Happy Whatevs!

It is the last day of the year and here is my last post of 2011.  Big deal!  The idea of marking time as a cycle has never really appealed to me.  It seems silly to have one day that marks a new beginning for everyone when most of us don't share that day as a birthday.  Is it a new year for me, who was born in May?  I don't think so.  And I get the idea of a new beginning, setting new goals, etc.  I just don't buy that you have to do it on a specific day of the year decided by others.

I don't make New Year's resolutions.  I think that people who do are just setting themselves up for failure. Setting goals should be done in the context of a single objective.  For instance: if my objective is to find a new job I should be setting realistic and accessible goals (i.e. update my resume by a certain date, upgrade my skills by another date, increase my professional network, etc) and I should be re-evaluating these goals and my progress continually throughout the year.  Just stating I will have a new job in 2012 does nothing towards preparing me for new employment and makes me feel like a failure when the year passes without reaching my objective.  The same goes for dieting, smoking cessation, etc.

In addition, all calendars fail to be an accurate reflection of the time it takes for a year to be complete.  The current Gregorian calendar we use has been violated and abused by so many people over the years that its standing as an authoritative reference is dubious at best.  Calendars were developed to help us predict the best times for sowing and reaping our crops by tracking the solstices and equinoxes.  Religions utilized them to mark specific holy days at the same point every year.  None of those events can be claimed as the starting point of any given year without some debate and yet all would be a better date then January 01.

But every year society, and especially the entertainment industries, make a huge deal of this one night when everyone should tune in to Dick Clark, review their past year, declare a resolution to better themselves, quaff enormous amounts of alcohol, and ring in the year with an expensive glass of fermented grape juice.  But, I say enough is enough.  Oh, don't get me wrong, I will still be going out and will do my best to enjoy the evening.  But, I will be damned if I am going to break the bank on expensive Champagne.

There are plenty of great sparkling wines that are just as good as the more expensive Champagnes.  The French have decided that the term Champagne can only be applied to sparkling wines produced in the Champagne region using grapes from the same area.  OK, fine.  I can still enjoy a sparkling wine from any region;  Prosecco from Italy, Cava from Spain, or, of course, variations from all over the planet.  Including a Sparkling Vouvray from France for under $20 cad.  So here are my choices for the best sparkling alternatives to Champagne, because, be honest, none of you are going to be raising an expensive glass of Dom Perignon either.

Chateau Monconteur Vouvray Brut  $15.95 France
Astoria Prosecco La Robinia  12.95 Italy
13th Street  Cuveé Sparkling Rosé  24.95 (a little higher than $20, but worth it for a VQA)
Jansz Premium Cuveé  16.95  Australia

The Future of Music?

Nothing goes better with food and drink like good friends and equally good music. And, no one knows good music like the people at NPR (Public Radio in the US).  Here is their year end list of artists to watch in 2012.  There is a little something for everyone in the list, so give them and a listen and you might find the next American Idol the old fashioned way: by earning it!

Comparing Appellations to Oranges

There was big news out of China this past week trumpeting their expertise in wine making and claiming to have taken down the powerful Bordeaux in blind tastings.  The Chinese, of course, have a long history in winemaking as they do with nearly all things given their standing as one of the oldest human cultures.  In fact, the Chinese have been making wine longer than much of Europe, let alone the rest of the planet.  The original grapes of China were not of the quality for wine that Europe's native grapes were and so rice wine became the popular drink of choice and grape wines were reserved for the rich and powerful.  Actually, not much has changed.

Now, don't expect any kind of  "cri de coeur" from the French any time soon.  We have seen this type of gimmick used before to draw attention to an aspiring wine nation.  But, unlike the 1976 competition, this one seems even more contrived and stacked in the challenger's favour.  And I am not the only one who thinks so.  There are several problems with the methods used in this tasting but, the most glaring is the difference in quality control in both regions.  Bordeaux winemakers are very carefully controlled by the Bordeaux AOC and must use grapes that only come from the appellations listed in their guides.  The AOC First Growth and Superiore have even tighter controls for grapes from just their estates.  Even within an estate their are different levels of quality.

