Vinterra Wine Merchants... the Blog

Bookwalter 2009 Anecdote Riesling 91 Points

vinterra — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:19:29 +0000

2009 ANECDOTE RIESLING 91 points

We just received word from John Bookwalter that Wine Enthusiast has just reviewed and rated the 2009 Bookwalter Anecdote Riesling, giving the wine 91 Points.

The review will appear in the fall and we will update the information at that time.

Congratulations John.

Spring Festival of Wines

vinterra — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:27:09 +0000

We will be pouring wines during the Spring Festival of Wines at the Westlock Inn in Westlock, Alberta.

Festival takes places April 30th from 6 to 9 PM. Contact the Westlock Inn Liquor Store for more details.

BOOKWALTER WINES

vinterra — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 21:04:17 +0000

We are delighted to have some of John Bookwlaters fabulous wines from Washington State coming back into the Alberta market.

Late March we will be receiving the new 2009 Anecdote Riesling as well as the 2006 Foreshadow Merlot and 2006 Protagonist, Red Mountain Blend. We will be receiving a very small amount of these wines, most of which has been pre-sold to a few liquor stores and should be available for consumer purchase in early April, 2010.

Tasting notes for these wines can be found on our website: www.vinterrawine.com

GRAPE ESCAPE – Calgary, March 19 & 20, 2010

vinterra — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 20:57:17 +0000

We will be pouring some of our wines at the Calgary Co-op Grape Escape, March 19th and 20 at the BMO Centre on the Calgary Stampede Grounds.

Public Event Times are 5 to 9 PM in Hall E

New from Argentina

vinterra — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 21:00:19 +0000

Humberto Canale, Patagonia, Argentina

INTIMO MALBEC 2008

CSPC #737882

Available February 2010

“The 2008 Intimo Malbec, dark ruby-colored, it offers up a pleasing nose of spice box, violets, and black cherry. This leads to a friendly, medium-bodied wine with tasty flavors, no hard edges, and a fruity finish.” 85 Points Robert Parker, August 2009

SEASONS GREETINGS

vinterra — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:24:05 +0000

SEASONS GREETINGS

We would like to wish all our customers a very merry 2009 Christmas

and best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2010.

Decant or not?

vinterra — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:38:54 +0000

Almost all red wines will benefit from some decanting, even white wines but not much. Champagne and sparkling wines may get a boost to their nose and should not lose their bubbles.

Red wines, especially those with strong tannins will benefit from exposure to air. Don’t be afraid to decant an inexpensive red wine, even these wines can show a marked improvement with some decanting.

Many people think that just opening a bottle will work but that is misleading. There is not enough wine being exposed to air. You should aerate the wine in a decanter vessel, or you can use a very large glass (or several).

Decanting is usually done when one of the following conditions exist – both involving tannin: to expose young tannic wine so it will open up and the tannin will be tamed; or to separate sediment from the wine which often occurs in older wines or wines that have used no filtration.

When decanting you want the wine to breathe for some time, 30 minutes minimum is a good starting point. Bordeaux wine may require up to an hour or more. Young tannic wines can benefit with hours of aeration. A good example is a young spanish wine or an Italian Barolo. Experimenting with different times and noting the results will prove useful if you tend to drink the same wines most of the time.

When decanting older wines to remove sediment be sure to check for sediment when pouring and do not let older wines aerate too long as prolonged air exposure can hurt the wine rather than improve it. Best to drink wine with sediment soon after decanting.

Don’t forget to swirl and sip often to see how the wine is evolving. When the taste is right for you continue to drink and enjoy.

A view about your local wine shop

vinterra — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:12:01 +0000

Subscribing to a lot of news feeds brings interesting articles now and then. The wine rating point system is a hotly debated issue and one wine writer had some interesting comments to make about how the everyday person buying wine might want to give some thought as to how they purchase wine. Likewise some good advice for wine stores.

You can read the full article here: http://palatepress.com/2009/11/trust-is-the-new-black-your-local-retailer-as-wine-confidante/

Fishcage Shiraz Viognier Shiraz – Category Winner

vinterra — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:37:23 +0000

The Fishcage Shiraz Viognier from Hungerford Hill in Australia tied for the Shiraz Category winner in the 2009 Wine Access International Value Wine Awards. Tied for top place was the CJ Pask Gimlett Road Syrah from New Zealand.

Tohu 2007 Marlborough Pinot Noir

vinterra — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:57:39 +0000

Wine Spectator Top 100

The 2007 Tohu Marlborough Pinot Noir from Tohu Wines in New Zealand made the Wine Spectator Top 100 list for 2009.

Congratulations Tohu!