2015-2016
Events
72) September 18, 2015
Dessert Wines: Hold the Dessert!
Venue: Edmonton Country Club
Synopsis:The talented culinary team, along with sommelier Alex Milic, will prepare a tasting menu that pairs sweet dessert style wines with savoury dishes. Most of us enjoy a dessert style wine with dessert, or on its own at the end of a meal, but this event highlights the potential of pairing sweet wines with a main course. In total, six wines will be presented.
Wine selections and food pairings:
Reception wine with chef’s choice apps
2014 Vietti Moscato d'Asti, Piedmont, Italy
Smoked Wild boar New York Entrée Cote, Apple Cider Coulis & Three Onion Marmalade Tart, E.C.C. Basil Chips
2010 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Turckheim Herrenweg Vielles Vignes, Alsace, France
House Cured Organic Salmon Carpaccio, Charred Papaya & East Coast Lobster Relish, Curry Chili aioli
2009 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Spatlese, Germany
Pan Seared Foie Gras & Lentil Salad, E.C.C. Heirloom Tomato concasse, Mandarin Orange Vanilla Dressing
2001 Chateau Guiraud, Sauternes
Australian Lamb Cassoulet, Duck Confit Potato Stack, Red Currant Jus, E.C.C. Garden Vegetables
2009 Zenato Recioto della Valpolicella Classico, Veneto, Italy
Family Style International Cheese, Thyme infused honey, oat crackers, House made Chocolate Truffles
2007 Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port
73) October 7, 2015
Green-o Vino! Organic Wines and Vegetarian Pairings.
Venue: Solstice Seasonal Cuisine
74) October 20, 2015
What in the World Are Orange Wines?
Venue: Color de Vino
Synopsis:
No, it's not fermented orange juice. Good guess! So-called orange wines are a hot trend in the wine world, or at least among sommeliers. They're white wines that are made as if they were red wines. Huh?
Normally, white wines are made by crushing the grapes and then bleeding off the juice into a tank to be fermented without skin contact. Red wines are made by fermenting the juice and the solids together, allowing for extraction of flavour and tannins from the skins, seeds, and sometimes the stems. So, orange wines are made by taking white wine grapes and fermenting them with prolonged skin contact (days to weeks) just like with reds. The result is a wine that has the freshness of a white wine but the flavour and aroma intensity, as well as tannin structure, of a red wine. The dark amber-orange colour normally would be a sign of fault in a white wine, but here it is definitely intentional.
They're supposedly the most versatile and exciting food pairing wines in the industry! But...they're really quite different than your standard white.
75) November 17, 2015
Wind in her Sails: Dinner and Stage Play Fundraiser
Venue: Packrat Louie’s/PCL Studio Theatre at ATB Financial Arts Barns
Synopsis:
All proceeds from the production after expenses will go to Dr. Anthony Lang in Toronto who is doing Canadian-based research on Multisystem Atrophy
76) January 16, 2016
Bargains vs Blockbusters Blind Tasting; Cabernet Sauvignon
Venue: Private home
Synopsis:
This will be the third in a series of annual blind taste-offs, always a popular format for this group! Last year we did Syrah, and Merlot the year before that. This year, it's time for the king of the red grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon! Originating from the left bank of Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon is planted in virtually every wine-producing country in the world, producing wines at every price point.
This tasting will present nine wines in total, in three flights. Within each flight of three, there will be one value priced Cab (under $30), one mid priced ($30-100) and one premium priced (over $100) example of Cabernet. Blind tastings are always an interesting way to evaluate a wine's true appeal without being influenced by the label or the price tag. Let's see what your palate tells you!
77) February 20, 2016
Wine in the Movies!
Venue: Alberta Dermasurgery Centre/Woodrack Café
Synopsis:
Wine turns up frequently in motion pictures, and some very famous scenes feature our favourite characters sipping on great wines. Dr. Jaggi Rao, a big cinema buff, will host us at his brand new dermatology facility for an evening that aims to combine great moments in cinema with a sampling of the wines that we see on the screen. James Bond with a glass of Bollinger Champagne? Miles savouring Pinot Noir in Sideways? We'll join in for a sip of those, along with a selection of hors d'oeuvres provided by Woodrack Cafe. In all, we'll sample six wines in an informal evening of wine at the cinema!
Catering menu:
1) Gougeres - A classic French savory cheesy cream puff.
2) Endive spears with Herb Cream Cheese and Lox.
3) Savory Mushroom Puff Pastries.
4) Ahi Tuna Seviche served on skewers.
5) Beef Tenderloin on a Brioche Crostini with Horseradish Aioli.
6) Navarin of Lamb with Spring Vegetables served in Flakey Phyllo Cups – A classic French stew.
7) Woodrack Coffee and Dessert.
Wine selections, as well as the movie clips, to remain a surprise!
78) March 12, 2016
Celebrating the Wines, Music, and Fashion of the 80s.
