Metrovino

The Metrovano Album Series | Vol: 30: Migration Vanos

In the latest article, Al recalls a trip made to the Mosel several years ago. Without giving it too much away, the story involves a parking lot scuffle, a martial arts expert and a very good breakfast.

Read the entire story in the link in bio.

The Metrovano Album Series | Vol: 29: Phasor Vano

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥’𝕤 ℕ𝕖𝕨 𝕎𝕖𝕕𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕕𝕒𝕪

Poggio Anima is a project that collaborates with growers from across Italy to produce varietal wines that reflect place and grape. Each wine is crafted by a single estate and represents tremendous value.

So, what's with the creatures on the labels? Each of Poggio Anima's wines are named after religious archangels or fallen angels.

𝕲𝖆𝖇𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖑
100% Pecorino from the province of Chieti in Abruzzo. It's perky, tingly and a pleasingly fruity white named after the heavenly messenger, Archangel Gabriel. The message? This Pecorino is mighty delicious and calling your name.

𝕾𝖆𝖒𝖆𝖊𝖑
100% Montepulciano from the province of Chieti in Abruzzo. Samael is better known as the Angel of Death with a habit of tempting man to do evil. The wine seduces its imbiber with a playful juiciness before shifting gears as the structural, grippy tannins escalate.

𝕭𝖊𝖑𝖎𝖆𝖑
100% Sangiovese grown near Siena in Tuscany. Belial is one of the crown Princes of Hell and the personification of evil. No, we are not saying the wine is bad, in fact it is attention grabbing, hellishly tasty and damn delightful.

$25 each and available right now!

Richard will be slinging bottles this Thursday night at Tubby's. Be there.

The Metrovano Album Series | Vol: 28: Mermaid Avenue Vano

Many of you will remember our former colleague, Marli Hadden, for her winning smile and infectiously positive demeanour. She left Metrovino in 2019 to chase dreams that were still unfolding, embarking upon a nomadic adventure that eventually landed her in Ontario's wine country. In ways it seems as if she just left yesterday, yet it also feels like a hundred years ago.

After getting a harvest under her belt and accumulating experience in tasting room management and artisanal farming, Marli returned to Alberta a couple of years back. A chance encounter would (re)introduce her to the Swiss-born chef, Jonas Huber, who was soon to become her life and business partner.

Read about their food truck Shackehlicious in our latest article 𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘰 𝘈𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘯𝘪 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 on our website.

The Metrovano Album Series | Vol: 27: Unknown Pleasures Vano

Continued...

Our Fall tastings are now released! Book your spot on our website or via the link in bio. See our second post for the remainder of the tasting options.

King Nebbiolo - October 17
With Sharla Swanson
$80
The Nebbiolo grape’s inherent royalty is indisputable, and its wines have been variously referred to as the King of Wines and the Wine of Kings. Good versions combine elegance and refinement with enticing rusticity, are highly reflective of where they’re grown and – in exceptional examples — can induce a spiritual experience. Join Sharla to pull back the fog on Nebbiolo, and to explore the regal beauty of its resplendent wines.

Under the Veil - October 24
With Al Drinkle
$80
Referred to as voile (veil) by French vintners and flor (flower) by the Spanish, a curious appearance — intentional or otherwise! — of saccharomyces yeast on the surface of a wine will definitively alter its character. Essential to manzanilla and fino sherries, as well as the Jura's vin jaune, winegrowers in the least expected places are courting flor in their cellars to pursue unforeseen vinous expressions. Join Al for the nerdiest tasting of the season to plunge deeper into this cult movement, and to taste some of Europe's most exciting white wines made under the veil.

Wine 101 - October 31
With Isaiah Santos
$60
The world of wine is fascinating, delightful and terribly confusing at times. But wine needn’t be so alienating nor baffling! If you ever find yourself wondering how wine is made, what the #*%$ “terroir” is or how in the world to describe your wine preferences to a restaurant server, Isaiah’s got an informative and entertaining evening arranged for you.

Our Fall tastings are now released! Book your spot on our website or via the link in bio. See our other post for the remainder of the tasting options.

Bulles-Eye - September 19
With Eva Hudson
$75
Sparkling wine, and Champagne in particular, has long been considered the beverage of choice to mark a special occasion. What a damn shame to limit one’s enjoyment of bubbly to celebrations only! Moreover, why restrict yourself to just Champagne in this immense world of bubbles? Join Eva on an effervescent adventure to taste and compare a rainbow of fizzy wines including Pét-Nat, Champagne, Lambrusco, Cerdon and more.

The ABCs of Pairing Food and Wine - September 26
With Sarah Boucher
$65
The relationship between food and wine is primal, beautiful and sometimes complex. One of the most common inquiries we get at Metrovino is "I'm having X for dinner... which wine should I pair with it?" The expanse of possibilities might seem intimidating, but what are the markers of success, and will your sweetheart flee the date if you serve the wrong wine with the roasted chicken? Join Sarah to learn the basics of food and wine pairing, as well some of the classic anomalies that please the palate.

