News Archives - Page 12 of 30 - WineCollective Blog

Signs and reasons for bad wine – and what we can do to help!

Posted on September 12, 2014September 12, 2014 by Wil Knoll

From time to time, a WineCollective member will experience receiving a bad bottle of wine in a subscription package. This of course, is undesirable for both our customers and us, however, is an unlucky occurrence that will happen. Wine industry professionals have noted that one in every 20 bottles of wine is tainted or corked in some way, although, we have been fortunate in receiving only a handful over the last year!

Our WineCollective policy includes the replacement or refund of any bad, or “off” bottle of wine, and below we’ve listed a few signs that you should look out for when popping any cork.

Smell

He knows he smells… Photo by Sophie Gamand

Vinegar or nail polish remover: Acid bacteria known as volatile acidity can cause an overly acidic smell to your wine. Although a glass may not be harmful to drink, it may burn and taste unpleasant overall.

Wet cardboard or wet dog: Not a great companion to red berry fruits, a wet cardboard smell is a sign of your wine being corked. At some point, the cork used was carrying mold, leaving behind a chemical known as trichloroanisole (TCA). Small amounts of this chemical can completely throw off a wine’s flavour.

Overly Sweet

An overly sweet red wine can be caused by too much sun exposure to the bottle. While not harmful, sweet is not meant for a Cab Sauv. Avoid leaving wine bottles near windows or heaters, and always be sure to properly cellar in cool temperatures, around 13 degrees Celsius.

Brown Colour

Red wine that has turned brown-ish is a sign of oxidization, or overexposure to air. This is especially apparent in young wines, which should hold a ruby colour, where as older wines are known to portray more of a garnet tone. A simple sign to watch out for is a slightly pushed out cork. Leaving wine out in the open for 48 hours will cause it’s colour to turn – a great way to test out oxidization on wine.

Fizz

A recent call from a WineCollective member came from her concern of a fizzy red wine. After reading our tasting card, she knew this was no Lambrusco! This is caused by an unwanted second fermentation, occurring in the bottle. This fizz will also not hurt you in any way. However, you may want to drink the wine, the way it was meant to be enjoyed!

If you do receive a bad bottle of wine in your package, please let us know! Call us at 1.855.501.9463 or email thecellar@winecollective.ca within 30 days of your shipment. If the wine is in stock, we are happy to send you a replacement, as we would love for you to try what we picked out for you! Otherwise, we can place a credit on your account for the price of the bottle.

Returning an off bottle is not exclusive to WineCollective. We recommend that you use all of your senses when trying wine, and if you note bad qualities, tell your server or liquor store attendant! With your experience and wine education, notifying someone of a bad bottle is nothing to be shy about, and should* earn you a full refund.

For more information on icky wine, or to receive a replacement for a bad bottle, please contact us. #YYC members, don’t forget you can now come visit and chat with us at 22 1259 Highfield Crescent S.E.

*We can not guarantee that restaurants and other liquor stores will be as cool as us.

Midnight Sun Coffee Roasters

Posted on August 27, 2014 by Wil Knoll

After five years of working for Midnight Sun Coffee Roasters, Katya McQueen purchased the roastery from owner and family friend, Zola Dore. With 17 years of MSCR under her belt, Zola was a coffee and business guru, passing on numerous lessons in “old school” roasting to Katya.

Soon after taking over, Katya realized the difficulties of trying to run the business end of the roastery, all while roasting the beans on her own. Eventually Katya’s entire family jumped on the coffee roasting bus and today, the roastery is completely family-run.

Katya’s brother, Micah, a former baker with natural foodie skills, became head roaster while sister Casey took on bookkeeping duties and roasting assistant. Steve, Katya’s husband, is known as the repairman and carpenter: “If we break it, he fixes it,” she said. Even more, mother Maarit is the in house baker and assists with packages and everyday to-do lists.

While Katya admits that having a family run business does propose challenges, she does see how each member has been able to create their own niche within the company.

“I like to think that as a family, we all have a common goal in mind,” Katya says. “To create a great product. To work in our community, and to be able to offer our wonderful product with excellent customer service.”

Family business ventures are also nothing new to MSCR as generations before over the past 30 years worked as puppet makers.