Venue: Private home/Quickfire Cookery
Synopsis:
What's your favourite song from the 1980s? Karma Chameleon? Billie Jean? Caribbean Queen? How about your favourite fashion trend? We'll let it all shine on this evening featuring great 80s memories and some stellar wines from that "solid gold" decade.
The wines will be paired with a four course dinner catered by chef Stefan Cherwoniak of Quickfire Cookery.
***VERY IMPORTANT: 1980's VINTAGE DRESS IS MANDATORY!
Here are the wines for the evening:
1989 Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin Rose Champagne
1988 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese, Germany
1988 Château Rieussec, Sauternes.
1980 Bertani Amarone, Italy.
1988 Chateau Pichon Baron, Bordeaux.
1985 Warre’s Vintage Port
79) April 6, 2016
French Wine Fundraiser, to benefit Edmonton’s Food Bank
Venue: Packrat Louie’s
Synopsis:
Each year, the Noble Rot Society puts on a fundraising event to benefit Edmonton's Food Bank, a worthy cause at any time but especially now, considering the current state of our economy.This year, the event will feature an array of wines from France. Long held to be the standard-bearer of fine wine, France continues to produce a stunning array of traditional wine styles across the country. This tasting will sample from nearly all of France's major wine regions.
Reception:
Delamotte 2002 Blanc de Blancs Champagne (100% Chardonnay)
Flight One White Wines:
-Chateau de Parnay Saumur “Clos d’Entre Les Murs” 2009 (Loire Valley)
-Christian Moreau Pere et Fils Chablis “Valmur” 2009 (Chardonnay from Burgundy)
-Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Herrenweg Vielles Vignes 2010 (Alsace)
Flight Two Red Wines:
-Jaboulet "La Chapelle" Hermitage 2000 (Syrah from Northern Rhone Valley)
-Chateau Leoville Barton 2004 (Bordeaux blend from St. Julien)
-Louis Jadot 153rd Anniversary Premier Cru "Celebration" blend 2012 (Burgundy).
Dessert Wine: Chateau Coutet 2001, Barsac (Noble rot affected dessert wine from Sauternes-Barsac in southern Bordeaux).
80) May 17, 2016
Canadian Wines: Improving with age
Venue: Workshop Eatery
Synopsis:
The Canadian wine industry continues to improve with each passing harvest, as vines reach full maturity and wineries continue to map out the best sites for different grape varietals. Our group has done Canadian themed tastings in the past, but always with current release wines. One of the measures of quality wine is ageability. This event will feature six wines from the cellar that have nearly a decade of bottle age. We'll see how they're developing over time and whether time has given them the complexity that a ten year old quality wine should express!
Chef Paul Shufelt's newest venture, Workshop Eatery, will serve as the venue for this informal event. We'll be tasting our six mature wines in technical fashion at the beginning of the evening accompanied by charcuterie and cheeses. Following that, we will enjoy an informal dinner with a red and white wine to enjoy with the meal.
The Mature Wines:
1) Le Vieux Pin "Perigee" Pinot Noir 2006
2) Le Vieux Pin Reserve Merlot 2007
3) Sandhill Small Lots Program Syrah 2007
4) Burrowing Owl Meritage 2006
5) Osoyoos Larose 2006
6) Laughing Stock Portfolio 2006
With Dinner:
Kettle Valley Winery Barber Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Riesling 2009
81) June 4, 2016
An Evening With Penfolds: mini verticals
Venue: Edmonton Country Club
Synopsis:
Penfolds is one of the most recognizable and collectible names in the world of fine wine. The iconic Australian producer has a long and legendary history of making some of the most complex and age-worthy wines in the world
Natasha Susylinski from Treasury Wine Estates is the Canadian brand ambassador for Penfolds Wines. She is a WSET certified sommelier and wine educator. Natasha will be leading this sit-down tasting/seminar, in which she will share the history of each wine and the insider's story behind each of the vintages.
It is always fascinating to recognize a bottle of wine as an evolving, organic entity that changes over time into something even more special than when young. For this Penfolds event, we were able to acquire older vintages of various Penfolds wines, via a private cellar sale, that would otherwise only be available at auction. This acquisition, along with the support of Treasury Wine Estates, gives us a unique opportunity to juxtapose fully mature versions and recently released versions of 5 different Penfolds wines.
Flight one:
Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay 2001
Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay 2008
Flight two:
Penfolds Bin 389 Shiraz-Cabernet 1991
Penfolds Bin 389 Shiraz-Cabernet 2013
Flight three:
Penfolds RWT Shiraz 1998
Penfolds RWT Shiraz 2009
Flight four:
Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 1998
Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Flight five:
Penfolds Grange 1995
Penfolds Grange 2010
Dinner Wines:
Penfolds Bin 51 Riesling 2011
Penfolds St. Henri Shiraz 2003