The LCBO attracts a lot of criticism: it’s a monopoly; government doesn’t belong in the retail business; small wineries get excluded; it charges too much; or it doesn’t make enough of a profit. Say what you will about the LCBO – but no matter what you say, you have to admit that they have a snappy website. And isn’t that all that matters in the electronic age?
Well, no. But it is still nice.
There is simply nothing like it on the internet. As the single largest liquor retailer in the world, the LCBO has a lot of resources to dump into maintaining their website. They have an excellent “product search” feature which is terribly useful if you are stumped for what wine to match with your next meal. For instance, I queried the site for a good match for Beef Wellington for under $20, and it found five results including the decent Robert Mondavi 2005 Costal Pinot Noir (LCBO #465435, $20.00). That’s a good choice: the medium-bodied Mondavi would cut through the richness of Beef Wellington since it has the acidity of unripened cherries and an impressively long citrus finish (however, I would age it another couple years since the flavours are not yet fully integrated).
Secondly, their website also allows you to tap into the LCBO’s inventory system so that you can see what stores are stocking the wine that you are looking for.
Thirdly, the LCBO website has a complete archive of the recipes appearing in Food & Drink magazine. This massive and searchable database of recipes has rescued my kitchen from mediocrity more times than I can count. A couple weeks ago, at a loss for what to cook before some friends came over, I downloaded a recipe for whitefish with coconut shrimp and scallops in a creamy Pernod sauce. Not only was the recipe easy, but it happened to be monstrously tasty.
The website recommended a “Two Vines” Riesling-Gewurtztraminer from Strewn Winery in Ontario to go with this meal. By sheer coincidence, I had a bottle in the Short Cellar after a trip to this delightful (and cheap!) winery.
The Two Vines (LCBO #467662) as a very refreshing, drinkable and uncomplicated treat, with a supple palate of mango, pineapple and a drop of honey. The nose had the crisp petrol of good Riesling braided with the floral and tropical notes from the Gewurtztraminer. It is a strange but delicious wine that is a dead bargain at $11.95.
The exotic fruit flavours in the Two Vines complemented the coconut shrimp precisely. I am still not sure why a Crown corporation is in charge of ensuring that my wine matches my meal, but at least they do a good job of it.
Matthew Sullivan is a lawyer with the Department of Justice in Toronto. He writes a weekly blog entry here on lawandstyle.ca. The Short Cellar column appears in the print edition of Precedent. Matthew can be reached at matthew@lawandstyle.beta-site.ca.