Divine Wines newsletter
Spring 2012

Newsletter Content

1. We now sell screw cap bottles and caps.
2. Newest trend setter in wines.
3. Update on Cellar Craft sale to Vineco.
4. Vancouver Playhouse Wine Tasting Event.
5. Feedback from our new employee, Dawn.
6. Nancy's Epicure products.
7. Great commercial wines.
8. More great commercial wines we found.
9. Local wine tasting.
10. This one will make you feel better about your wine knowledge.
11. Great places to eat.
12. About the increasing wine consumption in Canada.
13. Stupid wine law may be thrown out.
14. Our new web site for Smart Phones.
15. Something on the lighter side.
16. If you don't want more newsletters, just go to bottom of page.

1/Bottle your wine using screw caps

We now carry new screw cap bottles with the proper caps. RJ Spagnols now has screw cap bottles and it is about time. This is the best way to bottle your wine. No more having bottles explode when the corks go in, the wine is fully protected, the cost is the same, and best of all..no breaking corks screws trying to get the cork out.

If you already have screw top bottles, our screw caps may fit. The problem is that not all screw top bottles have the same size opening.

2/Trend Setters

Congratulations to all of you that made that fabulous limited edition Muscat Symphony wine. What does it feel like to be at the head of a trend?

Muscat or Muscato is being used as a blending wine and starting to take off in a big way in Canada, resulting in this old grape becoming the 'in thing' with wine connoisseurs, which you have become. Congratulations are in order to all of you that joined the wave.

This version here, which also includes Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc grapes took our store by storm. We have never seen such a solid performing response to a newly released wine. In three months it outsold all other white wines sold over the past two years. Needless to say we have been pushing hard to have this wine come back quickly, and we will keep you informed.

3/Cellar Craft

We are seeing a number of changes since Vineco bought out Cellar Craft, with a number of kits starting to disappear from the line-up. The ones that will affect our customers the most will be the South African Pinotage plus the dessert wines Orange Muscat and Gewurztraminer. They will be sorrily missed by wine connoisseurs as no one else makes them in the industry. The good news is we managed to grab some extra Pinotage and have 4 of them left for those looking for a great tasting wine without all the heaviness or mouth-feel associated with most Show Case kits

The changeover to new owners has also hit our bottom line with transportation costs going up 3 times the previous rate. We will continue to bring in the Showcase wines, but to cut down on transportation costs, we will be only ordering from them every 3 to 4 weeks. The more kits we order lowers the actual cost of delivery for each unit. It would be a good idea to order one of these wines ahead of time, so that there is not a delay in having you start your wine.

4/Wine Tasting

Nancy and I took Dawn and her main squeeze Denny to the Vancouver Playhouse Wine Tasting Festival in early March, staying at the River Rock Casino and traveling by Sky Train to avoid the dreaded roadside checks. It was held at the new convention center and what a joy it was to be in this great facility. Never been a fan of Gord Campbell, but he did do something right.

Nancy and her sister went in one direction while Dawn dragged Denny off searching for whatever would go in her glass. Dawn is fairly new to wine but is learning quickly. Watching her go off on the start of her tasting adventure was like watching your child go from crawling to walking.

That left me on my own, which is the way I handle big wine tastings. Not that I am anti social; far from it, but with 900 wines to try in 3 hours, time is limited and I want to taste as many of the best wines available as possible and not have to watch someone taste a wine I have no interest in. I like to interact with different people and try wines they recommend.

Nancy and I had not been to this wine tasting for a couple of years, and we were surprised with the changes. It was better organized with the wines from one country grouped together instead of spread all over the room. It made it a lot easier to compare a varietal wine from within a region or country.

At the end of the night I found some chocolate and licorice that was for sale to raise money for some charity, and best of all some of it was chocolate and licorice together. A little piece of heaven. I will have to take Dawn to a black licorice tasting event so she can learn why this is such a delight. The little Philistine only likes that yucky pink stuff.

Speaking of Dawn, you may wonder why I called her section "Dawn of the Newfie'. There is a double meaning involved, but not a dirty one. The first one is because she is from Newfoundland, but the second it is because it is the Dawn of Newfoundland. Could you have thought 10 years ago that Newfoundland would join BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan in supporting the rest of the country, including Ontario.

5/Dawn of the Newfie

So, I went to my first ever wine tasting in Vancouver early in March. I asked John how many people he thought would be there and he said, "Oh, maybe a few hundred." I should have known better! We get there and there's like a couple of THOUSAND; that's like my whole hometown in one room!

Once I got over the shock of the crowd, with John chuckling devilishly, I started in on the tables. I focused in on white wines, although I did try a few reds, and found so many delicious Rieslings, Gewurztraminers and a Viognier blend I really liked. Thanks for finding that one John!

I found that I am not a fan of Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay, so I really learned a lot by going and sampling many different kinds. It was a little mind bending (especially after many samples) trying to remember the ones I liked, so I just grabbed a card describing the ones I liked most.

