The Cellar Door issue 32: Germany & Austria

the

Cellar Door Wine a n d p o ss i b i l i t i e s b y Ba n v i l le & J o n e s W i n e Co.

GERMANY & AUSTRIA Issue 32 February 2019 – May 2019

Does your family have a plan for the next generation of wealth?

MILES WEALTH MANAGEMENT GROUP Tel.: 204.953.7828 Benji.Miles@RichardsonGMP.com Richardson GMP Limited One Lombard Place, Suite 1100 Winnipeg, MB R3B 0X3 www.RichardsonGMP.com/Benji.Miles

Adam Sefton

Leah Case

Benji Miles

Associate Portfolio Manager

Associate

Director, Wealth Management Portfolio Manager

To learn more about our wealth management process, and how we can help your family create your personal wealth plan, contact us today.

Richardson GMP Limited is a member of Canadian Investor Protection Fund. Richardson is a trade-mark of James Richardson & Sons Limited. GMP is a registered trade-mark of GMP Securities L.P. Both used under license by Richardson GMP Limited.

HELP WANTED The World Leader in Custom Wine Cellars is looking for world class designers, project managers, craftsmen and installers.

You will not find these unique wine cellars anywhere else.

There is no other place on the planet that does what we do at the level we do it.

Join our firm and let your creativity and ingenuity thrive.

[YOUR UNIQUE, HAND-CRAFTED, WORLD CLASS WINE CELLAR]

Genuwine Cellars

26

contents Features 26 Wunderkinds: Reinventing the Winescape of Germany & Austria Andrea Eby explores the new generation of German and Austrian winemakers shaking up the industry.

40

40 Creativity and Civil Disobedience: An Interview with Rainer Lingenfelder Gary Hewitt and Sylvia Jansen discuss art, nature, and breaking the (wine) law with German winemaker (and instigator) Rainer Lingenfelder.

48 Staying In: Pairing Takeout with Wine Why go out when you can eat in? Our wine experts share tips for matching wine with takeout from three of our favourite restaurants.

56 Where the Rhine Meets the Mosel: My German Corner 48

Sylvia Jansen tours us around a little corner of Germany defined by its own two rivers: the Rhine and the Mosel.

Cover: Terraced vineyards overlook the Mosel (Photo by Carol Fletcher)

www.banvilleandjones.com 5

35

contents Columns 12 A Message from Tina Jones 14 Ask a Sommelier 16 Banville & Jones and Company

38

20 Gluggy A–B–C

24 Behind the Label Weingut Rabl

33 Gary’s Corner A Balancing Act

35 Trending Urban Wineries

38 Profile Chef Jackie Hildebrand, Hy’s Steakhouse & Cocktail Bar

44 To Riesling or Not to Riesling 66

Convincing Tina Jones

62 Banville & Jones Wine & Food Events 64 Wine and Drinks College Manitoba 66 Sidebar The Real Thing

68 Culinary Partners 69 Shopping List 70 Top Picks

6 http://banvilleandjones.cornervine.com

YOU

goals.

our experience.

Your Fillmore Riley.

Drive your future forward by putting your goals and our experience to work.

fillmoreriley.com Fillmore Riley LLP Lawyers and Trademark Agents

the

Cellar Door Publisher and Editor Lisa Muirhead lisa@poisepublications.com

Editorial Board Tina Jones, Andrea Eby, Sylvia Jansen, Gary Hewitt, Mike Muirhead, Rob Stansel

As yourAs wealth your wealth grows, grows, so should so should your your expectations expectations

Graphic Design Ryan Germain ryan.germain@gmail.com Advertising Sales Vanessa Shapiro vanessa@poisepublications.com David Navratil david@poisepublications.com

Contributors Alex Allardyce, Todd Antonation, Welcome to Manulife Welcome Private to Manulife Investment Private Pools:Investment Pools: Matt Benger, Andrea Eby, Carol Flecther, Kristin Froese, Gary Hewitt, Sylvia Jansen, Tina An investment program An investment for today’s program affluent forinvestor. today’s affluent investor.

Jones, Megan Kozminski/Media Spur Inc., Jill This program is available This program on a segregated is available pools on a segregated pools Kwiatkoski, Rebecca Lehman, Peri Maric, Ian McCausland, Sara McDonald, platform featuring: platform featuring: Mike Muirhead, Rob Stansel ✱

A comprehensive✱suite A comprehensive of private pools suite to choose of segregated from pools to choose from Published for Banville & Jones Wine Co.

✱

✱ Death Death Benefit and Maturity Benefit Guarantees and Maturity Guarantees

✱

✱ Tiered Tiered Management Fee Reimbursements Management Feefor Reimbursements for household assets household assets

For more information, For more please information, contact please contact Kerry Knudsen, CFP Kerry Knudsen, CFP Spectrum FinancialSpectrum Services Inc. Financial Services Inc. Suite 201 – 611 Corydon Suite 201 Avenue – 611 Corydon Avenue Winnipeg, MB R3LWinnipeg, 0P3 MB R3L 0P3 kknudsen@spectrum-financial.ca kknudsen@spectrum-financial.ca 204.453.0103 204.453.0103 Over 30 Years of Wealth Over 30Management Years of Wealth Excellence Management Excellence

by Poise Publications Inc.

www.poisepublications.com

For advertising information, please contact lisa@poisepublications.com

In 1999, Tina Jones had the vision of opening Banville & Jones Wine Co., a fine wine boutique in Winnipeg, Manitoba that specializes in promoting wine education and lifestyle. It is located in a three-storey Tuscan-inspired facility that houses fine wine and accessories, an educational facility, and a private function room.

Banville & Jones Wine Co. 1616 St Mary’s Rd. Winnipeg, MB R2M 3W7 204-948-9463 Any amount that is allocated to a Any segregated amountfund that is invested allocatedattothe a segregated risk of the fund contractholder is investedand at the mayrisk increase of the contractholder and may increase www.banvilleandjones.com

Sponsored in part by Sponsored ManulifeinInvestments part by Manulife Investments

or decrease in value. Manulife Investments or decreaseisina value. divisionManulife of The Investments Manufacturersis aLifedivision Insurance of TheCompany.

Manufacturers The Life Insurance Company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Manufacturers is the issuer LifeofInsurance the Manulife Company Privateis the Investment issuer ofPools the Manulife – MPIP Segregated Private Investment Pools – MPIP Segregated Pools insurance contract and the guarantor Pools insurance of any guarantee contract and provisions the guarantor therein.ofManulife any guarantee and Manulife provisions Investments therein. Manulife and Manulife Investments are trademarks of The Manufacturers areLife trademarks InsuranceofCompany, The Manufacturers and are used Life by Insurance it, and byCompany, its affiliates andunder are used license. by it, and by its affiliates under license.

CS1080E 09/18

CS1080E 09/18

© 2019 Poise Publications Inc. Printed in Canada by Transcontinental

From South Africa with Love

Paul & Shirley Martens in Robertson, South Africa

Thelema Shiraz $31.99

The Flight Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon $20.99

The Curator White Blend $15.99

Thorne & Daughters Paper Kite Old Vine Semillon $39.99

Flotsam & Jetsam Cinsault $25.99

Juno Shiraz Mourvedre Viognier $15.99

Clarington Merlot $17.99

Each year, Paul & Shirley Martens explore South Africa’s finest boutique wineries, bringing the most interesting & affordable wines back to Manitoba to share with you.

Featured wines available exclusively at Banville & Jones.

Bank Trust Wealth Management

Time to grow your team?

Save faster with a Business Savings Account.

Visit cwbank.com/bsa or ask your Account Manager for more details about a Business Savings Account.

Winnipeg Kenaston branch 125 Nature Park Way t. 204.452.0939

A CWB Financial Group company

cwbank.com

BE WOWED BY WINNIPEG IN A WHOLE NEW WAY

Think you know the Winnipeg skyline?

390 on the River has views you’ve never seen before.

Expansive. Exhilarating. Exceptional.

Turn your attention indoors, and more beauty awaits. Elegant entertaining areas. High-end appliances. Quality finishes. All the amenities you would expect in an upscale residence, plus some unexpected surprises. Where else would you find an above-ground parkade with a river view?

CALL FOR YOUR PRIVATE TOUR. Come see the difference for yourself.

MICHAEL DUBIENSKI 204-981-4101

VIKTORIA FAZEKAS 204-250-7711

TM

Each office independently owned & operated

390 A S SINIBOINE

UPSCALE LIVING | DOWNTOWN

390ontheriver.com

a message from tina jones TINA’S FAVES Grüner Veltliner: The crisp, peppery white signature grape of Austria is something I love to pour when seafood is on the menu! Weingut Rabl makes an especially lovely Grüner.

Gut Oggau: Here is a crazyinteresting Austrian family making natural wines with lots of personality—the labels are tributes to family members, and their personalities shine through the wines inside.

Lingenfelder Ganymed: Here’s something I learned: one third of the vineyard area in Germany is planted to red grapes, and the lead red is Pinot Noir! Lingenfelder’s is rich and beautiful.

There is a bit of a running tease between Banville & Jones’s senior buyer Gary Hewitt and me. It has to do with Riesling. Sometimes Germany. Gary, whose opinion I value tremendously and who has brought countless amazing wines in every style to the province, personally loves Riesling. He appreciates Riesling’s elegance, incredible spectrum of possibilities, and age-worthiness. He has lived in Germany and loves it. He has explored Austria. Gary is constantly trying to convince me that Riesling is the greatest grape ever—and I am constantly poking back. We finally took it to a challenge: Gary is going to spend one month introducing me to Riesling, and I am going to open my mind and see if it sticks.

Read more about our friendly rivalry on page 44, and follow the #rieslingchallenge on our Instagram (@banvillejones).

When the subject of our next theme for The Cellar Door came up, however, we had no disagreement. We have shown our readers the world over the past 10 years, but had yet to take on Germany or Austria. Clearly, it was time. And as the issue came together, I confess to a growing interest in this part of the world and its wines.

In this issue, Sylvia Jansen takes us on a tour of a small corner in Germany; Andrea Eby explores the new generation of winemakers coming up in these two interesting countries; and Sylvia and Gary have a fascinating interview with the iconic German winemaker Rainer Lingenfelder. To round out the issue, Rob Stansel introduces us to urban wineries; Mike Muirhead offers some alternatives for those turning away from south-of-the-border shopping; and we introduce you to our wine pairing handbook for your takeout food.

I learned something new on every page.

Please join me in this interesting adventure. Like me, you may not be a Riesling convert, but you may become a Germany and Austria believer!

Prost!

Tina Jones 12 http://banvilleandjones.cornervine.com

­

ask a sommelier Does Banville & Jones carry any sulphur-free wines?

—Via Text a Sommelier That is a complicated question (that we get a lot). Sulphur is a natural by-product of fermentation, so all wines have some sulphur.

As a wine professional, I believe (as do many wine professionals in the industry) that the addition of sulphites is needed in winemaking to create a sound wine. Even natural wines still use sulphur when bottling.

quality of the juice inside it. The vast majority of Champagne (nonvintage) is produced in a fashion that promotes drinkability not ageability. These wines are perfect for drinking at release and are probably best enjoyed within five years.

—Andrea Eby Can you tell me what Cava de Paraje Calificado (CdP for short) represents?

—Bonnie Greschuk

The key is how much sulphur. The range is huge: for example, natural wines can have as low as 30 parts per million (ppm), while largerscale, commercially produced wines like Yellow Tail or Apothic, can be up to 300 ppm. For perspective, however, dried apricots have 2000+ ppm of sulphur, so the scale of sulphite content is much smaller in wines than in unexpected sources like dried fruit.

Banville & Jones does carry some wines with “no sulphites added.” If you are worried about a reaction to sulphites, try Etnella Presa Tracotanza Rosso ($35.99) or Tenuta l’Armonia Rosso del Armonia ($21.99), both from Italy.

—Jay Ross

The top cuvées are a different matter. These complex wines are designed with ageability in mind from the beginning. With more concentration and longer leesageing, vintage Champagnes could potentially age gracefully for up to 10 years. These ranges apply to standard 750 mL bottles; if you up the size of the bottle to a magnum, the ageing potential also increases significantly.

The simple answer is: “that depends.” Several factors affect the ageability of a bottle of Champagne, from the size of the bottle to the

However, make sure that you really enjoy the flavour profile of older fizz before you start stocking it away.

As Champagne ages, the bubbles

—Mike Muirhead How long can I store Champagnes before consuming them?

14 http://banvilleandjones.cornervine.com

become softer, colour darkens, and the fresh citrus and apple flavours that we all associate with young Champagne begin to evolve toward the nuttier and less fruit-forward style. If these flavours are for you, then by all means age away!

Cava de Paraje Calificado is a new category of Cava (sparkling wine from Spain). It is a single-vineyard Cava that has a legal designation gained only by satisfying strict conditions: wines must be drawn from older (minimum 10-year-old) vines; all fruit must be traceable to the vineyard; wines must be aged at least 36 months (much longer than regular Cava); and it can only be made in dry styles (e.g., brut).

