Every now and again you get insights into the way different people think about wine. You might recall, a few weeks ago, that Jean Lafleur — one of the alleged principals in the so- called “sponsorship scandal” — returned to Canada to face the music after living in Belize for some time.
One of the themes highlighted in media stories was Mr. Lafleur’s high lifestyle in Belize. And nothing, it seemed, represented his opulent life in Belize better than his wine preferences.
I was fascinated by these stories, but less for what they told me about Mr. Lafleur than for what they revealed about the journalists’ assumptions.
One account revealed that Mr. Lafleur often sat on his porch, drinking Chardonnay Latour 2005, “ a French wine and a rarity on the island.” Now, if he’d been sitting in his Porsche drinking it, rather than on his porch, I’d have been impressed.
Latour Chardonnay might be a rarity in Belize, but you can pick up a bottle in the LCBO for $14.95 — hardly an indicator of a life of luxury.
Next day, the same newspaper breathlessly reported more on Mr. Lafleur’s wine diet. Each week, it seems, Lafleur loaded his golf cart with “ about 15 bottles of wine and champagne,” sometimes spending as much as $ 500 U. S. Well, that’s two bottles a day for Mr. Lafleur and his companion, which is not outrageous if you think about lunch and dinner. It’s above the two glasses a day recommended by Health Canada, but there’s no suggestion that the journalists were concerned for Mr. Lafleur’s physical well- being.
No, again it was all about his allegedly opulent lifestyle. We were told that his favourite champagne was Laurent Perrier. But at $64 U. S. in Belize ($53.95 Cdn in Vintages), it’s one of the least expensive champagnes available.
Mr. Lafleur also liked Guigal Hermitage 2002, a rather nice Syrah from Northern Rhône. Priced at $105 U. S. a bottle in Belize, it’s not available in Ontario, but the SAQ has it for $100 Cdn.
Let’s suppose Mr. Lafleur bought a couple of bottles of Laurent Perrier and a couple of the Guigal each week, as they were his favourites. That would run him $238 U.S. a week, leaving him to spend up to $262 U. S. on the remaining 11 bottles of his 15-bottle weekly order. Average price for the rest: less that $24 a bottle. I don’t know, but for a supposed millionaire, that’s not living high on the wine hog.
I’d say Mr. Lafleur is guilty of having a very conservative perspective on wine. I love French wines as a category, but it’s pretty boring not to drink more widely. But the implication of lavish spending looks pretty fragile. Although $500 U. S is a lot more than most of us spend on wine each week, it’s not so outrageous that it deserved the kind of attention it received.
The way these wines were described was designed to create an image of an opulent lifestyle. The real stories here were the journalists’ own perceptions of what constitutes outrageous spending on wine. And that Mr. Lafleur could have saved money if he’d bought his wines here in Canada.
If you’d like to taste wines from five of Ontario’s premier wineries, tonight’s your chance. Winemakers and principals from Malivoire, Tawse, Norman Hardie, Stratus and Flat Rock Cellars will pour their wines at the “Somewhereness” event at Urban Element, 424 Parkdale Ave., from 6 to 9 p. m. Taste the wines and enjoy food by chef Bruce Wood. Part of the proceeds go to Taste for Life charity. Tickets are $ 75 and can be purchased at 613-722 0885.
Four well- priced wines this week.