deVine Thoughts

Author: Dirk Chan

They say wine enjoyment is 50% olfactory, well if that’s the case, you should be looking for some aged wines.  I’m always thrilled when that special wine that has me sniffing from the glass over and over again seamingly never needing to taste the wine. That ‘wow’ nose is when there’s flowers, tar, earth, minerals, tea,  chocolate, spice, barnyard etc.. – all those great descriptors of scents are what is known as secondary characteristics that develop with time in the bottle,  usually close to a decade of cellaring time.  Unfortunately, to get wines that have vintages starting with ’19’ nowadays means either you would have had to purchase them on release and kept it yourself for all this time, or you purchase from a retailer who has kept the wine in their storage facilities or sometimes the winery releases what’s known as library releases directly from the winery cellars.

(more…)

Author: Dirk Chan

I’ve had many requests for information from customers about what it takes to start their own wine cellars. There are several key items to address to see whether the intended storage space you have is suitable or not:

1) temperature – this is the key item to address, the ideal cellaring temperature is 13C (55F) which is the defacto standard because it mirrors the temperature of the caves in Champagne in France. If you’ve purchased wines that are in the hundreds of dollars and have a history of cellaring potential, then something that is steady around this temperature is a must.  For short term cellaring (up to 10 years), a little higher 16C is ok. The key point here is you’d rather have a stable and constant higher ambient temperature (16 or 17) then have the yo-yo effect where it is 22C during the day and 14C at night. If you have yo-yoing temperatures, then forget about cellaring, and buy your wines for current drinking.

  
(more…)

Author: Dirk Chan

It’s time to peak into the Cyrstal Ball and see what’s coming for 2009.  The economy will dictate tighter spending and more than ever, the Best Bang for the Buck wines will be doing well at least for the first quarter of 2009. In that regard, we will continue to look for well-priced gems out of Argentina, Portugal, Spain, southern France and southern Italy.

(more…)

Author: Dirk Chan

With the New Year imminent, let’s raise a glass to 2008 as it makes its exit. There’s something about bubbles that always brings a smile to my face, whether it is in celebration or commiseration.  Bubbles is certainly one of the most fascinating and refreshing drinks, amazingly flexible with food matches too.

 Champagne has the place of honor (and priced accordingly as well) but there are numerous countries making great sparkling wines at a fraction of the cost of Champagne: the Italian Prosecco, the Spanish Cava, Bruts from Canada, US, Portugal, Argentina and Australia. Here are some recommendations for sparklers to bring in 2009…

(more…)

Author: Dirk Chan

Time to start thinking about what wines to pair with that traditional Christmas Turkey dinner.  Here are recommendations (in three price points)  for all the wines you need for that special Christmas evening,  starting with Sparkling wines, White wines, Rosé wines, Red wines and finally Dessert wines.

Sparkling wines are a great way to start off your festive evening. Great as a reception drink and to pair with appetizers. I recommend the great bargain that is the Seppelt Great Western Brut  – $11.99 , from Australia – lots of citrus notes and a crisp dry finish. At the mid-price level from Alsace, France – try the Lichtle Cremant d’Alsace – $24.99, great quality at half the price of real Champagne.

(more…)

Author: Dirk Chan

Our first ever sale will  be a three day Red Dot Sale to be held from Friday, December 12th till Sunday, December 14th

All in-store tags of wine and sundry items marked with a red dot will be discounted 10%.

SAVE EVEN MORE – buy twelve bottles and get our regular case lot discount on top of the sale price!!

(more…)

Author: Dirk Chan

The Wine Spectator Top 100 wines of 2008 was revealed on Monday and the searching and buying has begun in earnest. deVine has secured many wines from this much anticipated list: See the available Top 100 Wines here..

Some of the wines on this list are extremely limited and will be gone within days, so please visit the store or order online asap  to avoid disappointment. We are holding back eight wines in anticipation to the two Wine Spectator Top 100 tastings we have scheduled for Jan 15 and Jan 17/2009.

(more…)

Author: Dirk Chan

104th Street continues to grow and strengthen its hold as the driving force that is attracting more and more people to the downtown core.  From the City Market to the arrival of tenants into Icon 1, and the City and mayor of Edmonton striking up a ‘104 Street Vision Steering Committee’ to look into further improving 104th Street, the excitement is catching on. As community members, we were thrilled to read in the Travel Section of the national edition of the Globe and Mail on November 1, a writeup featuring several businesses on 104th Street by Katherine O’Neill: Read the Globe & Mail Article here..

(more…)

Author: Dirk Chan

Every year at this time, the buzz begins as we speculate what wine will top the list of the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2008. The influential American wine publication has long cast a spell over the wine collector or enthusiast, each of us wanting a piece of the action. We secretly hope some of our wine purchases made throughout 2008 will be reinforced by the inclusion in this prestigious list. A pat on the back for having made good choices. So do you want to know what wine is #1?

(more…)

Author: Ed Fong

According to the Chinese zodiac calendar, and some of my friends and colleagues, I am a Rat.  I share this distinction with people like Idi Amin, Heinrich Himmler and Alexander the Great.   However, I’m from the 1960 edition, which I take great comfort in as it helps to separate myself from this villainous bunch.  2008 also happens to be the Year of the Rat, and the year I chose to find the perfect pig.  I consulted a Chinese calendar and found that I was not compatible with Horses, but should seek out Monkeys, Dragons and Oxen.  My journey was therefore safe, though unendorsed.  And so my search begins.

(more…)