ith the lax laws concerning the regulation of alcohol in Alberta it’s incredible that the province hasn’t become a sommelier’s Mecca. Yet, that is. The ability to sell wines privately was the exact aspect of Cowtown that attracted Matthew Browman. Previously at North 44 in Toronto, Browman has set up shop just north of Calgary in Cochrane and his new venture goes by the name Vinestone Wine Co.

The space is warm and close knit with tons of dark brown, caramel and maple tones. The rustic floors are made up of wide ruffian wood boards that match the wooden wine cubbies. There is iron detailing throughout with a large, rusted out support beam being the most obvious example. It also displays the shop’s moniker. The real focus of Vinestone’s interior, however, is the central tasting bar made out of maple wood with an acid-washed copper top. It’s here that customers can have a seat, chat with the owners and try a few undiscovered wines out on their curious palettes.

The quaint size of the place deceivingly carries about four hundred different varieties of wine from all the prevalent global wine regions in every grape variety imaginable. Bottles range in price from $15 to about $200 according to their age and pedigree. Vinestone carries rarer wines from small-scale wineries that are good quality and tough to find elsewhere. One of Browman’s favourites is a red from Greece 2001 called Neden Agan by Papantonis. It’s a rich mix of chianti and amerone flavours that are accentuated by the Agiorgitiko or Saint George grape variety. It hits hard at first with notes of dust and earth and finishes off with tannins full of ripe fruit flavours. Browman suggested a rack of lamb or even something as light as a Greek pizza to pair this big wine with. Sounds great, doesn’t it? And that’s only one of four hundred.

For those eager customers who are interested in expanding their wine knowledge Vinestone also functions as a sort of vino institution. After their grand opening on March 8th, regular wine seminars will be held at the tasting bar. Interested patrons purchase a seat and get to enjoy an educational evening of wine. At each tasting six to eight wines will be tried with one of the house sommeliers instructing his pupils on the various delicacies of each.

For those of you out there looking for a new hobby, Vinestone could easily become your new library. With such a wide variety it wouldn’t be a short-lived love affair either. As for the seasoned Albertan wine veterans, now you have a neat new hang out spot. –J.T.