“I think it helped define us kids, and has helped to create a great working atmosphere for us as adults,” she says.

Photo by Mike Thomas / Yukon News

Another challenge our August CoffeeCollective feature faces is their remote location. Situated in the far north city of Whitehorse, shipping and receiving is not necessarily easy. Organization and planning is key to running this micro-roaster who maintains wholesale customers through out the Yukon and has previously showcased their roasts in Australia, New Zealand and Russia.

While they only roast small batches five times a week, MSCR has created over 40 roasts over the last few years. Beans are sourced through Royal Coffee and come from both organic and non-organic farms around the world.

In part of working with their community, Midnight Sun shares a warehouse with local bike shop, Icycle Sport. While space is limited for the roastery and café area, Katya says a marriage exists between cyclists and coffee that works perfectly in the city of Whitehorse.

Regardless of all of the daily challenges, MSCR manages to create beautifully roasted coffees. While small, Katya and her family learned to roast “without computers!” always leaving eyes, ears and natural intuition to do the work.

“We have a real passion for what we do. We hope you like our ‘roasted under the Midnight Sun’ coffees!”

What’s in store at Highfield by WineCollective?

Posted on August 1, 2014February 17, 2015 by BlackSquare

By now you might have heard, WineCollective has a retail location in Calgary. We think that you should come visit us soon!

We have some of your favourite past WineCollective features available, as well as wines that were shipped recently in July’s packages. You can also find wines never before featured on WineCollective, and some great finds from Tannic.

If you are unsure about a wine and have questions, Leah or Larissa will be available to help you find the perfect bottle. The handy WineCollective tasting cards will also be available, giving you tasting notes, producer information, and suggested food pairings.

If wine isn’t your thing, or you need to stock up on beer and spirits, we can help you out! There is an eclectic selection of domestic and foreign beers, as well as Canadian made Ungava Gin.

Remember, all WineCollective members receive 20% off their purchase until the end of August. If you are not a member and would like to join WineCollective, use the coupon code “NEWSTORE10” to receive $10 off your first shipment. There are lots of perks to being a member!

Our current store hours are:
Monday-Friday 10am-7pm
Saturday 12pm-4pm
Sundays Closed

20140801_104050 — These guys are handy to have around, although we have been known to bang a bottle with a shoe or phone book!

20140801_103508 — Some of our favourite past WineCollective features have been brought back and are available at Highfield Liquor by WineCollective.

20140801_103532 — The Niepoort Vertente was shared with WineCollective members in their July packages. There are a few bottles left in the store!

20140801_103617 — There is something for everyone, even exclusive offerings Truchard. The Reserve Cabernet is only available at Highfield Liquor by WineCollective.

20140801_103636 — Wines that have been featured on Tannic, including Frias Family Vineyard, Trefethen Halo and Rudd.

20140801_103758 — WineCollective tasting cards are available for all previously featured wines.

20140801_103846 — Some of our favourite new arrivals!

You can now visit WineCollective in Calgary!

Posted on July 29, 2014February 17, 2015 by BlackSquare

We are happy to share with you that WineCollective has purchased a liquor store in Calgary! Over the last several years WineCollective has continued to grow due to the loyal support of our members. We are very proud to be able to offer our members a place to continue their journey in exploring wines, as well as shop for beer and spirits!

What does this mean to you?

If you are a WineCollective member and live in Calgary (or close to Calgary) there are some perks to visiting the store:

Members receive 10% off ALL purchases made in the store (20% off until the end of August)
Pick-up your shipment and save $7.50 / month on your subscription
Store orders made online & picked-up will not be charged shipping
Return your unwanted inserts/boxes and receive a credit on your account (applied to the next shipment or store order online)

If you live outside of Calgary, we realize that we might not see you as often as we would like to. Visit us when you are in town and receive all the in-person perks! The online store will have more selection available in addition to the wines that are featured monthly.

And if you are not a WineCollective member, you are going to miss out on all the fun we are going to have! Join us today and take advantage of in-store savings and our curated selection of wines! Use the coupon code “NEWSTORE10” to receive $10 off your first delivery (or pick-up).

