I saw on Instagram that Mark Couillard from Juice Imports was showcasing three wines from their portfolio at Unfiltered Wine Bar. I immediately texted Divine Offering to see if she wanted to go. Lucky for me, she’s always game for my pour decisions. Let’s listen to Passin Me By for this post.
I arrived early. Too tired to walk or shop, I figured I would get a glass of wine and do a little reading. At the door, I was welcomed by one of the owners, Haafiz Hasham, who introduced himself. His partner and wife, Nina, was at the bar.
I ordered a glass of La Spinetta Il Rosé di Casanova ($13 HH, Reg $17), which was on happy hour. The rosé was pleasing, light, a tiny bit tart, with a finish that left no aftertaste. Haafiz pointed to the notes of tangerine and said it tasted like peach iced tea.
When Divine Offering arrived, we ordered Mark’s wine flights ($32), which consisted of 3 oz pours of Testalonga ‘Keep on Punching’ (Swartland, South Africa), Cirellli ‘Orange’ (Abruzzo, Italy) and Jochen Beurer ‘A Nice Red Wine’ (Wurttemberg, Germany). Mark walked us through each tasting.
Testalonga is one of Juice Imports’ longest-running producers. Mark described the environment at Testalonga’s farm as dry, arid, and desert-like. He mentioned that the chenin blanc was whole-cluster pressed and fermented in stainless steel, which imparted freshness and minerality to the wine. Mark noted the soft fruitiness and characteristics of green apple, white peach, and chamomile. The wine smelled like juicy fruit to me.
The second wine, Cirelli’s ‘Orange’, opened with a beautiful floral fragrance. Divine Offering said it smelled like orange blossom. Mark’s tasting notes were orange blossom, dried apricot, orange marmalade and almond. He mentioned ‘Orange’ flies off the shelves. I liked that it felt distinctive without being difficult to drink. Divine Offering said it was the most approachable wine of the evening.
I asked Mark who was carrying Circelli. He paused to think and confirmed Vine Arts, which is only five blocks away from Unfiltered Wine Bar. I called the store immediately and found out there were just five bottles left at $37 each. I asked them to hold some of the remaining for us, which we picked up after the tasting.
The last wine, Jochen Beurer’s ‘A Nice Red Wine,’ was a little dry yet surprisingly punchy. Mark pointed out that the pale colour didn’t match the wine’s intensity. The tasting notes were ‘tart cherry, raspberry, strawberry, earthy’. At $18 a glass and $81 a bottle, this was Beurer’s entry-level wine. That was the moment I realized their top bottles likely belong to a different tax bracket than mine. Mark was especially excited that the label artwork was created by Calgary artist Katie Green. I’m a fan of her work, having seen her murals around Calgary’s East Village.
It was a fun evening. I’m glad Unfiltered Wine Bar hosts these events with Juice Imports. It gives me the opportunity to try new wines and learn a little more about Juice Imports’ portfolio.
Hitting the Sauce 