Hey, you out there, I am not a lumberjack or a fur trader, and I don’t live in an igloo (well I once lived in wall tent in the Yukon) or eat blubber (that’s not true) or own a dog sled (nope, had one those, too).
And I don’t know Jimmy, Sally, or Suzie from Canada … actually, I know them all, and, yes, they are (mostly) really, really nice people (not sure I’d go that far with Sally, however).
I have a Prime Minister, not a President with orange fake hair, a penchant for dictatorship, and a deep hatred for people who don’t look like him (and thankful we don’t).
I speak English and French (poorly, if at all), not American, and I pronounce it “About,” not “Aboot” (only after a couple of glasses of Niagara Riesling). I can proudly sew my country’s flag on my backpack (well, at the very least on golf shoes).
I believe in peacekeeping, not policing, diversity, not assimilation (all true), and that the beaver is a truly proud and noble animal (if you say so, but not completely convinced of that).
A toque is a hat (semantics). A chesterfield is a couch (semantics), and it is pronounced Zed, not “Zee”, Zed (see photo above of my youthful pride and Canadiana)).
Canada is the second largest land mass, the first nation of hockey (true, but it hurts like hell if you are a Leafs’ fan as I am). And the best part of North America.
My name is Rick, And I AM A CANADIAN WINE LOVER. Thank-you.
My website is Wines in Niagara, a 100% Canadian wine website that believes wines from our own backyard can stand up to the best in the world. And I believe that with every fibre of my Canadian being.
We are proudly pro-Canadian wine even when criticizing the often-slow progress from provinces and government-owned booze monopolies to get the frack out of the way with inter-provincial wine buying and a more aggressive Canada-first approach when promoting Ontario and Canadian wines at OUR LCBO stores. YOU work for us, don’t forget that.
I am Canadian, and as I said, proudly so. I spend my days (along with contributors who share the same values) tasting Canadian wines, talking to Canadian winemakers, telling Canadian wine stories, and creating a space to share those wines and the stories of how they were made. Canadians make VERY good wine, but we are at a distinct disadvantage from wealthy foreign marketing associations who see Canada as an easy target to rid themselves of their own over-supply of bulk wine.
Yes, we have some identity concerns. There is some confusion between 100% VQA Ontario grown wines and those made with a majority of purchased foreign bulk wine juice from whoever is selling it from around the world. We need to work on that, we need to educate wine buyers as to the differences and we need to aspire toward all Ontario wines being made with 100% Ontario grapes and kick those cheap foreign grapes the hell back where they came from.
I AM CANADIAN and I believed in creating this space for Canadian wines with real Canadian advertising, no Google ads, no foreign influence whatsoever, just grassroots advertising promoting Canadian wine businesses at affordable prices. There are only seven ad spots available on Wines in Niagara, and mostly sold out from month to month. This is by design, so readers aren’t overwhelmed with pop-up ads and ads that have nothing to do with Canadian wine. I know this might not be the most profitable way to do business, but we believe it is the best way to reach readers and hopefully keep them coming back.
On this Canada Day, we at Wines in Niagara salute all Canadians for their unique and often quirky personalities (in a good way!). We hope you are flying the flag in your understated way and thinking about how lucky we all are to live in such a great country. We hope you raise a glass of amazing Canadian wine made with grapes our from our hard-working farmers and finished by talented winemakers from coast to coast.
WE ARE CANADIANS!
Thank you, Rick and Maureen VanSickle, publishers of Wines in Niagara.
Note: With apologies to the Molson Canadian “I Am Canadian” campaign, which featured a memorable monologue, often referred to as “The Rant,” delivered by actor Jeff Douglas. It’s not an official anthem, but a popular commercial campaign celebrating Canadian identity. Some of the words “may” have been changed to suit the needs of this website.
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