Finally, the wine must also pass a judging panel. There are only about a dozen wines that have qualified, and get ready to pay dearly if you find one! Banville & Jones doesn’t currently carry a Cava de Paraje Calificado, however our team of bubbly experts are working on the first to come to Winnipeg!

—Sylvia Jansen

IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR OUR SOMMELIERS, TEXT US BETWEEN 9 AM AND 9 PM AT 204.400.0499 OR FIND US ON INSTAGRAM AND TWITTER @BANVILLEJONES.

P R I VATE WE A LT H M A N AG E M E NT

C I B C WO OD GU NDY MADAMS ADVISORY GROUP

Innovative Financial Strategies For Wealthy Families 204 946 9841 scott.madams@cibc.ca CIBC Private Wealth Management consists of services provided by CIBC and certain of its subsidiaries, including CIBC Wood Gundy, a division of CIBC World Markets Inc. CIBC Private Wealth Management is a registered trademark of CIBC, used under license. Wood Gundy is a registered trademark of CIBC World Markets Inc.

what do

wine & architecture have in common?

wine imports architecture inc.

find out at www.gwarchitectureinc.com/our-blog

banville & jones and company

1

2

3

4

5

Friends of Banville & Jones Wine Co. 1. Joseph Lange of Lange Twins (left) hosts a winemaker's dinner at Merchant Kitchen, with Jill Kwiatkoski, Josh Schettler, Alex Allardyce, Sara McDonald, T.J. Riel, and Mike Longfield; 2. Paul Martens of Blend Imports with Adi Badenhorst of AA Badenhorst Wines; 3. Mona Loch, Sylvia Jansen and Michaela Bollig at Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt, Germany; 4. Shirley Martens of Blend Imports punching down Cinsault with Chris Alheit of Alheit Wines, South Africa; 5. Alex Allardyce and Courtney Ponte (Hy's Steakhouse and Cocktail Bar) working at Averill Creek vineyard on Vancouver Island.

16 http://banvilleandjones.cornervine.com

6

8

7

9

10

11

12

Friends of Banville & Jones Wine Co. 6. ????; 7. ????; 8. Gail Gardner (middle) with Barrie & Janet Christie of Ashling Park Estate, U.K; 9. Robert Langtry and David Langtry at our South African Wine Essentials evening; 10. Valentina Cubi, Travis Sexsmith and Sylvia Rama; 11. Oscar Quevedo of Quevedo Port; 12. Bozena Langtry and Joasia Langtry at our South African Wine Essentials evening.

www.banvilleandjones.com 17

2 N D F L O O R C I T Y P L A C E , 2 3 3 H A R G R AV E S T.

VISIT WINNIPEG’S ONLY

DOWNTOWN GAMING CENTRE

FEATURING ROULETTE, BLACKJACK, DOUBLE DECK AND THREE CARD POKER plus 140 SLOT MACHINES

Something for Everyone at Fruity & Food Friendly

Undurraga Sibaris Pinot Noir Chile | $21.99 18+ Enjoy Responsibly

90

PTS

Rafael Cambra Soplo Garnacha Spain | $14.99

TOP VALUE

Leaping Horse Chardonnay California | $17.99

93

PTS

LA International Wine Awards

Wente Vineyards Sandstone Merlot California | $21.99

Structured & Rich

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Hawk Crest Cabernet Sauvignon California | $23.99

AJG_4819_BeltonBoisselle_halfpgAd_F.ai

1

9/10/18

Belton Boisselle has joined Gallagher.

Same local commitment.

New global strength.

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

With Gallagher, Belton Boisselle delivers a comprehensive approach to benefits, compensation, retirement, employee communication and workplace culture that is holistically focused on organizational wellbeing —Gallagher Better Works�.

Learn more at ajg.com/beltonboisselle

11:38 AM

GLUGGY

A–B–C

By Mike Muirhead, CMS, Sommelier

We are finally seeing the end of a wine trend that has stuck around longer than most: the A-B-C Principle (or Anything But Chardonnay). Consumers are coming back around to the versatile winemakers’ grape due to the quality upgrade that has followed its sabbatical: your Chardonnay had better be good if it is going to be in this market!

However, this article isn’t about Chardonnay. As we see one A-B-C trend wane, a new A-B-C trend waxes: Anything But California (and for some, anything but the USA, really).

Over the past year, we have seen many wine lovers move away from the Californian, and indeed American, wines. The buying team here at Banville & Jones has been warily watching the growing gap of California wines between markets—a quick look online shows J. Lohr 7 Oaks available for $11.99 in North Dakota, while in Manitoba it topped out at over $28 this year!

This gap plays heavily into the Quality Price Ratio (QPR) that we rely heavily upon to make our purchases.

The price of all Napa wines has risen steadily over the last five years, and finding a “value” Napa wine (anything under $50) is quickly becoming a thing of the past. With poor foreign exchange, wildfires, drought, and the rising cost of land in one of the world’s most expensive vineyard sites, we don’t see a reprieve on the horizon.

With all of this being said, the larger picture is a shift away from buying American-made products broadly,

N OW S E RVI N G 20 FINE WINES C U R AT E D B Y VÉR O N I Q U E R IVE ST TO P F E M A L E S O M M E L I E R I N TH E W O R L D

C O M E S E E WHAT WE’R E PO U R I N G

FIND US IN THE FOOD HALL AT TH E FO R KS MAR KET

not just from California. The tipping point for many has been politics. With trade wars and conflicting ideologies, a good segment of our market has decided that supporting American wines is supporting the president in power.

LOVE CALIFORNIA CHARDONNAY? DRINK AOC

(ANY OTHER COUNTRY!) Now is Chardonnay’s time to shine! Choose from southern France (Domaine Astruc Chardonnay, $14.99), South Africa’s clean and modern styles (Crystallum's The Agnes Chardonnay, $35.99) or Spain’s version of the classic French grape with a Spanish twist (Vina Zorzal Chardonnay, $14.99).

With that in mind, we put together a field guide of where to go next. If your taste drifts toward particularly American styles, but you want to spend your dollars elsewhere, these wines will please both your palate and your pocketbook. 

LOVE CALIFORNIA CAB? DRINK AUSTRALIAN

LOVE AMERICAN RED BLENDS? DRINK ARGENTINA

LOVE OREGON PINOT NOIR? DRINK CHILEAN

For sheer QPR, the Australians are doing an amazing job. We feel that for a $20 Australian Cab, you would be paying $30+ if it had “California” on the label. Try the Cape Jaffa Wines Gravière Cabernet Sauvignon ($24.99) from Limestone Coast, South Australia.

These non-varietal-specific blends (think Apothic and its hundreds of imitators) are juicy and rich, mainly due to a bit more residual sugar than you might expect. As an alternative, revisit Argentinean Malbec.

These big bold wines have a ton of red fruit and long, smooth finishes. Try Toro Centenario Malbec from Mendoza, ($13.99).

It is high time to reconsider Chile, which produces some of the best QPR Pinot Noirs in the world right now. Cooler climates in the coastal regions, and further north in Leyda, have shown some world-class Pinot. Try the Clos des Fous Sobsollum ($34.99) or Kalfu Kuda Pinot Noir ($22.99).

FROM DUST Sawdust Filled Boots Cold, dusty, grimy, dim. Unpleasant. This was Genuwine Cellars’ first shop, before they even had a name, a garage start up built on a gambler’s prayer.

“We would work all night and I remember wading through piles of sawdust up past my boots,” reflects Robb Denomme, co-founder and current CEO. In 1995, Robb, along with his partner at the time, Lance Kingma (his stepfather), took the road hardly ever travelled and started an unlikely luxury business in the heart of East Kildonan, one of Winnipeg’s bluest collar, salt-of-the-earth boroughs.

Slivered hands and dusty lungs and cold feet. Endless hours and hard lessons and nagging skepticism—those were the costs. The results however, hardly believable even to the founders, were the makings of the world’s finest wine cellars.

Handcrafted in Canada For all of the care and attention paid to wine (across thousands of years and dozens of countries) it is remarkable that up until 1995, few had thought of applying that same love and passion towards the actual racks holding the wine.

“I saw what was on the market [for wine racking] and I knew we could do way better,” says Kingma, a lifelong woodworker and unexpected oenophile. Applying a fine furniture-grade mentality to an industry used to shoddy materials and dismal workmanship opened up opportunities neither Robb nor Lance could have ever imagined back when their early work paid them less than $2/hour, and back when some of their closest friends and relatives urged them to give up the cause.

“When I first travelled to Toronto and saw the wine culture there, I knew we had struck gold. I knew this thing could be big,” says Robb.

From the Garage to the Factory It wasn’t long before Genuwine’s premium quality wine racking caught the attention of designers, architects, builders and wine collectors everywhere.

Establishing itself as a wholesaler, Genuwine built a network of dealers across Canada and the US. One job led to two more, and the factory grew…and grew… and grew.

Working with the cutting edge in the construction industry helped push Genuwine to greater heights. “Anything is Possible” became the mantra, and today still stands as one of the company’s six core values.

From Millwork Shop to Architectural Design-Build Firm The economic downturn in 2008 marked a turning point as Genuwine began focusing on the highest end luxury market. The eventual economic recovery revealed a much changed business landscape in the wine cellar industry. Their

TO DISNEY wholesale network had been slashed, so Genuwine responded by working directly with end-use clients. By then, however, Genuwine was a 15-year old company with more wine cellars in their quiver than virtually any other company in Canada or the US. Genuwine quickly became the design authority in custom wine racking, and dozens of new elements, features and products were developed.

“I remember looking out into our shop one day and seeing nothing but metal racking and glass walls. I always thought of us as a millwork company, but that just wasn’t true anymore,” says Robb.

Metal peg racking. Tension cable racking.

Undulating glass racking. Abstract art racking.

The possibilities proved endless, and the portfolio grew. Word of mouth continued to spread, and spread upward.

The World Leader in Custom Wine Cellars 2018 marked a banner year for Genuwine. Always the world’s finest, but officially now also the world’s largest custom wine cellar manufacturer, Genuwine has established an international reputation that has taken its team across the globe.

Over 90% of its business is in the US and abroad.

And the firm keeps collecting marquee projects including:

• A curved glass display box suspended from the ceiling (in Steve Wynn’s former home — one of its two wine cellars) showcasing over 70 vintages of Mouton Rothschild; • A Spiral Cellar in the home of the Coca Cola family; • A space-themed wine cellar design for Disney World; • An old world white oak cellar for the GoPro founder; and • Most recently, the world’s most expensive wine cellar (>$3.5M) featuring backlit onyx walls, leather bottle cradles, copper ceiling, custom iron gates, and ornate custom wood racking.

Into The Future

With a newly expanded facility and fast-growing team of driven professionals, Genuwine looks forward to celebrating its 25th year in 2020.

From dust to Disney. From Winnipeg to the world. From dreams to reality. Anything is truly possible.

special advertising section

BEHIND THE LABEL

Weingut Rabl

By Sylvia Jansen, DipWSET, CSW, Sommelier Many people can make good wine, but if a winemaker can put his soul in the wine then the sun is shining in the glass.

—Rudi Rabl, winemaker, Weingut Rabl A short one-hour drive from Vienna, Austria, is all it takes to experience the Rabl winery and meet Rudi (just email to arrange a visit). The village of Langenlois in the Kamptal region is home to several great wineries, with Weingut Rabl very much in the forefront. The Kamp River runs alongside the village (“Tal” means valley in German; the Kamptal region is in the beautiful Kamp Valley), and the vineyards of the Rabl family stretch into the best hillsides of the surrounding area.

Langenlois has been a wine town for centuries. When Rudi Rabl joined his father at Weingut Rabl about 30 years ago, he became the 12th generation of winemakers in the family. He has continued a fine family tradition of continual improvement and the reach for excellence.

During Rudi’s career, he has overseen an increase of vineyard area and garnered regional, national, and international acclaim, including awards from the prestigious Decanter magazine.

Rabl’s three guiding principles are: only perfect grapes can yield a top wine, use only minimal intervention, and have no fear of powerful wines! “And by saying powerful wines, we refer to body and structure, not to the alcohol level,” Rudi clarifies.

Rudi was the first winemaker in Austria to champion the use of natural fermentations (without using commercial yeasts) and is also an advocate of long maceration (contact between skin and juice, even in white wines).

“This causes the enzymes from the fruit pulp and peel to release more extracts and flavours. Only in this way can a great wine be created,” explains Rudi.

The work of Weingut Rabl is certified as “Austrian Sustainable,” a national certification that uses a broad system of assessment of ecological, social, and economic criteria. To gain this certification, a winery must adhere to high standards for water and energy use, for vineyard management and biodiversity, for fair wages and social safeguards, and for economic considerations.

The raven silhouette on Rabl labels pays homage to the family name (Rabl = little raven), and a raven has been part of the family’s trademark identity since 1750.

