Author Archives: Sumen Zhao

About Sumen Zhao

Currently a student at New York City College of Technology

South brook Vineyards

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During spring break I decided to road trip to Canada with a few friends, there we decided to stop by Southbrook vineyards Canada’s first bio-dynamic winery. All of the information provided was answered by the tasting room personnel or found on their website at “http://www.southbrook.com” The winery and vineyard was located on the Niagara peninsula. They have a continental climate and the two lakes moderate the temperature by retaining heat. The soil they have is rich in minerals such as silt, limestone and shale, the land is located over a glacial lake.They specialized in wines with the grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and Petit Verdoit. The red wine was fermented in Vosges French oak barrels while the white was fermented in stainless steel vessels. (southbrook.com)

Southbrook vineyards are certified with by the VQA which stands for the Vitners Quality Alliance, it sets the standards for the appellation and ensures that the wine is made from 100% Ontario-grown grapes. (www.winecountryontario.com) They establish and monitor the sugar level, labeling and grapes for the appellation. There is also no set law for reserve; South brook’s reserve is under the brand Poetica.

South brook vineyards isĀ organic and bio-dynamic and they don’t use synthetic pesticide, fungicide and herbicide. They infuse the soil with various items such asĀ organic egg shells which are high in calcium, horse manure which stimulates beneficial soil life and encourages deeper root growth. They also have sheep which act as lawnmowers by chewing the grass and also use the manure as compost.

In the vinification process the grapes are hand picked and selected by hand and not machines. The vines are pruned mid April and picked late September/ early October. The Vidal grapes are especially picked for ice wine at negative eight degrees in accordance to the VQA law. There is no advertising on television or the radio; but it isĀ part of Niagara on the lake.

The wine tasting they offered was ten dollars for four wines but it was offered free with the purchase of two wines. The wines I decide to try were the wild ferment chardonnay, estate 2013, ice wine Vidal 2014, ice wine Vidal Ā 2006 and also the framboise fruit wine. The wild ferment was aged 20 months in the Vosges French oak with no cultured yeast added. It was not fine and filtered because there were noticeable sediments and the taste was oaky, with hints of apples and pears. The ice wine Vidal 2014 in comparison to 2006 was that the 2006 was sweeter and had stronger hints of peach and caramel, it also had a darker amber color and it was one of the wines I enjoyed so much I purchased it. The framboise fruit wine was very sweet with hints of raspberry and a high alcohol content.

reference:

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http://winecountryontario.ca/wine-101/what-is-vqa

Chamber Street Wines

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As a student studying wine exploring and drinking wine is is learning experience. I decided to visit Chamber Street Wines at 148 Chambers Street for my retail beverage shop analysis after a late brunch near Tribeca. I had previously researched this wine store because it is conveniently located near the train station. While researching I learned that it was opened in 2001 and specialize in naturally made wines by small wine producers. According to chambersstwines.com they chose “wines that express their origins, the talent and commitment of the growers and winemakers, and the inherent quality of the vintage,” and it caught my attention and made me eager to go.

While walking along Chambers street I realized the store did not have the name to recognize you have arrived.Ā Upon my visit to the wine store I spoke to several of the workers and it is interesting because they vary from many previous backgrounds. One of the worker’sā€™ name was John and he used to work in the financial district but he didnā€™t like working there and he decided to try retail at a wine store and he loves it and has been working as sales ever since. After conversing with him he told me they specialize in mostly old world wines such as France, Spain and Germany. There are discounted wines located at the front of the store and they list the producer, year and price. There are also wines exclusively available in the United States at this wine store such as LeRouge&Le Blanc. The store is organized by the type of wine, red or white andĀ region. There is an area for red wines of France and Italy, red wines of France and Italy, sparkling wine, wines of united states, liquor and rose.

There are also maps which indicate the region the wine is from to help customers identify the wine they are looking for. They also have informational posters which helps you understand grape variety, both the white and red. It organizes wine by both acidity and its body or weight of wine. The poster is very helpful because it focuses on the flavors of the wine and also the region in which it is found.

Their clientele usually buys from the $15-20 range and are mostly from the neighborhood. They do most of their sales online and you can tell from the numerous boxes located in the store that they currently have a lot of orders, but it also makes the store look very messy and unorganized. The store has a wide variety but also a lot of empty spots which do not make a good presentation. They have a lot of different types of wines including wine in a box which is something that has recently started over the years. They also have specialized wine tastings and the one they had on Saturday was Spanish wine from 4-7 PM.

 

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Display in the middle of the store, contains magnums, old bottles and others that don’t on shelf

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White Wines of France

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How the old world wines are displayed

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Discounted wines located at the entrance

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Wine Grape Variety Poster

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Store front of Chamber Street Wines