In vino (virtual) veritas

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/04/2020 (2407 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Wine is, by its very nature, a social beverage. We pop the cork (or twist the screw cap), pouring glasses for ourselves and our friends, family or fellow merrymakers.

But with the social options these days confined to the roof under which we live, it’s easy to feel a lack of connection or bonding over a glass of red, white, bubbly or rosé. And while there’s nothing wrong with sipping on a glass of wine alone, it doesn’t bring that same communal joy.

With that in mind — and with the rise of video conferences on platforms such as Zoom as well as social media video streaming — some astute Winnipeggers are taking wine tasting online.

De Luca Fine Wines has long offered wine education in its Portage Avenue store, but with social distancing at an all-time high, those in-person events have had to be shelved. Instead the store has organized online tastings via its Instagram account (@delucafinewines) and via Zoom.

And while assistant manager Rayna Debow is eager to talk to customers (virtually) about the wines, she’s not keen on overwhelming Winnipeg’s wine drinkers with technical talk. “It’s not all about the education — it’s also about socializing,” Debow explains. “Some people are stuck in the house, working from home, and it’s difficult for them to get social. This is a time when they can tune in, they can watch me chat about wine, and get excited about something… get their mind off of the news.”

The social aspect of wine is one part of her job Debow has really come to miss. “My favourite part of the store is engaging with customers about wine and having them wander around the store, and to chat. They’re missing it, but so am I — this is a chance for me to engage with them.”

On Sunday, April 5, Debow will lead thirsty Winnipeggers through a tasting of three rosés (a theme clearly chosen prior to the recent return of snow); the package costs $55 and can be ordered online, where information on dates, times and themes of other virtual tastings can be found. They’ve also moved their popular yoga and wine classes online to Zoom, with the yoga instructor popping in on the chat to help with poses while Debow quarterbacks the wine component.

For Debow and De Luca’s, the virtual wine tastings have so far been a success, and the number of participants continues to grow. “This has worked out really well for us,” Debow says. “After everything’s back to normal, this is something we’re going to keep doing — it reaches an audience that might not normally come into the store, or who can’t come into the store.”

The wine kits for each of De Luca’s tastings can be ordered up until the day before the event from their website (delucafinewines.com) for curbside pickup or delivery.

• • •

Gillian Imhoff of Txoko Wine Community has teamed up with Ellement Wine & Spirits on a similar weekly virtual wine tasting that kicked off on April 3. Imhoff worked her way through the wine industry in sales and marketing, as well as restaurants, before starting to host and organize her own wine events. She and her partner started off by holding their own small wine gathering at Imhoff’s apartment. “We had four people come over, we broke nine wine glasses — it was a little bit of a disaster,” she recalls, laughing.

She had just begun to work with Hair Co. in the Exchange District on monthly wine events in conjunction with First Fridays when the reality of COVID-19 brought such social events to a grinding halt. “I was feeling, like most people, very squirrelly, this sense of lack of control — for someone like me working in events, there’s no end in sight for this type of crisis,” she says.

It was around this time she started contemplating the idea of online wine tastings, and approached Ellement Wine & Spirits, the private wine store at The Forks Market, about doing weekly virtual tastings.

Txoko (pronounced cho-ko) and Ellement teamed up for their “Distant yet Social” weekly tasting workshop, slated to take place Friday evenings at 6 p.m. via Zoom. “We were on the same page about approachable wine education, that human connection to wine — it being all about exploration, no wrong answer,” Imhoff says.

The first tasting featured one white and one red wine; featured wines can be ordered online and delivered (or picked up curbside at the store) along with a Txoko wine-tasting guide, glossary, potential food pairings and more. A followup email from Imhoff includes the Zoom code for the online tasting. The price of the tasting kits fluctuates based on the wines selected; for updates, see Txoko’s Instagram page (@txoko.wpg) or visit ellementwine.ca, where you can also order the wines.

As Imhoff says, there are benefits to virtual wine tastings. “You don’t have to wear pants if you don’t want to.”

uncorked@mts.net

Twitter: @bensigurdson

 

Wines of the week

Félix & Lucie 2017 Ssauvignon Blanc-Muscat (France — $14.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

This French white blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat certainly shows the aromatic component of the latter grape, with floral, peach and orange peel aromas that work well with the fresh citrus notes of the former. It’s bone-dry and fresh, with the lemon-lime and light grassy notes of the Sauvignon Blanc working well with the fleshier, stone-fruit notes of the Muscat. An excellent value that drinks well on its own or can be paired with light salads, shrimp dishes, white fish, mild curries, poultry, etc. 4/5

Liberty School 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon (Paso Robles, Calif. — $18.89, Liquor Marts and beyond)

This Cabernet Sauvignon from California’s Paso Robles region was a longtime overachiever when it came to quality-to-price ratio. These days it offers sweet blackberry jam and cassis notes on the nose, as well as a dollop of vanilla and spice. On the full-bodied palate, those jammy, slightly cloying dark berry fruit flavours come through with some sweetness, secondary vanilla notes, light tannins and a slightly hot finish. It’s not the great value it once was, but is currently on sale for this price until April 15, when it reverts back to the regular price of $20.99. 3/5

Bleasdale 2015 Bremerview Shiraz (Langhorne Creek, Australia — around $20, private wine stores)

While the vintage on this Aussie Shiraz is relatively old for the price point, it still looks quite youthful, and aromatically offers bright black cherry and raspberry notes with iron, leather and smoky, meaty notes that are impressive. On the medium-plus-bodied palate, the ripe red berry flavours are front and centre without becoming cloying — rather, they’re packed with anise, black pepper notes, red licorice and meaty notes, as well as soft tannins and a modest finish. The Brewmerview’s in its ideal drinking window — enjoy now. Purchased from The Winehouse. 4.5/5