#freemygrapes

I’m breaking my own rules today. Normally I wouldn’t title my blog using a hashtag or write a post related to politics. However, extreme times call for extreme measures. I know some of you avoid twitter like the plague so if you are not aware of what a hashtag is, it is used to mark key words or topics on twitter so they are easily searchable and so you can read entire exchanges on a topic. So after tweeting about how you wish you could legally order BC wine while living on the east coast, you might include the hashtag #freemygrapes.

So what extreme times call for extreme measures? Well, to me ancient prohibition laws that are still kicking around in the legal world seem pretty extreme to my wine loving self. The average person is not aware of these archaic laws that exist within our first world country. As someone in the industry and who lives in the west but has strong ties to the east, I am all too aware of these laws. I would love to ship a few bottles of BC Wine to my Mom in the New Brunswick who has searched high and low for a bottle of wine that doesn’t give her an allergic reaction (she has many, many allergies to various chemicals and other things that prevent her from grabbing the average bottle off the shelf), we finally found a bottle that I illegally smuggled in my carry-on from BC to NB (how absurd is this law when you can buy it at the airport after you’ve passed through security AND carry it on the place with you?) I can’t send my Mom this one bottle she’s found that she can enjoy, I can’t send my brother BC bubbles that he loves, I can’t send my pals in Ontario bottles of quality BC wine to show them one reason why they should visit…you get the picture. Ridiculous I say!

This stupid, ancient law from the ’20s has brought out the debater in me, and the journalist who entered J-School hating politics and left with a decent understanding of the parties and parliamentary procedure. Thanks to Dan Albas, our MP for the Okanagan-Coquihalla this law will soon changes, if all the stars align (aka if all the politicians can stop blowing smoke and agree to pass this Bill). Mr. Albas has introduced a private member’s bill (C-311) to change these laws that date back to the original bootlegging days. The Bill was expected to be passed earlier this week but some long-winded folks didn’t allow that to happen. Thankfully, our MP has been offered another MP’s Private Member’s Business slot on June 6, it is no coincidence it was offered to him by a Nova Scotia MP who represents grape-loving constituents. I’m going to be quite honest here and let you know I’m am overlooking a lot of the sly politics that are associated with this topic and the first reading. I’m overlooking those because I want to look forward to the day when we can share grapes across provincial borders in Canada and live in a civilized society where we can enjoy the fruits of the viticulturist and winemaker’s labours from coast to coast. We can only do this by putting party ties aside and looking at the validity of this Bill – it is good for our nation and the Canadian wine-making industry that is such a youngen’ in the eyes of the wine producing world. So I implore you today, do some reading about Bill C-311 (a quick Google news search will yield you lots of reading on this topic) and let your friends know, show your support to open up our borders to the amazing wines our country produces from coast to coast! I want Nova Scotia bubbles on my BC table! #freemygrapes!

Booze Traveller

Ok so it is Friday, I think…I’ve had a bit of a whirlwind week, traveling from BC to NB. For those of you who may not be familiar with Canada, that is from one coast to the other with many (huge) provinces in between. I am sitting in the bowels of the Calgary airport waiting for my flight to Kelowna. I have to work tonight and am trying to ignore the fact that I have been up since 3:30 am AST. Though, it’ll likely be hard for you, my dear readers, to ignore that fact because when I am tired my brain doesn’t function well, nor does my creativity. BUT I didn’t want to ignore my blog today just because I am tired and travelling. So here I am.

Since I am travelling I thought I’d tell you what I travel with. Now that I live in wine country, every time I head to the east coast to visit family or friends I take some wine since our archaic laws, dating back to prohibition prevent me from legally shipping it from province to province.

This time my goal was to take a wine my dear Mama could enjoy. She has loads of allergies and has a hard time finding a wine that doesn’t give her a reaction, for what reason, we don’t know. We’ve had some luck with a couple of organic wines (but not all organic wines). This time I grabbed a Summerhill Pyramid Winery Organic Gewürztraminer. She LOVED it! And she could drink it. Yay! It was so much fun enjoying a glass of wine and talking about my passion for wine with my Mum. It was a great find and I’ll be taking more with me the next time I head east.