Although we can’t wait to have you over, keep in mind we are still moving, unpacking boxes and arguing over paint colour, so we ask for your patience as take some time to get settled in. We are excited to call our new space ‘home’ and have you witness our transformation!

You can find us at 22, 1259 Highfield Crescent SE, where we are operating as Highfield Liquor.

Our current store hours are:
Monday-Friday 10am-7pm
Saturday 12pm-4pm
Sundays Closed

Until August 31st, WineCollective members will receive 20% off all purchases made at the new store!

Bows & Arrows Coffee Roasters

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Wil Knoll

July’s CoffeeCollective feature comes to us from Victoria, B.C. In late 2011, Drew Johnson and his wife, Leesha Sabine set themselves up a new roastery in the Burnside neighbourhood where they could explore the world of roasting coffee. Formally a baker, Drew wanted to learn the art of coffee and expanded his knowledge from barista to head of his own roastery, Bows & Arrows.

Today, Drew says he takes on every role at B&A. From janitor to green buyer, sales and even a milkman, being hands on is extremely important to the owner. Although the name Bows & Arrows came about from hitting shuffle on an iPod (an album name from the band “The Walkmen”) it still speaks true to the roastery’s attitude.

“We like the craft inference. The honed skill,” says Drew.

Not to mention, Bows & Arrows is quite a catchy title, and beyond the name comes great marketing. Both Drew and Leesha work on showcasing Bows & Arrows, and considering their packaging is a new CoffeeCollective favourite, we would argue that they are both quite skilled at branding and design.

Bows & Arrows roastery also holds a bar café where 2 or three daily espresso options are available for tasters.

“It’s growing as the word gets out,” he says. “It’s still incredible to me that people will seek us out and visit. I mean, that was always the goal and intention. But it is still a pleasant surprise.”

For those of you in Victoria, you can find Bows & Arrows at 483 Garbally Road. However, for others across the country, B&A has a long list of retailers that you can purchase their coffee from.

The majority of beans roasted at B&A are sourced from farms in Central and South America, as well as East Africa. While they are not part of a coop, Drew says that they source beans by mostly returning to the same trusted importer year after year. This has not only built relationships with specific producers, but also given them some piece of mind.

Drew Johnson (left). Photo by Deanna Ladret

“We want to develop the type of relationship where we are investing in the producers and collaborating to make not only their coffees better, and therefore, their incomes more predictable and stable, but also where we are learning the complexities facing each producer from where they are situated,” Drew wrote to us.

Some B&A beans are certified organic, while others are grown organically without certification. Drew however, does look for specific qualities when sourcing such as clean water and washing practices, ethical farm worker practices and investment for improvement. He suggests that all CoffeeCollective members really look into their roastery, their practices and how they conduct themselves.

The two roasts we selected for this month’s packages include the Ethiopia Worka and Hathaway Espresso.

Kochere, Etiopia is a coffee region next to the well-known coffee-growing region of Yirgacheffe in Southern Ethiopia. These particular beans are sourced from Worka Sakero, a grower’s association with 750 farmers each cultivating roughly 2 hectares. The Ethiopia Kochere Worka is a medium roast, filled with floral notes of cassis, kefir lime and honeysuckle.

With different beans sourced from Mexico, Ethiopia, Bolivia, the Hathaway Espresso brings together flavours of different lands and soils all into one cup. As a tribute to Tony Hathaway, B&A says this espresso blend is perfect on its own, or in milk-based drinks. Try the candied sweetness, stone fruit and Neapolitan ice-cream flavours of the coffee with a latte.

Check out Bows and Arrows Coffee Roasters today through their website and social media pages! If you enjoyed their roasts, you can find more not only across the country and on their site, but also on the CoffeeCollective store which is open to all members and non-members!

fOURevrWine

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Wil Knoll

You may have noticed a new reviewer on our WineCollective Dal Cero Soave tasting card this month, fOURevrWine. Curtis Litun and Andrew Albert launched fOURevrWine toward the end of 2013. While the company and website are new, the pair are both experienced wine specialists that we have recently had the pleasure of working and chatting with.

