[here] Beer, Booze and Bars,
Issue: April 16, 2009
Title: Taking the Train to Hali for Cali
by Craig Pinhey
Maybe I’m the only one who has taken to calling Halifax “Hali,” much the way some people shorten California to Cali. It’s all part of my mental image of a coastal town that is surely not the same place I went to University two decades ago. With its myriad of fine dining restos, good coffee shops, beer choice, sushi bars and other ethnic restaurants, you’d almost think you were in California, or Seattle, at least. When I lived in Halifax it was mostly known for beer swilling in the multitude of taverns. It still is, but these watering holes are now nicely complimented by other options.
I headed to Halifax this week for the 2nd time in a month, this time for the annual California Wine Fair, which didn’t hit New Brunswick this year after its first visit here last year in Moncton. We got bumped for Winnipeg, I think.
Feeling all wild and crazy, I decided on alternate transport this time, choosing the train. Well, not exactly. You see, in this age of green thinking, Saint John left itself in the lurch by canceling our passenger train service years ago, ripping down one of the more beautiful historic buildings in Canada in the process. Common sense would dictate that our status as a tourism hotbed and energy hub, with a burgeoning business relationship with Maine and the rest of the eastern seaboard of the US would mean that we can take the train to Bar Harbor, Portland, Boston, and continue on to New York, Washington and, eventually, Florida. And shouldn’t we be able to take the train to Fredericton, continuing on up to Quebec, Montreal and the rest of our country? Nope. We can’t even take the train to Moncton and Halifax. Who made this bonehead call, exactly? Someone driving a large gas-guzzler, probably. Will we ever be able to again? Right now it looks doubtful.
So I had to take the 6:45 am (!) SMT bus to Moncton, walk to the VIA station, then wait a couple hours before connecting on the noon train. Why not take the bus all the way? I love trains. Taking the train is a relaxing experience; watching the views out the window (the train is much more scenic than the highway, plus you can watch to the sides if you are not driving…), reading my book, having a nice lunch, and going to a roomy washroom as needed. I headed immediately to the dining car and was served a tasty Greek salad and bowl of homemade minestrone alongside glasses of very good Nova Scotia wine: Gaspereau’s fruity and crisp L’Acadie Blanc, and Domaine De Grand Pre’s fresh and floral Ortega. I lingered over a Garrison Red Ale and read my book, occasionally glancing at the muddy Peticodiac riverbanks. 4 hours later I was checking into the Westin, attached to the Halifax train station, getting a room with views to the harbour islands.
Another hour later and I was enjoying a wonderful meal at Pier 21 as part of the California event. They hold an annual charity dinner to support Pier 21, this year featuring the excellent wines of Clos de Bois matched to cuisine from the Chef at Onyx restaurant. I particularly enjoyed the Pinot Noir tasted with an Asian influenced duck confit.
The next day I was back at Pier 21 for the Wine Fair. I noticed a change, in that many of the wines were quite reasonably priced. This has been a gradual change, as California has responded to the demand in Canada for more reasonable wine prices. We are their second largest export market, so they care what we think!
I first tasted a bunch of whites, enjoying some of the finer Chardonnays, like Sonoma-Cutrer (~$30 at the show), 2007 Calera Central Coast ($27.99 in NB), 2007 Sebastiani Russian River and 2006 Buena Vista Carneros. Then I started randomly sampling reds, noting the elegant Waterstone Pinot Noir ($30.79 at Premier in Halifax), 2006 Calera Central Coast Pinot Noir ($41.29 at ANBL), 2007 Hahn Cycles Gladiator Syrah (< $20 at the show), 2006 Ravenswood Lodi Zinfandel, and a 2004 vintage of Bonny Doon’s iconic Le Cigare Volant Rhone blend.
The reds from the Magnanimus Wine Group were particularly interesting; I had tried them on a recent Cali trip. This group deals only with sustainably farmed, organic and biodynamic grapes, yet their prices are good: their 2005 Ukiah Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon comes in at around $25, with a pleasant herbal and berry nose and good acidic structure for food matching, while their 2005 Old River Road Cabernet Sauvignon has lots of spicy sweet fruit, with balancing tannins, for $28.
Old River Road Cab
I picked up a few bottles of wine at the onsite store, as many of these wines were only available on this day, brought in very small lots, as low as 1 case.
Coming out of the Cali wine show I knew I had a great night ahead of me in Hali, with too many choices for dining and drinking. I enthusiastically recommend a train and hotel weekend holiday here for New Brunswickers, at least those of you lucky enough to be able to do it…
Craig Pinhey remembers how, when he moved to Saint John, some locals called it the San Francisco of Canada. Well, there are hills. Visit Craig at www.frogspad.ca.
