More Than Just a Crush: The Serious Side of Rosé

February has a way of insisting on romance. Hearts appear in shop windows, prix-fixe menus promise candlelight, and suddenly pink becomes a personality trait. It is the month of Valentine’s, which makes it the perfect time to talk about rosé. Not the saccharine, sugar-water blush of decades past, but the real thing. Dry, expressive, serious, and endlessly versatile. I spent the summer testing a ton of rosé wines to find the best varietals and styles from different regions and Valentine’s is the perfect time to share my results!

At its core, rosé is made from red grapes, with just enough contact between juice and skins to tint the wine pink. The longer the skins macerate on their skins, the deeper the colour and often the structure. In Provence, that contact might be only a few hours, producing pale, light wines that taste of strawberry, citrus, and watermelon. In Tavel, in the southern Rhône, the skins macerate longer, resulting in a bold, almost ruby-hued rosé with body, spice, and the confidence to stand up to grilled meats. Tavel is powerful and drinks more like a light red than a poolside sipper. I especially love the rhubarb and blood orange notes you’ll find in Tavel rosé.

Another method of rosé production is saignée, meaning “to bleed.” Winemakers draw off a portion of juice from red wine early in fermentation. That juice becomes rosé, often darker and more intense, while the remaining red becomes more concentrated. These rosés tend to be structured, gastronomic, and quietly serious.

My favourite find this summer was the Pittnauer Konig rosé from Austria. In Austria, rosé often leans on indigenous grapes like Zweigelt, Laurent and Blaufränkisch, producing wines that feel alpine and electric. Bright cherry, orange, cranberry and crisp acidity. In Abruzzo, Italy, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo offers one of the world’s most misunderstood styles. Deep pink, almost coral in colour, with notes of sour cherry, almond, and crushed rock. It is soulful and wildly food-friendly. These are rosés with backbone, built for tables, not just patios.

Before it was a symbol of celebration, Champagne was chaos. Bottles exploded, fermentation stalled, and consistency felt impossible. Enter Madame Clicquot. She invented the riddling table, allowing sediment to collect neatly in the neck of the bottle, creating clarity and brilliance. She also perfected rosé Champagne by blending still red wine into white base wine, giving birth to a style that is both precise and expressive. Today, rosé Champagne is the ultimate paradox. Delicate in colour, powerful in presence. Notes of wild strawberry, citrus peel, rose petal, and brioche, all riding on the spine of electric acidity.

Rosé is often dismissed as seasonal, frivolous, or simple. In truth, it is one of the most versatile categories in wine. It bridges white and red. It adapts to mood, menu, and moment. It can be playful or profound. It can flirt or linger.

I love Valentines Day, though to be honest I like any excuse to celebrate with wine. Sometimes romance is a chilled bottle on a Tuesday night. In every shade of pink, rosé reflects what love actually looks like: layered, surprising, and impossible to reduce to a single definition. Happy Valentines from Saint!

Cheers!

Dry January, Saint Style

Every January, the world decides it is time to behave. Sugar is shunned, indulgence is questioned, and Dry January becomes a badge of self-control. Wine often gets caught in the crossfire, assumed to be sweet or indulgent by default. Saint likes to be cheeky, and we participate in Dry January by only drinking dry wine styles! In wine terms, dry simply means sugar, or more accurately the lack of it. Residual sugar is the natural grape sugar left behind after fermentation. When a wine contains under 1 gram per litre of residual sugar, it is considered bone dry, with no perceptible sweetness on the palate. What you taste instead is acidity, tannin, texture, and structure.

So, when we talk about Dry January at Saint Wine Society, we are not talking about abstinence or deprivation of alcohol. We are talking about choosing wines that are intentionally, confidently, and unapologetically dry. These wines feel cleaner, more precise, and often more food friendly. They also tend to reveal more about where they come from and how they are made.