Metro Mixtape VI: Richard Harvey Edition - October 3
With Richard Harvey
$75
The Metro Mixtape series highlights the personal tastes of our very own Metrovinians in the format of an unthemed wine tasting. Think of it as a compilation featuring the instructor’s top picks of the moment. In this edition, owner and founder Richard Harvey will take you on a journey to discover what’s tickling his fancy.

No Spain, No Gain - October 10
Stand-up festival style tasting
$60
Spanish wine is a veritable mosaic of styles grown in disparate climates and geographies. From the alien desertscape of Jumilla to the breezy shores of Mallorca, join us to celebrate the diversity and dynamism of Spanish wine.

The Metrovano Album Series | Vol: 26: In The Vano Over The Sea.

Jumilla in February is an alien desertscape with sandy, burnished vistas unfolding in every direction. Pine trees, vineyards and silvery olive groves border the highway, and the blue skies seem vast and endless. Rugged, forested hills protrude from the ground erratically, interspersed with fields of solar panels that look like rich, black earth from afar, glittering in the sunlight as one approaches. Bodega Cerrón is named after the hill where Fuente-Álamo is located, where the first vineyards were planted at 980m above sea level.

Bodega Cerrón is a welcome addition to our growing Spanish selection and we cannot wait for you to try these superb wines.

Read Sarah's article on this fascinating producer on our website.

The 2021 vintage of 's La Calleja has arrived in store. Sarah tasted it back in February during her travels to Spain and stirred in us great excitement about this single-site Rioja. La Calleja (below) is a vineyard planted by Eva Valgañón and her father when she was a child. Eva and her partner Oscar Alegre (pictured in the second image) have crafted a single-varietal Tempranillo of serene beauty, balance and freshness and we can't wait for you to try it. This is real, soulful Rioja.

We are proud to have partnered with Dean House for their annual Rosé & Croquet fundraiser. And what an incredible result: $215,000 was raised and the proceeds will support the YWCalgary PowerUP program! 🩷🌹

Earlier this year, Al visited Jerez and Bodegas Luis Perez and relayed his experiences in an email to the Metro Mates:

"𝘔𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘗é𝘳𝘦𝘻 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘥, 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 — 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨."

Four months later, our first shipment from Bodegas Luis Pérez has arrived and a question needs to be posed. Namely, who are these wines for? Like most of our imports at Metrovino, they’re primarily for us, but for this model to be sustainable, we hope that many of you enjoy them as well!

Before you ask, they are bone dry, and with a seamless flor influence that tightens their structures and enhances the minerality without overriding the eloquent dialogue between grape and soil.

Read Al's entire transmission to the mates PLUS descriptions of each of the wines on our website under 'Wine Journal'.

Thank you to Bodegas Luis Pérez for providing the second photo above: albariza soil of the Macharnudo vineyard.

Psst! The first 2023 German riesling has arrived at Metrovino! And it's Weingut A. J. Adam Hofberg Kabinett, no less! Come snag your bottle today. 🤤

If you are curious, read Al's report on the 2023 vintage in Germany and if you are searching for some more lighthearted reading involving a cat (yes that's right), read Al's latest article: 𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳. Both are available via our website.

𝙒𝙃𝘼𝙏'𝙎 𝙉𝙀𝙒 𝙒𝙀𝘿𝙉𝙀𝙎𝘿𝘼𝙔

Welcome to Metrovino, !

Fernando of Castúo began his project when his in-laws confessed their plan to uproot their vineyard. Convinced that this idea was preposteous, he devoted himself to learning about the winemaking history of the Extremadura region in western Spain and its unique indigenous grape varieties.

More than a decade later, Fernando cultivates varieties such as Pardina, Morisca and Eva (our very own Metrovinian Eva is thrilled!). These lesser known grape varieties are suited to the hot climate of this part of the country. Fernando's approach to winemaking is minimalistic and his goal is to faithfully convey the wines of Tierra de Barros.

DM to find out more or ask us in person next time you're in the shop!

Who's Your Daddy?

Well in the case of Hondarrabi Beltza, it is Cabernet Franc. 𝘚𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵??! Hondarrabi Beltza is a grape variety of Basque Country Spain, most famous for producing red and rosé Txakoli wines. Cabernet Franc is grown in France's Loire Valley and Bordeaux regions, but has also become a feature in vineyards beyond France's borders.

The resemblance is truly uncanny. Both grape varieties exhibit herbal and vegetal notes of peppers or tomato leaf. Hondarrabi Beltza has even been misidentified as Cab Franc in Txakoli vineyards. 🫑🍅🌶

New to Metro's selection is 'Stimatum', a red Txakoli made by . It is delightfully fruity and herbal, has low alcohol and bouncy, refreshing acidity.

Happy father's day weekend to all the dads out there! ❤️

It’s International La Panesa day!! Well, so says Richard. We believe him, so let’s go with it.

At 15 years of average age, La Panesa from is probably the oldest fino in the Jerez region and if we were restricted to one descriptor it would have to be “complete.” It’s an ample and rich wine with such detail, complexity and abundance of flavour that it threatens to transcend the category. In short, La Panesa is a Jerez legend and a wine that no oenophile should deny themselves.