Their list of grape varieties includes the Austrian greats: whites Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, and red Zweigelt (also available as a beautiful rosé). Every wine delivers very high quality; and in fact, wine lovers agree that the sun is shining in every glass. 

Banville & Jones carries a great selection of Rabl wines: Langenlois Riesling ($24.99); Zweigelt Rosé ($24.99); Blauer Titan Zweigelt ($35.99); Kaferberg Grüner Veltliner ($34.99); Langenlois Grüner Veltliner ($19.99); Trockenbeerenauslese Riesling (375 ml) ($58.99)

24 http://banvilleandjones.cornervine.com

Showroom: 969 Fife Street, Winnipeg 204.586.2794 I www.yarrow.mb.ca

Whether your project is a renovation, addition, or a new home, our window and door experts are here to collaborate with you from concept to completion.

www.loewen.com

www.rockymountainhardware.com

• Metal Clad Wood Windows • Custom Wood Doors • Timber Curtain Wall • Architectural Hardware • Professional Installation

www.karcher-design.com

WUNDERKINDS:

REINVENTING THE WINESCAPE OF GERMANY & AUSTRIA

By Andera Eby, DipWSET, Sommelier, IWS, CWS

Stephanie Tscheppe-Eselbรถck at Gut Oggau (photo courtesy of Gut Oggau)

“I’ll have a bottle of the Weingutes Krone 2004 Assmannshausen Assmannshäuser Höllenberg Spätburgunder Weissherbst, Spätlese Natursüß” … said no one ever.

Or at least no one I have ever met! Complicated nomenclature and unfamiliar grape varieties aside, the wines of Germany and Austria should be vastly more popular than they are. Despite their illustrious pasts, both Austria and Germany have largely failed to convert the masses to the religion of Riesling and Grüner Veltliner. The mass industrialization of the German wine industry in the latter half of the 20th century and the Austrian “antifreeze scandal” of 1985 (see sidebar) have not done either market any favours in the eyes of consumer or critic. Add to this a myriad of wine styles and indecipherable labels and you begin to understand the problem.

Thankfully, both Austria and Germany are blessed with some of the world’s most amazing vineyard sites and, in capable hands, are producing some of the world’s most stunning wines. Coupled with rising wine prices in more famous regions (ahem…Burgundy) and global warming pushing vine growing boundaries northward, Germany and Austria are poised to profit.

The foundations for a resurgence have been laid by an older generation of winegrowers that strove to recover the quality of days past. Careful and deliberate adoption of the newest technology and a Teutonic attention to detail and rules has resulted in wines that are often extremely well-made but have failed to catch the eye of the modern consumer. But times are changing. A new generation of wine producers is taking over family estates and planting vineyards in undiscovered regions, producing wines that are painting a very different picture of the potential of German and Austrian wein.

At the heart of this revolution is the spirit of collaboration. The previous generation tended to work in isolation, while today’s winemakers are eager to collaborate. “My parents’ generation was about fearing competition. The cellar was completely closed and there was no exchange, even with neighbours,” says Jan Eymael, the third-generation winemaker at Weingut Pfeffingen, founded in 1622. Today Eymael belongs to the world’s largest community of young winemakers, Generation Riesling. The group was originally conceived by the German Wine Institute, in response to the lacklustre image that German wines

The great Austrian “antifreeze scandal” refers to the unfortunate events of 1985 which saw several Austrian producers blending diethylene glycol (a chemical component of antifreeze) into their wines in order to increase the sweetness. The levels of the chemical were quite minute and consumers would have had to consume dozens of bottles at one time to suffer long-term effects.

However, the duplicitous nature of the act resulted in the overnight crash of the Austrian wine industry, with exports falling by more than 40 million litres and the wines being banned in countries around the world. The silver lining was that the Austrian wine industry was overhauled and now boasts some of the strictest wine laws in the world.

The wines of Austria emerged from the scandal better than ever.

had in export markets. Now 500+ members strong, the group is leading the charge toward a more modern image for German wines.

One of the noticeable changes to the wines of both countries is the new generation’s approach to labelling.

Gone are the unintelligible, overly complicated labels of old, replaced with modern, minimalist, irreverent renditions. Take for example the stark white labels of Claus Presigner that only feature the name of the grape or vineyard scrawled in script; the fun and childlike tractor motif of The Rennersistas; the cheekily named Pornfelder (a play on the German grape variety Dornfelder) of Lukas Kraus and the anthropomorphized labels of Gut Oggua. Each label embodies the new spirit of inclusiveness and connection to a new generation of wine lovers. In fact, according to Germany’s Juliane Eller, winemaker at JuWel wines in the Rheinhessen, “It’s not only the young winemakers who are transforming Germany but also the young wine drinkers.”

www.banvilleandjones.com 27

Wine styles have indeed evolved, and a new generation of consumers, eager to assert their philosophical views on the market, is lapping them up. Many of the new wave of winemakers farm organically or biodynamically and subscribe to a minimalist approach in the cellar. Most of the wines see far lower sulphur additions than those of their parents and aim for a less extracted, less oak-influenced style.

Additionally, the sweet wines of yesteryear are no longer the only game in town. Riesling in particular is increasingly being fermented to dryness and is attracting the attention of new and old wine lovers alike. Both Austria and Germany have also seen increased interest in the potential of their underappreciated reds. Grape varieties such as Zweigelt, St. Laurent, Blaufränkisch, and Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) are catching the eye of critics and consumers. Global warming and an improved understanding of viticulture and vinification are taking these once underwhelming wines to new

heights. Not only are consumers appreciative of the ethos behind the wines, they are willing to pay for them. In Austria, bulk wine sales continue to steadily decline as the total value of sales has grown an average of 48% per year since 2010. Bulk is out, and boutique is in.

The struggle is real. Today’s young winemakers are battling against tarnished images, out-of-vogue wine styles, and overzealous regulatory systems. The great news is that they are winning the war. Varieties such as Riesling and Grüner Veltliner are rising to new heights in drier, mineral-rich expressions. Irreverent labels are mirroring the anti-establishment attitudes of Generation Z. Red wines are coming on strong. Funk is the new fashion as natural winemaking continues to capture the attention of today’s young consumer.

Whatever you think you know about Austrian and Germany wine, think again. The revolution has begun, and the future is bright. 

We recommend…

A bottle or two from some of Austria and Germany’s leading revolutionaries to fully appreciate what the new generation of wines has to offer.

Gut Oggau 2016 Family Reunion White Burgenland, Austria $66.99

Leitz 2015 Eins Zwei Dry 3 Trocken Riesling Rheingau, Germany $24.99

The Rennersistas 2017 Waiting for Tom Red Blend Burgenland, Austria $XXXX WAITING FOR TOM zz

z zz

z

This fun, fruity, funky red comes to us from the wonderful Renner sisters, Stefanie and Susanne.

The Renner family has been cultivating vines in Austria’s Neusiedlersee region since the late 1980s. After gaining invaluable experience working abroad with France’s Tom Lubbe and Australia’s Tom Shobbrook, the pair returned home to take over the family estate. Waiting for Tom is a cheeky label designed to pay homage to their two biggest mentors, both of whom had a habit of dashing out of the vineyard or the winery with a quick “I’ll be right back” and failing to return for hours.

The sisters discovered a great deal about viticulture and winemaking in the hours they spent “waiting for Tom”!

Famous for their unique head shot labels, the wines of Gut Oggau are well-known in the natural winemaking world.

Eduard Tscheppe and Stephanie Tscheppe-Eselböck use minimal intervention in their winemaking and biodynamic principals in their vineyards. Each vineyard’s wine is bottled and labelled with a portrait that embodies the personality of the wine. The family of wines is generally comprised of 10 members and split into three generations, corresponding to the ages of the vines from which the wines are made. In 2016, instead of compromising on quality in a low-yield year, they created a unique blend from their best vineyards: the Family Reunion White. The label combines each of the four family members that comprise the wine. This unique blend of Grüner Veltliner, Gewürztraminer, Welschriesling, and Weissburgunder is vibrant and complex and has the potential for extended ageing if one can resist opening the bottle.

(Very limited quantities available.)

With a winemaking history dating back to 1744, the Leitz family are considered an institution in the German village of Rüdesheim. Johannes Leitz assumed control of the family winery in 1985 and has gained an international following for his wines. Leitz works exclusively with Riesling and produces a myriad of expressions of the grape from his Rüdesheim terroir. In addition to his spectacularly lively and pure wines, Leitz has also won several competitions for his contemporary label designs that are a far cry from the intimidating and complex labels that many of the country’s wines sport. The 2015 Eins Zwei Dry is aromatic and bright with notes of citrus fruit, stone fruit and white blossom. Racy and dry on the palate, this wine is sure to impress even the pickiest Riesling critic out there!

Best of

2017

SERVICE

A fantastic wine selection.

Suited for celebrations.

Overnight accommodations.

Find your perfect pairing here.

Dry Trocken Spätelese Auslese

Halbtrocken

Kabinett Spätlese Auslese

Halbtrocken/Feinherb

Spätelese Auslese

Kabinett Spätlese Auslese

Leiblick

Austria

Beerenauslese Elswein Strohwein

Half Dry

Beerenauslese Elswein Strohwein

Semi-sweet Germany

Süss

Sweet www.banvilleandjones.com 31

Photo by Ian McCausland

GARY’S CORNER

A Balancing Act

By Gary Hewitt, DipWSET, CWE, FWS, Sommelier Wine balance depends on the relative impact of the elements of sweetness, acidity, alcohol, fruit, and tannin. A wine is said to be in balance when no element dominates the others. A wine is said to be in harmony if flavours augment the structural elements to create a pleasing whole. While technically correct, the distinction between balance and harmony is not always observed, and the terms are used interchangeably. However, a balanced wine without flavour runs the risk of being boring and bland.

There is an interplay among the elements. For example, acidity is diminished by sweetness—we make lemonade less sour by adding more sugar, or, if it is too sweet, we add more acidity (lemons). Likewise, high tannin levels diminish our perception of fruit. The interplay can be remarkably complex and there is no rote formula for perfect balance.

Balance impacts our perception at all stages of a wine’s development from youthful fruitiness to maturity. Today, most winemakers strive for a balance that provides young appealing wines that continue to drink well over their lifespans. Historically, especially for age-worthy reds such as red Bordeaux and Barolo, hard green tannins were tolerated with the expectation that they would soften with bottle age. Indeed, short chain (harsh) tannins may polymerize and combine with pigments to create a soft, smooth, or optimally, velvety mouthfeel over time. It was hoped that such wines would age into balance (which was not always the result!).

The protective properties of tannins in red wine have long been recognized, but as demonstrated by perfectly ageworthy white wines containing little or no tannin, tannin is not essential for ageing. A great example of this is Austria’s Grüner Veltliner which, in the hands of a capable winemaker, may create a classic age-worthy dry white wine. Young Grüner can possess lovely fullness across the palate, fresh acidity, citrus and apple flavours, and, according to wine

32 http://banvilleandjones.cornervine.com

author Oz Clarke, “lentil, celery and white pepper aroma.”

The balance is ideal for food pairing as noted by American importer Terry Theise, who lauds Grüner as the best wine for food pairing (it even works with asparagus!). With bottle age, flavours deepen, the palate broadens, and flavours of dried fruits, honey, and more distinct spiciness emerge. The complex harmony of a mature Grüner can be superb.

GARY RECOMMENDS: Hiedler 2017 Löss Grüner Veltliner Kamptal ($32.99) A paradoxically different balance is found in classic, medium-sweet Riesling with alcohol as low as 8% and no preservative tannins, such as wines from Rhinegau and Mosel in Germany. The secret is high acidity that balances the sweetness. Without such acidity, young wines would be cloying, and frankly, sometimes the potentially great wines seem a bit sweet. But, the transformation with bottle age is magical. The sweetness gradually diminishes, body increases, and superb toast and honey complexity emerges. As yummy as a young tropical Riesling may be, the great age-worthy ones seem designed to age into balance. Great Rieslings age gracefully over a very long time, fading to spectres of their former glory without ever plunging to their death.

GARY RECOMMENDS: Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt 2015 Grosse Lage Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese ($37.99) In this discussion, there has been no mention of power—it is not about power, it is about balance. Power on its own, whether from intense fruit, high tannins, concentrated oak, or high alcohol may be impressive but can be tiring.

Balance can be retained by setting all elements to loud, but even then, only tolerant palates truly enjoy the music. I for one will keep the volume level moderate and advocate for balanced wines with commensurate complexity. 

Gary’s Germany Gary Hewitt has many connections to Germany—through family, work, travel, and, of course, through wine. He is a passionate advocate among Banville & Jones Sommeliers for Germany’s talented traditional winemakers and has introduces our market to the newest generation of winemakers. To that end, we asked Gary to recommend some current German wines that he feels represent the best of the country’s diverse styles.

