BrewBakers Sommelier Corner

February Pick of the Month

Jackson-Triggs Esprit™ captures the Spirit of the Olympic Winter Games. It symbolizes dedication, passion and artistry as the world unites to honour sport and celebrate the possible.

When you purchase Jackson-Triggs Esprit™ wines, a portion of the proceeds will support the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games and our Canadian Olympic Team.

Please join us as we cultivate Canadian champions and toast the true spirit of our great nation.

Glass 6.5               1/2L 21                 Bottle 38

Did you know?

• There are only 3 reasons to decant a wine.
  • To separate a wine from sediment  (older wines)
  • To aerate a wine in order to increase its aromatics (younger wines)
  • Whenever a customer requests decanting.
• Most grapes have white/clear juice including ones used to make red wines.  Red wines get their color from contact with red grape skins during the fermentation process.
• Pinot Gris is the same grape as Pinot Grigio and Syrah is the same as Shiraz.  Exactly the same.  However, when a wine is labeled as Pinot Gris in one market and the same wine is labeled Pinot Grigio in another market, the wine labeled Pinot Grigio will dramatically outsell the same wine labeled Pinot Gris.  Go figure.
• Screw caps are without doubt a much better closure for wine than cork.
• Famous wine critics routinely give wines perfect scores after tasting them upon release (ex. Many expensive 2005 Bordeaux) but also indicate that the wines will be better some time in the future.  How is this possible?
• The restaurant mark-up on wine is typically much less than the mark-up on food.  If restaurants could buy wine from multiple suppliers, the mark-up on wine would probably be lower.
• Chianti, Valpolicella, Bordeaux, Rioja and Meritage are not grape varieties.
• You cannot smell sweetness as sugar is odorless.  Remember this the next time you hear someone say “This wine smells sweet”
• Champagne is too expensive!
• Brewbakers offers themed wine tastings for groups of 10 or more for $25 per person (includes min. 6 wines)