In red wine, dryness often shows up as grip and freshness rather than fruit sweetness. Sangiovese is a perfect example. High acid, firm tannins, and flavours of sour cherry, dried herbs, and earth make it feel vibrant and refreshing. It is unmistakably dry and deeply satisfying. Tempranillo follows a similar path, especially in classic Spanish regions. Think red fruit, leather, and spice with structure and restraint. Nebbiolo takes dryness to another level. Pale in colour but powerful in presence, it delivers high acidity, serious tannins, and flavours of rose, tar, and dried fruit, all without sweetness.

Dry white wines offer a different kind of clarity. Muscadet from the Loire Valley is famously dry, often fermented completely and aged on lees for texture. It’s citrus, saline, and stone, and pairs effortlessly with seafood or simple dishes. Sauvignon Blanc, when made in a restrained style like Sancerre, trades tropical sweetness for sharp acidity and mineral driven flavours like lime, grass, and flint. Grüner Veltliner is another quietly brilliant dry white. Peppery, textured, and savoury, it manages to feel both refreshing and grounding at the same time.

If there is a pinnacle of dryness in wine, it lives in sparkling. Brut Nature and Extra Brut wines receive little to no added sugar after fermentation. That means what you are tasting is pure base wine and bubbles, nothing else. These styles highlight acidity, minerality, and precision. They are electric, refreshing, and unapologetically dry.

And if you do want to adhere to the more traditional interpretation of Dry January, there is still a way to do it with intention and quality. My suggestion is the Divin Vigneron Pinot Noir from the Loire Valley. Made from 100% Pinot Noir, this is the first non-alcoholic terroir driven wine from the Loire. Unlike grape juice, alcohol free wine is crafted just like traditional wine. The grapes are fermented fully, allowing structure, aroma, and complexity to develop, before the alcohol is gently removed through dealcoholization. This process preserves the qualities of wine, meaning the aromas, textures, and flavour profile remain remarkably close to the original. In the glass, expect red cherry, raspberry, and strawberry, layered with subtle spice, balsamic notes, and a well-integrated yet present oak character. It proves that choosing non-alcoholic does not have to mean choosing something simple or sweet

Dry January is not a punishment. It is an opportunity to reset your palate and rethink what you are drinking. Wines with no residual sugar show their true colours, their origins, and their craftsmanship. For a great selection of curated, boutique dry wine styles, I recommend visiting BKL Wine Merchants in SW Calgary.

Drink less if you want. Drink better if you can. Just remember that dry was never meant to be boring!

Cheers!

Stephanie

The Art of the Holiday Pour

Holiday entertaining is not about perfection. It’s about bringing people together, creating warmth, and using food and wine to spark connection. I love adding those extra touches that make guests feel something. A thoughtful wine plan guides the evening, supports the food, and adds intention without any stuffiness. The goal is not to impress for the sake of it, but to make people feel comfortable, curious, and excited to share the table.

When planning wines, think about flow. Start bright and refreshing, move into wines with a bit more texture and comfort, and finish with something sweet or sparkling to wrap up the night with a little celebration. The best pairings feel effortless, not formal.

I like to begin with energy. Guests are arriving, catching up, and grazing on small bites. Sparkling wine is always the perfect opener. The bubbles wake up the palate and pair beautifully with anything from smoked salmon to cheese boards, olives, or pastry bites. I love a dry French sparkling, labeled extra brut or brut. If you prefer still wine, look for crisp whites or something aromatic like Muscadet or Chablis. The first pour should feel fresh, fun, and inviting.

Holiday mains can be all over the map with various sides and sauces, so focus on structure and flavour instead of strict pairing rules. Think richness, herbs, and those cozy roasted sides.

For roast turkey or chicken, go for medium-bodied wines with bright acidity and gentle oak. White wines with texture, like Pinot Gris from Alsace, or red wines with soft tannins, like Pinot Noir from Sancerre, work beautifully with herbs, roasted vegetables, and gravy. They bring lift to the plate and keep things balanced. My personal favourite is oven baked glazed ham, that perfect mix of salt and sweetness. A fruit-forward Beaujolais is magic with it!

