Customers want local, and they want good

Stacey and I sneaked out for some Friday night comfort food on Vancouver's Main Street. It was an eatery I'm sure everyone except us had attended several times. The place was packed, the service was friendly, and the portions were large.

However, when we picked up the wine menu there was very little that excited us. It was a cool, damp Vancouver autumn evening, and we were eating souvlaki and pork tenderloin with lots of carbs on the side. We wanted a zesty red wine with some spice to cut through the protein and mass of our meal.

There was nothing on the wine menu that met those requirements. There was some Chilean and Australian wine, and one Jackson Triggs wine which unfortunately was a blend of imported grapes (we ordered it, and found it rather dull).

The server heard us. She was a young gal who was plugged into the concept of the 100-mile diet. Why can't we serve better BC wine, she wondered?

When our bill came, a blank sheet of paper came along with it. Our server said, "Write down a list of wines we should serve here, and I'll pass it along to the boss."
This was the kind of place that people wanted good value for their dollar. Wine on the menu was only slightly marked up, with bottles starting about $20. We came up with a quick list (we could have probably come up with many more).

• Anything by Prospect Winery.
• Anything by Sumac Ridge (under $20).
• Hester Creek make some great value reds.
• Inniskillin Okanagan (we emphasized that they get Constellation Brands wines from B.C.) produces some of the best reds in the province.

If they wanted to really not spend much on the whites, try Okanagan Vineyards Chardonnay, or Semillion-Chardonnay. The wine is better than many imported brands, and you're supporting local businesses.

Hey local eateries, serve BC!