My lifelong love affair with wine

"Lamb is the king of all meats," my grandfather would whisper to me, as he proudly placed one more tender morsel of grilled meat on my plate and urged me to wash it down with a sip of his homemade wine. While vegetarians and those who don't imbibe in alcohol may be squirming right about now, this was indeed my childhood and I'm not about to alter it to be politically correct.

Even now, decades later, all I have to do is close my eyes and I can instantly inhale the slightly rancid, oak-y smell of my grandfather's barrel-filled cellar, cold, dark and dank, slowly maturing the next batch of wine that would be used to accompany our daily meals and toast our family celebrations.

Sweet Mavrodaphne wine, similar to port, is spooned directly out of the chalice by the priest to the faithful, during Holy Communion in the Greek Orthodox faith. As one would expect from a wine so favoured by the church, it tastes divine.

Robert Louis Stevenson referred to wine as "bottled poetry" and the ancient Romans believed "in vino veritas". Humourist Dave Barry called wine "the greatest invention in the history of mankind" rightfully pointing out that the wheel doesn't go nearly as well with pizza.

My early initiation into the world of fine wine still didn’t prevent me from going through the inevitable stage all university students go through; the dreaded Era of Depanneur Plonk. Thankfully, as my taste buds matured, I grew out of that compromising stage.

I was lucky enough to spend a month drinking my way through Tuscany's glorious vineyards and I fell in love with Italian wines. Over the years, I have sampled and expanded my repertoire to include Canadian, South African, South American and Australian wines, aiming to understand and appreciate the subtle complexities of this nectar of the Gods.

I'm still a novice, but there's nothing I enjoy more than a relaxing evening with friends, where non-stop banter, good food and a couple of bottles of delicious wine provide the only reason for the gathering. Life can routinely be savoured in the most uncomplicated of ways.

On Friday, May 2, at 7:30 p.m. Rosedale-Queen Mary United Church (6870 Terrebonne, NDG) will be holding its third annual wine tasting. Malcolm Anderson, noted Montreal wine critic, will be in attendance, discussing wine tasting as well as answering wine-related questions.

"Great wines from around the world at affordable prices" will be the theme this year and how can you go wrong with that? For most of us wine lovers who don't know much about wine (other than we like drinking it) events like this are a great opportunity to expand our horizons.

Tickets are $25 for admittance and wine tasting (includes five different wines and canapés). Tickets are available at the door or by calling 514-484-9969.