WILLOW PARK WINES & SPIRITS 20TH CHARITY WINE AUCTION: A PHOTOSTORY

 Burlesque dancers wowed the crowd with feathers and cheeky numbers.

A delightful yorkshire pudding dish from Fairmont Hotels.

 A 'statue', dressed for the occasion.

A deck of cards dress, how stylish!

Senior Product Consultan, Michael Bigattini dressed as Liberace.

 A circus trainer with his tigresses.

Taittinger Champagne, Grand Marnier cocktails, 20 food stations and numerous wine tastings throughout the store made for an amazing evening.

With the theme of the night, "Las Vegas", all bets were on having a rolling good time.

All proceeds from Willowpark Wines and Spirits 20th charity auction were donated to benefit the Alberta Flood Relief.

 ***A friendly reminder, all photography on City Style and Living Magazine, Facebook Page, Twitter, website and Blog are copyright K&S Media. Please do not use elsewhere without the written consent of City Style and Living Magazine. Thank you kindly!

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY COPYRIGHT K&S MEDIA 2013

You may visit the NEW Summer 2013 digital edition of City Style and Living magazine (also available in print) at the following address (follow the three simple steps to access the full magazine, online) :

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WILLOWPARK WINES AND SPIRITS WHISKY IN THE WAREHOUSE 2013

A duo from the Calgary Police Service in Tartan.

Willowpark Wines and Spirits Scotch Manager, David Michiels.

Appetizers from North Sea Fish Market.

Salmon three ways from The Fairmont Palliser.

  ***A friendly reminder, all photography on City Style and Living Magazine, Facebook Page, Twitter, website and Blog are copyright K&S Media. Please do not use elsewhere without the written consent of City Style and Living Magazine. Thank you kindly!

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY COPYRIGHT K&S MEDIA 2013

You may visit the NEW Summer 2013 digital edition of City Style and Living magazine (also available in print) at the following address (follow the three simple steps to access the full magazine, online) :

1) go to http://www.citystyleandliving.com
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WILLOW PARK WINES AND SPIRITS HOST RARE VINTAGE DRAMS A NOT TO MISS EVENT

 Photography courtesy Willow Park Wines and Spirits

What do all of these single malt Scotch have in common? No, its not just that they are made in limited quantities some as few as 225 bottles.  Its not just that they are from some of the most acclaimed makers of Scotch whiskey.  Or that they garner a hefty price tag due to their rarity.  It's that they are all featured in Willow Park Wines and Spirits Rare Vintage Drams tasting.

WHAT: Six premium Scotches will be poured, including; Bruichladdich 40 yr, Balvenie 1971, Macallan 30 yr, Glenfarclas 1964, Glenrothes John Ramsay, and Port Ellen 12th Edition.

WHEN: June 26, 2013, 7p.m.

WHERE: Willow Park Wines and Spirits

HOW TO PURCHASE TICKETS: phone: (403) 296-1640, ext. 277; email: events@willowpark.net;
www.willowpark.net; http://willowpark.net/events/individual/rare-vintage-drams

 ***A friendly reminder, all photography on City Style and Living Magazine, Facebook Page, Twitter, website and Blog are copyright K&S Media. Please do not use elsewhere without the written consent of City Style and Living Magazine. Thank you kindly!

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY COPYRIGHT K&S MEDIA 2013

You may visit the NEW Spring 2013 digital edition of City Style and Living magazine (also available in print) at the following address (follow the three simple steps to access the full magazine, online) :

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WILLOW PARK WINES AND SPIRITS CHAMPAGNE FESTIVAL

A bottle of Ayala wrapped for the holidays

Jason Denis of Renaissance Wines and Spirits pours champagne for guests

A beautiful rose poured for a guest at the festival

Tapiz sparkling torrontes

A wonderful selection of food including this - caviar balsamic vinegar atop watermelon

Sparkling wine of every kind and from every corner of the globe was on offer at the 2012 Champagne Festival at Willow Park Wines and Spirits.  Some of the more unusual sparkling wines included Tapiz sparkling torrontes, Fox Creek Vixen (a sparkling shiraz from Australia) and Gloria Ferrer Va de Vi (a California blend made with some muscat). 

