Category: Amusing Musings

I’m not surprised that a lot of people find French wines intimidating. Having made it since the 6th Century B.C., they’ve had around 2,600 years of experience. Here in Ontario we can trace our viticulture all the way back… to the 1800s. And, although we do make some AMAZING wines now, timeline-wise it’s not much of a comparison. Reading about the history of wine in Bordeaux alone, it’s hard to even comprehend the saga that goes into every sip. For instance, did you know that Celtic warriors planted the original Bordeaux vineyards in the 1st Century A.D.? Or that when Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, married Henry Plantagenet in 1152, the new relationship between Aquitaine and the British Isles allowed the export of Bordeaux wines to flourish? (To me, Henry Plantagenet exists solely on the pages of my Complete Works of Shakespeare anthology… but in Bordeaux he swishes and swirls in every wine glass.)

By the 18th Century, England accounted for only 10% of Bordeaux wine exports, due to increasing trade with the Caribbean. And in the 19th Century (whilst we in Ontario were just getting started), in the midst of two disasters: oidium (a powdery mildew) and phylloxera (an insect that fed on the roots and leaves of grapevines), Bordeaux entered a period of great prosperity. This was greatly due to the Industrial Revolution and subsequently, a free-trading spirit.

Through all these struggles, it’s no wonder Bordeaux and other French wine regions sought to protect themselves when, in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, widespread fraud and a drop in prices created another crisis. This is when legislation relating to the geographic origin of wines came into being; quality control was later added to create the appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) system. Based on the concept of terroir, the AOC is the official French certification granted to geographical indications for wine, cheese, butter, and other products. Under French law, it is illegal to manufacture and sell a product that is labelled as being from one AOC region, without complying with the respective criteria.

Terrific Terroir

Bordeaux is the préfecture (or head city) of the département (somewhat like a province) of Gironde, which itself lies in the region of Aquitaine. People who live in Bordeaux are called Bordelais.

So, what makes wine from Bordeaux different from other French regions anyway? The interaction between the climate and the topography found in the Bordeaux region creates localised “mesoclimates” (the area surrounding the vineyard). The resulting quality of Bordeaux’s terroir produces what are commonly known as the Crus. This French term, which means “growth place,” is an indication of the quality of terroir and grape variety – but also of the wine producer’s talent.

The Blend Trend

The distinctive feature of Bordeaux wines is that they are made from a blend of several varieties. It is the complementary qualities of each varietal that give Bordeaux wines their unique finesse. When blending cabernet sauvignon and merlot, for instance, the cab sauv gives the merlot greater aging potential by strengthening its tannic structure, and the merlot tones down the cab sauv’s tannins. The varietals grown in Bordeaux include: merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, sémillon, sauvignon blanc, and muscadelle. These varietals combine to create six wine “families”: Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur; Médoc and Graves; Saint-Emilion / Pomerol / Fronsac; Red Côtes; Dry white; and, Sweet white.

Bordeaux is clearly appropriately labelled as the world’s major wine industry capital. Its wine economy moves around €14.5 Billion per year. And because of its storied past, the jurisdiction of Saint-Emilion is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Wine me and dine me…

French wines were made to be paired with food. Red Bordeaux are perfect with red meats such as beef, lamb or game, but also pair well with grilled turkey and pasta. Camembert and brie compliment red Bordeaux flavours nicely. Bordeaux sweet wines are amazing with les fromages bleus.

Here’s a quick article from Snooth.com on pairing food with Bordeaux wines.

From Bordeaux to Ontario

So, now that we know where it comes from, and what to serve it with – the question remains, can we find it here?

Yes! Canada is the 7th largest importer of Bordeaux wines, and as of 2009, Bordeaux represented 9% of all French wines sold in Ontario. The LCBO carries a wide selection of Bordeaux wines, ranging from a $10 Beaujolais to such rarities as a 1986 Château Margaux, priced at just over $2,000. They even sell an informational DVD called “Discover Wines of Bordeaux.”

But, the best way to experience Bordeaux wines, short of travelling to France, is to TRY THEM. And where better to do just that, than at a Bordeaux After Work Party? These parties are offered by the Bordeaux Wine Council in partnership with iYellow Wine Club. The next Party takes place on Tuesday July 19th at Marben Restaurant in Toronto. RSVP via the link above if you’d like to attend, or follow the conversation on Twitter with #bordeauxafterwork.

As anyone who’s been to an iYellow wine event can attest, they are definitely sans frontières… and who knows, you might just discover French wines aren’t that intimidating after all.

For more information on Bordeaux wines, visit www.bordeaux.com.

As seen on that catchy Heineken commercial…

The 2011 Canadian Stage Dream in High Park

High Park Amphitheatre
June 28 to September 4, Tuesday to Sunday at 8pm.
Gate opens at 6pm.

Join us for an evening of enchanting outdoor theatre under the stars!

Regarded as one of Toronto’s favourite summer traditions, the 29th annual Canadian Stage Dream in High Park will feature William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy The Winter’s Tale: a classic play of two fairytale worlds brought to life with magic, mystery and music.

Directed by acclaimed outdoor theatre director Estelle Shook, this high-energy and celebratory story of kings, queens, shipwrecks and statues is the perfect diversion for the whole family.

The production will feature a well-known and diverse cast of established Canadian actors, up-and-coming talent and quadruple-threat performers who can act, dance, sing and play a variety of instruments. Cast members include John Blackwood, Jasmine Chen, Sean Dixon, Charlotte Gowdy, David Jansen, George Masswohl, Kelly McIntosh, Meilie Ng, Thomas Olajide, Nicole Robert, Jovanni Sy, Sanjay Talwar. Original music composed by Toronto-based artist John Millard with set and costume design by Denyse Karn and lighting design by Jason Hand.

