Some of our Past Events
Wild West Wine and Food Event (May 7, 2010).
This grape is for you.

The Society For American Wines had an informal tasting of wines from around the world in the rustic setting of Kelly's Saloon in Fort Edmonton Park. The special theme this year was "This grape is for you: Can you distinguish one grape from another?" With a variety of hot and cold hors d'oeuvres in this historic setting, we sampled three white wines, and blind tasted 6 red wines. The objective of the evening was to determine which wine was made from which grape varietal.

Here are the wines that were sampled.

Wine No. Vintage Wine Region Retail Price
white 1 2009 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough, New Zealand $24
white 2 2007 St. Francis Chardonnay Mendoza, Argentina $22
white 3 2007 Yalumba Viognier Australia $25
red 1 2007 La Curio Grenache
Australia $25
red 2 2005 Beringer Napa Cabernet Napa, California $52
red 3 2006 Duckhorn Merlot Napa, California $52
red 4 2007 Catena Malbec Mendoza, Argentina $21
red 5 2008 Seghesio Zinfandel Sonoma, California $32
red 6 2007 Shotfire Shiraz Barossa Valley, Australia $28

Note that retail prices quoted above are approximate.

Wild West Wine and Food Event (May 8, 2009).
Sticker Shock

The Society For American Wines had an informal tasting of wines from around the world in the rustic setting of Kelly's Saloon in Fort Edmonton Park. The special theme this year was "Sticker Shock: Are high priced wines worth the money?" With a variety of hot and cold hors d'oeuvres in this historic setting, we sampled two white wines, and blind tasted 6 red wines. The objective of the evening was to determine whether one could pick out which two of the six red wines were the expensive ones.

Here are the wines that were sampled.

Wine No. Vintage Wine Region Retail Price
white 1 2006 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough, New Zealand $25
white 2 2007 Catena Chardonnay Mendoza, Argentina $21
red 1 2006 Shotfire Quartage
(cab sauvignon, cab franc, malbec, merlot, petit verdot) 		Barossa Valley, Australia $28
red 2 2006 Catena Malbec Mendoza, Argentina $20
red 3 2005 Robert Mondavi Napa Cabernet Napa, California $38
red 4 2006 Caymus Napa Cabernet Napa, California $115
red 5 1998 d'Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz McLaren Vale, Australia N/A
red 6 2006 Quails' Gate Old Vine Foch Okanagan, Canada $28

Note that retail prices quoted above are approximate.

As far as I know the 1998 Dead Arm Shiraz is no longer available. The current vintage of Dead Arm Shiraz on the market is 2005 which retails for about $70 per bottle. I have seen at least one wine shop advertise some 2002 Dead Arm Shiraz for $189 per magnum, which is the equivalent of $94.50 per bottle.

King & I (November 5, 2008).
Great Wines for Great Encounters!

The Society for American Wines thanks all of you that joined us at the King and I restaurant. There was great food, fine wine and good friends, what a night to remember!

The following is the list of wines served at the King & I event:

Hope to see you again at one of our upcoming SAW events.
Wild West Wine and Food Event (May 9, 2008).
Great Dames, Great Grapes,

The Society For American Wines had an informal tasting of wines from around the world in the rustic setting of Kelly's Saloon in Fort Edmonton Park. The special theme this year was "Great Dames, Great Grapes," wines from female winemakers. With a variety of hot and cold hors d'oeuvres in this historic setting, we sampled one sparkling wine, one white wine, 5 red wines, and a dessert wine. The mystery wine of the evening is indicated by (M).

Vintage Wine Region Winemaker/Proprietor Retail Price WS Rating
NV Pares Balta Cava Brut Penedès, Spain Marta Casas
Maria Elena Jimnez 		$17 80
2006 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough, New Zealand Evelyne Fraser $33 91
2001 Monticello Gran Reserva Rioja, Spain María Martínez-Sierra $25 84
2006 Lane Tanner Bien Nacido Pinot Noir Santa Barbara, California Lane Tanner $45 N/A
2002 Newton Red Label Claret Napa, California Su Hua Newton $42 N/A
2003 Dominio del Plata Malbec Mendoza, Argentina Susana Balbo $29 90
1995 (M) Chateau Troplong Mondot St. Emilion, Bordeaux Xavier Pariente
Christine Valette-Pariente 		N/A N/A
NV Seppelt DP63 Grand Muscat Australia Emma Wood $29 92

Note that the 1995 Chateau Troplong Mondot is no longer available, but the current vintage on the market is 2005 which retails for about $225 per bottle.

Some notes on the winemakers were provided by Dirk Chan of deVine Wines and Spirits and can be found here.

Gala Dinner (December 1, 2007).
Members and guests enjoyed a wonderful evening with food and wine hosted by the Society for American Wines at the Gala Dinner 2007. Ernest¿s Dining Room at NAIT was festively decorated and provided an excellent venue for the gourmet dinner prepared and presented by the Culinary Team at NAIT. The Gala Dinner was held Saturday, December 1, 2007. The red wines selected for the dinner were from the wine cellar of the Society for American Wines. The white wines and dessert wine were selected and purchased locally for this dinner.

