Inspiration

Tips for using leftovers wines and spirits

It’s harvest season, a happy time of abundance when family and friends gather round the kitchen island and concoct a fabulous meal over a glass of wine. Simple recipes are the way to go – with or without meat, but certainly comforting and delicious!

An expert gives us the ABCs of organic, biodynamic and natural wines. What exactly do these terms mean?

A fun way of testing your SAQ taste-tage knowledge!

Rare is a grape variety as multifaceted as this magnificent white originating from the Loire Valley, that can produce dry, lively wines, rich and floral vintages, and even the entire range of sweet wines, including dessert wines and even botyrized wines (those affected by what we call “noble rot”)—not to mention sparkling wines of great quality. Its aromas of pear and sometimes peach, white flowers, and even honey or wet wool, are endowed with remarkable complexity.

An underestimated Mediterranean grape variety! For quite some time, very little merit has been accorded to Cinsault, a grape variety originating from the Rhône and Languedoc regions. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say it has been granted only a single virtue: its ability to produce a high volume of fruit—perfect for creating inexpensive cuvées or easy-to-drink rosés for guzzling.

When it comes to those lesser-known grape varieties that turn out to be veritable treasures, Mencia is definitely hard to beat. A grape variety primarily found in the Bierzo and Ribera Sacra districts in the northern Spain, Mencia is also known as Jaen in Portugal, where it is used in the production of Dão wines. Some 30 years ago, it had a pretty modest reputation.

Identifying grape varieties: a real challenge!

The story of absinthe is one filled with legends, fantastic tales, contradictions and mysteries. More than any other alcoholic drink, absinthe has been at the heart of controversy and has been the subject of quite a lot of speculation—for good reasons, and for some not so very good reasons.

There’s no need to complicate your life looking for refreshing drink solutions. Sangria is a crowd-pleasing classic. And ready-to-drink sangria is a real time saver!

Kir is a wine and cassis–based cocktail with many variations.

Le vin grec gagne en popularité au Québec. Pour l’amateur curieux, le pays est un coffre aux trésors riche en découvertes. Il recèle des centaines de cépages indigènes, dont plusieurs sont cultivés depuis des milliers d’années.