Guests were titillated by the sparkling wine which ranged in colour from the palest yellow to the slightest pink to gorgeous deep reds.  There were also a variety of nibbles on offer including freshly shucked oysters, smoked salmon, cauliflower soup, and cheese.  Guests went from station to station pairing their favourite wines with the delicious fare on offer.

Part of Willow Park Wines and Spirits Bubble week, the event garnered a large crowd and each guest walked away with a Riedel glass. No bottle was more than $87 dollars (and this for Henriot champagne) proving that bubbles can be enjoyed at an affordable price, anytime. 

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY COPYRIGHT K&S MEDIA 2012 

You may visit the NEW Winter 2012 digital edition of City Style and Living magazine (also available in print) at the following address (follow the three simple steps to access the full magazine, online) :

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THAI & BUBBLES TASTING AT WILLOW PARK WINES AND SPIRITS WITH LINDA ROBINSON

A selection of bottles used at the tasting

Linda Robinson of Pacific Wines and Spirits (left) and Paul Speck of Henry of Pelham

 A wonderful noodle dish from Thai Nongkhai restaurant in Calgary

Speck opening a bottle of sparkling with a sabre

Another dish from Thai Nongkhai restaurant in Calgary

Chilling bottles of Singha beer

Tisnai of Singha

Ever wondered what pairs well with spicy food?  A panel of experts including President and CEO of Pacific Wines and Spirits Linda Robinson, Paul Speck owner of Henry of Pelham and Tisnai Thaitham regional director of Singha beer (Boonrawd trading) convened to discuss just that.  The gathering at Willow Park Wines and Spirits made one thing clear - bubbles love spice.  A selection of cremant, sparkling wine from California, Niagara and Chile, rose, beer and, of course, Champagne was paired with food from Thai Nongkhai restaurant in Calgary.

Paul Speck, whose winery Henry of Pelham in Niagara, has been making sparkling wine since the mid-1990's explained the abbreviated ("Coles Notes") version of making champagne in the méthode traditionnelle. "You can only achieve small bubbles through this process," he said.  Later, Speck brought out a sabre to demonstrate how to use it to open a bottle of wine (swashbuckler style). The trick, he later confessed is to hit the bottle at the t-intersection of the seam. 

Another wonderful pairing with spicy food is beer.  Thaitham of Singha beer spoke about the brewery founded in 1933 in Thailand.  "We are family owned.  When we were founded you needed a royal commission to brew beer so the royal symbol is still found on our bottles today," he noted of the beer whose name is Sanskrit for lion. "Other breweries do contract brewing meaning the facility  can be anywhere in the world.  We are still in the same location and will always be from Thailand."

The tasting included:
1. welcome glasses of Botter Prosecco

2.  Pierre Sparr Cremant D'Alscace Brut Reserve NV.  "Delicate floral aromas, lemony character.  This is a great quality to price ratio," said Robinson.

3. Domaine Carneros Brut California. "Owned by Taittinger they produce consistent vintages.  The style of the house is delicate.  The founding winemaker is a woman who trained as a food scientist.  She wants to create the best sparkling wine experience in California," said Robinson.

4. Henry of Pelham Cuvee Catherine Brut VQA NV Niagara.  "We planted the vineyards in Niagara in 1984.  This is all from estate grapes.  We are really proud of our sparkling it has crisp green apple notes with a touch of toastiness, and lively elegance.  You can age it for many years.  But when you pop the cork, drink it right away," said Speck.

5. Taittinger Brut Champagne NV.  "We tend to buy a bottle for New Year's but it tastes better after a full day's work," suggested Robinson.

6. Miguel Torres Santa Digna Estalado Fair Trade Sparkling Rose NV.  "Made one hundred percent from grape variety, pais.  You could go chardonnay and call it a day but pais is unique. This is pretty with wild strawberry notes.  It is probably a grape variety you've never tasted before," said Robinson.  

