Wine column: Partake extends open invitation to wine lovers

I’m always delighted to find a restaurant that puts the same level of attention and focus of the food menu toward the wine list. Of course, it must be followed with trained and knowledgeable staff to enhance the customer experience. Well, what a pleasant surprise it was when I pulled up a stool and ordered a glass of sparkling wine at Edmonton’s newest wine bar in High Street called Partake (12431 102 Ave.), and complimentary bar snacks arrived from the kitchen.

Free snacks date back to European pub times, to keeping patrons thirsty and produce longer stays at the bar. Early snacks included pickles, meat pies, scotch eggs and pork scratching (fried pork rind with the skin). The period following the Second World War brought the introduction of ‘crisps’ or potato chips, fancy popcorn, and more labour-intensive gourmet nibbles — providing an opportunity for chefs to show off their menu. The salty porchetta crackling popcorn, a meatball, and a couple other wonderful surprises paired perfectly with my bubbles.

The atmosphere at Partake is casual, charming, and above all comfortable. There are 30 seats with leather-upholstered booths, tables and bar stools. Here, everyone serves, including the bartender — they bring the bottle to the table to pour your glass of wine versus pouring behind the bar with bottle unseen.

La quatre heure (translates to the 4 o’clock) kicks off consecutive happy hours; from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. there are complimentary snacks when you order a drink, and from 10 p.m. through to close there is happy-hour pricing on select beverages. Their motto is, “if you drink — we feed you.”

While the doors just opened, the team behind it aren’t newcomers to Edmonton’s food and wine scene. Co-owners chef Cyrille Koppert and Lisa Dungale are the creators of both Urban Diner and Manor Bistro.

Unique and European-inspired, the menu is reminiscent of a bouchon in Lyon with hearty, rustic dishes where both the food and wines are thoughtfully chosen.

Two chalkboards flanking the bar feature rotating wines and what Koppert says will be a, “cool cheese” list that revolves alongside the seasonally changing menus. It’s perfect for customers to put together an amazing cheese board to pair with the wine they have chosen.

These are a few of the wines printed on the chalkboard last week and some menu pairing suggestions, but it’s a revolving list, so you’ll have to stop by to see what’s being offered by the glass and ask for recommendations. You’ll be in good hands.

CHAI DU GRAND VAUDASNIERE BRUT VOUVRAY $26

A rich and dry bubbly made with Chenin Blanc grapes from the Loire, France. A family estate going back five generations where even the label was created over 100 years ago, and it’s still identical and now patented.

Great choice to pair with salty bar snacks, tartare mixed tableside with beet-barley relish, the perfectly piped clouds of pommes duchesse drizzled with truffle oil (these are heavenly) or the escargots.

CARPANO ANTICA FORMULA $55

A high-quality vermouth using a top-secret recipe that is known by only three people. Notes of vanilla, herbs, dried fruits, cocoa, toffee, orange peel, almonds and cloves.

Great to start with, end the evening, pair a cheese board or charcuterie platter complete with house-made pickles and mustards — or to make the best Negroni ever!

PIPENO BLANCO $26

Mainly Moscatel de Alexandria from old vines that are dry-farmed in Chile’s Maule region. An organic wine made with three weeks of the skin on in stainless steel tanks, lightly filtered and expressing soft floral notes, citrus, fresh herbs and earth on a medium-bodied and creamy palate.

Pair with salty snacks and the Anchoiade (Provencal dip with anchovies), shrimp cocktail, seasonal vegetables or the salade niçoise.

JEAN GARDIES LES MILLERES $26

An impressive wine that’s biodynamically farmed from the south of France. A blend of 40 per cent Grenache noir, 35 per cent Syrah, 20 per cent Carignan and 5 per cent Mourvedre. Half is aged in stainless steel and half in barrels for one year. Pure clean fruit with red berries, a bouquet of florals and soft ripe tannins.

Pair with mushrooms and Grana Padano, sausage and hachee (Dutch beef stew).

CASA BENASAL ELEGANT B PAGO CASA GRAN $27

A wine from Valencia, Spain using natural/ambient yeast in stainless steel tanks and aged six months in half concrete and half oak. A juicy blend of Garnacha Tintorera, Syrah and Monastrell with structure, concentrated red fruit, smoke and fresh minerality.

Pair with the house-made sausage, hachee or the duck confit.

NICHOL CABERNET FRANC $40

A legendary Canadian producer and one of the first in Naramata — known for minimalist winemaking and wines with aging potential. Unfined and unfiltered with loads of black fruit and the classic notes from the grape of graphite, dried herbs and bright acidity. Aged 12 months in old French oak barrels.

Definitely pair with the beef tartar and also the coq au vin, sausage and the croque mon’soubise (classic sandwich with Meuwly’s ham).

Wine selections are available at select Alberta shops.  Log onto liquorconnect.com to check availability and give them a call to verify. http://www.liquorconnect.com/Pages/default.aspx

Juanita Roos opened Color de Vino, a fine wine and spirits store, with her family in 2014. She has travelled to wine regions around the world and completed the prestigious WSET Diploma from London, England, the prerequisite for the Master of Wine program. Send your questions about wine to info@colordevino.ca.