I have the same reaction with our Twisted Mist Lime Margarita/Hard Pink Lemonade wines. As soon as a bottle is opened you have to grab a glass with ice and enjoy and yes- I do have the urge to dance!

This year’s Twisted Mist is a split kit, you get 15 bottles of Lime Margarita and 15 bottles of Hard Pink Lemonade. The best part is it takes only 28 days to make and there is no aging required.

Hard Pink Lemonade:

Don’t be fooled by the pale pink hue – this Hard Pink Lemonade packs a punch. Fresh lemons mix with notes of pink grapefruit and candied peel, and a light sweetness softens the lemon pucker making for an easy-drinking treat. Serve this cooler-style drink ice cold on a hot afternoon.

Lime Margarita:

Tart lime and tequila flavours form the base of this classic margarita. A touch of sweetness offsets the sour citrus but still leaves that zesty lime explosion. Enjoy over crushed ice.

So grab yourself a Twisted Mist kit and in 4 weeks you’ll be Twisting too!

Cheers,

Bruce, Manager (Wine Sense- Pembina Hwy) 

This year’s Theme Region’s are BC and Ontario and as a result the wines for the dinner were supplied by Canadian Wineries. Which is where the world really gets small for Wine Sense and our customers…

The Keynote Speaker was John Peller. John is the President and CEO of Andrew Peller Limited which is responsible for such well known Canadian wine brands as Peller Estates, Hillebrand and Copper Moon just to name a few.

What else is Andrew Peller Limited known for? Winexpert and Vineco- the two manufactures of the great wine kits that we sell at Wine Sense. 

That’s right… Andrew Peller Limited- the largest Canadian owned group of wineries also produces such popular wine kit brands as Selection, Vintners Reserve, Cellar Craft, Cheeky Monkey and all of the other great brands you see at Wine Sense.

So as winemakers we’re only a few degrees of separation away from such great wines as Peller Estates and Trius… which just happened to be the two best wines served at the Gala! 

Cheers,

Craig- Wine Sense

Selection French Rosé!

When you look outside and see trees budding, grass turning green and tulips growing in the garden- you don’t realize is it is still spring. Warm weather is still a month away, so now is the time to make a French Rosé. French Rosé is an off dry pink wine and is the perfect back yard wine. It is an extremely food friendly wine, the pairing possibilities run the gamut from light salads to meats from the grill. Yes, I said meats from the grill- French Rosé has enough crisp flavours that it can stand up to red meats and is perfect with anything that has barbecue sauce on it. It’s definitely a wine to keep well-stocked and ready all summer.

It’s also great when served chilled which is another reason why it’s so perfect for the warm weather. 

And yes… I consider my self a Real Man and I am proud to drink and serve French Rosé!

Cheers,

Bruce, Manager (and Real Man)

Wine Sense- Pembina Highway

It’s time to start a beer kit to be ready for when the warm weather hits. Wine Sense is pleased to offer Barons Beer kits- the original Bag in Box beer kit which offers the best value to anyone interested in making a beer. Simplicity and Quality go hand in hand for you to make your own micro-brewery style beer.

New to Beer Making?

It’s easy- you can use all of the same equipment that you use to make your wine- the only difference is that you use beer bottles and caps instead of wine bottles and corks. We have a selection of 500 ml and 1 litre PET Plastic beer bottles and you simply screw the cap on to close the bottle.

Methodology?

Beer making has the same principals as wine making. The Barons kits are ‘bag-in-box’ like the wine kits you make and are started pretty much the same. There are 2 main differences:

1.) You don’t have to stabilize or degas your beer kit.

2.) You add sugar at bottling time. The added sugar ferments in the sealed bottle which traps the produced C02 which in turn carbonates the beer.

In total you’re in the pail for about 1 week, the carboy for about 2 weeks to allow the beer to finish fermenting and clear and the bottle for about 2 weeks to carbonate.

The Barons beer kit includes 7.5 litres of prepared wort, the bottling sugar and most styles include a pack of Hop Pellets which are added for fresh hop character. Each kit produces 23 litres which will make you about 65 standard beer bottles or 5 and half dozen. There are 11 delicious styles to choose from.

All this at the amazing cost of about $4 a dozen!

So stop by your favourite Wine Sense location and get your summer beer started today and you’ll be ready for when the warm weather hits!

Cheers,

Craig- Wine Sense

ps All styles of Barons Beer are on sale for 20% off until April 28th!

For example some kits are adding oak cubes that go into the secondary instead of the primary or sometimes there are two packs of yeast or other add packs that have to be added.

And of course different manufactures have instructions that they feel work best for their kits- so what you are use to doing may be different when you try a different wine kit. It doesn’t mean one set of instructions is better or worse than the other- just different because the winemaker for a certain manufacturer has their philosophies.

A lot of work goes into wine kit instructions- they’re clear concise and really do make things easier. Especially when compared to many of the ‘do it yourself’ instructions that you see today…

So whenever you start your wine kit- review the instructions for any changes and follow them to ensure you make the best wine possible : )

Cheers,

Bruce, Manager (Wine Sense- Pembina Hwy)