But I am on my way home to BC now. And when I LEAVE the east I still travel with bottles in my bag. Not to betray my love of wine or anything but I have beer in my suitcase, destined for the Okanagan. NB beer and maple syrup. Two more of my loves in life.

The beer is Picaroons. If you follow me on twitter (@vinewinewander) you’ve likely noticed my love for this beer, their seasonal Dooryard brew in particular. It is an organic wheat beer. It is delicious with flavours or orange peel and coriander (and it is my favourite) and only available in NB. It tastes like an east coast summer. And the name reminds me of my roots as well – we call driveways, typically where the cars park, the dooryard.

Picaroons makes lots of excellent beers. Check ‘em out! They explain their beer making approach as such on their website: “Traditional English Ales are commonly defined by the strain of yeast used and the fermenting temperature. English style ales are brewed in open fermenters with top fermenting yeast. Fermentation is completed at room temperature which, in the world of brewing, is relatively warm. At this temperature, yeast produces significant amounts of esters, complementary flavours, and aromas resulting , and aromas resulting in beer with a full, lively taste, and lots of body.”

For me, there’s not much better than enjoying a Dooryard on the dock at the family camp in NB. I brought back a couple of their different brews to share with my beer loving BC pals. I just wish I could have brought more! It just keeps me going back for more. It’s that special liquid that never disappoints, unless I don’t get it.

What kind of booze traveller are you?

Wine: Where to put it

Ok, so you planned your trip to wine country perfectly. You visited all your favourite wineries and some new gems along the way. You’ve got a trunk full of wonderful wines waiting in to be transferred to one of two places: 1) your belly or 2) your wine rack.

You might drink a bottle in a week or you might decide to try any keep it for a few years and pretend it doesn’t exist. I am not very good at pretending and mentally drool over my “keep” bottles almost everyday, anxiously waiting for the day I can enjoy their complexities. So what’s the trick to ensuring those puppies are not just good, but better than the day you bought them? Well, there are a few things to consider.

Back to the Books

Do you notice that with the welcoming of spring that you have more energy and are a more alive? Spring is one of my favourite seasons for that reason (though all seasons are one of my favourites for different reasons).

This spring means it is time for me to learn. I love educational settings, I’d say that’s tied to working at a university and presenting in high schools for seven years. Call me a nerd but I love learning. That’s one of the reasons my new career path has me so excited, I LOVE learning about wine. I find it so fascinating. It is a subject that captivates my interest and focus, which isn’t always easy to do (yes, I’m susceptible to the “there’s something shiny” factor). I have a very active mind that works a mile a minute so when I decide to focus on something, I am entirely focused on that something.

My new something is the WSET level 2 course. I start on Monday. It’s only three Mondays in May (9-5), which I realize doesn’t seem like much but I can’t wait to get back in the “classroom” to refresh my knowledge (and taste wonderful wines of the world). I’m most excited because finishing level 2 because it means I can finally take level 3 – I’ve only been reading the textbook for half a year now.

It’s been just over a year since I finished a 12 week wine course at a college in Toronto, it covered most of what WSET level 2 will cover (I need level 2 before I can take level 3). I enjoyed the college course very much, so much that I spent most Friday nights studying for hours (for those of you who know me well, you’ll know my studying on a Friday night as opposed to hitting a live show or enjoying a few brews is a bit of an anomaly). It is so easy to focus on something you’re passionate about. That shouldn’t surprise me, I spent years telling high school students that studying is more fun when you’re passionate about the subject and have a choice in the courses you take.

So it’s my turn to be passionate. The course I’m taking is a curriculum developed by the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) which is a worldwide provider of quality education and training in wine and spirits. There’s heaps of wine courses out there. This is among on of the first that I learned about, plus it is internationally recognized. I’ve also considered the International Sommelier Guild courses, though I’ve heard a lot more about WSET courses. There are slight differences between the courses, for a sweeping statement I’d say from the conversations I’ve had, the ISG courses tend to be made up of individuals in the industry and WSET enrollment covers both folks with a general wine interest as well as people in the industry. Before I learned of the ISG courses I had already decided to take the WSET courses. That doesn’t mean one day I won’t also take the ISGs (though it would be a lot of repetition and it isn’t necessary AT ALL to do both).

