These are tough times.

I very recently moved back to Vancouver from Calgary and have been drinking wine with my best friend Melissa quite often since being back. Mel just started a new job and got a new apartment in the west end of Vancouver and I am unemployed and looking for work while staying with my dear friend Kathy (Also in the west end). The job market here is not as terrible as I originally thought because I am getting interviews, I am just extremely impatient.

During these difficult economic times we have to be careful about spending too much money (especially since I am unemployed) so Melissa and I are on to drinking what we refer to as "Recession wine" (Which, before the recession was called "Party wine") It is not great, it is not terrible it is just cheap. You can find some pretty good wine for $10 - $12 if you know what to look for. We should be able to drink wine often without having to sell our kidneys to be able to afford it. Mel and I like to mix it up by trying new, cheap wines but have found a couple of favourites that we often go back to. One bottle that I have really enjoyed at under $10/bottle is Fuzion Shiraz/Malbec. It is an Argentinian wine with smooth soft tannins and a little bit of spice and vanilla. It is a very easy wine to drink and has been nice to enjoy with great company. I am going to try a new bottle tonight which I plan on purchasing at this great wine shop called Sutton Place Wine Merchants downtown. They have an amazing selection and extremely knowledgeable staff (What more do you want from a wine store?)

On another note, the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival is coming up at the end of March and I already have my ticket for the trade tasting. This year there will be wines represented by 182 wineries around the world. Every year they pick a different wine region to feature and this year it is B.C. so 58 of those wineries will be from here. I am so excited about the tasting this year because I love a lot of the wines that have come from my beautiful province and like to support local wineries. The tickets run at $89 each but if you get a group of 8 or more people and buy in bulk the tickets are $80. This event is worth every penny and I promise you will not regret spending the money.

If you have not purchased tickets yet I suggest you do so immediately. Go. Do it. I am not kidding.