Okay so I’m out to dinner last night, a freebie courtesy of Jackson
Trigg, just so everybody knows what’s going on. It was at Weczeria, a
great local bistro. The menu:
Cod cheeks & lamb stuffed perogie with bacon bits & JT Proprietor’s
Reserve [PR] Sauv Blanc
Halibut & roasted cherry tomato chili with JT Grand Reserve Chard ‘05
Wild boar with bacon and the PR Cab Sauv
Foie gras and duck with Sun Rock Shiraz ‘06
poached pear & blue cheese with PR Riesling Icewine ‘07
Okay, here’s the retail prices:
PR Sauv Blanc, $15 retail
GR Chard $22
PR Cab Sauv $17
Sunrise Shiraz $35
PR Icewine $52
Are these wines worth it? Or is there the usual screwing of the
Canadian consumer in their ever faithful desire to be homeys? (This
isn’t just a Canadian issue. Most Americans only drink CA wines.
Most French, Italian, Spanish likewise.)
Well this is interesting. The Sauv Blanc was a good deal. I was
underwhelmed by the Chard – most people will have exactly the reverse
position. I felt the Cab Sauv needed something else, probably a
blend, but it was certainly not out of line with international Cabs at
this price, although many of the int’l style finish with that awful
cherry cough syrup flavor.
The shiraz was probably underpriced at $35. If it were a major label
Aussie wine, it would be 50 bucks, maybe more.
The icewine is a deal. IF you know Icewine, you know this, if you
haven’t drunk at this level before you need to find out. Expensive,
yes, and there are better Icewines out there (starting with JT’s Grand
Reserve at about $65) but this is pretty exceptional stuff. Certainly
better than the products I’ve had from NY, Austria and Germany at that
price point.
So maybe BC wines, at least from major wineries are getting realistic
about their pricing. Maybe the days of paying 100% too much for the
little Canadian flag on the label are gone… here’s hoping.