“Yes, I’ll have the bottle of Masi Amarone”
“Actually, no sir, you won’t.”

[Nic wrote his article on this while I was in class, scribbling down mine and while you'd think I'd just scrap it, sorry, there's a couple good jokes in here I want to get out and we have different takes on this nightmare issue. Plus, it's about wine people, this is serious.]

What the face??
There’s nothing more awesome than antiquated or outrageous laws- be they municipal, provincial or federal- made in the desperate attempt to curb an “undesired” behaviour as deemed so by the idiot governing body. Hell, isn’t sodomy still “illegal” somewhere? This time though, they’ve gone too far- they’re taking my wine!

A new Vancouver law is prohibiting restaurants from having more than 50% of their sales alcoholic in nature- food must be the predominant portion of sales. Are you nuts? Basically, you’re telling John Q. Public that he can’t order some calamari and 2 pints of beer because he’s throwing off your sales average and you don’t want to be shut down by the nazis…? I’m sorry, the police.

The force behind this kangaroo-court decided law is an attempt to halt restaurants from acting as bars and selling booze and booze alone to their customers. REALLY?? My car’s been broken into twice in as many years and I get nothing but a shrug from the police and THIS is what you people are focusing on? What happens when I come in for a meal, have a drink to start off then realize I’ve got to leave… you gonna tackle me as I leave the place?

Beer and calamari aside, the biggest threat of this law is to high-end wine. Admittedly, I’m more a $45-60 bottle of wine guy when I’m enjoying my pomme frites and white asparagus tapas at my fav, Bin 941, but sometimes I want to splurge and go for the 60+ range… not anymore! How can restaurants with reasonably priced food ever explain the sales of fine wine when forced to keep the food sales as the bigger portion?! It’s an affront to taste I personally believe is an attempt to stop those customers who want to order 10 double crown and cokes and leave the joint. Deal with that problem head on, don’t ruin meals for the rest of us. Here’s the related article from the Vancouver Sun about this law. Apparently they’re going to try and “rejig” it, but the damage is done- I have zero faith in law-makers and the government… Thank god my opinion of them couldn’t get any lower.

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