The menu and wine pairings for the evening included:

Assorted Canapés
Ferrari-Carano Sonoma County Fume Blanc, 2005
()
Mixed Bean and Grain Salad
beef carpaccio and roasted tomato, beer sorbet
The Four Graces Dundee Hills Oregon Pinot Blanc 2005
()
Rosted Butternut Squash Soup
Truffled lobster, truffle oil, chive foam
Matanzas Creek Sonoma Valley Chardonnay 2003
()
Mandarin Granite
flaming pomegranate gin
()
Duet of Brased Bison Short Rib and Roasted Veal Chop
Celeriac and potato purée, assorted winter vegetable
Saskatoon berry compote, Zinfandel reduction

Mount Veeder, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon, 1995
Beringer, Knights Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon, 1997
Paradigm, Napa Valley Oakville, Cabernet Sauvignon, 1999
()
Cranberry Almond Bread Pudding
Gingerbread ice cream, caramel coffee crème anglaise
Errazuriz Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2006
()

We wish to thank those attending this evening for generously contributing $530 to the Christmas Bureau of Edmonton. Happy holidays!!

Wine for Lovers (February 12, 2007).
Forty-one wine lovers enjoyed a lovely meal and excellent wine at Fourth and Vine Wine Bar. A mixture of members and guests sampled the following selections from the SAW cellar. SAW executive provided tasting notes and poetry reading was also part of the evening's program. Door prizes were provided by Fourth and Vine and surrounding merchants: Awesome Blossom and Chrome Hair Design and Spa. Special thanks go to Ryan Chmilar, general manager and Tony Longworth, assistant manager at Fourth and Vine and to Rumi (the 13th century Persian poet).
Gala Dinner (December 10, 2006).
Ernest's Dining Room at NAIT was festively decorated and a wonderful setting for the gourmet dinner prepared and presented by the Culinary Team at NAIT. The dinner was held Sunday, December 10, 2006. The red wines selected for the dinner were from the wine cellar of the Society for American Wines.

The menu and wine pairings for the evening included:

Hors d'oeuvres Stations
Domaine Chandon, Blanc de Noirs
()
Salad of Duck Confit with Puy Lentils
baby frisée, warm bacon vinaigrette
Beringer Alluvium Blanc, Knights Valley, 2003
()
Chive Crêpe
Filled with Mascarpone and Pan Fried Shrimp
carrot ginger emulsion, pea shoot salad, blood orange vinaigrette,
peppercorn glazed smoked salmon, poppy seed wafer
J. Lohr Riverstone, Arroyo Seco Chardonnay, 2005
()
Raspberry Tarragon Sorbet
()
Roasted Lamb Loin Stuffed with
Lamb and Veal Farce, Spinach and Leeks
cold smoked corn and sun dried tomato bread and butter pudding,
saffron cream foam, assorted winter vegetables

Mount Veeder, Napa Valley Reserve, 1993
Treana, Central Coast, Red, 1996
Kenwood Artist Series, Cabernet Sauvignon, 1997
()
Chocolate Cherry Tart, Honey Rosemary Parfait
seasonal berries, sabayon
Bonny Doon, Framboise

We wish to thank those attending this evening for generously contributing $330 to the Christmas Bureau of Edmonton. We also want to express our appreciation to Grapes and Grains, West End, for their generous support of the evening through the donation of the fabulous gift basket offered as the door prize. Happy holidays!!

Gallery Tasting (October 27, 2006).
The Society For American Wines had its inaugural event of the season in the newly renamed Peter Robertson Gallery located at 10183-112 Street. This venue provided a wonderful and visually stimulating backdrop in which attendees were able to view the work of the well known Canadian landscape painter David Alexander while sampling the following wines: To cap off the evening several lovely wine decanters were given away as door prizes.
Wild West Wine and Food Event (May 3, 2006).
The Society For American Wines had an informal tasting of wines from around the world in the rustic setting of Kelly's Saloon in Fort Edmonton Park. With a variety of hot and cold hors d'oeuvres in this historic setting, we sampled wines from almost every continent that produces wine. We sampled:
Gala Dinner (November 26, 2005).
The Gala Dinner hosted by the Society for American Wines was held at Ernest's Dining Room on the NAIT Campus. An appreciative group of lovers of food and wine attended this black tie event which featured a five course gourmet dinner prepared by the award winning Culinary Team from NAIT's Culinary Arts Centre. Wines paired with the menu included: From the Society for American Wines Cellar:
Gallery Tasting (Oct 28, 2004).
For the first time the Society For American Wines decided to try a wine tasting at the beautiful Vanderleelie Art Gallery, a mainstay in Edmonton since 1992. While admiring the works of Canadian artists Brent McIntosh and David Cantine, guests sipped from among six wines offered from the St. Francis winery located in Sonoma. All in all a great evening.
Room at the Top Tasting (Apr 30, 2004).
The Society For American Wines had a Vertical Technical Tasting of the fabulous Dominus line of Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon's. The tasting was held at the penthouse condo of Wayne Ingram. The Dominus Estate Cab's have consistently received high ratings in taste tests, and this was a unique opportunity to taste some of the older vintages. The vintages tasted were: 1999, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994, and 1992. The Dominus vertical tasting included comments on the wines from Peter Robertson.
California Wine Fair (Feb 25, 2004).
Reg Copithorne chaired the organizing committee for this event, which was held at the Westin main ballroom. A great time was had by all, and the wines that were available exceeded the expectations of those who were fortunate enough to attend.
Beringer Wine Makers Dinner (Feb 24, 2004).
The Beringer Wine Makers Dinner was presented by the Citadel and the California Wine Fair at the MacDonald Hotel main dining room. SAW was well represented at this event.
Banff Rocky Mountain Retreat (Jan 30 to Feb 01, 2004).
Melanie Busby (a former president of SAW) is now a member of the management of the Banff Center. She and Randy Olson organized and presented a reception/tasting Friday evening, a tasting and educational session late Saturday afternoon, followed by a reception and dinner Saturday evening. All in attendance thoroughly enjoyed the wines, dinner and the company. Thanks again to Randy and Melanie for organizing this event for us. It seems very likely that we will be presenting a similar (and improved) event at the Banff Center in future years.
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