Romance in the Glass
Michael Pinkus
Wine Talk: As seen in Main Street Magazine
I have to laugh at all those commercials, where the kids look like they are walking the plank and mom looks like she just won the lottery, as she skips down the aisles buying back to school things. It makes me think of my own mom and what a huge sigh of relief she must have given when it was time for me to go back to school. Kids are a lot of work (or so my friends tell me – since I do not have any of my own), in fact kids have been known to drive parents to drink. Not to worry, I’m here to help.
To begin with, I had to gather some information from the moms I know to begin to understand what it is like. I don’t think I fully understood how busy moms today really are; whether it’s taking care of the kids, hubby, the house or just dealing with the events of day to day life, mom needs to prioritize and take time for herself. Sometimes that time can include a bottle of wine, which can take you on a getaway for your mind. Now, I am not recommending you get schnokered, but a nice glass of something special might give you that relaxing vacation time you never got over the summer.
I’m also not promoting alcoholism, what I am promoting is a wine getaway, right here at home. If you think about it, wine is not just a beverage, like apple juice or diet coke, it has a history and a story to tell, and if you let it, it can take you to far away lands – if only for an hour. Wine has a romance to it, and is not just for romantic liaisons. Consider this next time you open a bottle of Italian Chianti (when out for lunch with friends), German Riesling (when company comes over), or California Chardonnay (during those adult conversation times), you have just visited three different countries and tasted their soil (what the French call “Terroir”).
Because wine is all about the place of origin, and is one of the few products we still buy based on where it is from. Some like an Australian Shiraz, Chilean Merlot or an Ontario Pinot Noir – and each time you open a bottle you are transported back in time to when the grapes were growing (the vintage year), when they were plucked, fermented, pressed, and aged in their country of origin before making their way across their borders to your table, your glass and eventually into you.
You are drinking history and you are experiencing the smells and flavours of a different country. So when the kids go back to school, take some time for yourself, when the laundry list of things to do has been done; that way when dad and the kids come home tell them you went to France that afternoon … and when they look at you with that confused look, you’ll know exactly what you’re talking about.
Suggestions, (take a trip for under $15 – all available at your local LCBO):
Crisp White: Santa Rita 120 Sauvignon Blanc (Chile) - $10.45
Light and Fruit White: Hardys Gewurztraminer Riesling (Australia) - $9.95
For the Locavores: Vineland Chardonnay (Unoaked) (Ontario) – $12.65
Fruity Red: Ogio Primitivo (Italy) - $8.85
Something Fun: FuZion Shiraz Malbec (Argentina) - $7.45
Big Reds: Castano Hecula (Spain) - $13.95