It was an awesome experience and a great way to find out what I really liked in wine. I had a blast and would go again in a heartbeat. Especially with John and Nancy because nothing was funnier than watching John 'guard' his chocolate licorice on the Sky Train ride home!!

6/Nancy's Nibblies

Summer is coming and I have great new Epicure products for your backyard entertaining. Check out the new Epicure toppers for vegetables, pasta or seafood such as Garlicky Dill, Sesame Crunch and Smokey Bacon. And for you meat lovers we have BBQ essentials like Burger Seasoning and Honey Mustard, plus there is Sweet and Spicy Mustard.  We also have great rubs that are just the thing for steak, fish or chicken.

Also in stock is the Chipster, which is a much healthier way to make potato chips without the oil and much less salt. In fact you can use lots of Epicure flavouring products, without all those chemical additives to spice up the party or just to give your kids great nutritional after school snacks. They can even use the Chipster on their own.

You don't need to stop at potato chips. You can use yams, sweet potatoes, beets, apples and bananas, and all it takes is 3 to 4 minutes in the microwave using the Chipster.

We have samples of the Chips in the store for snacking while bottling and on Saturdays we have other food to try. Contact Nancy if you want to get some friends together for a tasting in your home.

So what are you waiting for. You don't get healthy just from jogging, and eating Epicure products is a lot less painful on the joints.

7/Great Commercial Wine

Nancy and I went out for dinner at Jackson's recently and had a great time. We had the prime rib and unlike a lot of restaurants, when you ask for medium rare, that's the way they serve it. Yes, I am one of those guys that thinks the meat should still have some moo in it when you stick in your fork

Even better was the wine. We ordered a Ravenswood Zinfandel from California and it went perfectly with the prime rib.

I am not writing about those Blush Zinfandels, but rather one of the best big red wines around. And that is the problem with Zinfandels; a lot of people won't try them because they think it is a sweet blush.  Not that there is anything wrong with Blush Zinfandels, as lots of people really enjoy them, it is just that the names Zinfadel and Blush create confusion in the minds of a lot of people that like drier wines.

With all the kit wines we have available to us, this is one that we always have in our wine rack. The Show Case Zinfandel is unbelievable, but you have to be willing to wait 8 to 10 months for it to reach quality, and that gets even better at two and three years.

Another great commercial wine is Mt Boucherie' 2006 Melange Noir. The problem is there is no kit wine like it, and only one other commercial wine that we know of that makes anything closely comparable. When The Melange Noir is gone from the winery shelves there will be no more. It is a fantastic blend of Marechal Foch, Merlot and Gamay Noir, plus a Russian grape called Michurinetz and the winery no longer has that grape.

This is real red meat wine with notes of chocolate, black currant and wild berry. If you are in the West Bank area, stop in to Mt Boucherie Winery and grab a bottle before it is all gone. Or you could talk to me and if there is enough interest, we can order a case and share the cost. This is a personal thing and can't be done through the store for legal reasons. It lists for $21.99 a bottle plus there would be a shipping cost.

If you want to try a wine that is close, go to the Sardis Park VQA winery and purchase a bottle of 2009 Volcanic Hills Magma. It is a blend of 50% Marechal Foch, 20% of that Russian grape Michurinetz and 30% other grapes and goes for about $16 a bottle. It is not quite as full bodie and three years less aging, but is still good value at that price. The Michurinetz grapes in it come from the same vines as the 2006 Melange Noir. The two wineries are next to each other and were one vineyard at one time, but my understanding is there were family issues.

8/Wine Seminar

Nancy and I attended a two day wine seminar in Kelowna in late April. It was great to meet with other store owners and various experts in the wine industry. Also got to taste some great wines at various events during the conference, but we also did a little wine touring. Seriously, it was only 4 wineries, but we were on a mission to taste specific wines and the focus was on Pinot Noirs and Rosé wines as they are areas that Nancy and I really want to be more familiar with.

It quickly became obvious that I only prefer expensive Pinot Noirs so I bought 2 bottles. One of them was Quails Gate Pinot Noir, Stewart Family Reserve 2009 at $45 a bottle. A week later Anthony Gismondi named it the BC wine of the week in his column in the Sun. Heck, I could have told him that. The other Pinot Noir was Cedar Creek's 2008 Platinum and was about the same price.

Also check out the St Hubertus 2010 Pinot Blanc. I have tasted lots of this style of white wine, but none with such a mouthful of flavour. At first it can fool you into thinking it is sweet until the acids hit the back of the tongue and you realize this is a great wine.

As for the Rosé wines, these are an old form of making wines that is making a big comeback in the wine world. I am not talking about Blush or White Zinfandel that have been overly sweetened, but rather they are lushes wines that are just as good as white wines for those perfect summer sippers or having with a salad or other light summer fare.

If you want to see what these new old-style wines are all about, go to the local VQA store in Sardis Park Plaza and buy some Quails' Gate 2011 Rosé, the 2010 Frizzante Rosé from St Hubertus, or Cedar Creeks 2011 Pinot Noir Rosé. Better yet you can make a batch of 2012 RJ Spagnols Restricted Quanities Malbec Syrah Rosé. You won't go wrong, and you will be catching the wave of what is going to be standard fare in most BC wine cellars in a couple of years. The local VQA store carries most of the other wines I mentioned.

