Archive for the 'Wine' Category
Posted by Shea | June 17th, 2010 | 2 Comments »
Most people think Chardonnay tastes like rich buttery tropical fruit. I’m here to tell you this is simply not so. Many wineries in BC are starting to realize that using a lot of oak barrels in their chardonnay does not always make it better. The classic region for unoaked chardonnay – those with lots of acidity, citrus, and zippy freshness – is the French region Chablis, just outside the main regions of Burgundy. This particular wine – the Jean-Marc Brocard 2007 Chablis “Domaine Sainte Claire” – is an excellent entry level offering that shows how chardonnay can taste like lemon and stones rather than pears and butter. And, this wine is excellent with food because of its high acidity, with particular potential to pair with white fish, chicken, or pork with lighter sauces. If you’ve never tasted unoaked chardonnay from Chablis, then you owe it to your palate to give this a try.
$30 at Kitsilano Wine Cellars
*Shea Coulson is the author of Justgrapeswine.com, a Vancouver based wine blog focusing on wine and beer reviews, education, and wine industry trends and developments.
Posted by Shea | June 4th, 2010 | Leave a comment »
Today’s wine is the Inama Soave Classico 2007 . Soave is a region in Northeastern Italy, just outside of Venice. It’s also a region that has been expanded beyond its traditional borders because of business pressures put upon the regulator by wineries on its border. Those wines outside the traditional zone, well, frankly, they suck. Wines within the traditional zone are called Soave Classico. This is just such a wine, and it tastes very very good. We’re talking minerals, citrus and good weight or density – this is the sort of wine you FEEL in your mouth while also one that doesn’t throw a wrecking ball across your palate. It’s also quite complex for the price. A perfect alternative to what you normally drink on hot summer days. If work has been keeping you as busy as me, then you deserve (need?) a good bottle. Grab some for the inevitable good weather.
$30 at Kitsilano Wine Cellar
*Shea Coulson is the author of Justgrapeswine.com, a Vancouver based wine blog focusing on wine and beer reviews, education, and wine industry trends and developments.
Posted by Frances | September 9th, 2009 | Leave a comment »
The Kitsilano Wine Cellar Thursday Tasting Series presents Johannes Selbach: Riesling at it’s Best
DATE: September 10th 2009
TIME: 5:30 – 7:00pm
LOCATION: At the back of the shop
COST: Free – No RSVP required either
Kitsilano Wine Cellar will be hosting a Riesling tasting with Johannes Selbach, one of Germany’s (and the world’s) most prominent and respected winemakers. Come for a late afternoon of fine, expensive wines.
The Wines:
Selbach-Oster Riesling Halbtrocken (half dry) 1L $30.00
Selbach-Oster Riesling Kabinett 2006 $33.00
Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese Trocken 2007 $42.00
Selbach-Oster Zetinger Schlossberg Riesling Spatlese ‘Schmitt’ 2007 $60.00
All the wines will be from the Selbach-Oster winery, which dates back from 1661. Riesling is the Selbach specialty, as it is the only wine that the winery produces. This will certainly be a treat for the wine lovers out there. Don’t miss out!
Posted by Erik | March 4th, 2009 | 4 Comments »
Point Grey Wine Cellar by Larry Yatkowsky
As our resident forensic journalist Rob detailed back last summer, the Liquor Store Income Fund (of Liquor Barn and Liquor Depot fame) owns and runs the Kitsilano Wine Cellar and 200 other liquor stores across BC.
Well, make that 201. Yattermatters Larry informed us a while ago that Point Grey Wine Cellar recently opened their doors at 3338 West Broadway (@ Blenheim). It’s a little curious that they called it the Point Grey Wine Cellar, but I guess Kitsilano Wine Cellar II would have been just as weird.
According to Larry, the store will specialize in beers and wines from around the world with the highlight being specialty beers. The staff claims some of these will be relatively unknown to local connoisseurs. On one of the images that Larry sent us, I was able to spot three different kinds of Chimay! I’ll definitely have to go check it out soon.
Posted by Erik | October 10th, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Stumped for what wine to serve with your (Indish) turkey this Thanksgiving? The Broadway International Wine Shop can help. Throughout the store they have put turkey symbols on wines that they think are well suited for Thanksgiving dinner.
And if you don’t completely trust their judgment, drop in Saturday or Sunday between 4pm and 7pm for a tasting of these “turkey” wines.
[UPDATE:] If you can’t make it out to the Broadway International Wine Shop this weekend, check out Buzz Bishop’s Wine Wednesday post for some suggestions.
Posted by Rob | June 27th, 2008 | Leave a comment »
The Broadway International Wine Shop is at it again with a tasting next week featured another local Kitsilano restaurant. This time its Gastropod’s turn.
This event has been a few months in the making so we are very excited to finally announce our Gastropod + Skillogalee tasting. Our special guests will be Chef/owner Angus An of Gastropod Restaurant and Winemaker/owner David Palmer of Skillogalee Estate Winery from Clare Valley, South Australia. Meet two very interesting men from opposite corners of the world, hear about their passions of food + wine and wine + food, but best of all, TASTE their creations!