Mainly through podcasts posted on their website fOURevrWine.com, Curtis and Andrew aim to bring entertainment, news and know how to wine enthusiasts everywhere. By removing the pretention that surrounds enjoying wine, fOURevrWine is meant to be a fun and relevant means of bringing wine knowledge to all of those willing to learn.

A popular podcast of theirs is #trendingsips, where Curtis and Andrew share what they are drinking, and what maybe you would like to drink during local and worldwide events. For example, the most recent post focusing on Calgary’s Sun and Salsa Festival, and what they recommend pairing with delicious Mexican cuisine.

Curtis says that he encourages wine drinkers to go beyond their norm, to explore their preferences and find new favourites. As WineCollective has mentioned before wine education is continuous, and Curtis feels very much the same.

“I will never know everything there is to know about wine,” says Curtis. “But my goal is to continue to learn and share the stories behind wine.”

Curtis compares the wine world to a “modern library,” where within every spirit, beer and of course wine bottle, there is a story to tell. “Wine has as a culture and history. There is so much more inside the dusty bottle if you want to explore.”

In order to expand their palate, Curtis suggests that wine drinkers move on from what they know, or assume to know. “People should know that Malbec doesn’t just come from Argentina,” he says. “You will never try your next favourite if you never put it in your glass.”

Even more, Litun admits himself to not having a favourite wine. “There are things about certain wines I will always enjoy, but there is a time and place for every wine.”

As an example, Curtis touched on big burly men not wanting to drink rose. A concern we posted on our last blog, as many roses are perfect for hot summer days, and as a pairing with BBQ. To those men out there, Curtis says to move away from the norm of big Californian Cabernets and expand what you know!

Even though we were fortunate enough to have Curtis write a July review for us, and another for August packages, fOURevrWine does not typically concentrate on ratings and reviews.

“What we try and do is give you a starting point, offer some flavours you may taste and then have you try it,” he says. “If I tell you a tasting note, before it’s even hit your lips, chances are you’re going to agree with me.”

Even though Curtis has tasted wines through his wine career over the last decade, he still admits that a review or note is just his opinion. “Just because I think it’s really good, or someone else thinks so, it does not mean that you are going to think the same.”

Instead, Curtis wants to encourage all wine lovers to really drink, enjoy and experience the wine in front of them, and more, to think and talk about it!

“It’s comparable to life with travel, where you visit places, take pictures bring back a little trinket and tell people the stories about it,” he says. “It’s the same with wine in that you can pour a glass, taste it and talk about it.”

As a previous bartender, retail operator, and current wine representative himself for some WineCollective features such as the 2008 Baluarte Crianza, it is no doubt that Curtis Litun is a wine pro. However his work is not done yet.

“I want to experience of all facets of wine. From picking grapes, to pulling corks,” he says.

Hoping to forever be in the wine industry, and forever moving forward, WineCollective can’t wait to watch fOURevrWine continue to grow. We hope each of our members gets a chance to visit their site and social media channels full of tips, tricks and trending sips.

Summer Rosé

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Wil Knoll

Rosé has become a popular phenomenon in the wine world, and there is no better time to enjoy a glass than during the hot days of summer!

Now, we don’t care if you’re a big burly man with neck tattoos that thinks he’s too cool for pink wine. There are a million reasons to love Rosé beyond its beautiful range of colours. With bright and fresh acidity, along with various flavour characteristics, Rosé is a versatile wine that can be paired with anything from red meat to light cheeses. For red wine fans, it’s a great way to stick to some of your favourite grapes in a style that can be enjoyed well chilled on the patio.

Wine Folly’s “Different Shades of Rosé Wine”

Dry Rosé is made using both white and red grapes such as Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Pinot Noir, while sweeter styles are typically composed of Zinfandel, Muscat and Merlot. In order to make Rosé, the grapes are pressed during maceration, and left in contact with the skins for a specific amount of time. Unlike red wines, where the juice and skins ferment together before being separated, the grapes for Rosé sit with the skins from a few short hours to a full day. Allowing the wine to soak in its colour.

You can find several Rosés in the WineCollective store online, perfect for your upcoming summer barbeques. Apply the coupon code SUMMERROSE at checkout for $5 off a Rosé purchase and we can have your wines shipped to you within a week from ordering! Below, see our tasting notes for the current selection of Rosés.

