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Enjoying Your Wine Club During the Holidays

We are quickly approaching the end of the year and we can’t be alone in thinking how crazy it is that this decade is coming to a close! It’s been a real whirlwind, considering at the start of this decade was when WineCollective began! We’ve had the best time growing over the last 10 years, sharing wine with Canadians. It’s an honour to be included in your everyday dinners, celebratory toasts, and beyond. As the year (and decade) wind down, we think there is no better time than over the holidays to be part of a wine club. What better way to be stocked up for festivities than to have a wine club like WineCollective deliver new bottles right to your doorstep?! We hope your membership is enjoyed even more over the coming weeks and in honour of the last month of 2019, let’s take a look back on the many bottles we shared this past November.

WineCollective Featured Wine

• Ray’s Creek — Chardonnay | California, USA
• Ray’s Creek — Pinot Noir | California, USA
• Indigo Eyes — Cabernet Sauvignon | California, USA
• Casa Santos Lima — Syrah | Lisboa, Portugal
• El Casetero — Macabeo | Campo de Borja, Spain
• Joel Delaunay — Sauvignon Blanc | Loire Valley, France
• Teusner The Riebke — Shiraz |Barossa Valley, Australia
• Arloren Miriar Rubí Reserva — Monastrell | Jumilla, Spain
• Ferraton La Tournée — Vermentino, Viognier | Vin de France, France
• Spartan Hills — Malbec | Paso Robles, USA
• Jury Cellars — Cabernet Sauvignon | Oakville, USA
• Longfellow — Grenache Blanc | Napa Valley, USA

We hope you loved the wines you received and members don’t forget: shop the WineCollective online store to stock up on your favourites from the month. If you aren’t a WineCollective member, you’re missing out on some really great wine! What are you waiting for?! See you next month when we recap all the amazing October wine or check out last month to see what else we shared!

Learn About Wine with Podcasts

The podcast world is a vast one. With thousands of choices, on every topic imaginable, it’s daunting to figure out where to start. Obviously one of our biggest interests is wine, and podcasts are a great way to learn about a new topic without investing in books or hours on the internet. The best way to learn about wine is by drinking, but that’s not always acceptable during your commute or while you’re on the treadmill. In honour of International Podcast Day (yes, there’s a day for that too), we’re taking some time to break down a few of our favourite wine podcasts!

Vino 101

If getting down to the basics or starting from the beginning is your main goal, then this is a great place to start. Touted as a “fun way to learn about wine”, Vino 101 is the perfect podcast to get lots of wine knowledge without any of the snobbiness you might get elsewhere.

Wine For Normal people

Feel overwhelmed by wine vocabulary and tasting notes that are just way over-the-top? Wine For Normal People is a really newbie-friendly wine podcast, hosted by Sommelier and Specialist of Wine, Elisabeth Schneider. This podcast is super approachable and fun to listen to!

I’ll Drink to That!

Former Sommelier Levi Denton spends his episodes interviewing great wine minds who are connected to the wine world. Ranging from other sommeliers to winemakers to restauranteurs, “I’ll Drink to That!” provides a lot of in depth knowledge about a very complicated and interesting industry.

Wine Podcasts are the Accessible Way to Learn

Like most topics, there are a ton of options in the podcast world to choose from when it comes to wine. Depending on what your goal is, you’ll find many wine podcasts that can be a good resource. The important thing is to find one that is hosted by people you trust and enjoy listening to. Wine should be fun! So pour a glass, get your headphones on, and take a listen.

Get Your Glasses Ready!

Where does one even begin when it comes to Italian wine? As one of the most prominent members of ‘old world’ wine country, with nearly 400 grape varietals, Italy’s wine landscape is understandably huge. The country may not look big on a map, but when it comes to wine, Italy is a major wine producer. So how do you even get started? We’re here to help on your journey with Italian wine. You’ll be well on your way to being an expert in no time! The good news is, you just have to pay attention and drink a lot of wine.

Italian Reds

The star of the wine world in Italy is arguably red wine. Some estimates put Italy’s red wine production at double that of their white, so you know they aren’t messing around. Red wine in Italy is serious business. The most commonly grown varietals include:

• Sangiovese (aka Chianti, Brunello di Monalcino, Montefalco Rosso, and more)
• Montepulciano (aka Rosso Canero, Rosso Piceno)
• Nebbiolo
• Barbera
• Primitovo (aka Zinfandel)

You’ll notice a lot of these varietals have different names. That can make things tricky, but if you check the labels correctly and learn the most common synonyms, you should be able to figure out what you’re picking up.

