Trying to craft sausages with Canadian Wine...and losing the battle.

With hockey season winding down, I look forward to dedicating more time to my meat craft. Long time coming and I have so many great ideas percolating.

One of the highlights of my year is traveling across the Rockies in the fall to take in Winefest. (When I was a kid, I loved autumn and the falling leaves....now an adult...fall is ushered in to the sound of popping corks!) This year was wonderful. We spent 5 days touring the exceptional wineries of the Okanagan. The week ended with 2 exceptional Midnight Services @BlastedWines featuring @RF_FamilyBand .What a blast...we met so many new people and heard many great stories. I also got to pick wines that I would later use in my hand-crafted sausage. Soon I will make a Spanish Aragon pork sausage with a perfect @TinhornCreek Chardonnay and a bold beef and pork Mexican Chorizo with an insanely flavourful Cabernet Franc from @hillsidewines. I am so excited.....but wait.....not too excited and here's why:

We brought a few bottles of wine back over the border to Alberta. Little did I know that I was breaking the law. For some reason, it is easier to purchase mass-produced wine from Australia than it is to support Canadian wineries. Why can I not have a choice? Much of the wine for sale at the liquor stores are of international origin and considerably cheaper. I don't want cheaper, I want choice. I understand that Canada is not a low cost provider of agricultural products. We have a shorter growing season with less heat units and our cost of labour is more. I'm ok with this. I have been to other countries where the average worker in a pork plant makes $8/day...here, our workers start around $15/hour of so. I'm ok with this....this means that folks that work in our meat plants can afford provide for their families. I don't mind paying a little more so that our economy can benefit....so why can I not have more of a choice?

In Alberta, we have many liquor stores that carry a good assortment of both BC and Ontario wines, but the selection is small. I would like more choice. I would like to support Canadian wineries, but as I am to understand it, I am prohibited by the provincial liquor boards. How crazy is this? What is this 'law' protecting me from? It seems to be worse in Ontario. If I would like to enjoy @HuffEstatesWine @hillebrandwind or @Stratuswines ....I have to travel to the vineyards. These great offerings are difficult to find in the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, LCBO. (I am also to understand that the LCBO is the largest liquor control board in the world...how crazy is that?)

So here I am...cautiously excited to create new sausage recipes with Canadian wine, but sad that this may be the last time I am able to do so, unless I can convince one of my local outlets to bring in cases of these fine vintages for me.  

I am hoping that things change soon.

Lets broker a trade....succulent Alberta beef and pork for fabulous BC vintage. We all win and our bellies are happy....very very happy!