Controls on the French are not limited to just where the grapes came from.  They are limited to where the vines are from and how and when to plant them.  Even the amount of time fermenting and aging in oak and bottles is regulated for the various levels of wine.  This is what makes the best Bordeaux very expensive.  The cheaper a Bordeaux is, the less quality control is applied to it and the bottle's label will reflect this.  Wine anywhere from Bordeaux may be called Bordeaux but only a few can be designated Grand Cru, Superiore or First Growth.  

The Chinese wine, on the other hand, is free of any kind of AOC control.  Chinese wines can, and do, use grapes, juice and even fermented wines sourced from other regions, and even other nations, in their wine making.  There is nothing wrong with this, but you are not getting a real sense of the region when comparing wine blends and for the French terroir is everything in wine.  As with all Chinese industry, the wine industry is not just subsidized but it is owned and operated by the state and has a domestic monopoly  on all aspects of labour costs, pricing, marketing and distribution.  The only reason a wine made in China would sell for 30-70 Euros is because the government said so not because of production costs and profit margins and market forces.  This trumps the French system of subsidies for producers of unsold product.

There is a reason everyone likes to compare their best wines to the wines of France: it's because French wines have a deserved reputation as the very best in the market.  But what we see, typically, is any given country pitting their best wine against some of France's good or very good but never best wines.  There are dedicated fans of every region of wine making in France, some prefer Burgundy over Bordeaux, or Loire over Alsace, but France continues to have a little something for everyone despite any of its recent problems.  This is something that other countries can only hope to achieve and even if the French should slip from their position as the best, the world will always owe them a great debt for showing us how it should be done.

As I said, the Chinese have a long history of fermenting fruit and grains for consumption, and have never had to take a back seat to any nation in culture.  This competition will get people talking about Chinese wines, which of course was the purpose of all this, and many will even search them out and try them.  And one thing is certain, the Chinese are making great gains in the quality of their wine products and the future looks good for them.  I think any new addition to the wine world is a positive thing but, I hope the Chinese will avoid trying to be like anyone else and concentrate on the methods and techniques that would demonstrate the best reflection of viticulture from China.  Because, quite frankly, the last thing the world needs is another Bordeaux.

If It Wasn't for Pot Luck I Would Have No Luck

There is a funny article at the New York Times entitled ‘Store Bought’ Spoils the Potluck Spirit which echoes my own feelings on the issue of the Pot Luck.  The article focuses mainly on bake sales and the insidious practice of purchasing goods for resale rather than home baking.  The writer points out this practice is also creeping into the Pot Luck Dinner as well.

I can understand the many reasons people have for thinking it easier and cheaper to just purchase a pizza or some wings and heat them up for a pot luck.  But, if you are going to just purchase food, why not pool the funds of everyone, pick different take-out joints and let everyone try something from everywhere and make a contest out of the whole affair by picking the best restaurant.  I have nothing against fast food, or even supermarket prepared food but, the idea of a pot luck dinner, to me, is a culinary role of the dice.  As was pointed out in the article, the practice started by just trying your luck at a host's home and whatever they were serving.

I love pot luck dinners and usually try anything that is home made and have had some of the best food I have ever eaten at many a pot luck dinner.  Sometimes the food doesn't come out the way the cook intended, and I am sure this is another reason that people choose to buy rather than try.  Many people think they have to compete with that one person at each pot luck who seems to bring the perfect dish every time and plates it spectacularly to boot.  But, I never compare one dish against any other at a pot luck; for me it is about the plate of food as a whole and the feeling of community and sharing.