The WSET website tells me I’ll learn this in level 2: “This course covers the major grape varieties and where they are grown around the world.  Students are taught how to taste wine professionally using the WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting.”  As I said, this will largely be a review for me before I take level 3 which is explained as such on the site: “Provides a more comprehensive coverage of the wide range of wines and spirits around the world. The qualification has an increased focus on wine tasting technique. “ Then I can go on to take their advanced diplomas and certificates and eventually, if I would like to torture my educational self for a number of years, that can all lead to a Master of Wine program via the WSET.

I’ll be learning from the youngest Master of Wine in Canada, Rhys Pender of Wine Plus+. I’m really eager to learn from Rhys, he’s got a fabulous reputation and many of my colleagues and friends have learned from him in the past and rave about the experience. I also have another reason – when I was planning my move to BC I was looking for some industry advice. I emailed three Master’s of Wine in BC. Rhys was one of two who emailed me back, and was the only one with an encouraging, positive response. The other one basically told me advice isn’t free (so helpful). So, not only am I excited to be taking a wine course again, I’m excited to learn from one of Canada’s experts…who happens to be Australian.

So that’s what’s got me excited these days. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you updated on how my courses go and all the great wines I get to taste. Studying is much easier when you’re required to sip on wine while doing it! Cheers all.

Meandering Mountain Ranges

As a bit of a celebration of reaching the one year mark in our adventure, the fella and I ventured off to Golden, BC yesterday. About a six hour drive in Wanderin’ Wanda. The point of our trip was to see one of our favourite bands of all time, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings. They played an epic show at the beautiful and small Golden Civic Centre which has gorgeous mountain views out of most windows. A great spot and great folks too.

Of course, because we have our trusty gal Wanda (which means I am blogging from my phone today), we didn’t need a hotel room. One of my favourite things about having a bedroom on wheels is when you pick a spot to sleep, in the pitch dark, and wake up to breathtaking views (it sure makes up for the less than stellar sleep one often gets when sleeping in a van). This morning I put the blinds up and found this waiting for my tired eyes:

It reminded me of one reason we moved to BC – the spectacular and powerful mountain ranges. Yesterday we were stopped in our tracks for Avalanche Control on the highway. They shoot off explosives to better prevent unexpected avalanches and help keep everyone safe. (As an aside, the cannons they use are quite something!)

Those same powerful mountains that can send snow tumbling downward faster than you can even imagine, contribute to some of the best grape growing climates around. My view this morning made me think of a trick the mountains can pull called rain shadow effect. Think of frosted mini wheats, all covered in frosting goodness on one side while they’re dry and crunchy on the other side. That’s sort of how I think of this effect, only the benefits are like the reward of eating the frosting side!

You have moisture and precipitation building on one side of the mountain, while the warm air is pulled over the mountain. The moisture gets blocked, providing the other side of the mountain with a warmer, dryer climate. The Okanagan Valley benefits from this phenomenon. The Okanagan sits in the lee (sheltered from the wind) of the Coast Mountain Range to the west and the Monashee Mountains to the east. To the west we have the usually damp city of Vancouver while the Okanagan soaks up the heat and sun thanks to the geographical location of the valley. The Okanagan only sees about 8-12″ of rain/year – less than Napa and Bordeaux (with a higher average daily temperature in the summer).

There are a number of other great wine producing regions that benefit from rain shadow – Alsace in France is protected by the Vosges Mountains and Piedmont in Italy is hugged by mountains, just to mention a couple of examples. The rain shadow effect keeps the grape growing regions dry and can help prevent unwanted fungal diseases and the like. However, in dry regions like the Okanagan it can mean costly investments in irrigation systems. Though with irrigation, water is regulated by vineyard managers and this control can produce better fruit on the vines.

BC is truly a special place with incredible views in every direction and it is a province that offers incredibly diverse climates, depending where you happen to be sitting. I quite like my warm, sunny seat on the lee, grape growing side of the mountain!