Spy Valley 2013 Rosé (Marlborough, New Zealand)

Made from Pinot Noir, this wine is a beautiful blush pink! Aromas of fresh red cherries and plum fruits with hints of barrel from oak fermentation. Similar traits of fresh fruit on the palate with mouthwatering acidity that is not overdone.

Food Pairing: Weighty enough to enjoy with a BBQ steak or shish kabobs.

Cellier Saint Sidoine 2013 (Côtes de Provence, France)

Champagne pink in colour or “piglet!” Strawberries, raspberries, melons and peaches on the nose with faint mineral touch. The palate is reversed with light cherries and tart apples, dominated by minerality. Composed of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault.

Food Pairing: Seafood salad with calamari, mussels and scallops drizzled in olive oil, limoncello liqueur and fresh herbs.

Wine by Joe 2011 Rosé (Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA)

A blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Muscat and Syrah. Intense aromas of fresh cut strawberries and cream. This Rosé is smooth and fresh, trailing onto the palate with lively citrus notes.

Food Pairing: A spinach and strawberry summer salad with goat cheese, nuts and poppy seed dressing. Add chicken, pork or shrimp to top it off!

For questions about any of our Rosé features, comment or email thecellar@winecollective.ca. Also, don’t forget to share your own tasting notes, favourites and food pairings online at WineCollective.ca.

Pork and pairings for your Canada Day weekend

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Wil Knoll

Over the last twenty-seven days in Calgary, it has been Pork Month #yyc, where restaurants around the city present their best Alberta pork dishes to yyc bacon enthusiasts. Passion for Pork aims to celebrate the amazing quality of pork in both Alberta and B.C., raised under the strictest of conditions and animal care.

Hotel Arts’, Annual Pig & Pinot Festival on June 18^th, showed off the best recipes of 13 different restaurants, all of which competed for the Divine Swine Award. Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc wine pairings took part and in the end, Black Pig Bistro in the Bridgeland area took the prize with their roasted pork belly with edaname and green and white beans masterpiece.

On the Passion for Pork website, you can find cooking methods and amazing recipes for ground pork, ham, chops and more! In celebration of Pork Month and the upcoming Canada Day, sort-of long weekend, we have taken two of these delicious dishes and paired them with some recent WineCollective features.

Grilled Maple Pork with Peaches

Because eating maple infused food just sounds like the thing to do on Canada Day. This recipe would make a great pair with the 2012 Mac & Fitz Shift’s End Red. The maple, together with peaches will blend with the red berries, vanilla plum notes and low acidity. Balancing out the sweet with dried fennel, chilies and rosemary, the dish will go nicely with the soft tannins of this easy drinking Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc blend. This wine also shows well slightly chilled!

BBQ Pork Chops and Spiced Rhubarb Chutney

We’ve paired the dish with the 2012 Renacer Ponto Final Reserva. This Malbec is a balanced blend of red cherries and plum with spice, dried herbs and olives. Similar traits continue on the palate with red and black cherries rounded with wood and earth. This is a toned down Malbec that brings together spice and fruit, similar to the recipe! It is soft, silky with cottony tannins perfect for BBQ pork.

If you received these wines in your WineCollective package, celebrate Alberta pork and Canada’s birthday all at once this weekend! We would also love to hear about your own pairings on our Facebook and Twitter page!

p.s. Calgary members, we have some exciting news coming soon! Keep an eye out for details on a new pick up location from WineCollective!

CKE Wine & Whiskey!

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Wil Knoll

On May 24^th, WineCollective sponsored and took part in the CKE Wine & Whiskey event – a community mingle and fundraiser that our very own Douglas helps put together. This is our second year participating at the CKE event and with the help of our favourite wine importers, we were thrilled that it turned out to be a great success once again.

Apart from the wine tastings, the CKE event had live music, tango dancers and a DJ to keep the party going. Some delicious Calgary restaurants and CKE sponsors such as Original Joes, Big Catch, Vintage and Village Brewery also supplied food tastings.