Many times I have been invited to a pot luck and was told before hand to bring a specific dish or specific type of dish - vegetable side, starter, meat dish, etc.  This I am not a fan of.  To me a pot luck should have an emphasis on the "luck".  Just like Bits 'n' Bites, every pot luck should be a new experience and, if it happens that everyone brings the same dish, well, so be it; find the humour in it and go with it.  Again, it is all about luck.  And, after all, the idea is to get together with friends and have a little something to eat.  If we are less focused on the food and its presentation and more focused on the people and the conversation the evening will be memorable for more than just the fact that everyone brought Swedish meat balls.

So, here are the rules I think should govern the Pot Luck Dinner:

1) You must bring the food in the pot, pan or casserole that it was made in: no fancy plating.
2) No store or restaurant bought food.
3) No micro managing the food.  Everyone brings what they want without instructions.
4) If there are guests who can not cook they must bring a bottle of wine that may or may not go with the food, but they can not be told what is being made.  Pure roll of the dice here as well.
5) Host/Hostess supply hors d'ouvres and dessert but no other dish.
6) Everyone helps with the set up and clean up.

On Giving Wine as a Gift

Image via WikipediaRecently, I was asked to recommend a wine for about $50 dollars that was to be given as a gift.  This request caught me off guard for two reasons: 1) I don't typically spend that much on wine and 2) I try a lot of different wines and don't have many go to bottles.  I did make a couple of suggestions based on wine I have tried and then gave some general guidelines for gifting that I would like to share here.

First let me say, I have three favourite regions for wine because these are the regions I have been exposed to the most.  I like the grapes, styles and characters of these regions and have not had a wine I didn't appreciate at some level.  If you are looking for a wine to give and you have a price range in mind talk to your local liquor store expert and ask for a Burgundy (if giving red, and Chablis are great for Chardonnay lovers) or Loire (if giving white) and Beamsville Bench (if you are giving something from Ontario).  I truly believe you can not go wrong with any of the wines from these regions and each has a wide price range from $10 to $100.

Burgundy and Loire speak for themselves and I would doubt too many people would take me to task on those.  But, you may not be too familiar with Beamsville Bench sub-appellation of the Niagara wine region.  I think this will change and you will soon be hearing a lot about this hidden gem.  With wineries like 30 Bench, Organized Crime and Fielding Estates, this area is poised to take off and become the "bench" mark (hehe get it?) for Ontario wines.  Just my opinion.

I Can Guess That WIne in Three Notes of Vanilla, Cassis and Pepper

Image via WikipediaIf you have ever checked out the YouTube channel "WineAlign" and their series of videos "So You Think You Know Wine" then you have probably been impressed with the ability of wine experts to accurately determine the origins, grape varietals, vintages and even price of various wines; and equally alarmed at how often they get them wrong.  So what is going on?  Are they just guessing, or do they really know wine that well?  I think the answer to the last question is yes.

Do you have a favourite band? Can you tell the difference between their earlier works and their later works?  More than likely you can because you have immersed yourself in their body of work and know what albums came first and what individual songs were on each album. Could you tell what period in their history a previously unknown work was first written if you came across one? Maybe.  Do you like music from a certain period of time, say the 70's?  Can you tell it from music made in the 50's or 80's?  Again, I think probably.   The same can be said for literature, its different genres and eras can also be distinguished and categorized if you study enough.  I believe the same holds true for the fine arts, as well.  To recognize them requires a familiarity with their characteristics, the regions they were created in, the intent of the artist and the experiences of the culture.

So why would wine be any different?  The very best experts have tasted a lot of wine and have to think long and hard about what they drink.  Most have a favourite style, region and even vintage.  I think that what we see when someone like John Szabo - who is extremely accurate in many of the videos - tastes wine, is a mind full of experiences trying to recall each of those experiences and then giving his best recollection of that experience.  There is a little bit of guessing going on, but there is in any of the aforementioned disciplines as well and we have no problem allowing those experts to pass judgement on the legitimacy of our favourite works.  And, the less familiar we are with any given work of music, literature or art, the less accurate we would tend to be.  When an expert gives an educated guess on a wine, they are looking for characteristics that their experiences have taught them to expect: what is the best region to grow a grape, what are the results of techniques used by regional wineries, how does acid and tannin balance change from region to region.