Weingut am Stein 2015 Würzburger Stein Silvaner Franken ($37.99) Weingut am Stein 2013 VINZ Alte Reben Silvaner Franken ($44.99) Lingenfelder 2015 Grosskarlbacher Osterberg Grauburgunder Spätlese trocken Pfalz ($27.99) Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt 2015 Josephshöfer Grosse Gewächs Mosel ($58.99) Leitz 2017 Rüdesheimer Magdalenenkreuz Riesling Spätlese Rheingau ($35.99)

LET US ENHANCE YOUR NATURAL BEAUTY 100-1020 LORIMER BLVD., WINNIPEG, MB R3P 1C7 PH: (204) 272-9699 | FAX: (204) 943-8393 | WEB: WESTERNSURGERYCENTRE.COM FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

Seven-course surprise dinners expertly paired with fine wine.

Modern interpretations of French and Mediterranean cuisine combined with warm hospitality make dining at Beaujena’s special, regardless of the occasion.

Open exclusively on Friday and Saturday evenings By reservation only In the heart of St. Boniface at 302 Hamel Ave.

www.beaujenas.com | 204.233.4841 | beaujena@shaw.ca

eNgiNeered for reaLity. guaraNteed for Life.™

IntroducIng Transcend® VX™ WIth VarIable expansIon.

Luggage that adjusts to you. Not the other way arouNd. · As us ual, sc otc

h, wine

T h u rs Brou

ght to

you b y

:

and dis counts w ill

day, O

be serv e

c to b e r

5:00-9

26

d!

:00 p.mth .

204.943.1068 · www.unluggage.com

TRENDING

Urban Wineries

By Rob Stansel, Sommelier (CAPS) The first winery I ever visited was not in the rolling vineyards of some distant romantic land—it was in the heart of Manhattan. I was there to see Bruce Cockburn, who opened his set with “Silver Wheels,” a tune about driving from prairie to metropolis. It didn’t occur to me that this was the journey the grapes had taken to arrive in my glass as a flight of rosés; grown elsewhere but produced just one room over. The woman seated beside me pointed out that what was in her glass was from “her barrel.” She had helped sort the grapes.

More than half of the world’s population lives in cities, those dense clusters of brick and light and bodies that we take for granted. Most wine is consumed in cities, but we don’t grow vines on rooftops or up the sides of skyscrapers (at least, not yet). In fact, wine is almost entirely associated with the countryside, with an idyllic vision of green hills and slow living. So why would anyone want to visit a winery nestled between a subway stop and a bank?

Urban wineries—winemaking facilities that source their grapes from wine country but operate within city limits—began popping up in the United States in the early 2000s. Now they are everywhere—including in Canada. Vancouver’s Urban Winery posits their wines are “Okanagan grown, Railtown made.” Most operate in cities adjacent to prominent wine regions—Seattle, Portland, San Francisco—but there are others where you’d least expect them. Austin, Texas, far from any notable wine region, keeps it weird with the “counterculture” winemaking of The Infinite Monkey Theorem, a company that first opened its urban wineries in Colorado. Many, like London’s Renegade, help to promote the wine identities of up-and-coming regions (yes, the English are making wine—and good wine, too) while retaining a cosmopolitan, rule-breaking vision: Why can’t we blend grapes from Kent and Burgundy? they ask. Why can’t we dry hop our wine?

What’s particularly exciting about urban wineries is their flexibility. Not being tied to a particular chunk of

The Winery at The Infinite Monkey Theorem, Austin, TX (courtesy of The Infinite Monkey Theorem)

earth, they are free to source grapes from anywhere they please. The ability to keep freshly picked grapes cool with refrigerated transport, and therefore unspoiled, on their journey from country to city allows the urban winemaker to act as a new kind of negociant. Blending to create exciting new wines that may or may not want to express a sense of place, the urban winemaker can simply ask, “What do my customers want?” It’s demand-driven and fast-paced. They don’t even have to bottle (though most do), because of the new(-ish) trend of wine on tap. Tasting finished juice right at the source is not only delicious, it’s educational. Urban wineries are hubs for wine courses, where urban students do not have to leave the city to experience the sights and smells of winemaking first hand.

We can’t all afford to travel. Weekend jaunts to Napa aren’t in the cards for most of us. Urban wineries, therefore, offer an exciting new possibility: a tasting room just minutes from the office and a chance for working people to experience the wonders of winemaking, without the pretense. By 2050, nearly twothirds of the world’s population will be urban. And the cities are thirsty. 

www.banvilleandjones.com 35

There’s no better way to experience Winnipeg than with WOW Hospitality! Enjoy a variety of cuisine prepared by award-winning chefs in the most scenic spots of the city, including the lively Forks, bustling downtown core, historic Exchange District, serene Kildonan Park, and decadent Wellington mansion.

(204) 487-8325

(204) 896-7275

(204) 989-7700

Let us take the stress out of planning your event—from weddings to family BBQs, WOW Catering provides the food, beverages, and all the supplies in between. Need a place for your event? Choose from the breathtaking Millennium Centre, remarkable Masonic Memorial Centre, or the panoramic Mon Ami Louis during the winter.

(204) 452-1422

(204) 226-2018 (204) 942-1090 ext 225

PROFILE

Chef Jackie Hildebrand, Hy’s Steakhouse & Cocktail Bar Photos by Ian McCausland

Jackie Hildebrand has known she wanted to be a chef since she was seven years old. Her determination took her to Red River’s Culinary Arts program right after high school.

After her two co-ops and a brief stint at a bakery, Jackie heard about a position at Hy’s Steakhouse & Cocktail Bar. As a young cook of 21, Jackie was drawn to the learning opportunities of working under the experienced chefs in Hy’s scratch kitchen, where she could learn traditional techniques from the bottom up. After serving as sous chef for a decade, Jackie has just celebrated her first-year anniversary as Executive Chef.

What led you into this unwavering knowledge that you would be a chef?

I think it was just time with my family. I grew up in Winnipeg with just my immediate family, so every time I got to go see my grandparents, it was really special to spend time with them in the kitchen.

What would you be if you weren’t a chef?

I have no plan B. Favourite dish as a kid?

Every person that was involved in my culinary memories when I was young has a different dish attached to them. My one grandmother was chicken and dumplings; my other grandmother and I always made peanut butter cookies for my grandfather. One of the first things my mom gave me a recipe for was cream puffs when I was nine.

The most interesting current food trend?

One of the things about this business I am always grateful for is there is always something new that you can learn, and you can also stick to the classics. I grew up pickling with my grandma, so pickling and fermenting are really fascinating to me right now.

38 http://banvilleandjones.cornervine.com

Your favourite place to eat on your day off?

I have gone to Segovia a lot lately and Harth. I like smaller format, multi-plate restaurants because I want to try as much as I can when I go out.

Favourite food travel destination?

My sister lived in Egypt for six years, and I found that cuisine really fascinating. I also love street tacos in Mexico.

The secret ingredient in your kitchen?

In almost anything I make at home, I slip in duck fat.

Favourite cookbook?

For the first part of my cooking career, it was the On Cooking textbook, because it’s thorough; then I leaned into the classic chefs like Eric Ripert, Paul Bocuse, and the Joy of Cooking books. Anthony Bourdain was obviously a big part of my career.

Favourite wine?

I like The Crusher Pinot Noir ($22.99). I find the fruity flavours match with a lot of different foods. ď‚—

Beef Wellington with foie gras and oyster mushroom duxelle

CREATIVITY AND CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE:

an interview with rainer lingenfelder Interview by Gary Hewitt and Sylvia Jansen Rainer Lingenfelder is one of those rare winemakers whose reputation may not be measured so much by conventional ideas of fame, but in the number of wine experts who go to him for advice. He is a 13th generation winemaker whose interests include literature, architecture, and history, which are woven into his thoughtful, philosophical approach to winegrowing.

Diversity abounds on the Lingenfelder estate with significant plantings of Spätburgunder, Dornfelder,

40 http://banvilleandjones.cornervine.com

Scheurebe, Sylvaner, Müller Thurgau, Morio Muscat, and Gewürztraminer, although, for historical and market reasons, Riesling makes up the greatest portion (31%). In 2002, Rainer hired sight-unseen a seasonal worker from Winnipeg, which was the start of an enduring friendship.

That seasonal worker, Gary Hewitt, and Sylvia Jansen caught up with Rainer at his estate in the small town of Grosskarlbach in the Pfalz region of Germany.

Sylvia Jansen (SJ) Please tell us about your philosophy of wine. We know you hand-harvest all estate wines; that you ferment naturally; and that you do not use fining agents, making Lingenfelder estate wines completely vegan friendly.

Rainer Lingenfelder (RL) Well, my family has made wine for almost 500 years now, and if you want a quick answer, that’s very hard to give. In general, I want to be as natural as possible. The question is, how do I achieve that with minimal interference, handsoff. The artist works hands-on, shaping, and I don’t shape. I keep my hands off, and that means I don’t use fining agents. I leave the fermentation to the natural yeasts, which would come from the vineyard, and I don’t stabilize.

When we think about this in context, we should remember that previous generations made wine the way their ancestors made wine. You had one vessel, one material, and you just had to live with what you had. There were few choices, and you just kept on doing what always was done. Today, winemakers are overwhelmed with choices, and they have to make conscious decisions.

Some growers and some winemakers say: wine comes from the vineyard. Wine should be as natural as possible. Other winemakers say, well, no, the wine should be an expression of my idea of what wine is, or my skills, and my approach. To give you a little idea

where I find wine, it is somewhere with nature on one end, and culture in the middle, and art/artificial on the other end.

Wine is not all nature, because it’s a result of a cultural activity, and it needs culture—as in viticulture. It is a cultural activity. It is never 100% nature. Even training the vine and picking the vessel for fermentation are cultural activities. But then if you go to the term art, the next step from art would be artificial.

[Artificial] is on the extreme right, and nature is the extreme left, and somewhere in between, we find ourselves, between nature and art. This is a conscious decision. If the winemaker wants to be an artist, they intervene, shape the wine. It is not 100% art, because the wine is still tied a little bit to nature, to culture, but the artistic impact is a bigger one.

I find myself more on the nature side, where nature is more dominant, culture is less so, and the artistic impact is, perhaps, close to zero.

SJ Why is this is all important?

RL We all know that many people talk about nature and natural being something very desirable. At the same time, they interfere without end to shape nature so that it fits them. (For example, training vines, managing in the winery, making choices about vessels, and so forth.)

WINE CULTURE SCALE

NATURE RE = CULTU

DEGRE

LINGENFELDER ESTATE TERROIR GROWER WINE ORIGINALITY AUTHENTICITY POETRY OF IMPERFECTION

K IL L F E OF S

UL HU

T ER V M A N IN

EN T I O

N

ART

ARTIFICIAL

NEGLECT

By Rainer Lingenfelder

LINGENFELDER VINEYARD CREATURES CRAFTSMANSHIP (STAR) WINEMAKER WINE REFINEMENT GLOBAL BENCHMARKING PERFECTION

www.banvilleandjones.com 41

A wine lover might like the arts, and like a wine that is shaped, and certainly there are very good and well-made wines, where the winemaker works hard and imprints his or her personality on the wine. The wines are very good, and sometimes stunning, but if you accept the imperfect you will achieve more authenticity, naturalness, and character.

the next big trend. Yes, my heart sort of beats for Scheurebe, but [I like] to make people think Morio Muscat, because that is the last grape they would see as a favourite. That is a wonderful richness in the south to have these different grape varieties. It makes it more complicated, but it’s a sort of a reflection of our rich viticultural tradition in Pfalz, all these grapes.

Gary Hewitt (GH) What is the character of your estate wines?

SJ What trends are you seeing in German wine?

RL Nowadays, for the German market, it is roughly about 90% dry wines. Now, we try to make dry wines.

That doesn’t always work; given that we are using natural yeast, they sometimes find it hard to ferment to complete dryness. In our case, we would just accept how they turn out.

GH What is your favourite grape variety?

RL Scheurebe, of course. But, if I want to be really controversial, and I do this sometimes with customers who come here, I tell them that Morio Muscat is

We have coverage for you.

Residential Agricultural Commercial Auto Ask your insurance broker.

www.portagemutual.com

RL There is an undercurrent that is about regional character, regional tradition. Orange wines are sort of hip in Germany. Natural fermentation, spontaneous fermentation, wild yeast, they are a trend.

GH A trend that you’ve been working with for decades.

RL Yes, well, it’s a generation thing, too. Our son, Georg, who is taking more and more interest in wine, he senses the vibe of natural fermentation, of spontaneous fermentation, of non-intervention. He’s attending wine school, so that the other wine students think spontaneous fermentation is hip, is encouraging.

SJ You made a big splash with your Ypsilon label. Tell us about that!

RL Well, the Ypsilon evolved out of communication with the wine authorities in Germany—not a very friendly communication. The wine is Sylvaner, which in Germany we usually spell Silvaner. For whatever reason I spelt Sylvaner on the label, with the letter “y.”

