Casual tasting and wines by the glass at the market wine shop
Travel, they say, broadens the mind. It also sharpens your perspective at home.
A recent tasting in France found me thinking, once again, despite some progress, just how outdated BC’s liquor laws really still are, outdated—and ridiculous.
We were in the Victor Hugo Market, in central Toulouse, on a bustling Saturday morning. Surrounded by fresh produce at the wealth of butchers, cheese shops and fishmongers, and by the local citizenry going about their business, we were hosted by a wineshop for a casual tasting of wines from South West France.
With foie gras? A robust red, for a change
The setting was perfect, as we stood beside the counter, pairing a few wines with typical local fare, such as mineral and crisply citrus toned Ode d’Aydie 2011 with smoked trout which the wine merchant had caught and prepared himself (SAQ $18.95). Chateau d’Aydie Madiran l’Origine 2012—a bold, earthy blend of Tannat and Cabernet Franc—was a perfect foil to foie gras, SAQ $26.85.
Come to think of it, duck confit would also have been a good match,,,
Spicy toned, forest-floor edged Chateau Montus 2009 proved the ideal partner to a rich, duck sausage SAQ $30). As we were sipping and talking about the wines and their pairings, a couple of seven year olds casually helped themselves to our platter of foie gras : they knew a good thing when they saw it! Nobody blinked. And, no, they didn’t help themselves to a sip of Domaine St. Lannes Prelude d’Hiver, the perfect match.
Mmmm…Super fresh mackerel
More to the point, also as we stood there, the patrons were busy not only buying their wine but also enjoying wine samples and drinking wines by the glass, having finished their shopping in the market. It all seemed so perfectly normal and civilized. Indeed it was. And there’s no reason why we shouldn’t enjoy the same liberties here in B.C. However, even though we now have (grown in BC) wines at farmers markets, you can be pretty sure it’s a scene you won’t see any time soon at likes of Granville Island Public Market or Lonsdale Quay.
A good selection of south west wines …
We should be asking ourselves, “why not.” Instead, despite promises of sensible, liquor reforms that pair perfectly with our blossoming—no, make that “newly entrenched”—food and wine culture, we’re treated to an ongoing spectacle of back room deals that continue to favour a few well-placed and politically connected interests.
Sometimes I wonder if I’m just too cranky about this issue. But it seems to me that despite politicians’ professed good intentions, when it comes right down to it, we’re just treading water.
What do you think?
Comments below …
Toulouse market fishmonger counter
Cranky or not, you raise good points here. I like to think that we are heading this way; but as I love to say, big ships turn slowly.
…in the meantime, this is just another great reason to escape Canada cold and hit the south of France… maybe a few of those that shape policy can take a look there too…
What was really interesting to me was how the shop owner just set up the table and everyone stood around chatting and tasting—including the regular customers. It all seemed so normal. And it was.
Tim,
I used to worry about an increasing ‘grumpy old man’ syndrome setting in. Now I see it (most of the time) as wisdom.
Just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, once you’ve seen behind the curtain there’s no going back to believing in the public persona.
The French, and I suppose most Europeans, view wine as normal, a part of a meal. Why wouldn’t you be allowed a bottle of wine on the beach? You’re allowed to eat there aren’t you?
Here, we see it in a different light, as something ‘bad’ (ergo sin tax), but it makes a LOT of money for government. Here, we can’t be trusted with more relaxed, civilized laws. After all, then everyone would be drunk all the time, looting, pillaging and rioting in the streets.