So what is happening when they are so far off?  One of two things, I believe: either they have not experienced a particular grape or region enough or they have experienced too much of that region and grape.  Information overload can be as much a block of recollection as lack of information.  Wine is made in almost every country of the world.  The are new wineries and new wines starting up every day and it would be impossible to have a database of knowledge within one mind to be able to distinguish between so many.  Even when these experts get the wine wrong I am amazed how often they mention the correct region before dismissing it, or how close to a region they can get while still choosing a neighbouring one;  there is quite a bit of similarity between northern Italian wines and southern French wines, as well as Ontario and German, BC and New Zealand, Australian and South African and the list goes on.  A Cabernet grape is a Cabernet grape, but the minerals it grows in are far reaching and picking out those mineral tendencies can be tricky.  Can anyone in Ontario tell the difference between Ontario strawberries and those from out of province.  I bet they can when they are in season.  Can you tell the similarities between your favourite band and bands from within the same genre, country or era?

I do believe that the experts can have enough experience to tell the difference between wines, this is their business and their passion, after all.  But, where I believe the experts try to exert too much sway is when they express an opinion on which is a better wine.  Despite their many experiences with wine, despite their encyclopedic knowledge of past vintages, they are still just one set of taste buds and olfactory systems experiencing the wine.  Their tastes and preferences have been influenced, throughout their lives, by their place of birth, their genetic makeup and their exposure to tastes and flavours at an earlier age.  We have all had our own experiences that affect our tastes and preferences, just as they have influenced our taste in music they will affect our taste in wine.  This is why I like to encourage people to try different wines, especially for different occasions, and explore the whole world of wine, and the best place to start is right in your own backyard.  For me that is Ontario.

If the argument is that some wines are better than others than it would hold that one is the best.  If that is so, why are there so many varieties from so many regions made in so many different styles?  Wine is a food product and like all food products people enjoy it in its many different styles and combinations.  As part of human culture, like all art, it is subjective and requires a receptive audience open minded enough to appreciate the experience.  I am not saying there is no such thing as bad wine; I just don't think it is anyone's place to tell you what you like is bad.  But, just as with music, literature or painting, I would hope you would try to appreciate a wider variety and remain open to new experiences.  There is a wine for everyone and some have more depth and complexity and, just as we expect to move from Dr. Seuss to Dr. Zhivago in our reading are appreciation for wine will grow and we might move from Mateus to Bordeaux.  This does not mean we can't appreciate a little Green Eggs and Ham occasionally, maybe with a little Champagne and orange juice.

The True North Not So Strong

Image via WikipediaI have previously written about the plight of Somalians and the lack of real concern by the west to find long term solutions to the standards of living in Africa.  Today I am writing about the plight of Canada's northern most Native Tribes and the lack of political spine of our politicians to deal fairly, honestly and respectfully with our partners in Canadian society.

I am sure most of you are aware of the plight of the most recent reservation to have control of their administration taken over by the federal government.  A lot has been made of the $90 million that was "given" to the band.  What gets lost in the governments statements is the fact that this is money was given out over 6 years amounting to $15 million/year, which still seems like a lot of money at face value.  Now, determining the exact population of Attawapiskat  is a little difficult due to apathy and incompetence of the federal government.  Statistics Canada even admits that the most recent census data from 2001 (really?!) is nothing more than a guesstimate.  It seems it is just too difficult to go there and spend one day counting less than 2000 people.  But, the registered number of band members claiming Attawapiskat as home is 1929 and that is the number I will use.  This gives us a net disbursement of funds of $7776.05 per resident per year.  The federal government, over the same period gave an average of $13,180,666,666 to 12,160,282 persons living in Ontario  for an average of $1083/person in just health, education and social assistance  payments (other provinces are worse Manitoba $2599, Newfoundland $2632, PEI and New Brunswick over $3000 each) and does not include infrastructure payments and revenue from the harmonized sales tax nor the province's own revenues from taxation, a luxury the reservations lack.  The discrepancy of over $6000 does look alarming until you consider that the band has no stable source of revenue with unemployment levels at nearly 50% of the population, no ability to charge income taxes, no revenue from natural resources, and responsibility for all infrastructure of the community.

