Come Over October: Pull Up a Chair
This month, Wine Growers Canada is inviting us to put down our screens and pull up a chair. It’s called Come Over October.
The idea is simple. Open your door, make room for one more, and share a glass with the people around you.
Who better to help us than drinks expert Natalie MacLean, editor of Canada’s largest wine review site at nataliemaclean.com.
Welcome, Natalie.
Great to be with you, Mona! Come Over October is a simple idea. Invite someone over, open your door, and open a bottle. Ideally in that order 😉
We are mammals meant for friction-maxing in real life, and yet we’re suffering from an epidemic of loneliness.
A bottle can be an invitation; an excuse to get together. As in, I have this fabulous wine from the Okanagan that I want to share with you.
The wine just helps us linger a little longer at the table. Less scrolling; more storytelling.
Why is making time to get together so important right now?
We see each other less than we once did. In 1986, nearly half of us saw a friend on any given day. Today, it’s fewer than one in five of us.
Just like birthdays and holidays, Come Over October is a nudge to get together more often.
Some bottles have been bookmarks in my life. That’s because smell is wired to memory like no other sense.
I can still remember every detail from years ago, such as bizarrely what everyone was wearing. The wines aged beautifully. Many of my outfits did not.
What are some easy ways Canadians can take part?
Pull up an empty chair at your table or on your porch. No need to cook or be fancy. Just put out some Canadian cheeses to keep you away from the oven, as I’ve been advised to do repeatedly.
My grandfather kept a chair beside him on the porch. Neighbours would drop into it, unexpected, uninvited, yet welcome. Well, mostly.
Try a long table. Invite people who’d never otherwise meet: a neighbour, a coworker, a friend of a friend.
Come Over October is for everyone, whether you drink wine or not. Keep some alcohol-free options on hand too.
This campaign also puts a spotlight on Canadian wine. If someone wants to open a bottle this October, what would you recommend?
Canadians choose our own wine only about 30% of the time. The French drink their own 83% of the time.
The French don’t call that patriotism. They call it dinner.
What’s the first wine you recommend?
Azhadi Vineyards Shiraz
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
This is the Azhadi Shiraz, from a brand-new winery in Kelowna, high above Okanagan Lake. The name nods to an ancient Persian city famous for its gardens and its poets.
The winery says this one is best with new friends sharing old stories. That’s the whole idea.
The point isn’t what’s on the table. It’s who’s around it.
And for a longer table, with a crowd?
Township 7 Interlude Cabernet Sauvignon
Crafted in British Columbia
My favourite idea this month is the long table. Invite people who’d never otherwise meet, a neighbour, a coworker, a friend of a friend.
Pour the Township 7 Interlude. A hard winter freeze wiped out most of the Okanagan crop, so the team brought in grapes from trusted growers and made the wine in Naramata.
And the bottle for the table itself?
Poplar Grove The Legacy 2015
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
This is Poplar Grove’s The Legacy, from one of the original five wineries on the Naramata Bench. Tony and Barb Holler farm it with their four sons, from their own estate vines.
It’s their flagship, a ten-year release that spent a decade in the cellar. Their family motto says it best. Great wine brings us together.
Natalie, these are wonderful. Any final words for our viewers?
Pour something Canadian, pull up a chair, and come over this October.
Mona, consider yourself invited.
Here’s to open doors, open bottles and open hearts!
Thank you, Natalie! Where can we find you and these wines online?
On Instagram, I’m at @NatalieMacLeanWine and online, my website is nataliemaclean.com.
Come for the sips, stay for the stories.
Posted with permission of CTV Your Morning. Please drink responsibly.
