Well as we can all see Old Man Winter still has a choke hold on us to the equivalent of a MMA Champion Fighter. He just doesn’t want to let go. But as all good athletes know- training for the next season starts NOW!

Sometimes to make a difference we may have to change things up, like where we train, how we train and who trains us! Well folks I’m here to give you some good news! Wine Sense has the best Trainer in their corner for YOU this spring and summer wine season. Some of you may remember him from last year so let me reintroduce you to our Summer Time Fun Trainer (STFT)… TIKI MAN. Yes he is back and he has brought some new strategies in the artform of Twisted Mist to help us fight for that summer time fun lifestyle that we all so long for.

“STFT” Tiki Man and the Twisted Mist crew have been training hard all over the world learning from the locals of exotic countries new techniques and developing new and exciting strategies to help us fight against those long hot summer days when the best thing is to sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labours with great new summertime wine cocktails!

Let me show you the art form of “Twisted Mist” In round one “STFT” Tiki Man will show us the well known favorites like “Mojito”

In round two he brings out the ever popular “Strawberry Margarita” – improved flavouring – a little less sweet but still as effective!

In round three he shows us a New style called “Lime Margarita” – Equally as effective as Strawberry” but with a refreshing Lime Twist to it.

And in the Knock out round four “STFT” Tiki Man has developed an absolutely new technique the “Strawberry/Lime Margarita Combo Pack” This will be the final move that will crown you CHAMPION of the Summer Time Fun Series!

These series of strategies will certainly guarantee you victory this summer and make you the envy of all your friends and family as you all gather to celebrate what we all know as the “Manitoba Summer!”

So fight hard my freinds and remember that “STFT” Tiki Man and his whole training team here at Wine Sense are IN YOUR CORNER!

Know go out there and have some fun!

Note: Check out Tiki on facebook and follow his travels and learn from his philosophical musings: http://www.facebook.com/tikimann

Chhers,

Neil, Manager (WIne Sense- Brandon)

Filed under: General, New Products by WineSense

I would like to revisit the Vinturi. I’m not easy to impress with ‘Gimmicks’ but the Vinturi is the Real Deal! I truly believed before hand that the Vinturi worked but if I’m going to recommend it I wanted to be able to have some hard evidence. I asked 6 people to my house for an evening of Wine Tasting where we had 3 different red wines. Each of the wines were only 3-6 weeks old. I set up the tasting as a blind taste test.

First I poured the 3 wines straight from the bottle and my guests tasted them. We then sample all 3 wines again but this time they were poured into the glass through the Vinturi. ALL 6 people chose the 2nd tasting over the first saying that it was both a ‘better taste’ and ‘a longer lasting taste on the pallet.

For those of you who don’t know- the Vinturi is a hand held unit that you pour your wine through as it goes into the glass. The Vinturi has two little holes in it which with a ‘venturi’ effect rapidly aerate your wine. This helps open up your wine and also will rid any residual CO2 that your wine may have.

This fantastic little unit (available at Wine Sense) is now being used in Tasting Rooms in wineries all over North America. The reason the Vinturi is a great tool for home winemakers is that we tend to drink our wine a tad to early : )  

It’s a great gift for any winemaker or wine drinker so you’ll want to put one on your Christmas list.

Cheers,

Ben, Wine Sense (Brandon)

Filed under: General, New Products by Craig

I have never been a fan of Ice Wines or wines with sweetness levels above 1. However, when I tried the Selection Speciale Okanakgan Peach Ice Wine from a few years ago, it was love at first taste.

If you like peaches you will love Okanagan Peach Icewine!

I recently removed a carboy of the 2008 release of the Selection Speciale Peach Icewine  from my cellar which has been bulk aging for 2 years. I was shocked by its deep, amber, peach colour and even more delighted by its sensuous mouth feel and its lingering taste of peach pie. If you like peaches, peach desserts or peach pie, give this kit a try.

I’m very pleased that it has been released again this year (it was not available in 2009). This Gold Medal winning treat will not disappoint.

Cheers,

Blaine (Wine Sense- Southdale Square)

-Contact your favourite Wine Sense location to reserve your Selection Speciale Okanagan Peach Icewine.

Filed under: Wine, New Products by Craig

It’s always nice when new gadgets come along and the Auto-Syphon Clamp is long overdue. I’m sure most winemakers are aware of the Siphon Clip- the little red clip that attaches to your siphon combo and secures it to your pail or carboy. It allows you to ‘hover’ the end of your syphon over the sediment bed so you don’t pull in any sediment while syphoning.

The Clamp- holding the Auto-Syphon to a Primary Fermenter

The Auto-Syphon Clamp works exactly the same in that it clips onto pails and carboys. The bonus is that it is designed specifically to fit the Auto-Syphon – something the red Syphon Clip could never do. You can now use your Auto-Syphon when filtering and bottling or filling your Wine-On-Tap system (which are on sale until July 24th!) 

I’ve had an Auto-Syphon for years but have never used it to bottle because it stirs up the sediment too much- which ends up in the bottle or plugs your filter pads. Now that problem has been solved and for the low price of $3.99 you can have one too.

If you don’t have an Auto-Syphon pop on down to your favourite Wine Sense location and we’ll be happy to show you how it operates… no more having to suck on your syphon to get it started!

Cheers,

Bob, Manager (Wine Sense- Springfield Rd.)

Filed under: Equipment, New Products by Craig