Here are the areas that Attawapiskat band must administer: education, fire, police, EMS, emergency medical clinic, airport and air transport for goods, ice road in winter, electrical generation, environmental maintenance, road maintenance and emergency social assistance where federal assistance is inadequate.  The logistics of simply bringing in the basics of life that those of us who live in large urban areas take for granted are enormous.  Food, clothing, household supplies must all be flown in for 7 months of the year until an ice road can be built in January.  Maintaining these two links is the responsibility of the band.  Electrical generation alone accounts for an estimated $1 million dollars a year and fuel costs, on average, are $4500 per household from November 01 to April 30 each year for an estimated 260 households.  That, alone amounts to an additional $1 million plus per year.

Little has been said about the education of the residents but, I am sure it is not band members who are holding the teaching jobs.  Those teachers coming from the south are not doing it for free and their pay must come from band revenues as does medical, police and fire services payroll. ( Read my friend Amanda's blog for some idea of the education standards and life on a reservation). The cost of building adequate housing for those employees is estimated at $250, 000 per house and must be built by federal government contractors, meaning more money leaving the community.

They build the homes at a rate of about 2 a year.  Some have suggested that they could house everyone in a single large apartment complex for far less but, this simply shows a lack of understanding of the challenges associated with building housing that far north.  Buildings are lower because foundations can not be dug into the frozen rock which makes up the area.  Additionally, what would be a walkout apartment at ground level in summer would be a basement apartment the rest of the year, as would the second floor some years.  Allowances have to made for wood burning heating methods as the cost of fuel (diesel is the only fossil fuel available) is prohibitive to say the least.

Food costs in Attawapiskat might possibly be the single biggest cause of poverty in the community.  Because of the need to fly in basic supplies, the average cost of food is 86% higher than any other part of the province.  It is estimated that a typical family of four in Southern Ontario would spend, on an ideal diet, $1174 per month.  That same family would pay $2183 per month in Attawapiskat.  A typical assistance cheque might be in the area of $1500 per month and needs to go to more than just food, so imagine the diets of most.  Traditionally they would have supplemented with food they hunted or fished for, but these resources are becoming scarcer due to several issues, global warming and international bans on seal pelts  come to mind.   And these costs are just for food, not cleaning supplies, clothing, personal grooming etc.

So, with the everyday running of the reservation the responsibility of the band, we can see that it may not take long to blow through a few million dollars.  But, in 1979 the largest diesel spill in Northern Ontario occurred around the Attawapiskat lands.  The federal government, and subsequent governments, have never even acknowledged the issue and have refused to assist in the clean up, maintaining it is the band council's responsibility.  This spill resulted in the only school building being shut down in 2000 and portables erected to replace it and the cost absorbed by the band.  Add to this, the cost of the backing up of the reservation's sewage system resulting in the evacuation of many of the residents and the band's need to pay for and clean up the damage.  These two incidents were paid for through loans which only added to the operational costs of the reservation.

The government would like us all to believe that they have been charitably donating money to a corrupt band council for 6 years but, what they refuse to tell you is, this band has been co-managed for the last decade and their own appointed manager has been signing off on all spending since then.  They also have not explained real well that in the last 10 years 43% of reservations in Canada are in some form of intervention and there are now a total of 11 reservations in Third Party Management.  They also have not explained very well that their own audits show little or no benefit from being in TPM or intervention of any kind.

