Written by Aldo Parise | 29 October 2010

Article Index
New in Tidings - November 2010
features
à la carte
All Pages

So much…

We do have a lot. Sometimes it feels like a privilege to walk into a store lined with rows and rows of eye candy. I have a tough time walking out the door. It’s one possibility after another. What’s that over there? But price is always a factor. We don’t want to spend our very hard earned cash on plonk. So maybe price on its own isn’t a factor. Maybe it comes down to the famous price/quality ratio. It’s a term that has often eluded me. If price isn’t a factor when choosing wine then how can I point to one bottle and say, “It has to be mediocre. It’s only $9.” How can I tell if there is quality in the glass if I don’t give it a try.

Now, my job affords me that privilege. We often get sent bottles that deliver poorly in the glass. We just don’t talk about them. There are enough good wines and editorial real estate is so coveted that we simply don’t include them. But what if you wanted to go through the exercise of trying a lot without dishing out a lot? The best way to achieve this is to attend the myriad of wine shows that take place all across Canada. It’s easy to check the listings for tasting events and wine-centric dinners. I do have another way though.

Go over to a friend’s house. Every year I give a wine 101 class and that is the first thing I tell my eager — and thirsty — students. The people around you are the best source for wines you may not have picked up. They are the ones who buy a wine while travelling or who have heard about this bottle through another friend. It’s the hair shampoo phenomenon amplified. And what a great excuse to get out of the house. In the cold months coming up what better way to warm up, curling up to a bottle and some good conversation.