A Weekend In Wine Country
by Cari Crosby

While many don’t realize it (and no, I didn’t either before I spent so much time in Toronto), the Niagara region in Ontario is one of the world’s best for wine.  With a similar latitude as Northern California and the Burgundy region in France, the conditions are very ideal.  The area gets more snow than these other regions, but that makes for one of Niagara’s most unique brands of wine: ice wine.  In fact, it is one of only three regions in the world with conditions suitable for its production.

So we would drive around, from winery to winery, and try the best wines they had to offer.  By tasting wine before committing to a purchase, we felt more confident about what we were choosing.  It’s also a great way to discover what you like.  It’s hard to believe that only a few years ago the only wine I would drink was White Zinfandel (which now tastes like Kool-Aid to me).  Over the course of the weekend,  I tasted nearly a dozen types of wine, most of which appealed to me on some level.

So yeah.  Wine’s good.  I like the stuff.  It’s hard to believe that when I was 16 and visiting Italy with my mom, I had to force myself to finish the wine she ordered for me at dinner.  I didn’t strongly dislike it, but let’s just say I would’ve much preferred a Sprite.  So, I grew up.  I developed a bit of a taste for alcohol, and ordered a White Zinfandel a few times at dinner.  Then I was lucky enough to be able to travel through Europe.  I ordered wine at dinner most of the time (hell – when the wine is cheaper than a soda – why not?) and meals began to feel lacking without a glass of wine to go along with it. 

After I came home I began to learn more about what I liked, and realized that there were more varieties than just white and red.  It didn’t take too long for me to take a liking to Pinot Grigio.  That was always a favorite of my mom’s and was therefore familiar to me.   My boyfriend’s family tended more towards red varieties like Shiraz, which soon taught me that red wine wasn’t so bad either.

At 24, I’ve found that most of my friends are just discovering wine.  Many have yet to develop a taste for it and are still ordering the White Zinfandel.  It’s an interesting discovery for me.  I don’t want to be a wine snob, but at the same time I feel myself becoming one.  I just think it feels a bit out of place when I find myself ordering a glass of Gamay Noir at a bar while my friends order Bud Light or vodka and lemonade.  Not that I feel superior, I just never thought I’d be that specific about my beverage-of-choice. 

While I’m certainly no expert, and I’m obviously still learning, it feels nice being able to distinguish many of the varieties of wine.  It’s exciting to learn about such a vast area of food and culture. 

Oh and by the way, my wine rack is full now.