March 2, 2019
By Shannon Burrows
Welcome to Second Glass – I’m glad you’re here!
March 1, 2019 marked two years since I bought Argyle Wines Listowel. I’d been working out the idea of a weekly blog for some time, and this anniversary is an ideal time to begin.
Second Glass is the culmination of a few things: First, life inside my bottle shop is all kinds of awesome: Rewarding, humorous, touching, educational, emotional, challenging, fulfilling and often, all of the above and then some. No shortage of inspiration here. Next: Pre-Argyle, I enjoyed a 14-year-career in journalism. During that time, I penned a weekly newspaper column – the most recent under the title Second Draft. I’m excited to get back at it. Lastly, it’s my hope Second Glass is a way to connect; we’ll spend some time together, talk about wine, what’s happening at Argyle and have some fun along the way.
If I haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting you in person, please allow me to introduce myself: I’m Shannon Burrows, owner of Argyle Wines and founder of On The Couch wine-tasting parties. I share life with my adorable partner/Argyle Wines production manager Chris, my fur babies Charm the horse and Diva the cat, a ridiculously lovable family and friends who keep life interesting. I love wine, (wine education, wine & food pairing, wine tasting, wine reviews, everything wine, basically), reading, cooking, cowboy boots, Star Wars and all things positive.

Get in on the giveaways!

With thanks to Argyle’s fantastic clients, I’m giving away four prize packs this month. Customers are automatically entered into Argyle’s draw anytime they make a purchase between March 1 to 31.
Four winners will be drawn at the end of March. If you’re one of the lucky winners, I’ll contact you by phone and arrange a time for you to collect your prize and get a photo taken for Argyle’s social media platforms. P.S. If you’ve been considering starting your craft wine adventure anytime soon, now is a great time! Argyle’s growth over the last couple of years has been nothing short of thrilling. Thank you for your wonderful support!

The Grape Exchange

The Grape Exchange is new at Argyle Wines. In a nutshell, anytime customers visit Argyle to bottle their wine, they have the option of exchanging a bottle or two of their wine for a different variety of equal value. This is a chance for our clients to try a bottle of something new, while the wine they leave in trade will go to another client. Thanks to Chris for the excellent idea.
Fine print: Exchanges must take place at time of bottling. All bottles traded in become the property of Argyle Wines until they are traded out. Maximum trade of two bottles per visit. Selection varies.

Weekly Wine Review

Wine and food pairing is a big deal at my house. In this section, we’ll talk about a wine variety, what it paired well (or didn’t) with. This week I tried a California Muscat (RJS Cru International, five-week wine) with red curry and beef with peas, (salt and pepper, oregano and garam masala to taste) over basmati rice. Chris’s British heritage ensures we eat a lot of curry, and I tried the California Muscat as an alternative to the fabulous RQ German Riesling – of which I am running frightfully low. I thought perhaps the off-dry Muscat would fare okay against the spice, but wasn’t sure how well it would hold up flavour-wise against this hearty dish.
I needn’t have worried. The sweetness complimented the spice well, and the flavourful Muscat was able to hold its own. Pre-food, the wine offered aromas of white flowers and citrus – specifically lime. I had only just bottled it, so while tasty in its youthfulness, it certainly hadn’t yet had a chance to develop. With the food, there wasn’t significant change in the tasting notes, suggesting decent balance between the wine and food’s respective components. I’ll definitely try it again with a Riesling, as well as the upcoming Winexpert LE Gewürztraminer, due out this month, just for the fun of comparison.

Thanks for joining me for a Second Glass.
See you next week!

Argyle Wines Listowel is located at 155 Argyle Ave. in Listowel. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. After hours available by appointment. Follow Argyle on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and contact us at 519-418-6000 or argylewineslistowel@gmail.com. Proudly named 2018 Food & Drink Business of the Year by the North Perth Chamber of Commerce Business Achievement Awards.