Reported by Christian Marcoux
Good day all, 

Yesterday was the First Vintage Pre-Release of the season at the Vendange Institute. The one and only Rod Story was the host of the tasting. Rod’s experience and connection to the world of wine was put to task by selecting interesting and lovely wines for the wine lovers in the room. 
One flight of four whites and two flight of four reds were served throughout the night, and Rod informed us that one special selection would be served at the end of the night. Now let’s get started!

The first flight provided a savant choice of interesting grape varieties. Two Rieslings - a Canadian and a German - were served to showcase the difference in taste and wine making. In addition, Rod surprised attendees with two types of grapes that are not typically sought out by the usual consumer. A Chenin Blanc from Château la Variere le Savetier Coteaux du Layon was served, as well as Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Côtes du Roussillon Blanc 2016, which is made from a blend of 60% Grenache Blanc, 20% Macabeu, and smaller amounts of Marsanne and Vermentino.

Both the second and third flights of wine were reds from around the world. From light to bold, and from chewy tannins to well balanced, Rod’s remarkable wine choices pleased our taste buds and were lovely discoveries that we don’t often have the opportunity to taste. 

Finally, Rod’s special selection was served by itself. It was a Massi Mazzano Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico 2013, a classic Italian purebred, well made and elegant like Massi can do. This Amarone concluded our enjoyable night. 

Many thanks to Rod for his tasteful wine selection. Looking forward to the next National Capital Sommelier Guild event.

The first VPR of the season will feature wines from four well known families of the wine world: Masi of Veneto; Colome of Argentina; Wente of California; and Perrin of the Rhone Valley. In addition to these wines there is a secondary feature of Rieslings plus the wines of the regular release. Come join us as we taste some of these wines as well as searching out some of the highly recommended wines that punch above their price point. In addition, we will try to fit in some other recommended wines from the release highlighting.

​You can check out the release here.

We encourage you to register early as all members signed up by Saturday, September 22, 2018, will be invited to suggest a few of their choices from the release. We will consider the requests as we make the final selection, particularly looking at popular items based on multiple responses along with any intriguing thematic suggestions.

The VPR is an opportunity to “try before you buy” a number of wines to be released by Vintages on the following Saturday. Taste some selected, expensive, highly reputed wines that might not cross your palate otherwise and also have the chance to discover wines offering exceptional price/quality ratios and affordable lesser-known premium quality products that are well-made bargains.

The tasting will be lead by Guild Director Rod Story.

Reported by Christian Marcoux  

​​Last night the National Capital Sommelier Guild held an evening of Canadian wine tasting, discovering wine from our own backyard. Matt Steeves animated the event and poured fifteen wines from coast to coast, taking us from the magical regions of British Columbia to the maritime region of Nova Scotia. Each wine was unique and carefully selected by Matt to express the diversity of the wine crafted in Canada. 

Matt started with a selection of white wines from BC, Ontario and Nova Scotia, including Chardonnay and Riesling. The group was able to note the differences between each grape and the region it came from, taking into account elements such as ripeness, sun exposure and soil. 

The second flight offered two Pinot Noir and two Meritage from Ontario and BC. This flight revealed the good quality of BC Pinot Noir, such as Foxtrot Vineyard from the Naramata Bench in the Okanagan Valley. The group also enjoyed a Meritage from Icellars Estate Winery, a new Niagara winery that opened in 2010. 

The third flight provided bold BC wines, showing deep colors, full body and a lot of fruit. I believe this was the preferred flight of the night. Matt explained the bio climate difference in BC, which causes the grape to reach a high level of sugar and ripeness, and results in a rich and bold type of wine. 
For the fourth and last flight, Matt surprised us by showcasing three bubblies from Nova Scotia. Although not renowned for its bubbly, Canada has what it takes to produce well-made effervescent wine. All three bubblies impressed the group with impressive freshness and acidity, making these noteworthy choices for upcoming holiday season.  

Stating with last night’s event and onward, the group will select the three wines of the night, according to the following three categories: Best of the Night; Best Value; and Hidden Gem.  

Thank you to Matt Steeves for introducing these Canadian gems, as I am sure these were new discoveries for many in the group. Thank you to Julie as well, our friendly worker bee. 
Looking forward to seeing you at the next event.