7.  Domaine Carneros Rose Brut 2008 California.  "Some more intensity with the berries.  It is elegant and long lived.  You can cellar it," said Robinson.

8. Henry of Pelham Cuvee Catherine Brut Rose VQA NV Niagara.  "In 1842 my great grandfather built a property and my brothers and I own the winery so there's lots of testosterone around.  So we wanted to honour my great grandfather's wife, Catherine.  It is fruitier than the Cuvee Catherine Brut with a beautiful colour," said Speck.


9. Taittinger Prestige Rose Champagne NV.  "This has pinot noir blended back in.  More sugar, more bubbles," said Robinson.

10. Singha Thai Lager.  "We use artesian water pumped from underground and three types of hops.  There are only four ingredients and it goes well with food," said Thaitham. 

There are many ways to toast your spicy meal.  Just grab a bottles of something bubbly. 

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY COPYRIGHT K&S MEDIA 2012 

You may visit the NEW Winter 2012 digital edition of City Style and Living magazine (also available in print) at the following address (follow the three simple steps to access the full magazine, online) :

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THE BEST VALUE IN VINTAGE PORT WITH ADRIAN BRIDGE AT WILLOW PARK WINES AND SPIRITS

Adrian Bridge, CEO of Taylor Fladgate

Bottles readied for the tasting

Traditional port accompaniments: cheese, nuts, dried fruit.

Glasses for the tasting

"Port is a long lived wine enjoyed at at different stages and different times.Vintage port is the pinnacle of the industry," declared Adrian Bridge, CEO of Taylor Fladgate which produces Croft, Fonseca, and Taylor Fladgate Ports.  Bridge who was in Calgary for one day conducted a tasting of the best value vintage ports at Willow Park Wines and Spirits. "Vintage port is driven by quality.  After harvest we taste through the previous year, those with the potential for vintage are put in vats.  After another winter we make a blend and if we determine it is long lived then we make it a vintage." Such considered scrutiny is the backbone of vintage port where declarations are made only a few times in a decade.  

Like all wine there are four major considerations when tasting port according to Bridge:


Where
The Medieval city of Porto (Oporto) on the Atlantic coast of Western Portugal with the Duoro river winding through its centre is where ports were aged.  The steep, remote hillsides of the Douro valley is where the grapes are grown. Previously the wine was transported along the river from the valley to the city but the building of dams put an end to this practise. 

Climate
Continental climate

Soil
Schistous soil like slate, sedimentary rock.  The vines can push through the cracks in the rock.  They do not irrigate as the water table is low. "The harder the vine struggles the better the quality of fruit." 

Grape Varieties
Touriga Francesa, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Cão, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), and Touriga Nacional.  A blend produces the best result as each grape brings something to the party.

The tasting comprised seven vintage ports each with their own house style.  Croft, Bridge described as "purity of fruit", Fonseca as "bigger, rounder, voluptuous, Rubenesque" and Taylor Fladgate as "elegant". 

Taylor Fladgate Quinta de Vargellas Vintage 1986:  "It was lost colour in the bottle.  Leather, spice on the nose.  In the mouth maturity and complexity. There is a delicacy about it, in the mid-palate lusciousness.  Raspberry, chocolate, licorice at the back."    

Fonseca Porto Quinta do Panascal Vintage 1986: "This has a different finish to Taylor Fladgate, white pepper on the finish."

Croft Quinta da Roeda 1995 Vintage Port: "Darker, younger berry driver fruit.  On the mouth richer fruit dark chocolate."

Taylor Fladgate Quinta de Vargellas Vintage 2008: "Silky tannins, structure, younger.  Enjoyable now and will go on to age - will lose colour and berry flavours will soften."

Fonseca Porto Quinta do Panascal Vintage Port 2005: "This is a pre-teen all youth and exuberance.  2005 is a good year fine harvest." 

Croft Quinta da Roeda Vintage 2005 Port: "Cassis, black currant.   Could put it on ice cream.  I would only open a bottle of vintage port when I can finish the whole bottle."