I will be awaiting, impatiently, the final report of the audit that is being conducted on where the $90 million was spent.  But, I'm sure it will take months, if not years, in hopes that some other crisis or distraction might come along to make everyone forget the plight of these people, as has happened so often in the past (hey, with any luck the Leafs will win the Stanley Cup and all of Harper's problems will disappear over night).  I have a feeling that the audit will show what the Auditor General has reported several times in the past: that Canadian governments of all stripes have plenty of shame to share.

If you have studied Canadian history you might recall that Canada might have been a whole lot different if not for the valiant efforts of the Native tribes and the French Canadians who seemed a whole lot more concerned with fighting the Americans in 1812 than did the British.  We, as a nation, owe both those peoples.  When the first Europeans set foot on this land they made a claim on in it in the name of their Sovereigns with no legal right to do so and no consideration for the people that were already making use of it.  The fact that most natives were migratory is irrelevant; it would be the equivalent of me going to your unused cottage in winter and laying claim to it because you were not there at the time.  I understand that we can't simply go back in history and change things, but we can make up for the legacy of our ancestors and ALL Canadians, regardless of origin or length of ancestry here, owe it to the first nations to do so.

Canada is a signatory to human rights treaties (something it brags about when telling other nations how to treat people) which guarantee the right to minimum standards of housing, food and medicine (art. 25).  It is time we lived up to the standards of these treaties and provided opportunities for our First Nations to manage their own lives and we could start by allowing them an equal share in this countries many natural resources, the right to free movement around the country, protection of their customs and languages and the right to all the things the people of Ontario receive: health care, education and clean living conditions. Simply enforcing the letter of a treaty as it stood 160 years ago is not good enough.  The First Nations taught our ancestors how to survive off the land, what foods to eat, where the best hunting was, the best fishing, where we could find gold, what plants were poisonous and in return we gave them small pox, alcoholism and the right to be confined to small parcels of land in the middle of nowhere. Of course, some Natives have qualified for closer monitoring.

Further reading:  http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/dec10/attawapiskat4.asp

Lieutenant Governor Award Winners

My New Best Friend (Image via Wikipedia)Well, it has been an exciting week here at Liver Rounds head office after our review of the Joe Beef cook book was shared with their twitter followers and then the followers of Anthony Bourdain.  This caused a huge spike in traffic to the site along with a slight swelling of my ego.  I am sure nothing I write this week will draw as much attention but, I must soldier on for my legions of dedicated fans.

Have you been looking for a list of Ontario wines to try?  Of course you have, who hasn't?  Well, here is a list of the 1st Annual Lieutenant Governor Award for Excellence in Ontario Wines.

• Huff Estates Winery, PEC Cuvée Peter F. Huff Sparkling 2008
• Ziraldo Estate Winery, Riesling Icewine 2007
• Southbrook Vineyards, Triomphe Chardonnay 2009
• Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery, Sibling Rivalry Pink 2010
• Malivoire Wine Company, Pinot Noir 2009
• Charles Baker, Charles Baker Riesling 2009
• Mountain Road Wine Company, Mountain Road Vidal Icewine 1999
• Magnotta Winery, Enotrium Gran Riserva 2008
• Stoney Ridge Cellars, Excellence Chardonnay 2009
• Malivoire Wine Company, Courtney Gamay 2009
• Mike Weir Wine, Riesling 2008
• Thirty Bench Wine Makers, Riesling 2010

The awards ceremony will be on the 7th of December and I'm sure my invitation is held up in the mail and should arrive anytime soon.  If it doesn't get here by then I will just show up,  I can't see any problem with that.  Maybe I should just mention my close relationship with Anthony Bourdain, David McMillan and Frédéric Morin.  Yeah, that's what I'll do.  

Anyway, use this list as a resource and try and find a bottle or two and give them a try.  Most are available directly from the wineries and some might even be available in LCBO stores. I have not heard of any promotions at the LCBO, however.


If you are looking for some excellent BC wines to try, the Lieutenant Governor of BC has been at this a lot longer and you can find a list here.