Agriculture is very strongly and strictly regulated in Europe. I don’t mind regulation and laws. There needs to be some order in the naming of the grape varieties and the regions and so on, so that the consumer gets a fair deal. What is on the label, should be also in the bottle.

But sometimes the regulators just follow the letter, without following the spirit of the law. This regulator thought he had to step in because we were spelling Sylvaner with a Y, and he thought we should be spelling it with an I. Traditionally, both ways of spelling were used, but this guy took objection to spelling with a Y. He said it’s “misleading the customer.” But I pointed out, this is just a matter of spelling, and that is not covered in the law—the general practice is that both spellings are possible.

They blamed us of wrongdoing, and unless we changed the label, they would confiscate the wine— and because wine is such an important part of the economy, they have [wine] police!

I could have taken them to court, but that takes years, and costs lots of money, so I said, “Okay, guys, you won. I’ll change the label.”

I said, you want me to drop the Y, I can tell you right now, I’m

dropping everything else, but the Y stays. On the Ypsilon label, we censored it out with red, and this is how the house label came about.

Everyone laughed about it. They thought it was a delight, and the right answer. Not to challenge it in court, but to make fun of it.

It provided a wonderful story, and out of the Ypsilon Sylvaner, came the Ganymed, the Satyr, the Onyx—all with a Y. SJ We know what wine education contributes to people who are making and selling wine, but what kind of role do you think wine education plays for wine lovers?

RL Well, for us it is the key role. To really appreciate and understand wine, you need to make an effort.

It’s hard work. So many people try to demystify wine and make it easy to drink, easy to understand, easy to enjoy to the point where you quite often dumb down the consumers.

Wine is a very individual experience.

Every wine lover has a certain taste, but he has to become aware of his taste. The taste has to be educated, and then, when you are educated, we can try and match your palate with a certain wine, which has a palate and personality, too.

I mean, you can always sell a wine by price or by brand. The consumer knows that when the wine is expensive, it must be good and when it’s cheap, it’s not so good.

You want to cut through this and expose the little gems, the jewels, in this vast offering of wines. There are so many good wines of the world, where you don’t have to pay a fortune, and you need to find them for yourself. For that, you need to be educated. 

www.banvilleandjones.com 43

To Riesling or not to Riesling

By Gary Hewitt and Tina Jones

Tina Jones and Gary Hewitt have enjoyed a Riesling rivalry for a while. Gary stands by this grape as one of the most complex, versatile, and rewarding grapes in the world.

Tina’s palate leans away from Riesling, but Gary doesn’t miss a chance to slip her a glass with a very good reason why she should love it.

Tina: My palate is drawn to smooth Napa reds, rosé, and Champagne. The high-toned, high-acid, sometimes-petrolnuanced Riesling and lighter styles of cool climate wines are a bit of a learning curve for me, and I haven’t gotten there yet.

But Gary is very convincing!

Gary: I discovered Riesling when I was sixteen under the tutelage of my German-born stepfather. He was a master goldsmith who trained in a Bavarian monastery and had a fondness for the rich dry style of Franconia. I loved being treated as an adult, the distinctive squat Bocksbeutel, and of course the taste. As a cost-aware graduate student I splurged on German wines from the exquisite 1970 and ’71 vintages (up to $7.50!) and located their source vineyards in Hugh Johnson’s The World Atlas of Wine, first edition. I was hooked—Riesling had opened the door to my world of wine.

44 http://banvilleandjones.cornervine.com

Riesling retains a special place in my heart and in my cellar.

It graces our family table at all significant dinners.

Tina: Let’s get right to it, Gary: why don’t I like Riesling?

Why don’t I understand it?

Gary: Riesling can be challenging because it’s intense and demands your attention. It’s a wine that takes you out of your normal cultural experience, especially in our society where everyone drinks soft drinks—which are high in sugar and moderately low in acid. Riesling’s fresh acidity can make you pay attention and make you make a decision.

Tina: Okay, what makes Riesling great?

Gary: The Riesling grape relies on itself for producing a broad spectrum of wines from dry to luxuriously sweet. It is one of the identifiable grape varieties in the world with distinct character that doesn’t like or need oak. Whereas, for example, Chardonnay is a blank canvas that the winemaker uses to paint a style on. Inherent in the Riesling grape itself are a number of complex wine styles that are just based on the grape.

Tina: One of my problems is that I think of fresh, dry white wines as sipping wines, and Riesling isn’t. Should I just stop trying to make it into a sipping wine?

Gary: It can be a sipping wine. It all depends on balance. A sipping Riesling would be a really delicate Kabinett from the Mosel region in Germany. It’s very light on the palate and very easy to drink on its own.

Tina: I did a little experiment in anticipation of this issue: I had friends over, I served Riesling—and they couldn’t get past the smell. They thought it was off because it smells like diesel. When you drink Riesling, do you have to understand that that’s an essential quality of Riesling and just try it anyway? How do you get people to try it?

Winter is the ultimate comfort food season.

Stay warm with food for the soul, like Truffle Macaroni & Cheese made with our Garlic Infused EVOO and Black Truffle Infused EVOO.

Gary: You can say, in a sense, that it’s an acquired taste—a bit like olives or mushrooms or scotch—when you’ve got these challenging resinous aromas and flavours in it. But Riesling has flavours ranging from lemon and grapefruit, to green apple, peach and pineapple. The resinous quality is a unique trait that gets all the press.

But not all Rieslings have that characteristic. Generally, younger Rieslings don’t have it, and there are an increasing number of producers (I am thinking particularly of Germany here) that are trying to avoid it. Winemakers have attributed it to a number of vineyard conditions, and some producers are growing grapes with the idea of minimizing those characteristics.

Tina: So it’s different and complicated, but with food I’ll be amazed?

Gary: When it comes to food, Riesling has many advantages. First, high acid balances well with a lot of fatty foods, and it is a wonderful palate cleanser.

Second, the off-dry to medium-sweet styles are almost designed for Asian foods. A lot of Asian foods already have that sweet and sour balance, and if you get the sweet and sour balance in the wines as well, it can be a remarkable pairing. People think that dry is often the only way to go with a wine pairing, but often sweetness works wonders—I am thinking with chicken in cream sauce, fried pickerel with lemon, or with shrimp and shellfish.

Tina: So are you suggesting I should give Riesling a chance?

Gary: No. I am demanding that you give Riesling a chance.

Did Gary convince Tina? Check our Instrgram @banvillejones (#RieslingChallenge) to see if Gary can find Tina the perfect Riesling for her palate. 

NEW TO RIESLING? Start with Gary’s top Riesling recommendations: Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt 2015 Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese Mosel, Germany ($39.99) K.H. Schneider 2015 Felsenberg Riesling Spätlese Nahe, Germany ($42.99) Leitz 2016 Berg Roseneck Grosse Lage Grosse Gewächs Rüdesheim Rheingau, Germany ($56.99) Grosset 2017 Springvale Riesling Clare Valley, Australia ($42.99) Cave Spring 2014 CSV Riesling Beamsville Bench, Canada ($37.99)

Recipes like this and more are available on our website.

Visit any of our three locations in Winnipeg to stock your winter pantry!

2-929 Corydon Ave. | 204-505-1455 5-1604 St Mary’s Rd. | 204-615-3885 1-1530 Regent Ave W. | 204-504-4200

frescolio.ca

fine oil + vinegar tasting bar

All that we DO • Excellent selection of CPAP equipment • Trained staff including Respiratory Therapists, Registered Polysomnographic Technicians and a Biomedical Technician • Home Sleep Apnea Testing • In-House Repairs and Warranty Replacements • Manitoba’s ONLY Sleep Apnea Support Group • Online Shopping • Free Manitoba shipping over $75 • 3 locations in Manitoba • Satellite clinics in towns across Manitoba • Open select evenings and weekends • Private Insurance arrangement and coverage • Payment Plans

And still the Best Pricing in Manitoba To experience this call 1-855-766-7388 today to book an appointment!

Locations in Brandon and Winnipeg to serve you! sales@medi-gas.com | www.medi-gas.com

FROM OUR CELLAR TO YOURS

Join the Hester Creek Wine Club.

Handcrafted wines from our history vineyard in the sunny Okanagan, delivered direct to your door.

Enjoy exceptional wines, exclusive event invites, membership loyalty rewards and much more! www.HesterCreek.com/BenchClub

Discover exceptional Okanagan wines

94 POINTS Beppi Crosariol, Globe & Mail

90 POINTS Tim Pawsey, Quench Magazine & HiredBelly.com

90 POINTS

Rick VanSickle, WinesInNiagara.com

[INVESTMENT [INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY OPPORTUNITY IN IN DIRECT DIRECT PENSION PENSION QUALITY QUALITY REAL REAL ESTATE ESTATE IN ININ CANADA] CANADA] [INVESTMENT [INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY OPPORTUNITY IN DIRECT INPENSION DIRECT PENSION QUALITY REAL QUALITY ESTATE REAL IN ESTATE CANADA] CANADA] -

PRIVATE, - OFF PRIVATE, MARKET OFF TRANSACTIONS MARKET TRANSACTIONS -- PRIVATE, PRIVATE, OFF OFFMARKET MARKET TRANSACTIONS TRANSACTIONS

-

PENSION - QUALITY PENSION INVESTMENTS QUALITY INVESTMENTS -- PENSION PENSION QUALITY QUALITY INVESTMENTS INVESTMENTS

-

PARTNERS PARTNERS TO DRIVE SCALE TO DRIVE ANDSCALE REDUCE AND RISK REDUCE RISK -

--

PARTNERS PARTNERSTO TODRIVE DRIVESCALE SCALEAND ANDREDUCE REDUCERISK RISK

Private Pension Private Partners Pension is a Winnipeg Partners isbased a Winnipeg group of based companies group of formed companies in 2010 formed whichinprovides 2010 which customized providesreal customized estate asset real estate asset Private Partners isdevelops isadevelopment aWinnipeg Winnipeg based based group group of of companies companies formed formed inin 2010 2010 which which provides provides customized customized real realestate estate asset PrivatePension Pension Partners orforrefurbishes commercial or residential properties that enrich the lives of tenants and asset brings management management and development and services pension services quality for pension commercial quality and commercial multi residential and multi assets residential representing assets accredited representing accredited management and development services for pension quality commercial and residential assets representing accredited management and development services forindustry-leading pension quality commercial andmulti multi residential assets representing accredited lasting value to investors. partner with builders, marketers, and investors who collaborate to investors funds, investors and institutions funds, We and who institutions are resident who inare Canada. resident in designers, Canada.

investors funds, and who are ininamenity Canada. investorswell funds, andinstitutions institutions who areresident resident Canada. produce designed, well built, sustainable, and rich assets.

Own some Ownofsome theseofwith these us.with us.

Own Own some some of of these these with with us. us.

Tamarack Pointe Tamarack Pointe The Spot on Pembina The Spot on Pembina The Spot at Tuxedo The Spot Pointat Tuxedo Point 336 Warde Avenue, 336 Warde Winnipeg, Avenue, MB Winnipeg, MB2815 Pembina 2815 Highway, Pembina Winnipeg, Highway, MB Winnipeg, MB 785 – 825 Sterling 785 Lyon – 825Pkwy, Sterling Winnipeg, Lyon Pkwy, MB Winnipeg, MB

Tamarack TamarackPointe Pointe 336 336Warde WardeAvenue, Avenue,Winnipeg, Winnipeg,MB MB

The TheSpot Spoton onPembina Pembina 2815 2815Pembina PembinaHighway, Highway,Winnipeg, Winnipeg,MB MB

PartnerPartner with us.with us.

The TheSpot SpotatatTuxedo TuxedoPoint Point 785 785––825 825Sterling SterlingLyon LyonPkwy, Pkwy,Winnipeg, Winnipeg,MB MB

Partner Partner with with us. us.

