October

I’ve been watching yellow leaves flutter by the store windows as I’ve been organizing and typing this month’s wine club.  Its official: fall is here.  I feel as though there is a universal feeling stirred in us by the Autumn season, maybe it’s the harvest, maybe its a deep rooted mamalian feeling of preparing for a hibernative winter state, or maybe its just the coziness of a thick sweater.  Autumn stirs in us a desire to settle down, spend time with loved ones, and rejoice in rich food and drink, so lets do that!  All the wines this month especially go well with a large roasted bird and it’s many accompanying dishes, but I’ll discuss an alternate food pairing if that kind of traditional meal isn’t to your preference.

Loosen

Red Slate Riesling

For wine geeks, Dr. Loosen wines are easy to love.  Loosen Bros. have a Youtube channel with over one hundred videos detailing their vineyards and wines, it is a treasure trove of knowledge.  This “Red Slate” Riesling takes its name from the red slate soil the vines grow on, which encourage intense minerality.  That mineral presence comes through as slate on the nose and palate, replacing the more usual “petrol” note in Riesling.  Fruity notes such as apple skin, pear, and lemon come in brightly, along with a faint presence of raspberry.  The crisp, almost palate cleansing effect of this wine plays nicely with plenty of different dishes, whether that be turkey, ham, turnip puff, or green bean casserole.  Alternative option?  Have a chilled glass of this with your favourite Indian curry to cut the heat.

$24

Ruby Blues

Gewurztraminer

I first tasted this wine at the grape escape in Calgary and fell in love with it there, since then I’ve been trying to find an excuse to get it into the wine club and now it’s finally here.  Gewurztraminer is a wonderful white wine pairing with turkey as it has a good full body that stands up nicely alongside the richness of dark meat and roasted skin.  Additionally this wine works exceptionally well in the fall as it has an note of baking spices, think cinnamon bark and cardamom.  The fruit flavours are the classic lychee and rose petal you expect from a Gewurzt.  With all those flavours in mind this wine is an excellent companion to Thai curry dishes, allowing the slight sweetness to tame the chili heat, while the creamy coconut and ginger mingles with the tropical notes in the wine.

$38

Celler de Capcanes

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir, along with its offspring grape, Gamay, have long been the go to red wines to accompany white meat.  The reason for this is their lightness of body which plays at the same volume as the leaner, lighter meat.  Celler de Capcanes from Spain have approached this Pinot with lightness in mind, giving it just a short five day maceration with the skins, at a cool ferment temperature, making this wine especially nimble.  On the palate it delivers crunchy cherry, raspberry, and strawberry, alongside a funky spicy herbal note.  Embrace the Spanish origins of this wine by putting together a Spanish inspired charcuterie board!  Manchego, serano ham, chorizo sausage, almonds, stuffed olives, sun dried tomato spread, I’m making myself hungry!

$25

Lucien Lardy

Beaujolais Villages

We’ve been carrying this Beaujolais for a few months now, and I’ve included it in this month as a thanksgiving pack would not be complete without a Beaujolais.  This is about as classic as it gets for Beaujolais, bright red in the glass with flashes of pink.  Strawberry, tart cherry, raspberry and a whiff of banana on the nose.  Earthy, structured, and clean on the palate.  A must have with turkey, but also the go to wine to pair with rabbit, so pick up some rabbit rillette from the Epicureans co and enjoy!

$24

Three Finger Jack

Zinfandel

In a similar vein to the Gewurztraminer above, Zinfandel plays to the fall flavours of sugar and spice.  Don’t let that sugar scare you, while Zinfandel grapes often reach a point of over-ripeness, this is far from a sweet wine - just 2 grams of sugar per litre.  As far as spice goes this wine offers vanilla, cocoa, coffee, and toasted oak.  The fruit flavours of this wine are dark, ripe, and almost exhibiting a stewed character.  

This  wine takes its name from the outlaw ‘Three Fingered’ Jack Dunlop, so in that spirit I suggest enjoying this with your thanksgiving leftovers while rewatching your favourite western movie.  Not into leftovers?  Dig into some BBQ ribs or brisket for a thoroughly American pairing.

$23

Core Values Cider

Wind Cries Cherry

Yes, Cider!

Core Values is celebrating the re-opening of their taproom which is now outfitted with seats inside and out for you to enjoy a cider with your visit.  We wanted to help them celebrate and spread the word and I thought what better way than to include one of their premium ciders in our wine club!  A lot of moving parts came together to make this cider, four different apples, a wild fermented cherry wine, and two years in former red wine barrels.  The result is a cherry forward cider with notes of blueberry and blackberry.  The oak aging provides a vanilla note and touch of body.  Finally the wild ferment yeasts and apple provides a nice dry finish.  At 6.2% ABV this would be a good companion to working on preparing dinner.  After the entertaining is over and all the guests have gone home, consider a visit to Core Values for a glass to relax.

$30