With the help of wine importing friends, and local restaurants and brewery’s, our first Holiday Open House at Highfield was a great success!
This past Saturday, we invited WineCollective, Tannic and Highfield customers, members and supporters to join us for an afternoon of wine tastings. We’d like to thank those who offered their time and donations and even more, those that came for a visit!
Scott from Redback Wines poured Les Anges Chardonnay and the delicious Les Terriades Rosé D’Anjou, which was a huge hit. The rosé nearly sold out and only 3 bottles are remaining in store!
Every guest also received a gift bag, filled with goodies and special deals from our Open House sponsors Chef Bar and LDV Pizza Bar. LDV also donated pizza and bruschetta to nibble on during the tastings!
A big thanks to Village Brewery for their donation of a raffle prize which included free tour passes and of course, beer!
All of the wines poured at our Open House are still available on the WineCollective online store and in Highfield! Thanks again to all who participated – we look forward to our 2016 Holiday House!
The corporate Holiday Season is already in full swing! Christmas parties are bringing together colleagues and friends, and it is time to start thinking about how you can thank your staff and/or boss for another year.
WineCollective has a wide range of Holiday Wine Experience Packages, where you can send 1-12 months of wine. However, there is a package in particular that we feel will impress your recipient and holiday budget!
Our 1 MONTH PREMIUM gift includes two bottles of high-end wine and additional bonus gifts for under $110 – shipping included. If your recipient is in West Canada (AB & BC), you can send this premium package for only $79.99!
Included in the package is $20 to the members only, WineCollective online store, where we carry over 100 wines to select from. A free month to Tannic is also added in, giving your recipient access to some of the most premium and exclusive wines from around the world!
If you are looking to purchase 10 or more Holiday Packages, get in touch with us for deals and discounts.
As always, you can also contact WineCollective or Highfield for full case orders too. Purchase bottles for staff or colleagues and we will even wrap and tag your gifts for you!
It is really no secret that WineCollective is a fan of Vineland Estates. Throughout the years, we have featured multiple wines and when winemaker, Brian Schmidt, proposed a special project earlier this year, we jumped at the opportunity for a Vineland exclusive.
The 2014 Vineland Cabernet Franc is showcased in many December packages, which is the wine’s sole distribution around the world, for now. What makes this Cab Franc even more special is that it is the first of Vineland wines to be sorted through their new optical sorting machine!
Vineland is not only the first Niagara winery with an optical sorter, but also the first Canadian winery to own the machine. According to Brian, the sorter is an absolute “game changer.”
Using cameras and lasers, the optical sorter essentially removes all unripe grapes from those qualified to be vinified. With the ability to recognize colour, size, shape, structural properties and even, chemical composition, sorters are in widespread use in the worldwide food industry for processing harvested food like potatoes, veggies and of course, grapes!
As the sorter pushes through the grapes, the camera and lasers take 1,000 pictures per second, allowing ripe grapes to be compared with unripe grapes as well as foreign material such as stems. The unfit matter is then sorted to waste, while the bountiful fruit just passes on by.
How does it work?
With the combination of camera sorters and lasers, the sorter functions using visible light wavelengths, as well as infrared and UV spectrums. “The optimal wavelengths for each application maximize the contrast between the objects to be separated.”
Compared to manual sorting, the optical sorter gives Vineland the ability to better sort quality fruit, maximize out put and increase yields, and of course, reduces manual labour.
You may be wondering how this impacts the wine, or specifically, the 2014 Cabernet Franc and truthfully, there are no flavour or character changes to the wine. However, with top of the line sorting technology, you can be sure that only the best fruit was used to create the wine and therefore, it is of superior quality.
As a young wine, the 2014 is mighty full and complex. The Cabernet Franc is layered with ripe cherries and currant, as well as soft touches of spice and pepper. We were extremely impressed when trying this vintage for the first time.
The optical sorter has even inspired Brian to create a new line of wines for Vineland named “Game Changer.” With ever changing labels, Schmidt hopes to highlight people, places and new technology in the wine industry, starting with the optical sorter. We hope to one day also bring this project to members!
