The new big cheese in wine

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/09/2021 (1819 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS) has a new top taster.

Alex Allardyce of the Manitoba Club took top honours at the 2021 Best Sommelier of Manitoba Competition, a two-day event that saw her square off against Danny King of Deer + Almond and Felix Faundez-Rubio of Kenaston Wine Market.

Day 1, held behind closed doors at Jones & Company Wine Merchants on Sept. 7, featured an extensive written exam and blind tasting, while the service portion of the competition was held Sept. 8 at Hy’s Steakhouse and featured more blind tasting, a mock restaurant food-and-wine pairing, cocktail making and more, in front of a small live audience and a panel of judges.

Allardyce will take on other regional CAPS winners when she heads to the Okanagan Valley in mid-October for the national championship. Previous local winners have included Sean Dolenuck of La Boutique del Vino and Domer Rafael, also of the Manitoba Club.

 

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Another top taster with Manitoba roots garnered a major accolade in the world of wine when the Institute of Masters of Wine announced three new recipients of the prestigious and rare Master of Wine (MW) designation.

In some ways the equivalent of a PhD in all things wine, the MW designation is only achieved after all manner of rigid testing (written exams, blind tasting, etc.) as well as a dissertation-type research paper. With fewer than 500 MWs in the world, it’s considered the most difficult wine-related accreditation to earn.

Winnipeg-born Siobhan Turner, who now lives in London and works as a wine consultant and judge, was one of three new MWs announced in late August. Her 48-page research paper looks at whether the Cabernet Franc grape might be a candidate to become the signature red grape variety of the southern Okanagan Valley.

Turner is the second Manitoba-born MW recipient; Winnipeg-born, B.C.-based Barbara Philip earned her MW designation in 2007 after taking on a somewhat similar topic — the potential of Pinot Blanc to be a flagship white wine grape in the Okanagan Valley.

 

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It’s not too late to grab tickets to sip some local treats at the Winnipeg Beer Festival, taking place today (Sept. 11) at Fort Gibraltar (866 Rue St. Joseph).

In light of the continuing situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, this year the annual outdoor event has been split into two time slots in order to provide some additional elbow room. Tickets for each of the slots (5-7 p.m. and 7:30-9:30 p.m.) are $49.95 and include unlimited samples from many of Manitoba’s breweries as well as local cider and mead producers. Attendees must show proof of double vaccination. For tickets and more information visit wfp.to/beerfest.

 

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Little Brown Jug is taking over the duties of making Pride Winnipeg’s annual Queer Beer. The William Avenue brewery recently signed a two-year agreement to make the celebratory brew after Pride Winnipeg evaluated a number of proposals from local brewers. In previous years, Half Pints has been the brewer of choice for Pride Winnipeg’s Queer Beer.

The Little Brown Jug Queer Beer will be released in conjunction with Fierté Canada Pride in April 2022.

Fort Garry Brewing Co., meanwhile, has partnered with the Beer Boutique (910 Regent Ave.) and local venues to create the Remember When Pilsner, calling it “a local brew in support of local music.”

Featuring a photo of a concert by local hardcore favourites Comeback Kid taken by Joey Senft, proceeds from the beer, which will hit store shelves in the coming days, will benefit local venues the Park Theatre, West End Cultural Centre, Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club and Good Will Social Club.

 

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Local breweries, brew pubs, restaurants and others have taken a serious hit as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. And as lounges, eateries and watering holes have reopened, they’ve faced no shortage of challenges, including staffing, pushback from the vaccine-hesitant crowd and much more.

On Wednesday, Sept. 15 at noon, my colleague Eva Wasney and I are hosting the second virtual town hall in a series presented by the Winnipeg Free Press called Reopening MB. We’ve invited restaurateurs, craft brewers and others to join us to talk and take questions about the challenges of recovering from the impact of the pandemic.

It’s free to tune in, but registration is required. To sign up and to see the other virtual town halls in the Reopening MB series, visit wfp.to/eventbrite.

 

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Wines of the week

Speck Brothers 2020 Family Tree “the Goat Lady” Chardonnay (Niagara Peninsula, Ont. – $16.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

Pale gold in colour, this Ontario Chardonnay comes with a wallop of ripe red apple, peach cobbler, vanilla, pear and subtle herbal notes. It’s dry, medium bodied and viscous, delivering rich red apple, peach, pear and vanilla flavours, a subtle umami note and a warm, lengthy finish. Those into bigger, bolder examples of this grape will enjoy. 3.5/5

Monasterio de las Viñas 2015 Reserva (Cariñena, Spain – $14.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

A blend of Garnatxa, Tempranillo, Cariñena and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, this Spanish red delivers plum, blueberry, chocolate cake, earth and raspberry notes on the nose. There’s a Black Forest cake component on the rich, full-bodied palate that works well with the dark fruit, the medium tannin and long-ish finish. Drink now or hold for 1-3 years. A great value. 4/5

Fabrizio Vella 2019 Rosso (Terre Siciliane, Italy – around $18, private wine stores)

This organic Italian red is made from 100 per cent Nero D’Avola grapes, and on the nose offers strawberry leaf, herbal, white pepper, black tea and cherry aromas. On the dry light-plus bodied palate there’s some healthy acidity to go with the red and black fruit notes, the light, peppery tannins and the moderate finish. Drinking well now; try with pasta dishes in red sauce. 3.5/5

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Twitter: @bensigurdson