sit. sip. savour.: Sep 27, 2012

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Niagara's Twenty Valley Taste & Buy - Oct 19th in Ottawa

As part of the Savvy Team, I am excited to announce ... special ticket pricing for sit. sip. savour followers ... Outstanding Wines - discount price with discount code: SITSIPSAVOUR.

Here are the details of this first ever Taste & Buy in Ottawa ...

Winemakers and winery owners from Niagara ‘s Twenty Valley wine region - located between the Niagara Escarpment and Lake Ontario – are coming to Ottawa to raise a glass to this year’s outstanding harvest and to pour their wines at their first ever Taste & Buy event.

“This is the first time the wineries of Niagara’s Twenty Valley have gone ‘on tour’ as a group to showcase their finely crafted wines”, said Twenty Valley Tourism Association President and winery owner Sue-Ann Staff.

“We are delighted to pour our elegant whites, robust reds and other specialty wines to the receptive Ottawa wine lovers. We are excited to work with the Savvy Company knowing their outstanding history, commitment to quality and extreme competence of putting together a fabulous tasting in Ottawa. Ottawa has a particular appeal to the wineries of Niagara’s Twenty Valley. We know the people in Ottawa love great wine. And we happen to make some of the best wines in Ontario. Bringing the two together can only provide for an evening of great success.”

Twenty Valley encompasses the rural towns of Beamsville, Vineland and Jordan. Their wines continue to be recognized and awarded around the world for outstanding quality and for the talent of their winemakers. Wine enthusiasts in Ottawa have the opportunity to taste the Twenty Valley terroir when winemakers and winery owners come to the nation’s capital.

The Taste & Buy event hosted by Savvy Company is taking place on Friday October 19 at 7p.m. in the Panorama Room on the 2^nd floor of the National Arts Centre.

Tickets are available in advance only

$55.00 per person if purchased before October 10, 2012 and will be $60.00 after.
Groups of 4 people are $200.00. Ticket prices include HST.

To purchase tickets click here >>

All wine lovers are invited to sample over 50 wines while they meet grape growers, winemakers and winery owners. Consumers will learn about the Twenty Valley wineries, their vineyards and may discover some favourite new wines. At this Taste & Buy event, consumers will have the opportunity to purchase wines that are not available in the LCBO. Free shipping by courier is available with the purchase of a case of wine.

The Valley comes to 'The Hill'!

Participating wineries:
13th Street Winery

Angels Gate Winery
Aure Wines
Calamus Estate Winery
Cave Spring Cellars
Creekside Estate Winery
De Sousa Wine Cellars
Di Profio Wines
Fielding Estates Winery
Flat Rock Cellars
Harbour Estates Winery
Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery
Kacaba Vineyards & Winery
Malivoire Wine Company
megalomaniac - John Howard Cellars of Distinction
Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery
Rockway Glen Golf Course & Estate Winery
Rosewood Estates Winery & Meadery
Stoney Ridge Estate Winery
Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery
Tawse Winery
The Good Earth Food & Wine Company
… more wineries to be announced!

What is a Taste & Buy event?

Consumers can sample any number of the featured wines and order directly from the winery. Exclusive at this event, orders can be ANY combination of wines from ANY of the wineries and the wines will be delivered by courier to an Ontario address. And Savvy Company Sommeliers will be on hand to share wine recommendations and guide event goers to ‘must try wines’ based on their personal preferences.

The Twenty Valley Tourism Association hosts wine themed events year round including “Wrapped Up in the Valley”, “Winter WineFest” and “Get Fresh in the Valley”. Visit www.twentyvalley.ca or follow @20Valley on Twitter.

Savvy Company specializes in creative social experiences – whether making the enjoyment of wine accessible to all, exploring the worlds of craft beer or discovering artisan cheeses. Their team of accredited Sommeliers delight in designing wine, beer and food events, shining the spotlight on the people who make them. Their Savvy Selections wine of the month club is Ontario’s largest featuring Ontario wines not available in the LCBO and delivered directly to the subscriber’s home or office. Visit www.savvycompany.ca or follow @SavvyCompany on Twitter.

Media contacts:

JD Pachereva
Executive Director
Twenty Valley Tourism Association
jd@twentyvalley.ca
905.562.3636

Debbie Trenholm
President & Sommelier
Savvy Company
debbie@savvycompany.ca
613.SAVVYCO (613.728.8926)

I hope to see you there!!!

sit. sip. savour.
Éva Nagy - accredited sommelier & yummy food enthusiast

Twitter @savvyeva and @sitsipsavour

Tuscan innovation + Aussie & NZ Pinot + Thanksgiving deconstructed - September 29, 2012 VINTAGES

September 29, 2012 - VINTAGES

In this release, VINTAGES features:

Tuscan Tradition - a venerable region brims with innovation
Pinpointing Place - Australian & New Zealand Pinot Noir
Thanksgiving deconstructed

You know me, I would choose every bottle just to try it ... after all, sommeliers need lots of practice! Alas, I must whittle my list to the affordable. You may notice that I do not choose many if any bottles much over $20. I would rather get more bang for my buck. But there are some bottles, no matter the price, that I need to experience.

As per usual, I have highlighted and sharpied my VINTAGES catalogue ...

YELLOW highlights what caught my eye.
➔ RED ARROW points to unique feature.
* RED SHARPIE STAR selections are those most likely to make it into my bag.

here I go with markers in hand ...

"Szamorodni" means "as it is grown" in Hungarian. Sweet Tokaji means "yummy" to me!

"simply stunning" but $52.95 is not my idea of reasonable. ack.

"a lot of oomph for this price"

"hard to find this level of quality in Napa Valley cabernet at this price" ... now this is more reasonable to me.

"just one word for this Zin: delicious. ... great price for Zin this good" (too much for me)

"dark fruit in the mouth leaps out of the wine ... but it is not a fruit bomb."

"maybe it was an off day" for Wine Spectator ... ha!

"unencumbered by oak ... wine is au natural .. so the full beauties of this wine come from the grapes and only from the grapes." I look forward to sipping "one of the world's most interesting wine varieties".

"an incredibly ripe wine"

I'm not a fan of over-the-top SB but I'm attracted to "strong tropical-fruit-flavours in a very non-herbaceous style"

I love minerality & salinity: "crushed seashells and fleur de sel"

so much strikes my fancy: vines 20-55 yrs of age, planted exclusively with Chenin Blanc, "simply fab value", ...

"unique & pure wine experience that gives a window into superior Cab Franc"

"utterly infectious ... saliva-inducing salinity"

"very high quality & deserve readers' attention"

GSM or in this case GMS: 50% Grenache +35% Mourvedre + 15% Syrah "from 12-50 year old vines ... bottled unfiltered"

"most structured, dense & concentrated ... terrific fruit purity ... deep multi-layered 2010"

"new EU appelation becoming more common AP (Appellation d'Origine Protégé) is rapidly replacing AC on many French wines ... more Grenache in the blend ... intermixed with garrigue"

"one of the most respected & famous vineyards in all of the Mosel ... cultivated since Roman times"

"mineral (slate mostly, from the legendary Mosel slate soil) ... fresh ginger ... real elegance here to suggest it could age"

"growers got their act together & now produce a unique, standout wine with a cult-like following ... from volcanic soils near Mount Vesuvius ... delicate honeysuckle ... sleek mineral finish"

I don't usually purchase much Pinot Grigio but this seems like a standout expressing its terroir: "ultimate expression of the best fruit from the most suitable vineyards, setting the yields at a fraction allowable for the region ... intrude into the winemaking process as little as possible ... true reflection of the place where it was grown.