It's My Birthday and I'll Drink If I Want To.....

Today is my birthday. 31 years young! I no longer get to straddle the 20-30 fence. As of today, I am officially a thirty-something…..and feelin’ good!

We celebrated last night, a bit early, as our good friends, T & C, happened to be passing through town. My little birthday party consisted of Wine and Cake. That’s it. The perfect birthday combination.

T & C love wine. Good wine. So, knowing they were on their way, I headed downtown to pick up a couple of bottles for a mini wine-tasting.

We’re all concerned about reducing our carbon footprint, focusing on eating local and in-season…..well, last night I decided we would focus on drinking local.

Armed with my very favorite wine book: Billy’s Best Bottles, I hit the LCBO for some Ontario reds.



For those who aren’t familiar with Billy Munnelly, or his wine books, you are in for a treat. “Most wine tasting is PC. Billy Munnelly is a Mac: user-friendly, intuitive and fun.” (Now magazine).


For 20 years, Billy has been producing the most entertaining and engaging wine info out there. Best of all, he resides in Prince Edward County (!), he writes about wines readily available in Canada, and of the 200 bottles reviewed in his book, most are under $20 (many are under $12).

He gives great advice: “scores are a lazy meaningless way of interpreting wines. Rich wines score high, as do smooth. Rustic and novel wines score low. But most of us prefer Bob Dylan to Michael Buble……let your heart not your head rule wine choices”.

I love it!

So, on the advice of dear Mr. Munnelly, I picked up two Ontario wines:

1. Pelee Island 08 Pinot Noir Reserve, VQA Pelee Island, $14.75
2. Angels Gate 07 Gamay, VQA Niagara, $12.95

Here’s what Billy has to say:
Re: the Pinot

“Hey guess what landed….in Lake Erie? (hint: not another Canada Goose) Pinot Noir is a temperamental superstar – fussy about where it wants to touch down. Who would have thought that a tiny island in Lake Erie would be a good landing spot?

Pinot Noir is one of the current hot reds but it has it’s limitations: There’s not a lot of it and it’s usually expensive. Pelee Island to the rescue. Ontario is producing small quantities or world class Pinots – but my favorite is this $15 edition. More rustic than pretty, the earthy tangy flavours remind me of traditional Italian wines. A great partner for a simple roasted chicken or tomato pasta.”

Re: the Gamay

“These days there’s often little difference between most reds, so if you want variety and adventure, you need to take some detours.

One of the joys of drinking less popular wines is nobody is telling you what to enjoy. On the backroad trip you are free to make your own discoveries – the guide books haven’t gone there.

Gamay is my favorite backroads local. It’s the grape of the Beaujolais but there’s little family resemblance in the Ontario kids. Our Gamays have more of an Italian personality – gutsy and earthy. Honest everyday wine. Shades of the light tart wines reds found in the cafes of Europe.

Angels Gate wine is lively – the playful daytime spirit. Forget smoothness, this red has white wine zest and refreshment. Lightly chill and let the games begin.”

Here’s what we thought:
YUM! The Gamay was by far the favorite....easy summer drinking. We recommend it.

Neither paired perfectly with the chocolate cake Jamie whipped up, but alas, we didn’t really care.

Chilean and Argentinian wines tend to be really hot right now. They are cheap and easy to drink. It’s tempting to stay away from the Canadian wines that tend to be a bit pricier and less….hip? But I think it’s important to support our local winemakers, in the same way it’s important to support local farmers and artists and small businesses: I love knowing that I am supporting entrepreneurs who are creating texture, energy and interest in this province, helping the local economy and, hopefully, reducing my carbon footprint!

I’ll leave you with one more piece of wine advice from Billy:
“In case of emergency…..grab the Beaujolais. Get a baguette (and maybe some brie). Leave your worries on the doorstep. Take your picnic to the sunny side of the street.”

What a gem……
Happy Birthday to Me!