dessert wines ended the evening, the 2001 Willi Haag Riesling Auslese (every bottle available was purchased at the tasting) and to end, the stellar 2007 Quinta do Noval Silval Vintage Port, spectacular liveliness and full of blueberries, kirsch and exotic brambly fruit.

Fun was had by all, we are already looking forward to next year’s edition. We thank you for the opportunity to share an evening of great company, fine wines and immense conversation.

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Author: Dirk Chan

It’s hard to believe its time to do the annual prediction blog for the year in the world of wine. The trend towards value driven wines will continue where consumers expect better quality wines in the $15-25 range. The wine public is becoming better educated and the onus is on retailers to continue to discover more and more best bang bucks.

After a relatively slow year at the high-end spectrum, you will see pockets softening and a moderate rebound to more luxury purchases as the fear of recession weakens. Having said that, at the high end, the prices will continue to rise due to supply and demand for the best. China and Russia were considered emerging markets a few years ago, but they’re here now and are beginning to challenge the Americans for global market share and in the process driving prices way up for the premium wines. Rising price is one thing, but availability is the other – some ultra-premiums are coming in two or three cases for the entire province so buyers will have to be vigilant and keeping on top of their wish lists and working with their favourite retailers in advance of their arrival.

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Author: Annabelle Evaristo

deVine will be supporting the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s Wine Tasting Fundraiser and Auction entitled ‘Flavours of Portugal’, scheduled for Wednesday, February 10 at the Winspear Centre. Tickets are $125 per person (a tax receipt will be issued for a portion of the ticket price).

There will be a catered menu matched with Portuguese wines that will be served from 7pm to 10pm, with a silent auction throughout the evening featuring numerous items for the wine and food connoiseurs. Towards the end of the evening, a live auction will take place featuring three trips to Portugual. A highlight auction item will be donated by deVine that features a five course Portugese dinner with matching high-end wines for 8 to be held at TZiN Wine & Tapas.

Purchase tickets online here…

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Author: Ed Fong

deVine Wines is very excited to host a tasting and fundraiser on Thursday, December 10, 2009. The tasting will take place between 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM. Tickets are $20.00 each and can be purchased on-line or at the door. There are twenty two wines available for sampling. Light snacks and appetizers will be served courtesy of Sobey’s. There is an online silent auction starting November 30th. Bidding ends at 7pm, Saturday, December 19th. There are some wonderful items for your consideration.

Check out the auction items at devinewines.ca/104st_auction.htm…

Bookmark this auction page and come back from now till the event date to see additional items as they become available for bidding.

More information or to register for the tasting: here..

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Author: Dirk Chan

Every year, Wine Spectator, the influential American Wine publication releases their Top 100 Wines of the year. This year was no exception, although the criteria for making the list appears to have changed from
previous years. The focus this year is value driven wines as very noticeable that only a handful of wines on this list is over $100 while the majority are less than $25. Besides value, availability and the ‘X’ factor are the other criteria. However, given that the top two wines of the year have been unavailable for some time now, it almost defeats the purpose of naming the Wine of the Year that no one can get any of. Nevertheless, every wine connoisseur watches with interest to see they can acquire any of the wines..deVine has sixteen wines that made the grade for your attention.

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Author: Ed Fong

deVine Wines is very excited to host a portfolio tasting and fundraiser on Thursday, December 10, 2009. Our store is partnering with Natasha Susylinski of Summit Fine Wines to showcase her portfolio and raise funds for the improvement of our beloved downtown street.

The portfolio tasting will take place between 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM. Tickets are $20.00 each and can be purchased on-line or at the door. Over twenty wines and a selection of single malt scotch whiskey will be available for sampling. Light snacks will also be available.

Four wine tasting stations will be set up to help guide you through Natasha’s portfolio. You can begin at the “No Skins” white wine station, meander to the “With Skins” medium-bodied and full-bodied red wine stations, and finally over to the “Dessert” port wine station. For a complete listing of wines available for sampling that evening, please visit the “Events and Tastings” link on our homepage.

Last but not least, deVine Wines will be pleased to pour you a few drams at the single malt scotch whiskey station.

All proceeds from the event will be turned over to the newly formed 104-Street Steering Committee. The committee is made up of 104-Street business owners, residents, representatives from the City of Edmonton, the Downtown Farmer’s Market, and the University of Alberta at Enterprise Square, the Downtown Business Association and both Ward 4 City Councilors.

The committee’s goal is to promote the cleanliness, safety, security and marketability of 104-Street.

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Author: Dirk Chan

The culmination of a three day Portuguese Festival, this drop in festival style tasting at deVines on Saturday, November 14th from noon to 5pm will feature over 40 different wines offering you a chance to sample a wide range of what Portugal has to offer, from bubbles, to rose, to whites to table reds and of course the famous Ports (various types) to finish. Portugal is currently the old world wine producing country offering the best quality for price ratio (i.e. best bang for the buck), and we will showcase this. There are two other events in this three day festival: On Thursday, the Naked Grape Series: Port, and on Friday the sold-out dinner tasting at Sabor Divino, our annual Roy Hersh Portuguese tasting.

The $15 entry fee will benefit our charity of choice this year, the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters.

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Author: Dirk Chan

Christmas Arrives early at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge – A timeless classic, the 21st annual Christmas in November at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge has always signified the beginning of the holiday season for thousands of guests. From November 6th to November 19th – in a series of 4 packages featuring a wide variety of talented presenters ready to teach you all about cooking, decorating, mixology and fashion – everything you need to know to make this Christmas the very best. North America’s finest chefs, decorating personalities and spirit experts will assemble to share their secrets for creating a memorable holiday.

The winners of the draw to attend Christmas in November has been announced, read on..

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Author: Dirk Chan

The 3rd Annual Winter Wine Festival presents ‘Celebrate’, a wine tasting benefit for “The Old Strathcona Youth Coop“. The event is scheduled for Friday, November 6th at deVine Wines & Spirits from 7-9:30pm.

The Old Strathcona Youth Society is a valuable resource for marginalized and disadvantaged youth in the Old Strathcona area. This local charity relies heavily on volunteer staffing to deliver programs and funds raised will help in this regard.

There will be a Silent Auction with many interesting wine items. Please mark your calendars and join us.

Tickets available now at deVines for this festival style event.

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Author: Dirk Chan

Wow, time flies…Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so here is our annual picks to accompany the classic turkey and ham dinner and all its fixings. Start your evening off with a sparkling wine, followed by whites, reds and finally ending with a dessert wine.

Sparkling wines are a great way to start any function whether its a greeting aperitif or to pair with appetizers. Here are three very different recommendations: The Canella Prosecco di Conegliano from Italy is both well priced and delicious with lively citrus notes and delicate bubbles. The unusual Cabernet Franc based sparkling red from Chateau Langlois Carmin Dry
from Chateau Langlois in the Loire Valley can work with meat based appetizers or for the adventurous used in conjunction with the roasted turkey as well – the foamy red notes go great with the cranberry sauce. For those who want the best, a couple of recommendations in French Champagne – the NV de Sousa Zoemie Brut Merveille is rich and generous with the toasty bread notes while the vintage dated 2000 Dom Perignon is world renowed and certain to impress.

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, Gewurztraminers or other Germanic or Alsace varietals.

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