photo credit: Alexa Clark

Cirsion is a powerful, deep and silky wine, with rich notes of dark red berries, cherry and chocolate. Made from 100% Tempranillo grapes hand selected for this wine and then aged in new French Oak, this wine is truly splendid.

photo credit: Alexa Clark

Based on information from their Canadian wine agents we’ve been told Cirsion is available in Canada in Alberta and Quebec.

In Alberta you can order Cirsion from the wine agents: the Wine Cellar

In Quebec you can find Cirsion 2009 for $274 at:

• SAQ Signature, 677 rue Ste-Catherine ouest, Montreal, Tel:  514 282 9445 and
• SAQ Signature, 2828 boul. Laurier, Quebec City, Tel:  418 692 1182

Unlike the careful and almost pretentious pours of other wines, Txakoli wants air and distance to enhance it’s flavours and effervescence.  The higher your barman can pour the wine from the better it is believe to be. Some produce a 2 foot stream from bottle to glass.

The theory is that this Txakoli pour will both produce a light effervescence in your glass (aka make it bubble) and aerate the wine. I’ve been told that the tradition started in the region since they used this pour for cider to break the cider and release more effervescence.

The green apple overtones in Txakoli and the slight bubble are subtly reminiscent of a dry hard cider. Perhaps that is what encouraged someone to try this pouring technique and then it was simply too much fun to stop. Txakoli’s minerality, high acid and low alcohol produce a wine that’s just as much fun to drink as it is to pour.

photo credit: Renee Suen