Top Ten Reasons to Get Married in Ontario

Or, Hooch to get hitched to in Ottawa on June 17, 2006.


My dear friend Catherine is planning a beautiful June wedding. The invitations, wonderful Keith Haring-inspired cards which she made herself, are fantastic. A real testament to do-it-yourself quality.

For the wine to be served during her reception, Catherine thought she might hand-select some affordable but respectable bottles. That way, she could avoid having the usual bulk wine hauled in, such as Kressmann. I've never had Kressmann's jug wine, and up until now I assumed it was made from cheap Ontario grapes. It actually is a French product, and I'm sure it's incapable of ruining a wedding reception.

Nevertheless, upon request I provided some names of bottles in the $10-15 range that are available through the LCBO site -- hence that ever-important LCBO/Vintages number that follows the price. I'm sure the list below could be lengthened with additional ideas for pleasing dinner wines. Feel free to add your suggestion.

1. W Château Bonnet $12.90 LCBO 83709
2. R La Vieille Ferme $10.55 LCBO 263640
3. W Mission Hill Pinot Blanc $12.95 LCBO 300301
4. R Fortant de France Merlot $11.70 LCBO 433177
5. W Concha Y Toro Trio $13.95 VINTAGES 433938
6. R Concha Y Toro Trio $14.95 VINTAGES 433912
7. R Rocca Delle Macie Chianti $10.55 LCBO 269589
8. R Deakin Estate Shiraz $12.10 LCBO 560821
9. W Gentil Hugel $14.95 VINTAGES 367284
10. R Etchart Cafayate Cab Sauv $10.10 LCBO 362186

Toeing the office-party wine

I'm planning to trample all over today's office party wine, and you know that I'm not referring to a grape stomp. In most offices you can't expect much in the wine department and I think mine is fairly standard in offering substandard gruel. I must accept this though there may have been a point when my proactive engagement with the organizing forces might have worked. It's clear I missed that chance:

• Me: "I hear you are arranging all the wine at our party."


• Big boss: "Yup."


• Me: "Why don't you take a look at this website I just started -- it's a wineblog so you might be able to get some good ideas."


• Big boss: "Oh no, I had to go through the usual channels -- you know, Ancillary Service is handling it all."

For a moment I pictured Ancillary Service to be a charming but outsized British woman, half-Nigella Lawson, half-Jancis Robinson, who doles out helpful entertainment tips while paying careful attention to the selection of wine for large groups of finicky people. No such luck. Ancillary Services is not a person but an operating unit. The name means "provider of things of secondary importance" and as a result has been ruining holiday office parties for decades.

So now I am prepared to scowl through the festivities with a Dixie cup of this year's swill. Just joking. Where's the spirit of the season in that? The reality of the situation is that I brought a flask of my own wine. I think I might need to dip into it, but maybe not. It just never hurts to be prepared. In any case, I expect the boxes of party wine to be wheeled in this afternoon. Full tasting report and impressions to follow! [Update: Weingolb shocked to report here that in fact very nice bottles arrived -- not cellarcasks or jug wine!]

For those who are finding it not too late to successfully organize a quality wine for this year's departmental get-togethers, Mas de Forton is name you might want to remember. I took it to a small office party several Christmases ago. It is full of fruit and jammy while still maintaining a nice balance. What's more is that it comes off so festive. It reminds me a bit of Christmas with its ripened red berries and rich deep colour reminiscent of cranberry sauce. The label pictures such a quaint little compound it could practically be Whoville; you can almost hear the carols. And it's inexpensive, which doesn't remind me of Christmas, but I'll make an exception for that.