For further information, For furtherplease information, visit our please website visitatour www.privatepensionpartners.com website at www.privatepensionpartners.com or please contact or please our CFO, contact Mr.our Kevin CFO, Prins Mr.by Kevin Prins by phone at 204-808-9732 phone at 204-808-9732 or by email atorkevin@privatepensionpartners.com by email at kevin@privatepensionpartners.com or our CEO, Mr. or our DonCEO, WhiteMr. byDon phone White at 204-809-3653 by phone at 204-809-3653 or or by email at don@privatepensionpartners.com by email at don@privatepensionpartners.com

For For further further information, information, please please visit visit our our website website at at www.privatepensionpartners.com www.privatepensionpartners.com or or please please contact contact our our CFO, CFO, Mr. Mr.Kevin Kevin Prins Prins by by phone phoneat at204-808-9732 204-808-9732or orby byemail emailat atkevin@privatepensionpartners.com kevin@privatepensionpartners.comor orour ourCEO, CEO,Mr. Mr.Don DonWhite Whiteby byphone phoneat at204-809-3653 204-809-3653or or by byemail emailat atdon@privatepensionpartners.com don@privatepensionpartners.com Multifamily Residential Multifamily PurposeResidential Built Rental PurposeProperties Built Rental Rehabilitation Properties of Rehabilitation Existing Rental of Existing Properties Rental Properties Off-Market Property Off-Market DealsProperty Value-Added Deals Subdivision Value-Added andSubdivision Rezoning and Active Rezoning Asset Management Active Asset Management Strategic Partnering Strategic Partnering

MultifamilyResidential Residential PurposePurpose-Built BuiltRental RentalProperties Properties Rehabilitation RehabilitationofofExisting ExistingRental RentalProperties Properties Multifamily Off-MarketProperty PropertyDeals Deals Value-Added Value-AddedSubdivision Subdivisionand andRezoning Rezoning Active ActiveAsset AssetManagement Management Strategic StrategicPartnering Partnering Off-Market

Staying In: Pairing Takeout with Wine

By Alex Allardyce, Rebecca Lechman, and Mike Muirhead Photos by Ian McCausland Nothing says winter in Winnipeg like staying home and ordering takeout. Especially with so many delivery services in the city, ’tis the season to order in! We started our conversation about pairing wine with takeout by going through some basic wine and food pairing rules.

Next, we ordered dishes from three of our favourite restaurants—FreeBird by The Merchant Kitchen, Wasabi Sabi and Sabai Thai. In this handbook, we have tried to take multiple dishes into consideration when pairing wines. This was a challenge, because there are lots of different flavours at play—especially with Asian cuisine—but the best thing about takeout is ordering a bunch of things to share.

BANVILLE & JONES FREE DELIVERY! Whether you want one bottle of wine or several cases, for the month of February ALL wine deliveries ordered directly from Banville & Jones are free!

Order before noon for same day delivery 12–5 (Monday through Saturday).

Delivery to home or business address (18+ to accept delivery).

Some restrictions apply.

Three ways to order: Online*: www.banvilleandjones.com Phone: 204.948-WINE (9463) Text: 204.400.0499 *Free delivery does not apply to orders made through Skip the Dishes; only orders made through the Banville & Jones website qualify.

48 http://banvilleandjones.cornervine.com

Wine Pairing Handbook RULE # 1.

FOLLOW YOUR PALATE Personal preference is always the best starting point. Choose your favourite wine and see if you like it with the food.

RULE #2:

WEIGHT CLASS Match the weight of the food with the weight of the wine. For example, a big juicy steak matched with a big heavy red or pickerel fillet with a light, fresh white.

RULE #3:

METHOD, MAN How you prepare your dish will affect what type (and weight) of wine you choose. A wine pairing is more complex than “goes great with chicken,” because BBQ chicken breast pairs differently than chicken Alfredo. Consider what flavours, if any, are introduced with your cooking method (e.g., grilled introduces a charred flavour that roasting does not) and in the ingredients rather than leaning on the type of protein.

RULE #4:

HOT & SWEET Choose a wine as sweet or sweeter than the food you are eating to prevent killing the flavour of the wine with the sugar in your meal. On the flipside: hot spice can also destroy your wine. For spicy dishes, choose a wine that is lower alcohol or/ and has some residual sugar to counter the heat (like a Riesling!)

RULE #5: WHAT GROWS TOGETHER, GOES TOGETHER Italian tomato sauce (high in acid) and pasta go well with red Sangiovese (also high in acid). French Beef Bourguignon? It’s right in the name: try Bourgogne (red Burgundy)!

Aussie lamb chops on the grill: Aussie Shiraz in your glass.

RULE #6:

COMPLEXITY & INTENSITY MATTER Rich, intense wines can overpower light, delicate dishes (and vice versa). A complex California red blend would overpower a summer berry salad, but a simple, crisp Pinot Grigio would balance the flavours perfectly.

RULE # 7:

ASK US

When you are pairing your next challenging meal, bring us your recipe! We can explore the flavours, method, and complexity with you to recommend some exciting and adventurous wine pairings. TIP: You can also Text a Sommelier!! Text us your recipe at 204.400.0499 between 9 am and 9 pm and one of our wine experts can suggest a perfect wine pairing!

RULE #8:

THROW OUT THE RULE BOOK Have fun, explore, let your palate guide your next wine match made in heaven.

www.banvilleandjones.com 49

SABAI THAI: Khao San Pad Thai, Matsaman Curry with Beef, Red Curry Soup The Cono Sur Sparking Rosé is a lighter rosé with powerful aromatics and lower alcohol that played well with the flavours in the Khao San Pad Thai. Cherry Pie Pinot Noir is a relatively big Pinot that pulled the earthy flavours out of the Pad Thai but paired best with the Matsaman Curry with beef. A less intense Pinot Noir would also be good match, weight-wise, with the Thai food. The Valmont was best across the board with all of these Sabai Thai dishes—the easy-going nature, fruitiness, and soft tannins are key to pairing many dishes with one wine.

Vintage Wines 2016 Cherry Pie 3 Vineyards Pinot Noir California, USA ($41.99) Cono Sur nv Sparkling Rosé Valle del Bio-Bio, Chile ($23.99) Paul Mas 2017 Valmont Rouge, South of France (1 litre/$16.99)

50 http://banvilleandjones.cornervine.com

WASABI SABI: Spicy Mango Prawns, Aloha Roll, Crazy 88 Roll, Edamame, Gom ae Hewitson Gun Metal Riesling complemented the Crazy 88 Roll (tuna and salmon) and would be a good choice with sashimi. The Riesling had good acidity and held up to the wasabi paste if you like the spice. J Bouchon Reserva Rosé paired well with every dish we ordered. It was especially tasty with the salty edamame. The delicate flavours and weight of the Zarate Albarino was a good match with all three dishes. It was an especially excellent wine pairing with the our more tropical choices: the Aloha Roll and the Spicy Mango Prawns.

Hewitson 2017 Gun Metal Riesling Eden Valley, South Australia ($29.99) J Bouchon 2017 Reserva Rosé Valle del Maule, Chile ($18.99) Zarate 2017 Albariño Rias Baixas, Spain ($26.99)

FREEBIRD BY THE MERCHANT KITCHEN: Signature Fried Chicken (with Waffles), Grilled Corn on the Cob, and Deep South Salad Marcel Vézien L’Illustre Champagne was amazing with the Signature Fried Chicken. Champagne has a way of elevating all foods. In this case, the way it paired with the crunchy, crisp skin and perfectly cooked chicken was like a dream! The JAX Vineyards Y3 Chardonnay is an elegant style that paired perfectly with the char, brown butter, and sweetness of the grilled corn. It was also a good wine match with the chicken, though the chicken could handle an even bigger Napa Chard if that is your preference. The Campo Arriba red blend held up well to the chicken, and it was definitely our favourite wine pairing with the waffles!

Not only can you order all of these amazing dishes online, you can also find any of our takeout wine pairings online at Skip the Dishes.

52 http://banvilleandjones.cornervine.com

JAX Vineyards 2016 Y3 Chardonnay Napa Valley, USA ($39.99) Marcel Vézien nv L’Illustre Champagne, France ($48.99) Barahonda 2014 Campo Arriba Red Blend Yecia, Spain ($21.99)

OUR FAVOURITE PAIRINGS

Mike: Marcel Vézien L’Illustre Champagne with Signature Fried Chicken

Rebecca: Zarate Albarino with Aloha Sushi

Alex: Cono Sur Sparkling Rosé with Khao San Pad Thai

TOP 100 MOST POWERFUL WOMEN IN CANADA TINA JONES

1

2

3

1. Sylvia Jansen and Mike Muirhead with Tina Jones; 2. Adam, Tina, Mike and Julia Jones; 3. Lucille Tolaini and Tina Jones.

We are fortunate and proud to see Tina receive this prestigious award. She is an inspirational leader who continually strives to create a better future for Manitobans. We commend you for your vision, passion and commitment! Congratulations!

&DR INE I N

54 http://banvilleandjones.cornervine.com

BA

CO

LL

KS

W

In addition to her contributions as a business leader, Tina has been recognized for her philanthropic

work in the community, including as Chair of the Board of the Health Sciences Centre Foundation Board of Directors. She received the 2017 Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Manitoba and the 2018 University of Manitoba Distinguished Alumni Award.

EG

T

O

In November 2018, Tina Jones was named a CIBC Trailblazer & Trendsetter and one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women. Joined at the ceremony by friends, family, and colleagues, Tina was honoured as a trailblazing entrepreneur for her work building the largest private wine store and destination wine school in Manitoba, as well as for her dedication as a partner in both The Rink Training Centre and The Green Carrot Juice Company.

E

MA

NI

Canada’s Un-Bank Local Roots. Global Reach. www.wellington-altus.ca

Charlie Spiring, ICD.D Founder & Chairman

Find out how we’re different.

204.925.2274

© 2018, Wellington-Altus Private Wealth Inc.

WHERE THE RHINE MEETS THE MOSEL: MY GERMAN CORNER

By Sylvia Jansen, DipWSET, CSW, Sommelier

Terraced vineyards overlooking the Rhine (Photo by Carol Flecther)

Deutsches Eck (the German Corner) where the Rhine and the Mosel meet (Photo by Carol Fletcher)

To stand where two rivers meet is something that most Manitobans can recognize as something close to magical. At the Deutsches Eck (the “German Corner�) in the small city of Koblenz, two important rivers meet: the Rhine and the Mosel. The Deutsches Eck is a place of history and hope; it is a place of natural beauty and cultural importance. And like Winnipeg’s Forks, great food and drink are only steps away.

As with many other destinations in Germany, Koblenz is accessible by road, rail, or river. In fact, the mode of transport is itself part of the travel adventure. Those who travel by rail easily travel between city or town centres in the well-run modern rail system. River travellers take advantage of long- or short-distance cruises and, in some parts of the country, public river transport. For those who choose the road, travel by car puts city centre, countryside, and river views all within easy reach. We chose the road. Thanks to a road network reputed to be the best in Europe, and an Autobahn system that sports no official speed limit in

many areas, highway travel is a cultural experience in itself. (Travel in the far left lane only if 150 kph seems slow to you!)

This was a visit to a tiny corner of the country, a place defined by its rivers and wine country, but it gave a glimpse into the rich experiences that Germany offers.

Three small German cities, Mainz, Koblenz, and Trier, were our destinations; the Rhine and the Mosel were feasts for the eyes along the route and home territory for some magnificent wine.

Mainz is a very brief and easy train journey or halfhour drive from Frankfurt International Airport. It is a university town and business centre surrounded by celebrated architecture, culture, and history. The Rhine flows along a shoreline with wide sidewalks where city residents go about their daily routines, walk their dogs or babies, take a morning run or an evening stroll. A number of hotels face the water and guests in hotels can gaze out toward the moored cruise boats.

www.banvilleandjones.com 57

­

The City of Mainz pays tribute to a local son in its famed Gutenberg museum. “The first European printing press was actually borrowed technology from the wine press,” explained our guide as he inked a sample of movable steel type for a demonstration of the medieval craft. Mainz also boasts the famed St. Stephan cathedral, whose mystical windows are the creation of artist Marc Chagall, who was commissioned during the cathedral’s restoration after the Second World War. In a city of just over 200,000 people, it would seem that these attractions might be enough; but Mainz is especially famous for its wine market (see sidebar), shopping areas, and weekly markets that buzz with activity around whatever is amazingly fresh.

The road between Koblenz and Mainz can be taken on the big highway (less than an hour), or on the river road stretching past small villages, medieval castles, and the famed Lorelei rock. We chose the river road and stopped for the photo ops.

Koblenz is a frequent stop for Rhine cruises (including those running from Basel in Switzerland to Amsterdam in the Netherlands). From our hotel room balcony, we could admire the narrow river cruise boats docked below (those in their boat staterooms looked back toward the shore, and we guessed that each person felt their perspective on the world was the best one). The spit of land where the Mosel flows into the Rhine is a meeting place, an occasional outdoor music venue, and a tribute to Wilhelm I who unified Germany in 1871. The area is the heart of the city, connected by walking streets, sidewalks along the river, cafés, and even a cable car that runs visitors to the other side for an inspiring view of the Deutsches Eck and the massive statue of Kaiser Wilhelm.

Travel to Trier near the Luxembourg border by road is again a choice between back river road or highway, or both. We chose both. To drive from the undulations of the major highway to the Weinterrasse (wine road) of the Mosel is to enter another dimension, where the road winds above the river, vines stretch up the slopes, and hairpin turns open new vistas to the river far, far below. Luckily there are frequent small turn-outs to take advantage of photo opportunities.

Trier itself is the oldest city in Germany. Its black Roman gate (the Porta Nigra) still stands, not far from a cathedral that dates from the 4th century. Inside its small walking streets is another gem, where the

Above: The Gutenberg Museum in Mainz; below: Mainz Wine Market

Above: Trier Cathedral and Church of Our Lady (photo by Carol Fletcher); below: Trier's Porta Negra

people are engaging, where restaurants are lively, and where everyone seems to pause at the town centre’s outdoor bar to have a glass of wine before going on with their day.