David from Artisan Wines and R.J. from Fluid Imports

CKE Wine & Whiskey began as a tasting party, where guests got to test out 18 wines and six whiskeys. Here are some of the favourites from each rep that helped pour for the community members. You may recognize some of the wines from the more recent WineCollective packages!

South by Southwest Wine Imports – Smashberry Red

A fruit explosion in your mouth. Keep a lookout for this wine in future packages!

Artisan Wines – Mas Sorrer

A fortified wine made from a blend of Cab Sauv, Grenache and Merlot. This wine blew tasters away with its completely unique cherry and meaty characteristics. It is now available in the online store!

Michelle from International with a bottle of Arele Appassimento

International Cellars – Tolloy

A spectacular Pinot Grigio that holds some weight. This wine was featured in our May packages and seems to be a favourite among CKE members and our own.

Bonvida – Verus Pinot Gris

From Slovenia, this wine is also quite different with its fresh minerality. Completely delicious and a new WineCollective favourite. Find it in the store today.

Amanda Bartier pouring Illegal Curve for CKE community member

Plaid Cap Imports

Amanda, daughter of one of the Bartier Bros. was our special guest and helped to pour her dad’s wines! Among these was the Illegal Curve, a blend of Cab Franc, Syrah and Merlot. This wine won’t be featured anytime soon but it is now available in the WineCollective store!

Fluid Imports – Terri di San Venanzio Fortunato

This Prosecco was the only bubbly poured that night, obviously making it a huge hit! Perfect for any upcoming celebrations, you can also find this in our store.

Gold Medal Marketing

Springbank, Teeling and Longrow whiskeys were some of the delicious scotches that were also poured. We have previously featured Springbank Single Cask on Tannic and look forward to offering it again soon.

Original Joes’ chefs making some delicious pork tacos.

During the event, we made our online store available to all CKE community members so that they could purchase their favourites. Luckily we still have some supply of these great wines that were poured at the event, and they are available to you now. Check out the store, where you can find tastings notes and reviews for these wines and more!

The fundraiser is open to everyone and tickets sell for $100. We look forward to next year’s CKE Wine & Whiskey event, and hope that you will join us!

Highlights of the RMWFF

Posted on June 3, 2014June 3, 2014 by Wil Knoll

This past weekend, I visited Banff for the Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival. As per usual, this event was sold out and attracted wine enthusiasts, importers and wineries from around the globe. I was fortunate in getting to try some amazing, unique wines, perfect for our WineCollective and Tannic wine clubs.

As a challenge, we tried to stick to different wines, either in winemaking style or grape variety. Some of my favourites included:

Chapoutier Bila Haut Blanc (Robert Parker, 92 points)

A blend of Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris. The wine was aromatic and fresh, with pink grapefruit, honeysuckle and golden raspberry.

Rivino 2012 Estate Viognier

True aromatic and flavour characteristics of the grape, such as white peach and tangerine, but with more of a fresh and light mouth feel.

Adega de Borba Reserva

From the Alentejo region and with a unique cork label, this wine is a blend of Portuguese grape varietals for flavours of coffee, black fruits and spice.

One of our trusted wine representatives, Gold Medal Marketing had some amazing tastings for us, including Enkidu Wines from Sonoma, California. Winemaker for Enkidu, Phillip Staehle was there to pour his blends including the 2010 Humbaba. This wine is a blend of Syrah and Petite Sirah, with slight touches of Rousanne and Grenache Blanc. The wine is co-fermented meaning the grapes are all harvested and go through the winemaking process together, instead of being separated by variety and blended later. You may see Enkidu in upcoming Tannic sales.

Andy, from Gold Medal had some amazing Scotch Whiskeys to try, including the previous Tannic feature, Springbank Single Cask as well as some Telling Premium Irish Whiskey.

With North by Northwest Wine Importers and our friend Jeremy, we were able to try some delicious Fox Run Vineyards wines that will definitely be making their way into WineCollective packages. We also got to try some tasty and lively bubbly from the New York winery to finish off the evening!

If you didn’t get the chance to head to Banff, the Rocky Mountain festival will also be coming to Calgary on October 17 and 18, and to Edmonton on October 24 and 25.

