(MONTREAL) I met some of the top wine writers in the province of Québec here today, and they were a great group of people. It reminded me of being back in London or Paris in the 1980s when a great group of wine scribes would get together and taste and compare thoughts about wine. I miss those days.
We tasted a range of wines that I rated from a tasting with the Société des Alcools du Québec in Montréal, the state-run wine and spirits distribution company (it has about 400 stores throughout the province). These were wines that I tasted about two months ago in a blind tasting in the SAQ offices. I am duplicating my retail tastings in New York, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong in Montreal – but on a larger scale.
I think my French Canadian colleagues were interested in my palate, and I had the feeling they were slightly surprised I didn’t go for super fruit-forward wines, or “fruit bombs” as some called it. Don’t get me wrong – I love bright fruit, but it has to be balanced with structure and acidity. A wine should be made to be drunk with food; that’s fundamental.
SAQ has an excellent selection of value wines in its nearly 8,000 labels listed under the “specialty selection.” I want to do tastings focusing on these wines, many of which are available around the world. Why taste wines that nobody seems to be able to find, buy, or drink? I spent too much of my time in my life as a wine critic doing this.
Anyway, I continue to be impressed with Montreal. It must be one of the best wine and food cities in the world, and may be the No. 2 city in North America for wine and food, following New York City.
Trent
Enjoy your stay !
Martin
I was pleasently surprised and thrilled to see your shelf talkers and ragtings up on the shelves at the SAQ here in Montreal this weekend.
I had been wondering where and when you would "go public" again and go figure it was in my home town! Well sort of.
I fully agree with your assesment of our city for it's love of wine and food. I love it! I am also very impressed with the SAQ even though it is a state run Co. but I must admit, for wine collectors and even the avarage consumer they do a great job.
I been following you for 12 years now, since I started collecting wine (for consumption only) and always trust your palate and reviews of my favorite wines from Italy and Bordeaux...And the occasional port.
A few words on this great city of ours for your future visits. 1. Never leave anything in your car. Never! Unfortunately there is a real "smash and grab" problem here. 2. If you have not already, you must try "Le Club Chase et Pêche" restaurant. One of the best if not the best in town. And 3, your friends from Rush will be in town on April 20th...Just in case you are planning a visit around that time. Concerts in this city are a blast with one of the most entusiastic audiences anywhere!
Great to see your back and I am already enjoying your new venture. Best of luck!
Marc