Hello and welcome to Cowtown Wine
I’ve been involved in the Calgary wine scene pretty much since I was legally able to. Cowtown wine is a chance for me to share with you what I love about wine, food, and Calgary all in one place.
I am a lousy cook and don’t have a bottomless bank account. I want good value same as anyone else whether your budget for a bottle of wine is $8 or $800, whether your lunch is a 5 minute drive-through or a 5 course monster.
From time to time, recommendations will appear on Cowtown Wine, and the 5 Star system I will use is as follows.
5 stars (★★★★★) Excellent.
Providing best qualities one would expect in the product. A sublime, well made, near perfect example of what the product in question should be like.
4 stars (★★★★) Highly Recommended.
Worth seeking out and providing worthwhile flavour and value. Balance and expression are engaging and provide a great example of style(s) or terroir.
3 stars (★★★) Recommended.
Good quality and/or value. In most cases, a well priced, well made example of the product or style of product in question.
2 stars (★★) Acceptable.
May be outshone by better examples from other producers or similar products. Not a great representation of value or necessarily exciting to drink.
1 star (★) Avoid.
Not recommended, either providing poor value or a poor expression of flavour and aroma. Save your money.
This system is meant to provide an assessment of quality regardless of price. It focuses on typicity and style of a product while providing balance and complexity. A $500 whisky can receive the same recommendation as a $40 whisky though the expectations of the quality of each will be different.
For Cowtown Wine and some of the publications I write for, I do receive wine samples from time to time. Having a sample bottle does not guarantee a favourable review or even any reveiw at all. Agents, Importers or Representatives-If you would like to arrange a sample bottle for review, or arrange a tasting of your product, please contact me at cowtownwine@gmail.com or by phone.