For more information on Vineland and their fabulous wines, check out our Vineland Estates blog, which highlights Brian’s last trip to Calgary and WineCollective headquarters… where dreaming of the exclusive Cab Franc first took place.
Be sure to let us know what you think! Don’t forget to rate and comment on the new Vineland Cabernet Franc!
Through out the month of December, Marilyn is surprising audience members with her annual gift giveaway shows. WineCollective was featured in the Hostess Gift Guide and each audience member walked away with $100 to spend on a personal subscription or Holiday Wine Experience Package!
Featuring Holt Renfrew fashion, styled by the ladies of Styleista, this event brought together Calgary’s elite and huge sponsors. The magical event took place at Devonian Gardens, transformed into a magical forest with ambient and fashion show music from the orchestra’s finest.
For our participation, Calgary Philharmonic spoiled us with four VIP tickets to the gala! After a quick contest, WineCollective member Michelle B and guest, joined Amber and Larissa for the evening.
We’d like to thank CPO for having us and giving us the opportunity to take part! Next year, we hope to be back with more donations and creative ideas (involving wine of course!) to further inspire this enchanting fundraiser.
If you can believe it, it’s that time of year again. Christmas is coming and fortunately, we at WineCollective are ready for action. We want to help you get some special names crossed off your list with our 2015 Holiday Packages – they’re back, and better than ever!
Our Christmas packages feature 1 – 12 months worth of wine, perfectly suited for any budget. There are huge discounts in our gift packages that only happen once a year. Save up to hundreds of dollars and send your staff, friend, brother or wife a gift that not only keeps on giving, but also offers an entire wine experience.
All of our packages include additional gifts including our annual, collectable corkscrew, dropstops, a subscription to VINES Magazine, Tannic memberships and wait for it…. a FREE CORAVIN!
With the purchase of a 12 month Holiday gift, your recipient will receive a Coravin, valued at $385. Previously only available in the U.S. we are thrilled to be offering this amazing deal to WineCollective recipients, and members as well.
If you love WineCollective and want to join us in 2016, our 12 month gift (48 bottles of wine) is also an excellent and unbeatable deal for current members. In signing yourself up as the gift recipient, you are saving up to $669 on our red, mixed or premium mixed wines package. Better yet, all of the additional gifts will be yours – including a full year membership to Tannic and the Coravin wine system!
Visit our Coravin page for more information on the tool and get in touch with us if you have any questions. If you want to check out the Coravin for yourself, visit Highfield!
Our Holiday Packages are available right up until December 31. All initial packages are shipped in January and on December 25th, we’ll send your recipient a welcome email, explaining their upcoming gift and how they can get logged in to their WineCollective account – giving them access to our exclusive online store.
We also have plenty of options for corporate gifts. If you’re looking to surprise your staff, or thank your biggest customer of the year, get in touch with us!
For more information on our wine experience packages, visit WineCollective or contact us today.
After Amber’s recent trip to various wine regions in Spain, we wanted to dazzle you with some need to know information. Here are our top ten things to know about Toro!
1. Toro is located in the larger region of Castilla y Leon, in north-western Spain. Toro is within the province of Zamora and north-west of Madrid. Closest neighbours of Toro are Rueda bordering to the east and Ribera del Duera slightly further east.
2. Toro, the region, is named after the ancient town of Toro. Toro is most known for the Tinta de Toro varietal, a clone of Tempranillo with exceptionally dark skins.
One of the last remaining bunches of Tinta de Toro left on the bush vines at Piedra, in Toro.
3. Tinta de Toro (toro meaning bull) produces wines that are dark, tannic and rugged. Tinta de Toro has high alcohol, sometimes 15-16% with moderate to low acidity.
4. There are many old vines in Toro, some upwards of 100 years in age. The soils of Toro are great for pest management. The vine-killing Phylloxera can not live in the sandy soils, which has preserved many of the oldest vines.
Gnarly bush vine at Piedra winery in Toro, approximately 70-years-old.