The Wine Plan as the Life Plan

Well, good morning! I’m sort of nervous as I sit here trying to decide what words to share with you today. It is my 60th blog post and it’s recap time. Anniversary time. One year later time. Wow. That still gives me butterflies. Each time I look out the window at the beautiful Okanagan mountains that surround me, each time I am at work and gaze out over the vineyards, each time I have the pleasure of tasting BC wine, each time we travel along Lake Okanagan – all of these times it feels like fate has dealt me the hand I unknowingly wanted.

It amazes me how a year can go by in the blink of an eye, it seems like yesterday that I was sitting in Toronto writing to you about that bittersweet last day of work. I will never forget the heavy emotion of leaving my Toronto family behind for a new road, a new career, and new opportunities. April 21, 2012 will mark the anniversary of my last day at Ryerson University. I can see my pals now, running around for an event they hosted yesterday (it was my last event last year and my last day). They’re showing prospective and admitted students what a university lecture is like. I remember choking back tears last year as I introduced the professor for the lecture I was moderating. I had a good ugly cry as I shut my office door for the last time that day. The hardest decision I ever had to make had suddenly become very real. All I could do was keep looking forward with a glass of wine in my hand, shaking ever so slightly. I put on a good front but man alive, was I ever scared…and excited. Not only had I quit my awesome job but I was about to move across the country, and live in a van while doing it.

I know many folks in our life, whether or not they verbalized it, thought we were pretty crazy but supported us anyway. I knew, deep down, that when you pour your whole heart into something, when it is meant to be, it will be. And that gave me a sense of peace and strength to keep moving forward. Yes, I’ve had my doubts along the way. I’ve had moments of frustration. But sometimes you just have to keep pushing forward, sometimes you just have to keep believing.

One year ago I set out on a new adventure. I had a job pouring wine and serving at a winery, it started June 1. We had a month of travel to experience before I started. “But what’s your plan when you get there?” people would ask me all the time with a quizzical look on their face. They knew I was leaving a senior position for a seasonal position that could be considered much lower (in responsibility and pay) than the one I was leaving. My plan wasn’t complicated. I intended to work my butt off and convince them they needed to hire me. I knew what I had to bring to the table, I just had to show everyone else what that was – hard work, innovation, dedication and passion. My simple recipe for success, best served with a glass of BC wine!

So we set out on our adventure – our trusty 1983 guide (van), Wanderin’ Wanda, leading the way. We slept in the van at truck stops and country gas stations, we peed in the woods, we made coffee on the side of the Labrador Highway, we crossed the beautiful St. Lawrence on a ferry, we spent time at my family camp, we meandered along Lake Superior in northern Ontario, we spent time with friends and family in Winnipeg and Medicine Hat and Calgary. We camped, we hiked, we ate camp stove meals for a month, we lived in the van for two months, and yes, one of those was down by the river, we drank lots of exceptional wine, we blogged from the iPhone. We did what two souls filled with wanderlust do best, we wandered, explored and created adventure.

And you know what? It worked. Putting blind trust in fate’s hands, worked. Of course it worked. And my plan also worked. I blog every Friday, I’ve been asked to write a wine list for a restaurant, I get to serve and talk about awesome BC wine and food, and at the beginning of this month I started as the Assistant Manager at the winery where I work – a full time job in the wine industry! During my interview one of the questions that I think was supposed to challenge me was: “When you die, what do you want your tombstone to say?” I thought for less than 30 seconds and shared an important lesson from my Dad. “When you love what you do, it won’t seem like work”.

Big props go to all our family and friends, new and old, for their ongoing support and blind faith in us. They may ask questions but at the end of the day, they’re the reason we are able to embark on our crazy adventures and follow our dreams. There is a quote I think of often and use as a guide in my life. I’ll leave you to ponder it over your favourite glass of vino:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Gateway Grape

The scene is downtown Toronto. The dark basement bar has a certain je ne sais quoi that only C’est What has to offer. The music is Robert Hedge. The year is late in the first decade of the 2000′s and I’m in my late 20′s. It is a typical outing for me and my fella. A great night of music with great friends in a great city.  (Yes, I said it. Toronto is a great city, even more so once you’ve moved away from it and return as a visitor). But wait, there is one thing missing here, the raison d’être. What about the wine?