If you're setting out to buy wine, spirits or beer in Ontario today, you may want to consider bringing a few extra dollars if you're able. The Liquor Control Board of Ontario has placed donation boxes for the Canadian Red Cross Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund at all of its more than 600 locations. They'll be there indefinitely - even for those who don't drink but happen to be passing by.
At press time, I couldn't confirm that any other liquor retailer had introduced a similar initiative, but I'm given to believe one or more will have something in place. The attempts to call and e-mail each province were a reminder to me of the balkanized alcohol market in Canada, a topic that haunts me weekly and about which I've been meaning to say a few words.
I love this country, don't get me wrong. But it's clear our forefathers failed to consider the pain in the keister they would cause for wine critics at future national newspapers. When it comes to wine, this is not one country; it is 13.
The overlap in identical brands and vintage years from province to province is modest, and the overlap across the country in wines worth strongly recommending is negligible.
A central problem is that shipping alcohol between provinces and territories is illegal without the consent of officials in each liquor jurisdiction. An importer that brings a wine into Alberta cannot also import into British Columbia or Manitoba or Nova Scotia without setting up a separate business in each totally autonomous jurisdiction. This has resulted in very few national distributors and very few "national" brands.
And, to be fair, it's not just our balkanized alcohol-distribution system that limits access. Fine wine tends to be made in small quantities. It's a meticulously grown agricultural product. You can't turn the tap on when supplies run low, as with Coke. If it sells out at the store and warehouse, often there's no more inventory until the next vintage rolls around - usually a year later. That's why finding that special wine you had in a restaurant in Provence last summer in a liquor store here is usually a bust.
Even great wines made in significant quantities, such as Château Mouton from France or Osoyoos Larose or Oculus from British Columbia, might get wide distribution in Canada, but often at different times in each province. The wine might be available this week in Quebec but not until March in Saskatchewan. Many great Canadian wines are available only in the provinces where they're made, a fact that would make Sir John A. Macdonald, a man known for tipping back an adult beverage or two, roll in his Kingston grave.
I needed to clear the air a bit. A kind reader wrote recently on the subject and made a logical suggestion. Given the national scope of this newspaper, he said, shouldn't I mainly be writing about wines available nationally? Other readers have made similar suggestions over the years. All logical. Problem is, if I were to write mostly about wines simultaneously available in all 13 provinces and territories, I'd be writing about factory-made jug wines. I'd also run out of brands in about two columns.
Even a quality exception such as the Vieille Ferme line, a big-volume brand from the respected Perrin Brothers of France who also run Château de Beaucastel, cannot be purchased in Prince Edward Island. (Kind note to the PEI Liquor Control Commission: They're good for the money, at about $12 to $14 across the rest of the country.)
There is one no-brainer legal amendment that could alter the landscape for the better. Ottawa could rewrite ludicrous federal laws that restrict alcohol shipments over provincial lines. This would make it possible for consumers in Prince Edward Island, for example, to order directly from retailers, wineries or importing agents elsewhere in the country and get their wine delivered. Any wine for sale anywhere in Canada would in principle be available to anyone.
In the meantime, I'll keep my nose peeled for worthy national brands.
From Italy and available in - sorry! - Ontario ($9.95, No. 143164) and British Columbia ($17.99) is Cusumano Nero d'Avola 2008 . (Many B.C. stores may still be on the 2007 vintage.) The Ontario price makes it a bargain. A Sicilian red, it's full-bodied, rich and chewy, with flavours of dark-skinned fruit, herbs and spice. Try it with braised meats or simply on its own on a cold night.
A terrific new red available now in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario (and in certain other provinces later this year) is Mission Hill Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($21.99 in B.C. through www.missionhillwinery.com; $22.95 in Ontario, No. 553321). Aged in French and American oak for 17 months, it's full-bodied, with rich flavours of cassis, blackberry and dark chocolate. Drinking well now, it should age nicely for five years, possibly longer. Great for steak.
Just arrived in Ontario is the very good recent vintage of a popular red from Italy, Terra d'Aligi Tatone Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2006 ($15.95, No. 994616). Incidentally, it hails from the region devastated by an earthquake less than a year ago, and sales of the wine last year helped raise funds for the Red Cross. Full-bodied and brimming with succulent plum and dark-berry fruit, it has a smooth texture and discreet notes of vanilla, spice and earth. The chalky-dry tannins are conspicuous, and it should age nicely for two or three years.
The good-but-not-as-great 2005 vintage was recently released and quickly sold through in Ontario. It's also available in Manitoba ($16.95, No. 994616) and Quebec ($18.55, No. 10782122). It's a nice versatile red that would pair with pizza, meaty pasta or even steak.
The LCBO's Vintages department has transferred some unsold inventory from its direct-order Classics Catalogue to bricks-and-mortar stores. One sleeper in the expensive bunch is Bouchard Père & Fils Vigne de L'Enfant Jesus 2006 ($129.95, No. 43257). The 2005 vintage in Burgundy was generally better than 2006 for reds, but this well-known premier cru from one of the region's best large producers shows impressive balance, with pure, perfectly ripe berry flavour and an undertone of beetroot and tobacco. Very polished.
True sparkling wine aficionados know there's no specific season or time of evening for good bubbly. Here's an impressive and affordable new entry from Niagara: Cave Spring Chenin Blanc Extra Sec 2006 ($24.95, No. 128363). I love the invigorating mineral-chalk nuance in this dry, lemony fizz. It would pair nicely with a variety of foods.