5. Tinta de Toro is usually fermented as a single varietal wine, but it is also commonly blended with Garnacha (Grenache). The Garnacha adds more phenols and acidity to the wine. Old vineyards are often planted randomly, with Garnacha, scattered throughout the Toro vines. You can identify the Garnacha easily by the leaves.
Tinta de Toro leaf at Piedra Winery in Toro.
Garnacha leaf at Piedra Winery in Toro.
6. The region has a continental climate, and has a deceivingly high altitude. The plains and gentle hills sit between 600-900 meters above sea level. The altitude plays an important part in viticulture, ensuring that the night time temperatures are low enough to let the vine rest and build necessary acidity.
Sandy vineyard of Tinta de Toro and Garnacha at Piedra Winery in Toro.
7. Toro has only recently become an internationally recognized and commercial region. In 1987 Toro received the official title of Designation of Origin, D.O. Toro. Although wine has been produced here for centuries. Today, there are only 60 wineries.
8. In addition to vineyards, the area is planted to several other agricultural crops, including alfalfa and sugar beets.
Crops of alfalfa in the back left and beets in the far right, neighbouring Tinta de Toro vines of Elias Mora in Toro.
9. If visiting Toro, stay in Valladolid. The city of about 300,000 has a great food culture and a beautiful city centre. The city is easy to navigate and is only a 30-60 minute drive to most of the wineries.
10. Some of WineCollective’s favourite wines from Toro are: Bodegas Elias Mora, ViñaGuareña and Terra D’Uro. There are still some ViñaGuareña Barrica available on Tannic!
Halloween is this weekend and instead of giving WineCollective members our list of “Spooky” wines to drink, we wanted to share a neat-o idea for serving wine at your party. You’ll need: a large pumpkin, a bowl, ice and WINE!
To make a pumpkin wine cooler, you’ll need to first purchase a rather large pumpkin. At home, clean off any access dirt or grime and then, completely cut off the top portion of the pumpkin. Be careful!
Next, remove all of the ooey-gooey insides and seeds, completely clearing out the pumpkin. Grab a large bowl and fit it inside – not mandatory but mainly in case of leakage.
You can then fill the pumpkin/bowl or both with ice and which ever wines you wish to serve! For candy enthusiasts, we recommend a sweet white, like Moscato or Riesling or a dry Sauvignon Blanc or Albarino! Chocolate lovers should stick to Gamay, Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon, depending on the richness of chocolate!
Get creative!
If you want to spruce up your pumpkin cooler, we have some recommendations.
1. Forget the straight line. Cut your pumpkin top off with jagged ridges, or teeth!
2. Cut individual holes. A little more work, but great for beer or smaller bottles.
3. Decorate the pumpkins exterior for a glamorous or creepy effect.
4. Make a drunk pumpkin! You have a wine cooler anyway…
Last summer, we were excited to briefly step away from the online world and open up our first physical store in Calgary, Highfield by WineCollective. As we reached our one year anniversary, we decided to spruce up our little store and are thrilled to present the newly renovated Highfield!
Before:
After!
Our renovations included some new flooring and much needed racking for WineCollective and Highfield wines, as well our selection of fine spirits.
We also installed a brand new WineKoolR to properly cellar some premium Tannic wines. This 240 bottle cellar is available to all WineCollective members for only $995 in the online store!
WineCollective and Tannic members will now experience VIP service when coming into Highfield. On Thursday and Friday from 4 – 7 and Saturday’s 12 – 4, you can find Leah, Amber or Larissa pouring new and featured wines to taste!
As a WineCollective member, you will receive 15% off wines in store, as well as 5% off liquor and beer purchases. For September, we are offering the remainder of our Schug WineCollective Cuvée at 25% off for members. With only 3 bottles of Pinot Noir and 15 of Chardonnay left, you may want to hurry over!
Before:
After!
We have some excellent deals and events planned for Highfield in the next coming weeks. We invite you to come visit at 22 1259 Highfield Crescent S.E. Highfield is open weekdays 10 – 7 and Saturday 12 – 4.
