Wine Generalizations

There are many generalizations I have heard about wine over the years: I hate a specific grape variety (be that chardonnay, Merlot or Malbec); french wines are terrible; Italian wines are all the same; Australian wines are too jammy.

There is no one style of any grape. Each is distinctly different from the others. Mostly this depends on where the grape is grown, but also who makes the wine.

And there is no one wine that can represent a country. For example, while you may be most familiar with Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, there are countless other grapes grown there that make for incredible wine.

The same goes for Malbec from Argentina, Shiraz from Australia, or Cabernet from California. No wine region or country has their identify wrapped up in a single grape variety.

So when people tell me they don’t like Canadian wines, I have to wonder what wines they have tried to garner such a sweeping generalization of the wine landscape of our entire country.

Wines from either side of Lake Ontario are wildly different, not to mention the vast variation on opposite sides of the country. Wines of Nova Scotia are making ripples with their unique wine called Tidal Bay and also produce world class sparkling wines. Over on the West coast, the heat of the Okanagan Valley produces lovely rich full bodied wines, and depending on location can produce exciting “cooler climate” varieties very well.

Yet these wines are hard to find outside of their respective regions.

Our true patriot love does not afford us the opportunity to easily try these wines. We are bottled in by our protectionist provincial liquor control boards. They do not allow free movement of wines from province to province as is so common in other parts of the world. It is easy to find Tuscan wines in the north of Italy, or Bordeaux wines in the shops of Burgundy. Buying wines from Oregon at a Costco in California is not unheard of.

Sadly, Canada does not encourage competition. This is why our mobile bills are so high. There are only three providers across the country. And domestic flights are often prohibitively expensive due to the two carriers that supply demand. And alcohol across the country has a single monopoly in each province, which results in us paying some of the highest prices for spirts, beer and wine in the entire world. A 2018 supreme court ruling conferred that we do not have free and easy access to alcohol from within our home on native land.

The world of wine is hurting in a major way right now and our laws are not helping any producers except the big players who dominate the shelves of the LCBO.

So there has never been a better time to support the smaller producers either in our own back yard or across the country. When you’re planing your next vacation, seek out the local wines. Talk to the producers, the buyers and sellers of these beverages and help out a local economy.