wine racks

Winnipeg Free Press - October 24, 2009

Special Delivery

When I pick up a $50 bottle of wine, I expect it to knock my socks off. It's the type of wine that's the focal point of any conversation. If I'm tasting a $25-and-under wine with friends, a great example in that price range will make me stop what I'm doing and take note. These kinds of wines interrupt a conversation and make themselves noticed. When I think back on the wine, I can remember where I had it, who I shared it with, and (if applicable) what I was eating. So how can you go about fig...

Winnipeg Free Press - February 17, 2008

All Grown Up

"Right away, you realize this isn't going to be someone's first home," he says. "This home has purposely been geared toward older families with teens or folks in the 50-plus crowd who like to entertain with some nice creature comforts around them. This home has a high level of finish, as well as a very workable open-concept floor plan." "One of the best features is that the ceiling in the great room is vaulted and is over 13 feet high. While the design is open-concept, the kitchen is divided ...

Winnipeg Free Press - December 30, 2007

Wine Cellars Come of Age

[Gary Bombay] sees two major factors for the popularity of wine rooms. The first is rising property values: "A wine cellar makes for a nice 'dressing' for a house these days," he says. "It's becoming as standard as a home theatre." The other factor is the growth "by leaps and bounds" of the B.C. wine industry: "We live in a wine region. The wines are getting better and that's fuelling an interest in collecting them." [Alex Buck], a sommelier and self-confessed "cork dork," says even a novice ...

Winnipeg Free Press - December 12, 2009

Holiday Cheers

There's lots of fun stuff for wine lovers in the $15-$30 price range. Most basic bottle openers (waiter's corkscrews, butterfly corkscrews, etc.) will be quite reliable in this range, and most wine lovers that I know like having a few openers on hand (they're never in front of you when you need SSRqem, after all). Check around at kitchen stores for other interesting wine gadgets as well; from drip stoppers to wine thermometers to label lifters, you should be able to find something that will p...

Winnipeg Free Press - December 12, 2009

Make Sure the Wine Lover On Your List has a Corker of a Christmas Holiday Cheers

If you're not done, don't sweat it, and if you're still looking for gifts for a wine lover, you're in luck. Finding inexpensive wine-related gifts is easy, and you shouldn't have to delve very far into the mall. There's lots of fun stuff for wine lovers in the $15-$30 price range. Most basic bottle openers (waiter's corkscrews, butterfly corkscrews, etc.) will be quite reliable in this range, and most wine lovers that I know like having a few openers on hand (they're never in front of you whe...

Winnipeg Free Press - May 19, 2007

Grape Expectations, Vintage Turnout

THE Special Olympics Manitoba press release sent out last Saturday following the closing of the Winnipeg Wine Festival was titled "Best Show Ever," and I'm inclined to agree. I mentioned last week that organizers were expecting at least 7,000 people, and they managed to pull in far more than that. The hope is that the Wine List Awards will attract more restaurants to enter the competition, as well as improve the quality of participating restaurants' wine lists. There are a lot of great restau...

Winnipeg Free Press - August 05, 2006

Don't Walk Down the Aisle Without It

Ciao! section editors Lindsay Duke and Christy Boettcher spent a year scouring the city -- visiting more than 300 local venues, caterers, suppliers and other wedding professionals -- to compile their Winnipeg "best of" wedding guide. LD: There are a lot less of those "ooh, yuck" traditional bridesmaids' dresses. Instead, brides are opting for more fashion-conscious, trendy styles. Some bridal parties are shopping at regular boutiques and buying dresses right off the racks, so chances are th...

Winnipeg Free Press - October 11, 2008

Time in a Bottle

Anakena 2006 Single Vineyard Carmenre (Rapel Valley, Chile -- $15.93, available at Liquor Marts and beyond): The nose on this Chilean red brings aromas of green pepper, mocha, blackberry and some spice. It's full-bodied with black pepper, cassis and black licorice flavours and a nice balance of fine tannin and medium acidity. It's drinking nicely now but should mellow out with two or three years in your cellar. You never know when company will drop by, so it's a good idea to keep a nice varie...

Winnipeg Free Press - April 11, 2009

Behind the Price Tag Uncorked

In most cases it's impossible to single out one factor that makes a wine expensive, so let's start from the beginning. Hand-picked clusters of grapes from the best vineyards are usually the base ingredient for pricier wines -- and the hand-pickers have got to be paid. New, pricy French or American oak barrels are often used in the fermentation or aging process, rather than large stainless steel vats. Then you have to sit on your asset -- pricier wines are usually aged longer than entry-level ...