The Law is an Ass

Bumble. When faced with a charge of stealing jewelry, he outed his wife, claiming she was the guilty one: "It was all Mrs. Bumble." His solicitor suggested that he was the more guilty, for in the eyes of the law, "your wife acts under your direction." "If the law supposes that," said Mr. Bumble, "the law is a ass -- a idiot."

That the law is an ass when it comes to alcohol is no better illustrated than when Canadians try to buy and transport wine from outside their home province. In Canada, as it's been since Prohibition, the shipping of wine from one province into another province, or from another country into Canada, is generally prohibited. There are some provisions for casual importation, but after the 1500-mL or two-bottle limit, the taxes are prohibitive, to say the least.

The federal law, section 3(1) Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act, basically says the Queen or her official proxies are the only ones authorized to move wine around in Canada. I mention all this because recently, the provincial liquor monopolies of Alberta, Ontario and Manitoba have issued warnings to British Columbia wineries to stop shipping wine directly to customers in their provincial domains.

It's not hard to imagine that such an order is a serious impediment to Canadian wineries conducting business in their own country. There is no plausible reason for such an edict, other than who gets the tax.

The solution seems obvious to most: Government should figure out how to exact its pound of flesh and get out of the way of commerce.

Canadian consumers should be steamed that they cannot buy a few bottles of wine on their holidays and bring them home without any border hassles. In the case of Alberta and Manitoba, you can't claim it's protectionist, because they have no wine industry to protect; it must be about the tax. In the case of Ontario shutting down its borders to B.C. wine, it is more likely a bit of keeping B.C. wine out and a lot of self-important monopoly mandarins flexing their muscles to protect their little fiefdom.

Why we are not allowed to buy Nova Scotia wine, or bottles from Ontario or Quebec online or by phone, and ship it anywhere we please, is inexplicable. One can only conclude, as Mr. Bumble did, that indeed the law is an ass. A local website run by lawyer Mark Hicken -- winelaw.ca -- does a great job of explaining all the intricacies of our liquor regulations, but in the end, common sense dictates many of the old laws need to go.

We have a growing and successful domestic wine industry, and you can add an even larger group involved selling imported wine, all of which contribute to a big chunk of the provincial economy. It behooves all levels of government -- especially in such tough times -- to get out of the way and let wine-buyers and sellers get on with what the do best. Buy and sell wine.

Today, we look at wines you can buy in B.C., such as the Robertson Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2009. You wouldn't know by the price how good this little white is. The palate is a mix of green apple fruit spiked with bits of mango and pineapple and just a touch of bitterness in the finish. A ready-to-go, mid-week white for chicken, pastas, salads and light seafood dishes.

If South Africa is going to gain any shelf space in B.C., we need more listings like Vinum Africa Chenin Blanc 2008, made from mature grapes grown on the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain in Stellenbosch. The key to its fresh character is a lack of oak. Only five per cent of the juice is barrel-fermented, yet all of the fruit is aged on its lees for texture and freshness. Both lively and fresh, you pick up a minerality and depth of ripe chenin fruit that beguiles. Look for bits of lime and honey with a floral, spicy undertone. Excellent quality.

The Bodega Lurton Pinot Gris 2008 is one of my automatic go-to wine-list wines. It has a round, fresh, slightly oily texture with a hint of sweetness with passion fruit, gooseberry, grassy, grapefruit, butter flavours. Year after year, this wine offers fine value.

You don't see a lot of white Bordeaux in the market, but Le G de Château Guiraud 2007, a blend of sémillon and sauvignon blanc, could change that. It is rich and round on the palate and sports fine elegance across its palate. Gooseberry, passion fruit, smoky, lees, grassy, jalapeno and grapefruit flavours do the rest. A great choice for seafood.

I really enjoyed the Chakana Wiphala Malbec -- Syrah 2008 out of the Luján de Cuyo region of Mendoza. Look for a peppery, meaty, savoury, black cherry, plum notes, with a dry, slightly tannic but supple palate. The flavours mix blueberry and licorice root with a meaty undercurrent. Think beef and good value.

Our last pick is a terrific French value. Louis Bernard Côtes du Rhône Villages 2006 is a blend of grenache, syrah and mourvèdre, with lots of black cherry, plum, licorice root, peppery, savoury, garrigue flavours. It has a wonderful core of fruit and fine terroir expression.

Price: $10

UPC: 746925000977

Score: 86/100

Remarks: A mix of green apple fruit spiked with bits of mango and pineapple.

VINUM AFRICA CHENIN BLANC 2008, STELLENBOSCH, COASTAL REGION, SOUTH AFRICA

Price: $18

UPC: 006005305001671

Score: 89/100

Remarks: Only five per cent of the juice is barrel-fermented. Lively, fresh, delicious.

BODEGA LURTON PINOT GRIS 2008, VALLE DE UCO, TUNUYAN, MENDOZA, ARGENTINA

Price: $12.50

UPC: 00635335320211

Score: 87/100

Remarks: Year after year, this presents continued good value.

LE G DE CHATEAU GUIRAUD SEMILLON -- SAUVIGNON BLANC 2007, BORDEAUX, FRANCE

Price: $32

UPC: 03394150024311

Score: 88/100

Remarks: Gooseberry, passion fruit, smoky, lees, grassy, jalapeno and grapefruit flavours.

CHAKANA WIPHALA MALBEC -- SYRAH 2008, LUJAN DE CUYO, MENDOZA, ARGENTINA

Price: $17

UPC: 00872684000115

Score: 87/100

Remarks: Savoury, meaty, licorice root, resin, blueberry flavours.

LOUIS BERNARD COTES DU RHONE VILLAGES ROUGE 2006, RHONE VALLEY, FRANCE

Price: $15

UPC: 604174000271

Score: 87/100

Remarks: Good solid fruit core and terroir expression. Excellent quality and value.