The Renascence of a Forgotten Style

The Renascence of a Forgotten Style

Nobody can be good at everything, and any wine shop that tries to excel in all categories will at best achieve consistent mediocrity. It's known to our frequent customers that, of all French regions, Metrovino ignores Bordeaux. The reasons for this are unimportant, and to tackle them exhaustively would comprise a separate and far lengthier article than the one that you've presently committed to. However, a partial justification of our stance can be made while circuitously endorsing the "sale wine” that precedes this pedantic piece of writing.

A Letter From a Concerned Friend

A Letter From a Concerned Friend

Dear Tom,

I'm writing to emphatically thank you for allowing me to make use of your cabin for a few days. I'm sure that you can relate to the magic of how a modest abode, a mere 50 minutes from the city, can prove to be so effective at banishing one's urban sorrows. Free from the quotidian oppression that can seem inescapable in Calgary, I can be as creative and prolific here during a “retreat” of a couple days as I might be over an entire month in the city.

25 Years of Metrovino

25 Years of Metrovino

The Richard Harvey Interview

Richard Harvey is a living, indefatigable legend of the Western Canadian wine scene. Particularly in Calgary, there’s nobody doing good work with wine that hasn’t been positively influenced by Richard, even if they’ve never met him and aren’t aware of this influence. Across the decades and through his work as a sommelier, importer, retailer and educator, his infectious and fearsome passion for wine has taken Alberta out of the vinous dark ages. Speaking for all the Metro Mates, countless alumni and innumerable customers, we shudder to think of what we might be drinking and doing if it wasn’t for Richard’s life’s work and perpetual generosity.

Peanut Butter Through the Generations

Peanut Butter Through the Generations

In the introduction to his immense tome, The Food of France, Waverley Root recounts, “I once worked in New York with a young man whose noon lunch was invariable—a sandwich composed of the rather startling combination of peanut butter and jelly”. While conceding that the synergy of peanut butter and jelly is hardly the domain of haute cuisine, I was surprised that any North American would find the union to be “startling". The publication date of 1958 could hardly explain it either. The National Peanut Board of America notes that the Incas and Aztecs were known to grind roasted peanuts into a paste, and that by 1884 such a product had been patented. By 1958, peanut butter must have found its way to jelly, and I know with certainty that by this time at least one Canadian was regularly engaging in far more startling combinations.

Autumn Leaves

Autumn Leaves

A common recommendation as to how to manage fallen leaves in autumn is to simply ignore them. The idea is that as they decompose, they'll nourish one's yard, helping to provide the requisite nutrients for a healthy lawn in the spring. It doesn't hurt that this strategy also appeals to humanity's general propensity towards laziness—and don't even get me started on leaf blowers. However, I can't imagine that supporters of this school of leaf management have seven large ash trees in their yard like I do.

2020 German Riesling: The Drinkle Report

2020 German Riesling: The Drinkle Report

One thing that humans the world over have learned in the last 18 months is that instead of getting excited about upcoming events, we should always be preparing our hearts for potential shattering. And yet, is that a reason to stop making plans? Perhaps it is. But encouraged by my wife who had noticed certain, um, irregularities in my personality, I booked flights to Germany with the intention of simply spending time alone in the most inspiring nature that I know of. That being said, I have friends in German wine country who I felt obligated to notify about my plans. Bit by bit, the schedule of my short trip became absolutely packed with visits to winegrowers, interspersed with Covid-19 tests. In other words, it became a trip consisting of immeasurably stimulating and fulfilling work—and Covid-19 tests. But I never allowed myself to believe that it was actually going to happen until I saw Frankfurt airport in the rearview mirror of my rental car.

Electric Scooters Hijack Brains of Operators!

Electric Scooters Hijack Brains of Operators!

Breaking news!
This just in!
There is a parallel pandemic sweeping urban centres of the nation, and experts say that the potential consequences could be catastrophic.

Eye-witness accounts from Vancouver to Halifax have reported that armies of electric scooter operators, their faces invariably expressing vacant, imbecilic glee, are overrunning the streets, sidewalks and alleyways of our cities.

Metrovino's German Riesling Manifesto

Metrovino's German Riesling Manifesto

German Riesling is absolutely unprecedented in its versatility, and no other style of wine is great in so many different ways. Riesling succeeds on a vast continuum of sweetness, ranging from bone-dry to lusciously sweet, and every single step in between. And along each point of this continuum, perhaps excepting the very sweetest, one will find slim, willowy wines as well as those of great weight and richness, and all that lies betwixt. This is to say that any given vintage in Germany will produce wines that range from 6-14% alcohol, covering everything from gossamer delicacy to raw power.

Use a Bell, Mate!

Use a Bell, Mate!

“Woah! You should use a bell, mate!”

Aside from greeting my cats, these are often the first words of the day that I speak aloud. I'm on the bike path early in the morning, grateful for the beautiful sights and smells that accompany summertime fitness. The sun starts to rise but the wind hasn't caught up yet, and critters of the river valley scuttle and flit about. Inevitably, I'll hit a section of the path that's been compromised by obtrusive tree roots. Pedalling fast and dodging the incidental speed bumps, my trajectory temporarily becomes unpredictable. Just then, an unannounced spandex-clad speed-demon overtakes me on a bike that's worth more than my house.

 
Drink More Better Wine
 
Cart (0)