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Feb 12, 2024

A taste of local: Trying Calgary and area wine, spirits and beer

Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. The August long weekend in

Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.

The August long weekend in Alberta marks Heritage Day, a time to think about the diverse people who have come to the province, bringing their own influences and contributions that add depth and colour to our society.

With that in mind, I thought I would focus on some local producers who weave interesting flavours into our drinks culture. Maybe something will catch your eye. Enjoy the weekend.

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A decision to support a friend by giving up alcohol for a year turned into a life change and a new business for Graham Matheos.

In 2006, Matheos quit drinking in solidarity with a friend who needed to give up alcohol. After the year ended, Matheos decided to stay dry.

“The pros of staying sober outweighed the cons, so that was it,” says Matheos, who had a young family and a burgeoning physiotherapy business at the time.

While he didn’t miss alcohol, he missed the social aspect of enjoying a beer with friends. After failing to find a non-alcoholic beer that satisfied his thirst, he decided to try making his own. He started One For The Road Brewing Co. in 2018 with a friend.

Now the sole owner, Matheos says the success of the business caught him by surprise.

“My expectations were that this would be a fun little thing for me to do and that quickly turned into a business that was growing a lot faster than I anticipated,” says Matheos, who uses a contract brewer to make his beers, which are available throughout Western Canada.

He is enjoying the ride, sharing the perks of a non-alc lifestyle.

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“You can drive your kids to church on Sunday morning and have one of our espresso stout beers and it’s OK, you can do that,” he says with a laugh.

What to try: Stone Sofa Kölsch

The first beer created by Matheos’ team is their bestselling brew. It has also earned recognition, placing second in the 2022 Canadian Brewing Awards in the low-alcohol beer category.

It features a light, fresh nose of creamy lemon and pear, with malty and nutty notes. Crisp and clean, with a hint of bitterness on the finish, it’s a great thirst quencher.

It is available in local liquor and grocery stores, including Co-op, Safeway and Sobeys.

Price: $13 for four 473 ml cans; 0.5 per cent alc./vol.

Also launched in 2018, Bridgeland Distillery was born after Calgary engineers Daniel Plenzik and Jacques Tremblay met while attending a distilling workshop in the Okanagan Valley in 2016.

Plenzik, an electrical engineer, and Tremblay, a software engineer, decided to partner to create a distillery, setting up in a former furniture store in a prominent spot on Edmonton Trail in Bridgeland.

“I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur, but in the software world it is hard to distinguish yourself, so I went with my hobby, which was beer and whisky,” says Tremblay, who moved to Calgary from Quebec City. Plenzik was born right in Bridgeland at the Calgary General Hospital.

The pair took a bit of a different direction with their venture, making brandy and marc (known as grappa in Italy) the focus rather than the gins and vodkas that new distilleries typically start with.

Using a custom copper pot still manufactured in Kentucky, they produce brandies and marcs from California moscato and Okanagan Valley gewurztraminer and pinot blanc. They also make a variety of whiskies, including one featuring 60 per cent Taber corn.

Packaged in smart-looking square bottles featuring a photo of the nearby Reconciliation Bridge, their products have enjoyed quick recognition, including Gold medals at the 2023 World Brandy Awards for the Moscato Brandy and Eau de Vigne Grappolo from Gewurztraminer.

What to try: Moscato Brandy

Light amber in colour, the nose offers rich notes of caramel, toffee, baked pumpkin, nutmeg, vanilla and creme brulee. It is luscious on the mouth, with the same creamy, caramel, nutty and spicy flavours. The finish is smooth and rich, with a fiery kick at the end.

Bridgeland products are available in a wide number of local liquor boutiques.

Price: $49 for a 375 ml bottle; 45 per cent alc./vol.

Alberta’s first estate winery was launched in 2005 when Elaine and Marvin Gill, Lynden Gill and Glen and Lorraine Ellingson launched Field Stone Fruit Wines.

The group — couple Elaine and Marvin plus Marvin’s brother and Elaine’s sister Lorraine and her husband — had been operating an orchard 10 kilometres south of Strathmore for seven years when they found they had an excess of fruit. Fruit wine seemed like a perfect solution.

Almost 20 years later, the business has grown, leading them to source fruit from throughout Alberta to help meet the demand, though 75 per cent is still grown at the estate orchard.

While educating people about fruit wines took some work in the beginning, now they have a strong following for a product they are proud of.

“Being able to offer a complete and genuine farm-to-glass product, where we are the farmers and also the winemakers, is the most satisfying part,” says Marvin. “This means we can see the process through from growing a quality fruit in our own field to crafting it into a good product that people love.”

Fieldstone produces five dessert wines and five fruit wines from strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, rhubarb, chokecherries, cherries and saskatoons.

What to try: Black Currant Fruit Wine

Made in a slightly off-dry style and medium ruby-pink in colour, the black currant wine delivers tart flavours of raspberry, sour cherry, orange, lime and tangerine. It is lightly oaked to add complexity and body.

There are Field Stone booths at both Calgary Farmers’ Market locations, and the wine is also available in boutique liquor stores and Co-op Wine Spirits Beer and Safeway and Sobeys Liquor locations.

Price: $25; 12.5 per cent alc./vol.

Contact Darren Oleksyn at [email protected] or follow him on Instagram or the app previously known as Twitter. Looking for a specific wine? Because wine inventories are always in flux, it’s a good idea to call a store to confirm they have it. A search on Liquorconnect.com can give you an idea of stores that have carried the wines.

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