Taylor Fladgate Vargellas Vinha Velha Vintage 2009 Port: "To my mind, best we've made incredibly powerful, incredibly concentrated.  This is one of only three hundred cases made.  This is the concentrated essence of Vargellas.  It is a good investment. 


willowpark.net


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You may visit the NEW Fall 2012 digital edition of City Style and Living magazine (also available in print) at the following address (follow the three simple steps to access the full magazine, online) :

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WILLOW PARK WINES AND SPIRITS 19th CHARITY WINE AUCTION: VENETIAN MASQUERADE

Guests are welcomed to the charity wine auction with this sign

Taittinger is served to guests as they enter by beautiful ladies peering from behind feathered masks

The offering from Fairmont - shortribs

The friendly Black Hills President, Glen Fawcett serves up a lovely viognier

Masks adorn a table of wine from Carpineto

At the Fonseca port table

Two ladies clad in costumes appropriate for the venetian theme

Flourless chocolate cake from Buzzards Restaurant and Bar

A guest wears an elaborate mask accented with green

An ice carving at the Grand Marnier station

Great Events' display of desserts are hidden in treasure chests with a purple mask to watch over all

Two ladies dressed for Venice (by way of Calgary)

One of the evening's bands - Penny Saborn Trio

A gorgeous salmon sphere display at Great Events

The chefs from the Hyatt Regency present their dish

Friendly Javier Santos of Grand Marnier holding a bottle of the luxurious Quintessence, one of many special pourings of the evening

Dancers performed perfectly choreographed numbers all to the tune of classic music

A masked man donning red and black

Scallop poached in ice wine from Redwater Rustic Grille

A juggler performs as part of the evening's entertainment

Two partygoers toast the evening's festivities

A work of (body) art - the pair are matched in shades of blue

One of two living statues that graced the cellar floor

Peggy Perry, Vice President Purchasing & Marketing at Willow Park Wines & Spirits

Grey and pink tones an ode to the evening's Venetian theme

A beautiful mask capped off by a violet wig

Another period costume beautifully suited to the evening

All smiles in strands of pearls

The offering from Rush restaurant - cones filled with lobster and foie gras

A mask resembling a butterfly's wings contrasts the jewel tones of a sari

Lady in black - a stunning look

The dancers took to the stage to perform in costume

Wayne and Liz Henuset, owners of Willow Park Wines and Spirits

A vision in white

A lovely blue frockwith lace and topped off with an ostrich feather mask

As Taittanger was poured from bottles, ladies in sumptuous Venetian style costumes sashayed
through a crowd gathered to celebrate Willow Park Wines and Spirits 19th Charity Wine Auction.
Jugglers, live statues and period costumed dancers provided entertainment while a live band played throughout the evening.

There were, of course, some wonderful wines and spirits on offer.  Some of CSL's favourites included Quintessence the $1000 bottle from Grand Marnie, the Fonseca Quinta do Panascal 2005, Black Hills and Chateau Palmer. 

Restaurants including Belgo, Catch Restaurant & Oyster Bar, Hotel Arts, Yellow Door Bistro, La Chaumiere, and Rush provided delicious plates (many dishes were prepared with wine).  From scallops and shortribs, to macarons and lobster bisque, there was a dish to pair with every wine. 

As an air of mystery permeated the cellar floor, guests tried to identify their interlocutors, hidden behind gorgeous masks.  Dazzling displays of colour bathed guests in lavish tones of violet and hot pink, while crystals hung from the ceiling.  Near the stage, a snaking line of auction items lay waiting for bidders (all proceeds in support of the Vintage Fund).

Though it was an evening of mystery, guests were certain of one thing - enjoying a wonderful time.

You may visit the NEW Fall 2012 digital edition of City Style and Living magazine (also available in print) at the following address (follow the three simple steps to access the full magazine, online) :

1) go to http://www.citystyleandliving.com
2) click on the 'front cover' image, on the left hand side of your screen
3) to flip through the e-magazine, click on the bottom right hand corner
of the magazine, just as you would our print magazine!

Follow us on twitter @CityStyleMag