Martin Regg Cohn, provincial affairs writer at the Toronto Star seems to be on a similar track as this writer on many aspects of politics in Ontario. He just works for a family friendly newspaper and has to be more polite. He really caught us off guard the other day with his article about the Wine Rack and the Wine Shop that are usually part of large grocery stores. We have always tried to ignore those pathetic places.
But when Martin started quoting sales figures in the billions, the jaw dropped. Are that many people in Ontario so desperate for a little wine with dinner? Have you read the labels on that stuff? Have you tasted it in the clear light of day? This was always assumed to be for people who are desperate after the local LCBO has closed for the evening. Or it is for people with absolutely no knowledge of wines whatsoever? The gag reflex kicks in just imagining trying to drink it.
This is not being a wine snob. When Quebec first allowed companies to import blended wines in bulk and then tried to cover the flavour with Canadian wines, we tried it and found that the experiment was an abysmal failure. And this was a taste test by a guy who uses Armand Roux’ l’Épayrié as his house wine!
Ontario followed Quebec into the foolishness and have been corrupting Ontario wine palates ever since. You would think that with the popularity of Downton Abbey on television, people might be picking up some tips on decent wines.
What we can tell you for sure is that nobody in central Ontario is allowed to have a proper wine with their dinner in the expensive restaurants. If anyone can explain why you can never find even a mediocre French wine on wine lists in this area, this ‘inquiring` mind would like to know.
But getting back to Martin Regg Cohn, we are unlikely to disagree with him in his analysis of the stupidity of Ontario politicians. These ignorant people have trapped Ontario in the early 1900s. They fail to realize that we won the First World War and the flappers took over in the twenties. We would have been happier through the dirty thirties if the booze had flowed better but then we had another war to win in the forties. By then the politicians thought they should be more paternal and they have screwed up the distribution of beer, wine and spirits ever since.
What Martin misses in his stories of sales of beer, wine and liquor is the absolutely disgusting customer experience across Ontario with the Beer Store. It would not surprise us to learn that the Star writer has never been in a Beer Store.
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Copyright 2015 © Peter Lowry
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