With roast beef or prime rib, reach for structure. Look for red wines with tannin and depth to stand up to the richness but skip wines that feel heavy or tiring. You want power with polish so guests stay comfortable and the meal still feels celebratory. I love a Cabernet Franc for it’s red fruit, herbaceous notes, and freshness. If you want to really impress, a Brunello di Montalcino is your move. Sangiovese’s natural acidity and earthy cherry tones cut through those rich gravy sides while it’s fine tannins add elegance and lift.

Then there is dessert. Whether you go off dry Riesling, Tawny Port or sweet Moscato d’Asti, the key rule is simple: the wine should be as sweet or sweeter than the dessert. That balance keeps everything in harmony and ends the meal on a high note instead of a sugar overload. I’m a sucker for demi sec rosé champagne and sugar cookies.

Holiday wine service at home is not about perfection. It’s about creating a space that feels inviting, thoughtful, and just a little indulgent. When the atmosphere feels easy and the company is good, the wines naturally shine brighter. Wine brings people together. That is the true art of the pour.

If you would rather host without the planning, Saint Wine Society offers Champagne service, menu pairing, and bottle selection. Send us your dinner menu two weeks before your event and enjoy a seamless, luxurious pour without lifting a finger. We handle the bottles, you handle the in laws.

Cheers!

The Ineffable Charm of Champagne

My name is Steph, and I founded the Saint Wine Society on the basis of bringing people into community through wine. It feels fitting that this column begins with bubbles, because for me, champagne was the beginning of my fascination with winemaking, and has always represented the joy and indulgence at the heart of wine.

Here's what I know to be true: champagne isn’t just for midnight countdowns or anniversaries, it’s one of the most versatile wines around. Fresh enough for oysters, bright enough for roast chicken, and lively enough to make potato chips feel fancy, it belongs at Tuesday dinners as much as a black-tie gala. My corniest quote is “don’t wait for a special occasion, make this occasion special”, and honestly, I stand by it.  

The biggest question I get asked is “Is champagne really worth the cost??” and my short answer is yes. My longer answer comes by outlining the process of what gives champagne it’s worthy ego. 

The story of champagne is a bit of accident and innovation. In the cool chalk cellars of Champagne (a region in the northeast of France), monks had a hard time keeping their wines stable. Fermentation stalled in winter and began again in spring, trapping bubbles inside the bottle. At first this was considered a flaw, with bottles even exploding in storage. Over time, producers learned to tame the sparkle and transformed it into the signature style of the Champagne region. What began as a winemaker’s headache eventually became what we now call the “traditional method” of production.

In the traditional method, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes are hand harvested and fermented into still wine. The still base wine (or cuvée) is then bottled with a mix of yeast and sugar, which creates natural bubbles as the yeast ferments. Once the yeast dies, the wine ages on it’s lees, developing texture and complexity before being carefully clarified through riddling and freezing. The frozen sediment is expelled under pressure, leaving a perfectly clear and beautifully sparkling wine.

The bottles are then topped up with the dosage, a blend of base wine and sugar that determines the final sweetness level. Brut Nature and Extra Brut are the driest styles, while Demi-Sec and Doux are much sweeter. (The most common dosage we see on shelves in Alberta is Brut- think Veuve Clicquot or Laurent-Perrier.)  Finally, the bottles are corked, caged, labeled, and either aged further or released for sale.

The name ‘champagne’ offers a level of quality and refinement because it denotes wines that were specifically made in the Champagne region in France, in the traditional method. Is it always worth it to choose champagne if you can? 100%. It’s the creme de le creme for a reason. However, but fortunately for us, the traditional method has inspired the creation of incredible sparkling wines globally, and we can also enjoy this style of wine without the champagne price tag. To enjoy a similar champagne-like experience, look for traditional method sparkling wines like Cava from Penedès, Spain, Crémant from regions like Burgundy and the Loire and my personal favourite, Franciacorta from Lombardy, Italy.

For the upcoming holiday, I recommend reaching for a sparkling wine to compliment your dinner, and your party guests. And if you’re looking for a little more luxury, Saint Wine Society has a Champagne Cart Experience for those elevated events, so you can indulge in bubbles without having to pop and pour them all yourself.

Champagne, the ineffable sparkle. Welcome to the Society.

Steph