FEBRUARY 2022 FEATURED WINES
WINE ONE: CANTINA MARILINA CURRIVU ROSSO
About: This wine is made from a blend of Nero d'Avola and Merlot grown near Noto on white calcareous soils. The grapes are destemmed and fermented on skins for just over a week before being pressed off into concrete tank. The wine is lightly filtered for large sediment and bottled.
Taste: This wine is medium ruby in the glass. The nose is quintessentially Italian with bright red cherries, rose petals, sweet sage, warm leather, wild raspberry, black cardamom, and liquorice root. It toes the line between refined and rustic. The palate is fresh with tart, fruity acid, sandy tannins, and a buoyant texture. It is charming, a loyal friend. You'll find further flavours of red apple, incense, warm clay, red currant, angelica, and graphite.
Pairing: If there ever was a wine for pasta and red sauce, this is it. It doesn't ask you to grow your own tomatoes, create your own seasoning blend, or hand roll the noodles; it just wants you to be happy. So buy that jar of sauce, boil some store-bought dried pasta, and call it quits.
WINE TWO: LIGHTNING ROCK ELYSIA PINOT NOIR
About: The fruit for this cuvée comes from their exposed granitic home vineyard high above the lake in Summerland. They played around with different percentages of whole clusters, ranging from 25-75% inclusion. After 21 days on skins, the wine was pressed off into neutral barrel. The wine underwent an eight-month élevage before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Taste: This wine is medium ruby in the glass. On the nose, you'll find classic aromas of black cherry, red plums, cedar, dried rose, gunpowder, sandalwood, and cigar box. It is witty, well-kempt, compelling but not a try-hard. The palate is perky with jolly acidity, focused tannins, and a silky mouthfeel. There's no grit despite its rocky flavour profile; the edges are bevelled. You'll find further flavours of raspberry, currant leaf, prairie sage, liquorice whips, graphite, and tonka bean.
Pairing: I seldom deviate from the classics when it comes to Pinot Noir. Maybe I'm stuck in my habits, but roast chicken, gravy, mashed potatoes, and a caesar salad are all I need when Pinot is involved. If you feel extra ambitious, you can brine the bird first. I'd also suggest dry ageing it for two+ days in the fridge if you'd like extra crispy skin. It's worth the extra effort.
WINE THREE: LOUIS-ANTOINE LUYT PIPEÑO BLANCO
About: This wine is made from a blend of Torontel, Corinto (Chasselas), Cristalina (Semillon) and Muscat d’Alexandria. The vines are over 100 years old planted in sandy soils. The grapes are hand destemmed using the traditional zaranda method. The juice then ferments on skins for up to three weeks in open-top wooden vats. The wine is then settled in tank before bottling - sometimes with minor filtration and a pinch of SO2.
Taste: This wine is a cloudy lemon-green in the glass. The nose is outlandish, sassy, frivolous, with aromas of peach iced tea, tangerine pith, lime leaves, candied ginger, raw turmeric, guava, honeysuckle, and white currant. The palate is electric with crunchy acidity, rocky tannins, and a sustained finish. Despite its low alcohol, the phenolics and flavour intensity make it appear fuller-bodied than it is. You'll find additional flavours of aloe, yellow beats, green banana, castelvetrano olive, lemon balm, and nectarine.
Pairing: Our Edmonton employee, Mark Couchot, connected with his Chilean roots for this month's paring. He's even included convenient links with recipes if you plan on trying them out for yourself.
"Pipeño is often the first offering of the season, and a hearty dish of porotos granados offers plenty of sweet squash and hearty beans to play off the floral but not delicate aspect of this wine."
"Sopaipillas pasadas is a sweet pancake street food that is a pleasing pairing for the fruit notes of this wine but just as versatile as pipeño it can also be served savoury with fresh pebre, both make great party snacks for this large-format wine."