For this event, Angus An has thought “outside the menu” and has let the wines inspire him. He has come up with some very innovative food pairings that will surely surprise and delight the palate! For Angus, food, art and science all play an integral role in his cooking. His culinary creations are an experience in itself–an exploration of flavours, aromas and textures, all beautifully presented.
This event takes place on Wednesday, July 2nd at 8pm at their wine shop and costs $45 per person.
Posted by Shea | April 18th, 2008 | Leave a comment »
I rarely encounter a wine this good at this price point. This wine is a perfect example of an unknown producer from an unlikely region creating a varietal based wine that outshines other, much pricier wines. The Mystic Cab hails from the Oregonian side of the Columbia Valley, bordering with Washington. Only 150 cases were made.
The nose was very opulent with rich cassis and a hint of vegetables. Up front this was all spice, smoke and bacon – and it was big, very big. The palate expanded into mintiness, and a bit of woodyness and an underlying current of cassis and other dark fruits. This is all about secondary and tertiary flavours, though, and is completely distinct from of a New World fruit bomb, even though it is big and bold. The finish is very long and very fantastic. Overall the wine has great balance, depth and outstanding variety of flavours and scents. I HIGHLY recommend picking this up if you have the chance. It’s a steal at this price point and equivalent to a $70 bottle of New World Cab Sauv.
$36 at Kitsilano Wine Cellars
As always, check out Just Grapes for more reviews of wine in the BC market.
Posted by Erik | April 13th, 2008 | 5 Comments »
Not until I chanced upon an odd line-up of college kids one Thursday night in the 2200 block of West Broadway did I realize that Kitsilano actually has a nightclub. This is how Bruce James over at Martiniboys describes Lola’s Bar (2291 West Broadway):
Downtown Vancouver is to Kits what Manhattan is to Brooklyn: a bridge too far away. Most of Van’s club-life party spots are situated on the over-populated Granville Street or in the ghetto-populated Gastown. Kitsilano hasn’t traditionally had many dance floors on offer, aside from one-too-many pub walkways and tables (don’t judge me). Thank whomever you pray to for Lola’s, the poorly named but often packed dance hideaway located smack dab, um, well, just to the left of the heart of Kitsilanso.
Now that you’ve heard of it, good luck finding it. Formerly known as the Side Door (waaay better name), Lola’s local is just that: it’s a side door. Down an unadvertised walkway up and up some stairs is Lola’s, and unless there’s a line up peeking out onto the sidewalk, finding the place could be harder than you think.
I can’t say I particularly care for nightclubs, but I can honestly say that since yesterday I absolutely love Lola’s. Why? Because they have taken over two adjacent buildings, formerly home to a Greek travel agency and Greek restaurant, and are turning it into a wine store. The store opened its doors yesterday and currently only carries about a fifth of the total planned inventory. More wine is set to arrive over the next few days/weeks, and beer will follow in about 4 weeks. The space looks great, and I am ecstatic that I now have to walk a full three blocks less to the nearest liquor store.
Posted by Shea | April 11th, 2008 | Leave a comment »
I just wrote about this on Just Grapes but it was such a good deal I had to share. It’s quite astonishing to get a wine in BC for $20 that evokes a sense of terroir. Most stuff is pretty commercialized and uninteresting, which is a shame given that in a deregulated market there would be plenty of great stuff in this price range. Until then, us BC wine consumers will have to rely on bottles like these.
This is a fabulous Cote du Rhone that has a lot more character than most every CDR I’ve tasted. I enjoyed the dark red berry flavours, the concentration and the lush texture. Amazingly, the flavour profile includes notes of earth and is filled with the great brambly character of a tasty Gigondas or Chateauneuf. The wine has tremendous depth for a CDR and exhibits authentic Rhone character without being light, boring or overly juicy. I could drink this as my every day table wine.
$20 at BC Liquor, Kits Wine Cellars, or Broadway International Wine Cellars
Posted by Shea | April 4th, 2008 | Leave a comment »
Well we seem to have missed a week with technical problems, but the wine column is now back with a new offering. So despite the calendar we are still seeing some pretty cold weather and I figured it was time to recommend an easily available but tasty South American wine. I tend to shy away from the more commercial offerings, but this wine is a good bargain and full of flavour.
The Montes Alpha Cab is a good value wine from Chile with a nose of roasted tomatoes, burnt hay and cherry. The palate was a blend of earth, cassis and chocolate. This wine was a bit rough, but it had a really nice flavour profile and a pretty darn good finish given the price point. Its moderate tannins gave it a nice structure but they do not overwhelm. If I have any critique it is that the wine is a bit over-extracted. However, many new to wine will like this intensity in the flavour. This is good for bbq’s, steak and roasted red meats.
$27 at BC Liquor Stores
