Guest Post: Vine Styles on Wine, Beer, Scotch, and Shoes

Shoes are meant to be stylish… so are wines and craft beers! For those of you who don’t know us, we’re Vine Styles and we are Wine Done Different! We took the traditional approach of organizing wine by country or region and threw it out the window by arranging our wines & craft beers by style - (Elegant, Smooth and Bold for red wines; Crisp, Mellow and Lush for whites; Clean, Fruity, Balanced, Intense and Robust for craft beers). We’ve taken a style-approach in order to eliminate the guesswork and the pretention from the typical wine/craft beer buying experience. Poppy Barley strives to help you find the perfect fit and, at Vine Styles, we want to help you find the perfect wine for your palate. We had the pleasure to welcome Poppy Barley’s team twice already since we first opened in May 2014, and it was wildly successful. We are thrilled to be hosting the Poppy Barley team as they bring Calgary the best of their women’s line and the FIRST glimpse at their men’s line – oh, and did we mention we’ll be pouring libations as you get measured for your shoes? To help celebrate the new men’s line, we’ve paired each shoe style with a beverage that we think reflects not only the shoe, but also the city it’s named after. The Calgary Wingtip Pairing: Silver Buckle Red – Central Coast, California Style: Smooth - $27.45

• As smooth as it is complex. The Calgarian has a strong backbone, but don’t let it intimidate you, it is balanced out by fruit, spice and everything nice. The Calgary is the unwavering wingman, when you need a sure friend, it will never disappoint.

The Toronto Brogue Pairing: Wemyss 1998 Single Malt Scotch– Speyside, Scotland - $116.45

• Refined, accomplished and sure of self. The Toronto works hard and plays hard too, the perfect pair for not only sealing the big business deal, and also the celebrations that follow.

The Jasper Derby Pairing: Mt. Begbie Tall Timber Ale, $5.45 Style: Balanced

• For the outdoorsy and understated. The Jasper is sensible, comfortable, the reliable "go to" when nothing else quite feels right. Simply a dark, full-bodied, English Brown Ale, and it’s perfectly balanced.

The Vancouver Chukka Pairing: Blackbird Arriviste Rosé – Napa, California, $32.70

• Feeling daring? The Vancouver, for the cutting edge, the adventurous, and fashionable for every occasion. Sure to stand apart from the others, whether it’s midweek meetings or the weekend, the Vancouver is sure to be vibrant, full and flavourful. The Vancouver pairs perfectly with this “manly” rosé: fresh, spicy and adventurous… it’s a game changer.

The Edmonton Oxford Pairing: Division Chardonnay – Willamette Valley, Oregon, $38.20 Style: Lush

• Let’s face it, the Edmonton means business. Stitched a little differently than its Albertan counterpart, The Edmonton stands divided, ensuring to maintain a unique appearance. While this wine benefits from some oak aging, the Oxford will benefit from Poppy Barley’s leather care kits to ward off those pesky winter woes! This wine is full-bodied, masculine, and perfectly powerful.

Join us Friday March 27^th from 2 – 7pm & Saturday, March 28^th from 10am - 4pm at our Kensington location (1127b Kensington Road NW) to shop for shoes and sample some of the best we have to offer. Make sure to book your sizing appointment here. Only a handful of time slots left!