What’s the difference?

All of these reds are going to lean on the drier side, so if you have a sweet tooth when it comes to wine, Italian reds probably isn’t going to be where you want to start things out. Barbera and Primitivo are medium-bodied wines with earthy and fruit-forward notes, respectively. Bolder wines include Sanviovese, Montepulciano, and Nebbiolo. Montepulciano is fruitier, whereas the other two will give you more earthy notes with higher acidity and tannins. Any of these choices are going to give you a really good base to get started on your Italian red wine journey.

Italian Whites

White wine might not be Italy’s prominent export, but the whites they are producing are some of the best. With a wide range of varietals growing in their vineyards, there are a ton of options for you. Some of the most common varietals of white you’ll find coming from Italy include:

• Pinot Grigio
• Trebbiano
• Verdicchio
• Prosecco (aka Glera)
• Sauvignon (aka Tocai Friulano)

Pinot Grigio goes by Pinot Gris in France and isn’t native to Italy. However, the varietal has been growing in Italy for over a century now and is one of the most popular wines in the world.

Choosing the Right White

The 5 wines listed above are varied in taste profiles, so there is bound to be something you enjoy. Besides Prosecco, they are all still wines. Pinot Grigio and Verdicchio fall on the ‘light and zesty’ spectrum of white wines. If you’re looking for something bolder and drier, Trebbiano could be the right wine for you. Sauvignon is generally herbaceous and rich — not to mention a “love it or hate it” kind of wine. Lastly Prosecco typically has a lighter body and med-high acidity, along with of course lots of bubbles!

Something For Everyone

The Italian wine landscape is huge and would take many lifetimes to fully explore. However, we hope you’re able to take the time and have some fun sipping your way through the amazing offerings this great wine country has to offer. No matter what your tastes are, there will be something you love!

As we welcome in August, let’s take a look back to July! So many fond memories. Some rain, some sunshine, but most importantly: great wine. We like to share the wonderful wine WineCollective members enjoyed in the previous month in case anything piques your interest. Or to just settle your curiosity. Our July wines had us all over the world, with a few different bottles from France. And since it’s summer and there is no better time, we shared a really great French Rosé — perfect for those hot days.

WineCollective Member Wines

• Triennes Les Auréliens Rouge — Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah | Méditerranée IGP, France
• Las Niñas Inocencia — Carmenère | Colchagua Valley, Chile
• Portal del Montsant Santes — Tempranillo | Montsant, Spain
• Landmark Overlook — Pinot Noir | California, USA
• Saveurs du Temps — Syrah, Grenache | Costières de Nîmes, France
• Frog’s Leap — Sauvignon Blanc | California, USA
• Cantine Faliesi Arbosto Bianco — Coda di Volpe | Campania, Italy
• Château Gantonnet — Sauvignon, Muscadelle, Semillon | Bordeaux, France
• Susana Balbo Crios — Malbec, Syrah, Petit Verdot | Uco Valley, Argentina
• Château Picourneau — Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot | Haut-Médoc, France

We hope you loved the wines you received and if you aren’t a member, you’re missing out on some really great wine! What are you waiting for?! See you next month when we recap all the amazing August wine!

Something Strange in Your Glass

If you’ve ever taken a journey into the world of wine tasting, chances are you’ve encountered some pretty strange tasting notes. Wine is a complex subject that is made a little more interesting by all the different adjectives tasters use to describe what they’re drinking. You may think wine is good or bad and not get much deeper about it. Which is totally fine! One thing we love about wine is that it’s different for everyone. However, if you want to dive a little deeper into wine tasting notes, you’re going to see some strange descriptors that might sound bad. Some might even sound gross. So today we’re going to get into some of the weird wine notes tasters make and what they really mean.

Tire Rubber

Sounds crazy — but if you’re getting the scent of burnt rubber when you sniff your wine, don’t be too worried. This scent can appear when a wine (often Syrah) has more prominent sulphur compounds. It doesn’t negatively affect the wine, however since scent is well connected to our ability to taste, if it’s too strong you might not enjoy your glass as much.

