DINR’S WINE CLUB

Every month we feature a delicious new bundle of wines from our winery and importer partners. Discover great wines, delivered right to your door.

DINR’s Subscription Wine Club is brought to you in partnership with Louise Wilson Cormier, Owner of Wilco Fine Beverage and one of only ten Masters of Wine in Canada.

DINR Wine Club Benefits

  • Henry's Restaurant & Wine Bar

    Select an off-menu bottle from the wine shop to enjoy with your meal

  • Enoteca Sociale

    Secret menu for Members! Enjoy a special off-menu dish at the Chef’s choice with an optional wine pairing. Prices vary by dish

  • GIA

    Focaccia & warm olives on the house

  • Buyers + Cellars Tasting Room, Ottawa

    Complimentary pour at the tasting bar

May/June 2025

For a grapevine to produce high-quality fruit, the surrounding environment (terroir) must be just right. This includes factors such as climate, soil composition, the altitude and the aspect of a vineyard. The ideal combination of these inputs is unique for each variety. Over time, growers learn which vines are most successful in their conditions. As a result, many wine regions specialize in one or more signature wines.

The May DINR Wine Club showcases wines from grape varieties that thrive in their respective regions. Falanghina and Aglianico from Campania, Gamay from Beaujolais, Cabernet Franc from Niagara and blends of Grenache/Syrah and Vermentino/Roussanne/Viognier from Luberon in the Rhône Valley.

June/July 2025

In last month’s editorial, we discussed how ‘terroir’ or a vine’s surrounding environment impacts the taste of a wine. Highlighting the wines that I have selected for the June DINR Wine Club bundles, let’s consider how winemaking techniques can influence the wine in your glass. 

Let’s start with colour. When squeezed, the juice of most wine grapes is largely clear. The hues of red and rosé (or rosato) wines result from varying lengths of contact with black or red grape skins. For example, two wines made by Tuscany’s Tenuta di Monte Chiaro. The juice of the 2023 ‘345 Rosato’ (available in this month’s Somm Selects bundle) macerated on its skins for a mere 12 hours, resulting in a vibrant blush-coloured hue. In comparison, the deep ruby hue of the 2021 Chianti Colli Senesi Riserva (featuring in this month’s Somm Select and Reds bundles) is a result of 18 days of skin contact. Time on skins not only affects a wine’s colour but also its tannin level and flavour profile. 

Another significant winemaking decision is whether to mature a wine in oak barrels. Time in oak imparts flavours of baking spice, vanilla or toast, which intermingle with the grape’s fruit flavours. Since a wine barrel is not airtight, tiny amounts of oxygen also interact with the wine as it ages, allowing for new flavour compounds to develop. 

The 2021 Tenuta di Monte Chiaro Chianti Colli Senesi Riserva is a beautiful example of an oak-aged wine with aromas of vanilla and sandalwood, followed by hints of spice on its lengthy finish. Alternatively, if a winemaker wants to highlight the fruitiness in the wine, they will often forgo the barrel, instead opting for a neutral vessel such as one made from stainless steel. The 2022 Sguardi di Terra Valtènesi Groppello (available in the Somm Selects bundle) and the 2023 Domaine de Chevalier Bernard Jongieux Gamay (which can be discovered in the Red bundle) are made without the use of oak, resulting in their fruit-driven style. An intermediary technique is used by Winemaker Matt Ridgeway for his 2022 La Despensa Boutique País (found in the Red bundle), in which half of the wine spends 10 months in neutral oak barrels, enhancing the wine’s mouthfeel and taste profile without the addition of oaky flavours. 

These are just two of the many choices made by a winemaker as they craft the wine they envision. As you are enjoying the wines from the DINR Wine Club bundles, it’s fun to try to link the taste and style that you are experiencing in the glass back to the winemaking that created it. Cheers to you! 

July/August 2025

The DINR Wine Club offer members an opportunity to discover delicious new wines through bundles curated by me, Louise Wilson Cormier, one of only nine Masters of Wine living in Canada.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a Master of Wine? To join the Institute of Masters of Wine, candidates must pass a four-day exam that is held once a year in three locations around the world. The exam consists of three timed wine tastings where the writer is asked to identify attributes of twelve wines, such as grape variety, region, vintage, quality and winemaking techniques. The second part of the exam tests the writer’s theoretical knowledge, with essay questions from all aspects of the wine business, including grape growing, winemaking, quality control, marketing, distribution and current topics. Once an individual has passed both parts of the exam, they are required to complete a paper based on their original research. If you are interested in reading some of the research papers, they can be found here. In the seventy years that the exam has been written, only 516 people have ever become Masters of Wine. In my journey, it took me ten years to pass the exam and complete my research, becoming a Master of Wine in 2020. Currently, there are 419 Masters of Wine located across 28 countries.

For the July DINR bundles, I’ve selected wines that are perfect for Summer entertaining - including a classic right bank Bordeaux Supérieur and an organic Super Tuscan made from Malvasia Nera, the “Tuscan Tempranillo.” The Somm Selects bundle is completed by a unique white wine from Campania, made from the indigenous grape variety Coda di Volpe. Its fruity style will appeal to those who like Pinot Gris or unoaked Chardonnay. Rounding out the Reds bundle is another rare find, a Sangiovese from Chile’s Colchagua Valley. I hope you enjoy the wines. Cheers to you!

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