My most rewarding experiences working in a wine store were sharing my enthusiasm for wines with customers and helping a few of them to overcome their nervousness about entering the store and being afraid they would buy the “wrong” wine.
So, in this column, I’m going to give you a quick overview of the Yukon Liquor Corporation’s store (at 2nd Avenue and Ogilvie Street) and mention a few wines I’ve enjoyed recently.
As you enter the Whitehorse Liquor Store, you’ll see four islands of wines that you should check out regularly.
There’s a “Delisted Products” selection, which often has good deals on interesting wines that are not going to be carried forward and are reduced in price. Just because they are being discontinued doesn’t mean they’re not worth a taste and you’ll save a few dollars in the process.
The next is an island of “One Time Buys” where the Whitehorse Liquor Store features special purchases that it has found and want to offer. This is where I found the Two Hands shirazes I wrote of in my last column.
The third grouping is their “Featured Products” section, that seems to change every month or so. Sometimes they are grouped by theme … wines with animals in their names like The Little Penguin Merlot ($14.85) for example.
Sometimes the wines are seasonally related. In any event, the changing selection is a fun place to explore wines you may not have tried.
Ask the staff whether there is a particular theme or have them share information on what’s featured … they’ll be happy that you’re interested and you might learn a fun fact or two that may guide your selection.
Finally, there is an island devoted to an organic wine selection along with organic beers and spirits.
I am told that the staff expects this to be an increasingly popular selection as people become more conscious of the value of organic produce. I’ve tried an excellent Italian Villa Teresa Prosecco ($17.30) dry sparkling wine from this selection (a nice, reasonably priced alternative to Champagne, made near Venice.)
I also found a very tasty, robust and tannic Coyam Vinedos Organic Emiliana red Chilean ($26.35) blended from Cabernet Sauvignon and Chile’s signature grape, the Carmenere. It’s a fabulous wine with a steak, but not for the feint-hearted.
After these first stops, you can tour the world’s great wine regions, sorted by country.
Canadian wines are along the back wall. I need to explore those in more detail and will devote a future column specifically to some of them.
You’ll see signs indicating the wines organized by country. While many of us have tasted German, French, Italian, Australian and American wines, there are also some gems from New Zealand — they may make the best Sauvignon Blancs (crisp white wines) in the world — that are ideal accompaniments for seafood.
Try the award-winning Kim Crawford, his Sauvignon Blanc ($22.95) has been winning awards for the better part of a decade. And don’t be put off by the screwtop as about 50 per cent of New Zealand wines are now produced with a screwtop rather than a cork.
Another great country’s wines to explore is Portugal. For those who like sweeter wines, Portugese Sogrape Mateus Rose ($11.85) is a longtime favourite and, though my tastes don’t generally lean that way, I’ve had chilled Mateus with ham. The combination of the sweet wine and the salty ham works really well together.
Another great Portuguese wine is the inexpensive, light, citrusy and slightly fizzy Avelda Vinho Verde Casal Garcia ($13.50) white wine, which is lower in alcohol and very refreshing, particularly if we ever have another warm day in the Yukon (OK, I’ll have to hope for next summer on that one). It’s a great wine to serve before dinner or, again, with seafood.
A final Portuguese red to explore is the slightly soft-tasting Vista Tinta Roriz red wine ($14.00) that is great with cheese and crackers or with roast red meats or stews.
One final selection of wines is the grouping of fortified wines like Ports, Madeiras and Sherries. They range from inexpensive big bottles of Brights Private Stock sherry (great for cooking to add rich flavour to everything from broth for mussels to soup stock and gravy) to excellent vintage Ports.
What they have in common is that they are wines that have been “fortified” with additional alcohol and are therefore stronger than regular red and white wines. We will explore this concept in more detail in future columns.
So, if you are looking to expand your exploration, stop by and check out the various sections offered in our local Yukon Liquor Corporation’s store. And don’t be afraid to ask the staff questions. They are knowledgeable and likely have their favourites or can share details about particular selections.
Cheers!