Again, if you are outside of Alberta, we would love to hear about some of your local wine festivals and events! Leave us a comment or send an email with some details about previous and upcoming events so we can share with the rest of the WineCollective community!

Wine for Father’s Day!

Posted on May 30, 2014May 30, 2014 by Wil Knoll

Celebrate your dad this year by sending him a WineCollective gift package. Sure beer is great, and we bet that your old man enjoys one or two after a long day’s work. But, considering that he probably needs something stronger to take away the pain of baseballs to the crotch, or handing over his lovely daughter to her new favourite man, wine is definitely the way to go. Plus, you can’t share a bottle of beer!

This year, Father’s Day falls on Sunday, June 15. Purchase a WineCollective gift subscription for your dad by May 31^,and he will receive his first shipment during the week of the 15^th. While we won’t be able to get the wine in time for Sunday dinner, the gift will continue on throughout the month with 2, 4, or 6 bottle packages to choose from.

We’d love to help you show your thanks and appreciation for pops. You can use the coupon code DADSLOVEWINE at checkout for $15 off your gift!

This coupon is usable until June 30 and also valid in the members-only WineCollective store. These orders will be shipped out at the same time as subscription packages, but you will have full control of the wines your dad will be receiving. With the store newly stocked, we have amazing selections to choose from that we think your dad will truly be fond of.

2011 Arele Appassimento

A classy wine from a family-run estate in Veneto, Italy. With a blend of plum jam and herb characteristics, this blend of Corvina, Merlot, Rondinella and Oseleta is well rounded and versatile in food pairings.

2012 Bartier Bros. Illegal Curve

The label features a hockey player as a tribute to Canada’s most loved sport, and quite possibly, your dad’s favourite sport as well. Composed of Cabernet France and Syrah it pairs deliciously with steak, which we think your dad also enjoys.

2010 Mas Sorrer

A fortified wine, meaning additional brandy was added for an extra kick and alcohol content. From Spain, this wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Merlot, Syrah blend and it needs some big flavours to pair with the cherry, smoke and meat notes.

2012 The Field Marshall

A Mouvedre, Shiraz, Carignan and Cinsault blend from Western Cape, South Africa. The label tells the Boer & Brit story of the Anglo-Boer war fought 200 years ago. Today, the descendants of enemies make amazing wines together. The wine is earthy and rich with spice.

Take advantage of the coupon code and send your dad a gift he will love to enjoy, and possibly share! We promise you, he has enough ties.

Happy Father’s Day to all of the great dads out there.

Cheers!

Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival

Posted on May 29, 2014May 29, 2014 by Wil Knoll

Once again, the Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival will be in Banff, Alberta this upcoming weekend from May 30 to 31. Each year, the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel opens its ballroom for the #RMWFF, an event that attracts more wine and food lovers each and every year.

Tickets for the event are still available for the Friday night session, which I will also be attending, as well as Saturday afternoon for $29. If you have yet to visit this wine festival, I definitely recommend making a drive to the beautiful Rocky Mountains this weekend and experiencing the collection of fine food and wine.

The numerous wineries, breweries and restaurants are all sure to impress with their numerous tastings and samples. Keep an eye out for the following wineries and WineCollective favourites:

19 Crimes, Australia
Jacob’s Creek, Australia
CedarCrek, Canada
Mission Hill, Canada
Hester Creek, Canada
Chateau Trillol, France
Cameron Hughes, Italy and USA
J. Ramos Wines, Portugal
Saxenburg, South Africa
La Crema, USA

Considering this is also a food festival, there will also be amazing dishes to sample from some of Banff’s best restaurants. Balkan The Greek Restaurant will be serving chocolate baklava and The Bison Restaurant will have bison kabobs with kimchi. You will also find Elk & Oarsman, Nourish Bistro and numerous hotel restaurants with treats for everyone.

Watch for the event’s blog post next week and please let us know if you’re visiting Banff this weekend for the Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival. It is always great getting to meet our WineCollective members over a glass of our favourite beverage!

See you in Banff!

p.s. While WineCollective is always bragging about our local events here in Calgary, we would still love to hear about the wine festivals and tastings going on around the country. Let us know when you’re visiting a wine event in your city and tell us all about it so we can share with the WC community!