Delving into Bordeaux and trying to understand this classic region and its iconic wines can be a daunting task. There is literally lots of ground to cover, Bordeaux stretches over 296,000 acres, compare to the more familiar Okanagan Valley, with just 8,619 acres of vineyards. We will provide you with some of the most important information you need to know about the not-so basic region of Bordeaux.
Geography
Where most people start, is the explanation of right bank vs left bank. The Gironde estuary is fed by the Dordogne and Garonne rivers, which split the wine region into two main areas. The left bank is west of the Gironde and Garonne and north of Bordeaux city. The right bank is on the east side of the Dordogne.
The left and right banks are home to some of the more recognizable regions and prolific Chateaux. Within the greater Bordeaux, there are many other sub-regions and thousands of vineyards. In the north-east you will find Cote de Blays and Cote de Bourg. Between the two prongs of the ‘fork’ is Entre-deux-mers. As well, south of Bordeaux city, Sauternes and Barsac produce some of the world’s best sweet wines.
The 296,000 acres make Bordeaux the second largest wine growing region in the world. The large acreage produces a wide selection of styles of wine from sweet wines in Sauterne, sparkling Crémant de Bordeaux, inexpensive, to the most regarded in the world.
Map sourced from Table Wine at tablewineasheville.com.
Regions and sub-regions
There are 38 sub-regions in Bordeaux, which cover 57 appellations. A region’s classification will influence the price and demand for its wines. WineFolly shows a table of the premium regions, partnered with the more affordable options.
Chart sourced from WineFolly.com
The left bank, in Haut Médoc is where you can find some of the finest red wines of Bordeaux: Margaux, St. Estephe, St Julien and Pauillac. The regions in the left bank have higher rock content, which provides well-draining soils. Cabernet Sauvignon performs best on well-drained soils. The rocky soils also retain more heat, helping to ripen the grapes. The right bank is home to the highly-prized reds of Pomerol and St. Emilion. The rigth bank has greater clay content in the soil, making it a more ideal location for Merlot.
Understandings the classifications
Among the thousands of vineyards and growers, approximately 200 properties are classified. Châteaux that are ranked within the three classification systems provide the benchmark for quality wines from Bordeaux.
The 1855 Médoc classification is the most expansive and recognized. The list of classified properties was created for the Universal Exposition in Paris, in 1855. Producers whose wines consistently commanded the highest prices were ranked from first to fifth growth. Here is a list of the Chateaux in each of the 5 rankings, provided by Winewisdom.com.
All the classified properties were on the Left Bank, and most were in the Médoc Since 1855 there has only been a single amendment, Château Mouton-Rothschild was raised from a second to a first growth. You can identify wines in this ranking system by “Grand Cru Classée en 1855” on the label.
Since the inception of the 1855 classification, other regions have created their own rankings. Most notable is St. Emilion Classification, and the communes of the northern part of the Graves region, known collectively as Pessac-Léognan in the 1959 Graves Classification.
Bordeaux as a style of wine
The popularity of wines from Bordeaux have created a style of wine that is replicated around the world. From Napa to Adelaide, winemakers produce wines in a ‘Bordeaux style’, using Bordeaux varietals and techniques to achieve a Bordeaux-esque wine. In tasting notes, reviews and media, a wine may be referred to as a ‘Bordeaux blend”, but unless it is from Bordeaux it is referencing a style of wine and not the origin.
The permitted red varietals found in Bordeaux blends are: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The left bank wines are dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, producing a more tannic, structured wine with higher alcohol and acid. Merlot based, right-bank blends offer a softer style and tannin, that is more approachable in it’s youth.
Vintages matter
Bordeaux is unique in that it is an ideal, but also volatile area to grow grapes. The climate is moderate and maritime, vintage variation is high and weather patterns vary year to year. Typically, Bordeaux is temperate with mild winters, damp springs and rainy autumns.The unpredictable nature of the seasons leads to high risk, and potentially high reward. It is important to research vintage notes, especially when investing in an expensive bottle. Most critics and journals will publish vintage scores, like the one shown on Bordeaux.com.