It was a small corner of Germany to visit, yet we were captivated by the experience. We never even set our eyes on the mighty Danube, or ventured to cosmopolitan Berlin. It was only a week, after all. But the memory of it encourages another. The next visit might be the Karnevale in Cologne or a Christmas market in a medieval Bavarian town. Or perhaps it might be a river cruise to watch the world from the other direction. ď‚—

60 http://banvilleandjones.cornervine.com

A good party: German wine festivals

Photo by mLu.foto

Germans love to celebrate their heritage and history with a good party. All 13 major German wine regions host festivals throughout the year. Here are our German harvest wine festival picks, running from late August into October.

Mosel Wine Festivals

Small local wine festivals happen almost every weekend throughout the famous Mosel wine-growing region. The Wine Festival of the Middle Mosel in picturesque BernkastelKues features a festival parade, live music, an arts and crafts market and an impressive fireworks display launched from the banks of the Mosel. August 29–September 2, 2019.

Stuttgarter Weindorf (Stuttgart Wine Village)

This festival is a true adventurous wine lover’s dream, showcasing wines seldom seen outside the region, including Trollinger, Kerner, Schwarzriesling, Lemberger and Ruländer. August 28–September 8, 2019.

Rheingauer Weinmarkt (Rheingau Wine Festival), Frankfurt

Both a wine and culinary treat, Rheingau winemakers present their latest vintages along the Fressgass, a buzzing pedestrian zone where you will also find the best restaurants and upscale shopping in the city. August 29–September 9.

Mainzer Weinmarkt (Mainz Wine Market)

The Mainz Wine Market hosts 100 stalls in romantic City Park. The city’s position near the junction of three wine regions, Rheingau, Rheinhessen and Nahe, makes for great diversity. Two weekends: August 29–September 1 and September 5–8.

Wurstmarkt, Bad Dürkheim

The largest public wine festival in Germany started 600 years ago. Wurstmarkt celebrates two great things about Germany: wine and sausages! Feast in the shadow of the Dürkheimer Riesenfass—the largest wine cask in the world! September 13–16, 2019.

Golden Wine Autumn Festivals, Middle Rhine

Celebrated in towns all along the Middle Rhine, visitors can cruise the river in illuminated boats and witness fireworks exploding over the Lorelei, a massive rock embedded at a major bend in the river. Saturday, October 4–6 and 11¬–13, 2019.

WINE & FOOD

EVENTS SCHEDULE FEBRUARY 2019 THROUGH MAY 2019

Wine & Food Evening

Top Shelf Tasting

Join us for our wine and food pairing series! Our talented Sommeliers work with Winnipeg’s most talented chefs to create the ultimate pairing experience.

Cost: $89.99 per person

Taste the luxury when our Sommeliers open the doors to our specialties cabinets to explore some of Banville & Jones’s exclusive treasures. This event is held on the main floor and is wheelchair accessible.

Cost: $99.00 per person

Thursday, February 7, Pizzeria Gusto Thursday, March 7: The Merchant Kitchen Friday, March 8: Mon Ami Louis featuring Bodegas Pinuaga Thursday, March 21: ERA Bistro Thursday, April 11: Chef Ben Kramer Thursday, April 25: Chef Craig Guenther Thursday, May 9: The Mitchell Block Thursday, May 23: Mon Ami Louis Thursday, June 6: The VG Restaurant

Essentials of Wine A two-night introduction to everything you need to know to enjoy wine.

Cost: $79.99

An Evening of Wine and Food

Saturday, February 16: Bubbles (on the Main Floor) Saturday, March 16: California Reds (on the Main Floor)

Wine Workshops Wine Workshops are one-evening classes that dig deep into specific topics of interest, with an educational and engaging approach.

Thursday, March 14: Tasting: Germany & Austria Thursday, April 18: Tasting: Tuscany Wednesday, May 15: Tasting: North & South America

Friday, March 8 at 7:00 Join us alongside award winning Winemaker Esther Pinuaga and the talented culinary team of Mon Ami Louis as we explore the wines of Bodegas Pinuaga.

Cost: $89.99 per person

Click on the Events & Education tab at banvilleandjones.com for updated information on wine and food events.

To reserve a space or inquire about private events, call 204.948.9463.

• Tickets for events are non-refundable, but are exchangeable 14 days prior to the event.

• Events begin at 7 pm and take place in the 2nd floor Tuscany Room unless otherwise noted.

• Prices do not include taxes.

Friday, February 22 & Friday, March 1

Give the gift of a unique wine experience: BANVILLE & JONES GIFT CARDS can be used towards any of our events, and can be purchased online at banvilleandjones.com.

STORE HOURS: Monday to Friday: 10 am to 8 pm Saturday: 10 am to 6 pm Sundays and holidays: 11 am to 6 pm

From vintage to nouveau, and anything in between!

Royal LePage Dynamic Real Estate 204-989-5000 | Toll free: 1-877-800-5066 parkesrealestate.mb.ca | 3 - 1450 Corydon Ave

BA

WESTERN CANADA’S PREMIER WINE AND DRINKS EDUCATION FACILITY OFFERS WINE, BEER, AND SPIRITS COURSES FOR EVERYONE FROM THE HOBBYIST TO THE PROFESSIONAL.

EG

IT

O

W CO

LL

KS

D R & IN E NI

E

N MA

Aroma Lab Among the most challenging parts of tasting and blind tasting is identifying aromas, so aroma study is central to wine study. Certain aromas tell us about winemaking; others tell us about how long (or how short) the wine has been aged; still others are clues to grape variety and place. How wine educators teach aroma recognition and identification is an ongoing, ever-evolving area of their work. As part of this work, during the summer of 2018 Sylvia Jansen was a guest in the cutting-edge Aroma Inquiry Lab of Dr. Melanie McBride, a York University educational researcher based at Ryerson University in Toronto. Sylvia visited the Lab as part of a research study being conducted by Dr. McBride focused on “multimodal” approaches to wine education.

These are approaches that take us beyond reading and listening, for example, and help learning through touching, tasting, and smelling.

Multimodal approaches include selecting and using multiple senses to teach, learn, understand, and communicate. Dr. McBride has a teaching background in secondary, post-

secondary, and graduate education, and her current research investigates multimodal resources with a focus on aromatic materials, from perfume to wine, and beyond. She has trained with artisanal perfumers in Grasse, France, and Berkeley, California, and has studied with the WSET. She has collected a vast range of rare, precious and fine aromatic materials for her Aroma Inquiry Lab. She has shared her practices in workshops and lectures for wine and spirits professionals, including with the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS).

Sylvia’s study with Dr. McBride brings our instructors directly in touch with current practices drawn from important research in inclusive course development and teaching methods. Sylvia’s participation in the study draws on her own original “hands-on” approaches to teaching and learning with raw aromatic materials. (She organizes arrays of aromatic materials, include blind aromas, for the WDCM Professional Sommelier Program.) We look forward to seeing more research in this area, and, in the meantime, we can bring some new skill and thoughtfulness to our own work at Wine & Drinks College Manitoba. 

64 http://banvilleandjones.cornervine.com

WDCM Course highlight: Wine Workshops Want to delve a bit deeper into a wine subject but do not want to commit to a longer course? Our Wine Workshops are one-evening classes designed to let you do just that. One of our experts will guide you through a range of wines on the evening’s focus, offering in-depth information, fun facts, and a great opportunity to explore side-by-side wine comparisons.

&DR INE I N

BA

EG

T

O

CO

LL

KS

W

The Wine Workshops all feature small class sizes for an optimal experience, a tasting approach designed by our experts, and an ever-evolving set of current wine topics and trends. From exploring Napa reds to sparkling wines to blind tasting, these

E

MA

NI

classes are unmissable opportunities to stretch your understanding of wine.

Wine Workshops are 2-hour sessions on a weekday evening. Classes are open to everyone 18 years of age or older; completion of our Essentials of Wine course is helpful, but not required. Prices range depending on the theme. With small class sizes we encourage you to register early to avoid disappointment!

For more information, click on “Introductory Wine Courses” in the Events & Education tab at www.banvilleandjones.com.

SIDEBAR

The Real Thing

By Sylvia Jansen, DipWSET, CSW, Sommelier Sylvia Jansen hard at work at Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt with export manager Michaela Bollig (photo by Carol Fletcher)

As a wine instructor, I never get a lot of sympathy for work or work travel.

In fact, it is often the opposite: fellow travellers, friends, and even customs officers are often somewhat incredulous. “A WINE instructor?!

You get paid to tell people about wine??” What follows is usually a brief exchange in which I try to say it is not that easy. I list our certifying schools and explain that the study of wine involves geology, geography, agriculture, social history, law, chemistry, trade, and a host of other disciplines. In a similar way, recently our city’s beloved wine columnist, Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson of the Winnipeg Free Press, also attempted to detail how hard it is to be a wine judge. It might look like drinking for a living, but, really, it is a lot of evaluating, tasting, and spitting— and it is harder than it looks.

But it is a real thing, being a wine professional: buyer, writer, instructor, or Sommelier. What drives us? For me, wine is one of the precious few commodities in the world that can connect the end consumer with a land, a season’s weather, the ground, and the people who work it. It sounds hopelessly romantic, I know; but I have lost track of the number of wine students and customers who have experienced it.

66 http://banvilleandjones.cornervine.com

These connections might show in people who have been profoundly engaged by the connections from a wine experience at an agriturismo in Italy, or a winery in a small French village, or in a tiny winery up a gravel driveway in the Similkameen Valley in BC. Once engaged with the wine and hospitality of a winemaker or winemaking family, these travellers become ambassadors of that smallproduction wine. They arrive in a local wine shop and hold up their portable device to proffer a photo of the wine in question or their hosts in the tasting room. Even when we cannot provide that exact wine (so fractured is the world wine industry that even with almost 2,000 wines in stock, Banville & Jones has only a tiny fraction of what is out there), we understand that human connection—it is a real thing.

This connection is not the same as brand loyalty, something that is more about consistency and reliability. Rather, this is something that connects a wine to a family’s life, whose history and passion have been poured into the bottle for the enjoyment and connection of another group of real people far away. It is hard to beat.

I have great respect for Ben’s skill to endure those 100-wine judging

events. I love that my colleagues do all that sipping, spitting, notetaking, and talking (do you feel sorry for these hard-working professionals yet?) while seeking out small producers whose wines and stories will engage our customers at home. Small wine producers work hard to make a great wine for a fair price, and most of them cannot afford to advertise in this magazine, let alone in national or international publications. But they might well be making a really nice wine that overdelivers for the price or that shines in a wine competition.

It was a sad day when our provincial liquor authority cancelled what had been a terrific program encouraging the import of small-scale wine producers. It meant that the connections between you and these small, family-run wineries just got a bit more tenuous. Wine professionals have not stopped searching for the connections, though: we are still talking, sipping, judging, writing, and working.

It is tough work, but we are up to it.

So here’s to you, well connected. 

What should I do with all these corks?!

Pinterest is chock full of clever ways to use up your corks: A cork wreath! A cork lamp shade! Cork table tops! And don’t forget the (unfortunate) CORK PANTS (Google it. You won’t regret it!)

Banville & Jones Natural Cork Recycling Program When your glass display jar of corks is overflowing and you still have not quite gotten around to that DIY cork wall hanging, Banville & Jones has a solution for you: Banville & Jones is partnering with ReCork® to recycle Manitoba’s cork overload!

FAQ: What can be recycled? Natural corks from bottles with no other materials attached to them (e.g., wax).

Do my corks have to be washed? Nope! Bring them in fresh out of the bottle.

Where do I bring my cork? Bring your natural wine corks to Banville & Jones and we will take care of shipping them to ReCork® for recycling.

What does the ReCork® program not recycle?

Synthetic corks, twist caps, cork in any other form (cork boards, your old Birkenstocks, those cork pants you made after Googling it).

How many corks can I bring? Bring us all of your natural corks.

Is there a cork shortage? Despite years of rumours to the contrary, there is no international cork shortage!

In fact, harvesting cork (the bark of the tree) actually extends the lifespan of cork trees. The greatest threat to the cork industry is falling demand.

What happens to my corks? Banville & Jones will ship your corks to ReCork® who will either grind them up to manufacture their own recycled cork products or sell to Re-Use Partners to manufacture their own cork products.

Banville & Jones is committed to the environment. Bring your corks to our depot at 1616 St Mary's Rd.

culinary partners

529 Wellington serves only Canadian Prime beef and fresh seafood, with impeccable service in an elegantly restored 1912 mansion on the banks of the Assiniboine River. 529 has become a world-renowned icon in the restaurant industry. An exquisite menu and extensive wine cellar make for truly memorable food and wine experiences at 529. Just ask Brad Pitt or Jennifer Lopez!

529 Wellington Crescent 529wellington.ca

Banville & Jones Wine Co. partners with Manitoba’s finest restaurants to develop the perfect wine list.