Pencil Shavings

Think back to your early school days and all the time spent sharpening pencils before tests. Scents like this are often engrained in our brain for a lifetime. When opening up a bottle of some reds from Bordeaux, you might be taken back to the classroom, standing in line to use the oversized pencil sharpener attached to the teacher’s desk. This scent again isn’t necessarily a bad thing and is even sought after by some enthusiasts.

Saddle Leather

A pretty specific taste that sounds unappealing at first, however tasting saddle leather in your wine isn’t always something to shy away from. Often found in wines that have brettanomyces (a type of yeast), saddle leather taste can show up in many red wines. If the taste is overwhelming and detracts from the positive taste of the wine, then the wine may have spoiled.

Drink What You Enjoy

We could discuss weird wine notes for a long time. The many smells and flavours that wine can evoke is extensive. At the end of the day, you want the wine you’re drinking to be a pleasant experience. So if notes of saddle leather or the scent of tire rubber isn’t working for you, that’s just not the wine for you! Luckily the wine world is huge and there are endless options for you to truly enjoy. Cheers!

More Bubbles Please!

Summer is such a fun time for wine. We find ourselves reaching for different bottles than we do in the colder months, which makes wine exciting again. Sparkling wine is one type of wine we’re indulging in more as the sun shines. Gone are the days when bubbles were only for special occasions — why wait around when you can pop the cork any day of the week?! The excitement of pulling the cork on a fresh bottle can brighten any day. Luckily there are so many options available to choose from, in a multitude of styles, varietals, and price points. The choices can be overwhelming, so let’s get a bit into the nitty gritty of how some sparkling wines differ.

What Are the Options?

If you think all sparkling wine is Champagne, boy do we have news for you! Many wine regions around the world produce variations of sparkling wine and they all have something a little different to offer. We could go on for hours about the various sparkling options available and how to choose one to drink. So while this list is by no means exhaustive, it will get you started on the most popular bubbles around.

Champagne

The gold standard. The “name brand” of sparkling wine. In fact, when you mention sparkling wine, chances are this is the first thing most people think of. Grown, bottled, and aged in the Champagne region of France, Champagne is the most expensive option in the sparkling world. Champagne gets its bubbles from a 2nd round of fermentation after adding yeast and sugar, to combat the intense acidity from using barely ripened grapes. Choosing your Champagne can be summed up in 2 easy steps:

• Sweetness level (from least to most): Brut Nature, Extra Brut, Brut, Extra-Dry, Dry, and Doux.
• Style: majority of Champagne is made with Chardonnay (Blanc de Blancs) or Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier (Blanc de Noirs). If the varietal is not listed, it is likely a blend of all 3. There is also Rosé Champagne which is made by adding a very small amount of red Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier to blanc Champagne.

Prosecco

The main thing Prosecco has in common with Champagne are the bubbles. Italy’s most famous sparkling wine is made with Glera grapes and given its lovely effervescence using the Charmat Method (aka Tank Method). This process differs from the traditional one used for Champagne, in that 2nd fermentation takes place in a large tank, rather than the individual bottle. This process is cheaper to execute, but still produces excellent sparkling wine! Prosecco is categorized by Brut, Extra Dry, and Dry in terms of sweetness (least to most). So doesn’t have as much variety as Champagne does.

Cava

We happen to think Cava is having its moment. Spanish sparkling wine (Cava) is made in the same fermentation method as Champagne, but is often significantly less expensive. How is that possible? Well for one, land in Champagne, France is extremely expensive. We’re talking many millions of Francs to purchase vineyard land. Spain does not have the same hefty price tag. Secondly, there is less demand. Champagne has a certain reputation and name recognition to it that Cava doesn’t. Seems like a silly thing to add a price to, but it does influence how much you’re paying. So if you ask us, getting sparkling wine that is made in the same method as Champagne, with great grapes, but for a smaller price? Sign us up! To make sure you’re getting a quality Cava, look for labels that say ‘Reserva’ or ‘Gran Reserva’.

Cheers!

No matter what you’re celebrating (or better yet, what you’re not), we hope you start taking a chance on the many options available in the sparkling wine world. We’ve only listed 3 kinds here, but there is still more to explore with Lambrusco, Crémant, Loire, etc. So get your glasses out and get tasting!