Falling for Flamenco This week marks the start of the Fall For Flamenco Festival, with international performances, workshops and local artist shows filling up its marquee (check thecoast.ca for a full list of events). In honour of the dance fest, we’d like to raise a glass of Spanish wine—or two. Check out these spots for […]
Bishop’s Cellar
Posted inNews + Opinion
BC Winemaker at Bishop’s Cellar
Join winemaker Grant Stanley of British Columbia vineyards Quail’s Gate tomorrow (Thursday, September 16) from 6-8pm at Bishop’s Cellar (1477 Lower Water Street, 490-2675) to taste and discuss a number of his wines. A free tasting, you can enjoy Stanley’s Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and a few other special wines not currently available in […]
Posted inLifestyle
Go Local: Halifax Waterfront
But really, even on a day sans monarchy, the waterfront is a genuine pleasure for visitors and locals. With plenty to eat, see and browse, a few hours down by the water can just fly by. Boutique Joliette 1870 Hollis Street, 405-4057 After almost a year near the corner of Hollis and Duke, proprietor Alexis […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Royal treatment
Victoria Day weekend may not be hugely celebrated for its royal-birthday beginnings any longer—Halifax doesn’t even have fireworks!—but there is one thing Canadians do well over the three days: drink. And whether it’s Prince Harry’s $670 cocktail or the queen mum’s daily gin and Dubonnet, we’re pretty sure the royal family’s into it, too. So […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Liquor / Wine Store
The in-house sommelier Alanna McIntyre is the one to consult for what’s good in wines, both international and local. For The Coast’s Green Halifax she explained why Nova Scotia white wines are especially fine. “Our grapes retain a vibrant acidity…for aromatic whites,” due to the cooler weather. Though wine is their niche, it isn’t all […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Champagne Supernova
Ex-Oasis singer Liam Gallagher was spotted at Biscuit General Store last week, arriving in the city while Eastern Front Theatre’s SuperNova Theatre Festival coincidentally graces the Neptune stage. In honour of the two, we’ve gathered a few places for you to fill your glass of champagne supernova. Bishop’s Cellar This local wine shop has more […]
Posted inFood + Drink
New Years’ bubbly drinks checklist
Moet Dom Perignon Whether you’re a rapper or just have a general predilection for ballin’, nothing says extravagance like a $200 bottle of Dom P. You can sip it reflectively or, for the ultimate fuck-you to poor people, spray it around like you’ve just won the Tour de France. Piper-Heidsieck Recession got you down? Piper-Heidsieck […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
2009 Downtown Shopping Promotion
Its official name is the 2009 Downtown Shopping Promotion, but here at Shoptalk we like to refer to it with a nickname that carries a little more pizzazz: A Cowabunga Shopping Holiday Extravaganza for The End of the First Decade of the Millennium! (No, not really, but it is cool.) From November 23-28, participating downtown […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halloween lasts an extra (witching) hour
FYI, costumed partiers: We all “Fall Back” on Sunday morning at 2am, so don’t forget to turn back your clocks. The good news is it means you get to spend an an extra hour as a demon, starfish, avenger or privateer. And speaking of late night hijinks, Shoptalk has learned stylin’ alternative liquor and wine […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Web to doorstep booze
We’re slowly, inexorably, moving towards a sensible system of buying wine, beer and spirits in Canada, where consumers can go online—or use a phone, if they are dinosaurs—and order a case from anywhere in the world to be delivered to their doorsteps. And why not? Why should booze be any different than books and music? […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Liquor / Wine Store
This is the place all the liquor reps love because it gives them a venue to bring in the wines that the NSLC stores don’t carry. “A lot of South American and Australian wines,” says Erin Horton, one of two sommeliers working at the store, mentioning by name stellar wines from Peter Lehmann and New […]