For more information about partnering with us, contact Todd Antonation, todd@banvilleandjones.com

Chef partner Tristan Foucault has reinvented the menu on the corner of King and Bannatyne. Peasant Cookery goes back to the land with uniquely prepared Old World dishes and top-notch service. This is real food, freshly harvested, and the seasonal ingredients speak for themselves.

Literally everything is made from scratch by Tristan and his team.

100-283 Bannatyne Avenue peasantcookery.ca

Carne is an elegant and contemporary Italian Chophouse featuring Waygu beef from Canada, USA or Japan as well as high-end single-source beef from select suppliers across the country. Or choose succulent seafood, fresh pastas and Italian classics such as Osso Bucco. Pair these entrées with an exemplary wine and cocktail list.

Carne is just steps away from the MTS Centre and The Forks. Private rooms are available. Open for dinner Monday–Saturday.

295 York Avenue carneitalia.ca

Regarded by many as one of the best restaurants in Winnipeg, Beaujena’s French Table provides a truly unique dining experience. Seven-course surprise dinners featuring Chef/Owner Randy Reynolds’ modern interpretations of French and Mediterranean Cuisine combined with his wife Beaujena’s warmth and hospitality make dining here special, regardless of the occasion.

302 Hamel Avenue beaujenas.com

68 http://banvilleandjones.cornervine.com

Across the Board Aevi Spa Salon Boutique Aurora Pizzeria Café Boulevard Pub and Bistro Canadian Brewhouse Café 22 Café Dario Cordova Tapas & Wine D-Jay’s Restaurant Deluca’s Cooking School and Restaurant Diana’s Cucina and Lounge Earl’s Restaurant and Bar Elkhorn Resort Enoteca ERA Bistro at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights Forth Hotel Fort Garry Hy’s Steakhouse Inferno’s Bistro

Joey Restaurants Joey’s Only Seafood Jonesy’s Restaurant King & Bannatyne Kristina’s on Corydon La Roca Le Cercle Molière Máquè Manitoba Club McGee’s Family Restaurant Mere Hotel Mon Ami Louis Monticchio Ristorante Italiano Olive Garden Passero and Corto Pizzeria Gusto Prairie’s Edge Rae’s Bistro Rae & Jerry’s Riverside Inn Sabai Thai

Segovia SMITH Restaurant South Beach Casino & Resort St. Charles Country Club Swiss Chalet Super Deluxe Pizzeria Tapp’s Neighbourhood Pub Teo’s The Alt Hotel The Common The Merchant Kitchen The Mitchell Block The Oxbow The Roost The Victoria Inn Thermëa Spa Tony Roma’s Urban Prairie Cuisine Vera Cucina VG Restaurant at the Fairmont Wasabi Sabi

www.banvilleandjones.com 68

SHOPPING LIST

Alpha Estate 2015 Hedgehog Vineyard Xinomavro Amyndeon, Greece $25.99.......................................................................... 70 Crystallum 2016 The Agnes Chardonnay Walker Bay, South Africa $35.99................................................................................ 21 Barahonda 2014 Campo Arriba Red Blend Yecla, Spain $21.99................................................................................................. 52 Bodega Páramo Arroyo 2016 Ser Vivo y Natural Tempranillo Ribera del Duero, Spain $16.99.................................................. 70 Cape Jaffa Wines 2013 Gravière Cabernet Sauvignon, Limestone Coast, South Australia ($24.99)............................................ 21 Casa Silva 2017 Sauvignon Gris Colchagua, Chile $19.99.......................................................................................................... 70 Cave Spring 2014 CSV Riesling Beamsville Bench, Canada $37.99............................................................................................ 45 Clos des Fous 2014 Locura 1 Chardonnay Central Valley, Chile $29.99..................................................................................... 70 Clos des Fous 2015 Sobsollum Aconcagua Valley, Chile $34.99................................................................................................. 21 Cono Sur nv Sparkling Rosé Valle del Bio-Bio, Chile $23.99…................................................................................................... 50 Domaine Astruc 2017 Chardonnay Languedoc-Roussillon France $14.99.................................................................................. 21 Etnella Presa 2016 Tracotanza Rosso Etna, Italy $35.99............................................................................................................. 14 Grosset 2017 Springvale Riesling Clare Valley, Australia $42.99................................................................................................. 45 Gut Oggau 2016 Family Reunion White Weinland, Austria $66.99....................................................................................... 12,29 Gut Oggau 2016 Atanasius Weinland, Austria $38.99................................................................................................................ 12 Hewitson 2017 Gun Metal Riesling Eden Valley, Australia $29.99............................................................................................. 51 J Bouchon 2017 Reserva Rosé, Valle del Maule, Chile $18.99.................................................................................................... 51 JAX Vinyards 2016 Y3 Chardonnay Napa Valley, California $39.99.......................................................................................... 52 Kalfu 2014 Kuda Pinot Noir Leyda Valley, Chile $22.99............................................................................................................ 21 K.H. Schneider 2015 Felsenberg Riesling Spätlese Nahe, Germany $42.99................................................................................. 45 Leitz 2016 Berg Roseneck Grosse Lage Grosse Gewächs Rüdesheim Rheingau, Germany $56.99............................................. 45 Leitz 2015 Eins Zwei Dry 3 Trocken Riesling Rheingau, Germany $24.99................................................................................. 29 Leitz 2017 Rüdesheimer Magdalenenkreuz Riesling Spätlese Rheingau $35.99.......................................................................... 40 Lingenfelder Estate nv Satyr Brut Sekt Pfalz 39.99...................................................................................................................... 43 Lingenfelder Estate 2015 Ypsilon Freinsheimer Musikantenbuckel Sylvaner Auslese Trocken Pfalz $35.99........................... 33, 40 Lingenfelder Estate 2015 Grosskarlbacher Osterberg Grauburgunder Spätlese Trocken Pfalz $27.99........................................ 40 Lingenfelder Estate 2013 Grosskarlbacher Burgweg Scheurebe Halbtrocken Pfalz $22.99......................................................... 40 Lingenfelder Estate 2015 Grosskarlbacher Osterberg Dornfelder Trocken Pfalz $22.99............................................................. 40 Lingenfelder Estate 2011 Ganymed Spätburgunder Trocken Pfalz $48.99............................................................................ 12, 40 Lingenfelder Vineyard Creatures 2016 Bird Label Riesling Pfalz $18.99.................................................................................... 40 Lingenfelder Vineyard Creatures 2017 Hare Label Gewürztraminer Pfalz $18.99...................................................................... 40 Lingenfelder Vineyard Creatures 2016 MAX Dornfelder Pfalz $18.99........................................................................................ 40 Paul Mas 2017 Valmont Rouge, South of France (IL) $16.99..................................................................................................... 50 Marcel Vézien nv L’Illustre Champagne, France $48.99.............................................................................................................. 53 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt 2015 Josephshöfer Grosse Gewächs Mosel $58.99........................................................................... 45 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt 2015 Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese Mosel, Germany $39.99...................................................... 45 Sebastiani and Sons 2016 The Crusher Pinot Noir California, USA $22.99................................................................................ 35 Some Young Punks 2017 The Squid’s Fist Clare Valley, Australia $29.99................................................................................... 70 Tenuta l’Armonia Rosso del Armonia Veneto, Italy $21.99......................................................................................................... 14 The Juice Asylum 2017 Il Terzo Grado Rosso Tuscany, Italy $26.99.......................................................................................... 14 The Rennersistas 2017 Waiting for Tom Red Blend Burgenland, Austria $37.99........................................................................ 29 Thörle 2016 Saulheimer Kalkstein Spätburgunder Rheinhessen $41.99...................................................................................... 33 Toro 2017 Centenario Malbec Mendoza, Argentina $13.99....................................................................................................... 21 Vina Zorzal 2017 Chardonnay Navarra, Spain $14.99.............................................................................................................. 21 Vintage Wines 2016 Cherry Pie Pinot Noir California, USA $41.99........................................................................................... 50 Weingut am Stein 2017 Stettener Riesling Franken, Germany $26.99......................................................................................... 70 Weingut am Stein 2015 Würzburger Stein Silvaner Franken $37.99........................................................................................... 33 Weingut am Stein 201X VINZ Alte Reben Silvaner Franken $44.99.......................................................................................... 33 Weingut Rabl 2017 Langenlois Riesling, Kamptal, Austria 24.99............................................................................................... 24 Weingut Rabl 2016 Zweigelt Rosé Kamptal, Austria 24.99........................................................................................................ 24 Weingut Rabl 2013 Blauer Titan Zweigelt Kamptal, Austria $35.99.......................................................................................... 24 Weingut Rabl 2017 Kaferberg Grüner Veltliner Kamptal, Austria $34.99............................................................................. 12, 24 Weingut Rabl 2017 Langenlois Grüner Veltliner Kamptal, Austria $19.99........................................................................... 12, 24 Weingut Rabl 2016 Trockenbeerenauslese Riesling, Niederöterreich, Austria (375 ml) $58.99.................................................. 24 Zarate 2017 Albarino Rias Baixas, Spain $26.99........................................................................................................................ 51

Due to the nature of the wine industry, any prices and vintages listed in this publication, as well as the availability of all products, are subject to change and cannot be guaranteed by Banville & Jones Wine Co. www.banvilleandjones.com 69

* C U STOMER P IC K *

top picks

PERI MARIC

JILL KWIATKOSKI

MIKE MUIRHEAD

Some Young Punks 2017 The Squid’s Fist South Australia, Australia $29.99

Bodega Páramo Arroyo 2017 Ser Vivo y Natural Tempranillo Ribera del Duero, Spain $16.99

Etnella Presa 2016 Tracotanza Rosso Etna, Italy $35.99

I’ll be honest, what immediately drew my attention is the comic bookinspired label and the bizarre name.

While it’s a great conversation starter and a departure from every other bottle on the shelves, it’s the wine inside you’ll remember. Accessible to developing palettes but packed with enough character to pair with almost anything, the blend of smooth Sangiovese and peppery Shiraz creates a contrast both spectacular and subtle.

I love supporting family-owned and operated wineries. Small family business is in my blood. Páramo Arroyo is owned by seven brothers and sisters, all working and operating their ecological winery and organic vineyards. Hand-picked and fermented in stainless steel, this wine has beautiful notes of fresh cherries, violets, and dried figs. This wine dances on your palate, is well balanced, and has a beautiful long finish.

TODD ANTONATION

KRISTIN FROESE

MATT BENGER

Alpha Estate 2015 Hedgehog Vineyard Xinomavro Amyndeon, Greece $25.99

Clos des Fous 2014 Locura 1 Chardonnay Central Valley, Chile $29.99

Casa Silva 2017 Sauvignon Gris Colchagua, Chile $19.99

Say it with me: ksee-NOH-mah-vroh.

Greece’s answer to Barolo! Aged for 12 months in French oak barrels and then 12 more months in the bottle, this red is very approachable. Look for bright cranberry, red cherry flavours with hints of vanilla and dusty tannins. Drinking well now with lots of potential for years to come, making it one of my top 10 wines of the year.

I love this Chablis-style Chardonnay from Chile’s remarkable terroir. The Locura 1 Chardonnay has notes of pear, fresh citrus, and white flowers on the palate with a silky texture and a noticeable minerality on the finish. This would be a delicious pairing with raw oysters or even fried chicken. Cheers!

70 http://banvilleandjones.cornervine.com

What I love about the wines from Franken is their inherent “minerality” that reminds me of walking on a beach after a thunderstorm. Drinking this Riesling tastes like electricity in the air and the smell of wet rock, lime zest, and summer flowers. This Riesling, which comes in a funky Franken bottle (think Mateus’s squat round bottle) matches perfectly with all types of cuisine, from Indian curry to pan-fried pickerel.

I’m always on the search for weird and wonderful grapes—the more obscure the better. Casa Silva is one of only a few producers that make a 100% Sauvignon Gris; a cool little mutation of Sauvignon Blanc. This wine is rich and round but has fantastic citrus and fruit flavours. It has a subtle herbaceous note that gives it some great complexity. This wine is for people that want to explore alternatives to Sauvignon Blanc. Both delicious and obscure!

1 + 2 BEDROOM CONCRETE CONDOMINIUMS IN BRIDGWATER

SOMETHING BIG IS ON THE RISE Introducing The Rise, a modern concrete-constructed apartment-style condominium soaring seven storeys high – the highest peak in the Bridgwater neighbourhoods – built by StreetSide Developments. Set within the appealing Waverley West neighbourhood of Bridgwater Centre, The Rise is a special address that offers what you desire today, and all you might hope for tomorrow.

Featuring prairie views, elegant interiors, and thoughtful resident amenities like a common lounge, fitness studio, heated underground parking, and an outdoor courtyard with pool, The Rise is a lifestyle opportunity not to be missed.

1 bedroom condos starting at $223,000 including GST

NOW SELLING THERISECONDOS.CA | 204.793.1000