9/Local Wine Tasting

If you want to learn more about wine, I would suggest you drop in to the local VQA wine store in Sardis Park Mall:especially on the weekend when they have tastings. Kim Murphy and her staff will gladly help you find some great BC wines. If you want to try a great Rosé, check out their Nellie from See Yah Later Ranch. Happy 1st anniversary Kim. Keep selling those great BC wines.

10/You think you know wines eh?

A lot of people feel really intimidated when faced with an unknown wine. You hear other people go on about all the different tastes and fragrances in the wine and you think, 'what are they talking about? All I can tell is that it is either red or white.'

Well it turns out you are ahead of 54 French wine experts. That's right, in a blind taste test, these experts couldn't tell white wines from red.

I mentioned this to one of the top wine experts in BC, if not all of Canada, Tim Ellison, who is a sommelier and Director of Food and Beverage for the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. He says that if the wine is served cold enough it would be hard to distinguish flavours, but they should have at least been able to distinguish the tannins in the reds.

"Don't let anyone tell you what you ought to like. Some wines that some experts think are absolutely exquisite don't appeal at all to me." John Cleese

'Experts often possess more data than judgement.' Colin Powell

Does that make you feel better?

Anyway, if you want to learn more about appreciating wines, Tim has provided us with some sheets from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust that will help you learn all those little things that identify wines. We only have level 2 and 3. Level one only has you identify white and red, sweet or dry and clear or cloudy. You can take the sheets home and have wine tastings with friends and test your knowledge. This is my kind of test.

11/Tim's Place

If you are going to Vancouver and want to have a great meal without spending your children's inheritance, drop by the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts at the entrance to Granville Island, 101-1505 West Second Avenue. They prepare great lunches (under $20) and dinners (under $30) for the public so they can train new chefs and sommeliers. And no, it is not like going to barber school to get a haircut or dental school to get a molar fixed.

Tim recommends making a reservation at least a couple of days in advance. And as an added treat you may get to meet Tim. Just look for someone whose clothing makes flamboyant seem tame.

If you really love Asian food, I would suggest the Pho Galaxy Restaurant two doors down from the Starbucks where you turn to the hospital. Try their Vietnamese Pho or soup. This is for people that prefer Szechwan instead of Cantonese style food.

12/Thirst for Wine is Growing

In the fiscal year ending March 31 2011 wine consumption in Canada has increased 3% to 470 million bottles. A lot of that growth was due to BC where wine sales increased 4.22%. Not only do we people on the Wet Coast have to help a large part of the country with transfer payments, we also have to do more in the way of wine consumption to bring up the numbers. Duty calls.

BC VQA wine account for 19% of wine sales in BC both in market share and dollar value, with people buying more expensive wines from BC. Even more interesting are the figures showing that as we have matured as a wine drinking country as we are moving more and more to red wines. In the past decade red wine consumption has gone up 181% while white wine consumption has only gone up 66%.

What is really a strong indication of how we are changing as a country are the figures for the rest of alcohol related beverages. Beer sales have declined 5.3% in a year and in the past 10 years have dropped from 52% of the market to 45%. During the same 10 year period wine sales have gone from 23% of the market to 30% and I would attribute this to people becoming more health conscious.

We can do better people. Drink more wine.

13/Set Our Wine Bottles Free

You may remember me mentioning a few months back about a stupid 1928 federal law that prevents us from importing wines from other provinces but not from other countries. Yes, if you bought a bottle of Ontario wine in that province and brought it to BC you are a criminal, just like drug dealers, bank robbers and other unsavory types that should not be allowed to mingle with the rest of humanity.

The Ontario government has recently told the police and crown to ignore the law and BC is looking into the issue. Expect a Royal commission to be set up by our provincial government any day now.

Thankfully there is one sane person wandering the halls of parliament in Ottawa. Dan Albas, the MP for Okanagan-Coquihalla has presented a private members bill called C-311 to amend the Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act for personal use. Usually private members bills don't go anywhere but at the start of April the House finance committee met with wine industry groups regarding the bill's passage. I expect all parties will now study it in caucus to see if passage will improve their standings in the polls. Call your local MP's office and give him or her some advice on this matter.

14/New Web Site

We have a new website that is Smart Phone friendly. Using your Smart Phone just go to the old site and the computer will do all the work. It makes it a lot easier to read on that little screen. If you aren't using a Smart Phone, you will be on the main site.

15/O' Jackie

I couldn't believe the shocking scandal I read about Jackie Kennedy. In a new book about her son John John, it turns out that she made the staff save guests' left over wine to be served later. I hope that after she got away from the poverty stricken Kennedy clan and married Aristotle Onassis she could afford to just empty the glasses into the sink and not back in the bottle.

We hope you enjoyed our newsletter, please pass this on to any of your friends that you think may be interested.

John & Nancy

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