Dear fellow oenophiles,
Today is Canada Day, at least for a couple more hours in the corner of the world where I sit. It’s a time to honor that great big frozen country to the north of us and assure them that no, really, we don’t think of them as the 51st state! It’s also an opportunity to thank the Canadians for all the wonderful things they give us like cold fronts and hockey players and great actors and actresses like Mike Myers and Pamela Anderson. Now, before you go mocking Pamela Anderson, she may have a use after all. Just think! She could solve the energy crisis! As for Mike Myers, I think that the nation’s movie critics are putting together a movement to deport him anyway. Meanwhile, the Quebecois “chanteuse” Celine Dion has just earned the dubious honor of having recorded the “worst cover ever” of AC/DC track “You Shook Me All Night Long.”
So if it’s not actors, singers, or weather, then what good can come out of Canada? Wine! I’m not just talking about British Columbia wines because those greedy hosers keep it all to themselves. Yes, I’m bitter. We got some really good ones while we were up there. A recent (e.g., just a few minutes ago) wine rack inventory revealed that we only have a couple left: the 2006 Pinot Gris from Dirty Laundry, which Hubby actually liked, and the 2006 Cabernet Franc Rose from Jackson-Triggs, which is one of the larger, more commercial producers. We drank another one of them last weekend, the Therapy Pinot Noir, which I’d been saving to have with my grad school friend. The label is a Rorschach ink blot.
We had to give the Canadians credit for creative winery names. A couple of the more interesting ones were, as I already mentioned, Dirty Laundry and Therapy. We also came back with bottles from Blasted Church and See Ya Later Ranch. The latter had some great ice wine. Other good names were Golden Beaver, Silk Scarf, and Red Rooster.
As for wines you can actually get in the U.S., we had a lovely off-dry 2006 Pinot Blanc from the Konzelmann Estate winery on Saturday evening. It was a tad sweet, but fruity and not syrupy. It ended up being a good pre-dinner drink and may still be available at Sherlock’s.
I’ve uploaded a few pictures from our trip and hope you enjoy them. Please enjoy the rest of Canada Day and drink responsibly, eh?
P.S. Don’t forget about the fund raiser on Thursday!