Vintage ratings from Bordeaux.com
With a deep history, thousands of acres under vine, and many styles of wine produced, Bordeaux is a complicated, but worth while region to study. Many try to simplify the complex structure and terminology of Bordeaux wine, but it is difficult to do this without leaving out important information.
Tell us about your experiences with Bordeaux, your favourite places to visit, the most memorable bottle of wine, or what questions have gone un-answered!
Summer is now in full swing and it is time to get out and enjoy what beautiful British Columbia has to offer with numerous excursions to the Okanagan Valley via Destination Tours.
Destination Tours’ passion and expertise lies in creating unique, exciting tours and vacation getaways in our own Canadian backyard. Okanagan Wine Tours are a great way to experience the fine wineries in the Okanagan, some of which have been previously featured in your WineCollective packages.
As a WineCollective member, Destination Tours would like to offer $25 off per person off any of their tour packages by using the promo code “WineCollective”.
Destination Tours holds six different wine tours within the Okanagan region from our Kelowna to Summerland and Naramata as well as Whistler Getaways. In addition, with each unique tour, Destination Tours will find a variety of accommodations for you, minutes away from wine hot spots.
Each tour includes:
2 nights accommodations
Visits to 4-5 different winery’s with over 25 tastings!
Included lunch at participating wineries.
Professional driver with wine and region knowledge and all rides in the AC touring vehicle.
To take advantage of this exclusive offer, visit www.destinationtours.ca to pick your tour and add in the promo code “WineCollective”. If you require any assistance, you can reach Destination Tours’ office at 1-877-507-5596.
It is Calgary’s favourite time of the year again, Stampede! Along with the boots and cowboy hats, us Calgarians are also used to seeing some adventurous food and treats on the midway.
Glazed donut grilled cheese, via The Big Cheese.
Each year, vendors release some delicious, or disturbing, menu items. Last year’s scorpion pizza or the mini donut poutine, we can only imagine how the wrong beverage pairing could off throw these gutsy food combos. This year, after picking up some yummy (hopefully) grub, head to the beer gardens or the Western Oasis, wine garden for the perfect Cabernet, cowboy.
Better yet, try these recipes out for yourself with the best match from the WineCollective store!
GLAZED DONUT GRILLED CHEESE
A single glazed donut stuffed with the exceptional string cheese!
The creamy cheese and sweetness calls for sparkling and specifically, the vibrant bubbles and fruity character of Prosecco!
With plenty of sweet ripe fruit (melons, apricot and pear) the sweetness of the donut glaze will be matched. White flowers and bountiful acidity will cut through the cheesy goop. With textured bubbles, your palate is left cleansed and refreshed!
DRAGON DOG
At $100, this is the most expensive hotdog in the world according to Guinness Book of Records! Kobe beef, cooked in truffle oil with lobster tail, garlic, truffles and ricotta cheese.
Grain-fed Kobe beef* needs a wine with earthy quality and balanced tannins. Combined with lobster, truffles and ricotta cheese a versatile wine is a must with fruity nuances and just enough structure.
A $100 hot dog deserves the fanciest Stampede dinner possible. Fortunately, you can find this blend of Grenache, Cab Sauv, Syrah and Carignan at the Western Oasis! Juicy fruits and soft tannins won’t overwhelm this combo of foods and texture.
MAPLE BACON BOX
Maple + bacon = every Canadian’s dream! Add noodles and chicken and you’re on top of the ferris wheel!
High acidity is needed to break through the salty fats, so we would definitely recommend a refreshing rosé! For a sneak peak into July’s package, check out the…
Made with Pinot Noir, the rosé is full of bright red fruits, peaches and minerality with big but balanced acidity. Not overly sweet, this dry example will stand up to the bacon and chicken as well all while matching the sweet maple!
Check out the WineCollective store for any of the wines listed, or others similar to for delicious pairings to wild Stampede fare.
If you find something strange or tasty on the grounds and are eager for a wine pairing, share with us on social media! Chances are we’ll be two-stepping somewhere near by and are willing to take on the challenge!
* For the best wine pairings for particular cuts of beef, check out our Cuts & Cabernet blog!
