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Thursday, April 09, 2009
Celebrities and Wine - Volume 2: The Wines of Dan Ackroyd
You may recall that a while back I had the pleasure, and displeasure of trying two celebrity wines--the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" Cabernet and a Graceland/Elvis-themed Cabernet whose full name I have forgotten. The former was a pleasant surprise, while the latter was a grim disappointment. Back then, I put forth a harbinger of wine tastings to come and I was far from optimistic. I boldly stated that I intended to try Dan Ackroyd's celebrity wine. You know, the one made from "snob-free" grapes, and I told y'all that I sincerely hoped that his wines were better than his big government, census-loving politics.
Friends, a few nights back, I bought a bottle and brought it home. A bottle of Dan's 2007 "Discovery Series" Cabernet Merlot to be exact. I pulled the bottle from its bag and placed it on the table. I read the informative label on the back. It told the tale of how Dan developed his love of wine while working on Saturday Night Live and the first "Blues Brothers" movie (maybe to distance himself from the awful sequel?). This was no surprise, as I suspect that all manner of intoxicants were sampled by Dan and his cronies back in those days. What did surprise me though was the statement that Dan was introduced "to Bordeaux Premier Cru and other premium vintages". Better yet was his proposition that "Canada makes some of the best wines in the world and this Cabernet Merlot is a reflection of that belief". Just imagine - a made-in-Canada wine from the usually awful Niagara Penninsula (except some ice wines) that was as good as a Bordeaux Premier Cru and that you could pick up at the Superstore Liquor Store for about $13.00. Wine nirvana, right? Not quite.
I'll admit that after the big lead up on the bottle and the price paid, I was expecting to have a grisly elixir splash around my mouth when I finally tasted the wine. The usual unbalanced Ontario plonk that typically oozes forth from its sometimes-hyped wine region. I wanted to hate this wine and write a tirade here about just how hideous it is. However, I cannot. While the wine was a far, far cry from a Premier Cru, it was ok. Not great, but ok. The wine really lacks a start, a middle and particularly a finish, but is unoffensive and actually drinkable. Much like many of the uninteresting, low-end Shiraz offerings from Australia. Perfectly ok, but nothing more.
So there you have it. A great celebrity wine, a terrible celebrity wine and now an "ok" celebrity wine. Wow. On some level, I have mildly endorsed something associated with Dan Ackroyd (ok, I also liked "Ghostbusters," "The Great Outdoors" and "Spies Like Us" in particular). What next? Maybe I'll volunteer to take the long form census and discuss the ethnic heritage of my parents with a complete stranger for 15 minutes...
Posted by Knox Harrington on April 9, 2009 in Food and Drink | Permalink
Comments
You may recall that a while back I had the pleasure, and displeasure of trying two celebrity wines--the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" Cabernet and a Graceland/Elvis-themed Cabernet whose full name I have forgotten.
Posted by Knox Harrington on April 9, 2009
Ever tried The Rolling Stones " Sympathy for the Devil" icewines from the Okanagan Valley? $125 a bottle.
Posted by: The Stig | 2009-04-09 5:58:47 PM
I can't say that I have Stig, as I don't believe I've ever, or would ever, pay that kind of money for a bottle of ice wine. It's just really not my style. That said, I am a fan of some Okanagan wines and those from Oliver, BC in particular. An example is the Jackson-Triggs Proprietors' Reserve Meritage. A great wine from a usually awful winery that is well-priced and a real delight.
Posted by: Knox Harrington | 2009-04-09 9:12:05 PM
http://www.rollingstonesicewine.com/vintage.php
That's their website. Maybe if you give them a plug they give you a bottle to sample. I got a bottle as a gift. It was excellent.
Posted by: The Stig | 2009-04-09 9:34:39 PM
You know, Stig, it was partly talk like that from our fearless publisher that lured Knox to these pages.
Alas, however, there has been no such jack delivered my way. Put simply, our steadfast publisher has failed at even the modest task that was his charge....
Posted by: Knox Harrington | 2009-04-10 2:21:24 PM
It’s always about the schwag and never about the art. :-)
Posted by: Matthew Johnston | 2009-04-10 3:04:39 PM
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