We 💛 Jura whites. Made from Savagnin or Chardonnay, and sometimes both, the whites of the Jura are diverse and unique.

Take these two wines. Both are made from Chardonnay (the Montbourgeau on the right does have a sneaky dash of Savagnin too) but they could not be more different. Montbourgeau's Cuvée Spéciale ages sous-voile, that is, it ages under a layer of flor yeast in barrel. This yeasts imparts distinct, cheesy and nutty aromas into the wine and is specialty of the Jura. This style of white is a beautiful companion to morels and comté cheese.

The Fruitière Vinicole d'Arbois Chardonnay on the other hand is a more classic interpretation of the grape variety. The barrels are topped-up so as not to allow the yeast to grow on the surface of the wine - this style is locally known as ouillé. It is a vivacious Chardonnay with notes of honeyed apricot and hazelnut.

📸

Vote below!

Tonight, Veronika and Craig are hosting volume 2 of 𝘈 𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘰 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, a tasting that pits New World wines versus examples from the Old World. These two warriors have met in the ring before and Craig representing the New World was our champion. Tonight’s grape varieties are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo.

Who do you think will come out on top?

The Metrovano Album Series | Vol: 25: Billie Holiday

Richard touched down in Sherry over the weekend and sent the Metro crew an update on his experience:

"In 1998, I walked off the aircraft onto the tarmac at Jerez airport just like I did on Sunday last. The palm trees waved hello and I could only think of just how good that first sip of Fino would taste.

The visit this morning with Fernando Hidalgo makes me want to close the store for a week and bring us all to Jerez. [𝙔𝙚𝙨, 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙍𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙!!!]

Bodegas Emilio Hidalgo is nothing short of a treasure, radical but only because they are so traditional. I do not want to leave the rows of barrels stacked high in the sandy-floored, dark, cool, pacific building. As I tasted the ancient soleras at Hidalgo today, I felt every sip contained ghosts and history. I celebrated - both at every taste and for the rest of the day. History and souls in a liquid form."

Al's recent trip to Germany to taste with Metrovino's winegrowing partners has inspired the release of The Drinkle Report, an informative investigation of the 2023 vintage in Germany.

"Good 2023 German Rieslings are confidently delicious and stridently complex — little about them is demure — and the gregarious expression of these qualities seems to communicate a desire to make the drinker happy."

The 2023s will begin to trickle in the coming months. To find out what to expect and to learn about the specifics of the vintage, read the entire article in the link in bio.

The Metrovano Album Series | Vol: 24: Know what I mean?

Join Sarah on Monday, May 27 for her annual specialty dinner “A Spring Celebration of Food and Wine” . Sarah has designed a menu to highlight gorgeous spring produce and will pair the five-course dinner with selections from . Prepare to be whisked away into a gastronomic dreamland!

Swipe to see Sarah’s menu and wine pairings. Reservations are essential and can be made by calling The Cookbook Co. at 403-265-6066.

We get a lot of food and wine pairing questions at Metro. Our good friend and customer Jonathan was recently seeking a red to suit steak frites. Eva, Isaiah and Craig all had VERY different recommendations for the ultimate pairing.

🇮🇹 🇫🇷 🇺🇸

Tell us what you’d pick:

"When I walk the hills of one of my favourite vineyard areas, Beaujolais, I am overwhelmed with thoughts and feelings. Many of Mum, and many not.
My best hands-on winemaking experiences have been at Château de Beauregard, an estate in the Mâcon / Beaujolais area of France that has in its possession some lovely and very old Gamay vines. One of my first duties at the winery was to take a group of charming, oh-so beautifully intense and professional Japanese sommeliers out for a vineyard visit. To this day, I can't walk these vineyards full of runty, exquisite Gamay vines without remembering both my mother and her tiny trees, as well as the fierce appreciation of the Japanese sommeliers. They knew that these tiny plants had struggled to exist for 50, 80 and some for 100 years on very unforgiving soil. We walked the vineyards together, among vines that were barely as tall as a bottle of wine, eighty or more years old, shaped by both nature and the human hand. I think we found a common ground in our appreciation of these plants and their interaction with humans, as well as being stunned and in love with the fruit of this stubborn and beautiful plant."

Read Richard's 𝘉𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘪 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 in the link in bio.

What's New Wednesday

The new vintage of Fabbrica Pienza Newton rosso has arrived! If you were one of the devoted fans of the 2020 vintage of this wine, good news - we are certain you will love the 2021 iteration. If you are yet to try it, what are you waiting for?!
This is pure and pretty Sangiovese from the heart of the Val d'Orcia in Tuscany, grown in the shadow of the ancient Monte Amiata volcano.

We are open until 6 today so come and grab your bottle!

We are proud to support nurses.
For National Nursing Week, we have donated to Foothills Hospital Unit 36 Medical Teaching Unit and Unit 47 Intensive Palliative Care Unit.