Bring a picnic and relax on the hill with your family and friends. Food, beverages and blankets are available for purchase.

The Winter’s Tale Cast and Creative Team (pdf)
About The Winter’s Tale (pdf)

Admission

This general-admission event is $20 suggested minimum donation.
Please note: Advanced booking is only available to Canadian Stage Donors.

Getting to the High Park Amphitheatre

High Park is located in Toronto’s west end, stretching from Bloor Street West in the north to The Queensway in the south and from Parkside Drive in the east to Ellis Avenue in the west.

The Amphitheatre is located just east of the Grenadier Restaurant, almost in the centre of the park. See Dream in High Park map (pdf).

If you’re not within walking distance of the park, you can get there in 3 ways:
• By TTC transit
• By car
• By bike

Rain Cancellation

Cancellations due to rain and/or lightning are assessed at 8 pm. If the show cannot carry on safely without the endangerment of cast or audience members, the show will be cancelled and you can request a voucher for complimentary admission to another performance.

More info on our Dream in High Park cancellation policy.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question we haven’t answered on this page, check out our Dream in High Park FAQ Page.

Volunteer at the Dream

For more information, click here.

Above fr: www.canadianstage.com

Rørbye. View from the Artist’s Window. (1825)

Unfortunately I was unable to make my way down to New York City to see this exhibit, which saddens me greatly, being an avid lover of windows in paintings. And until I saw this exhibit advertised in The New York Times back in March, I thought I was the only one! Imagine, being in a museum of art, surrounded by other window-painting lovers. All marvelling at the depth and distance and daydreaming they project. Sigh. Did I mention how much missing this saddens me? However, it appears there’s a catalogue available from The Met Store, that I shall no doubt be purchasing as soon as possible. Not the same as going in person, but what can you do? Except SIGH.

Nonetheless, here’s the press release taken from www.metmuseum.org with all the details of the show. Maybe it will travel! A girl can dream.

Rooms with a View, First Exhibition to Focus on Motif of the Open Window in 19th Century Art
April 5–July 4, 2011
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York City

During the Romantic era, the open window appeared either as the sole subject or the main feature in many pictures of interiors that were filled with a poetic play of light and perceptible silence. Rooms with a View: The Open Window in the 19th Century, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art from April 5 through July 4, 2011, is the first exhibition to focus on this motif as captured by German, Danish, French, and Russian artists around 1810–20. Works in the exhibition range from the initial appearance of the motif in two sepia drawings of about 1805–06 by Caspar David Friedrich to paintings of luminous empty rooms from the late 1840s by Adolph Menzel. The show features 31 oil paintings and 26 works on paper, and consists mostly of generous loans from museums in Germany, Denmark, France, Italy, Austria, Sweden, and the United States.

The exhibition is made possible by the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation and The Isaacson-Draper Foundation.

In 1805–06, the important German Romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840) created two sepia drawings that became greatly influential showing views outside the windows of his studio in Dresden. In Friedrich’s treatment of the open window, the Romantics recognized a potent symbol for the experience of standing on the threshold between an interior and the outside world. The motif’s juxtaposition of the very close and the far away became a metaphor for unfulfilled longing, a sentiment first expressed by the Romantic poet Novalis (Friedrich von Hardenberg, 1772–1802), who wrote: “Everything at a distance turns into poetry: distant mountains, distant people, distant events: all become Romantic.” Like Friedrich, other Romantic artists were drawn to the view from the window for its symbolic power, and not simply for the beauty of the landscape itself. For them, the rectangular or square shape of the canvas echoed perfectly the window as a view of the world.

Rooms with a View features the two seminal Friedrich images—shown for the first time in this country– as well as works by some 40 other artists, mostly from Northern Europe, including Carl Gustav Carus, Johan Christian Dahl, Georg Friedrich Kersting, Léon Cogniet, Wilhelm Bendz, and Adolph Menzel, among others. Many of the artists are little known on these shores, their works unseen until now.

The works in the exhibition are in distinct groupings: austere hushed rooms with contemplative figures reading, sewing, or writing; studios with artists at work; and windows as sole motif. The mood in these pictures can shift from early Romantic severity to Biedermeier coziness to poetic Realism, yet they all share a distinct absence of the anecdote and narration that characterized earlier genre painting.

Kersting. Before the Mirror. (1827)

Exhibition Overview

Rooms with a View begins with a gallery of works depicting rooms with figures. The vogue for pictures of bare rooms that reflect their sitters’ frugal lifestyles coincides with the Napoleonic Wars of 1803–15 and their aftermath, when daily life in both Germany and Denmark had turned grim. Ironically, this period coincided with the “golden age” of Danish painting, characterized by visual poetry in the works of Wilhelm Bendz (1804–1832) and Emilius Bærentzen (1799–1868), who celebrated modest family life and gatherings. Similarly, none of the upheaval of the time is reflected in the works of the German artist Georg Friedrich Kersting (1785–1847), who countered outward chaos with idyllically ordered interiors. Sober attention to detail marks these 19th-century interiors, in which silence and light become the main subjects. Figures are seen from the back or in lost profile as they sit at a window to read, write, sew, or, as in Friedrich’s iconic Woman at the Window (1822), gaze through it.

Friedrich. Woman at the Window. (1822)

Artists’ studios are featured in the next gallery of the exhibition. Depictions of artists in their studios have a long tradition, especially in the interiors of 17th–century Dutch genre painting. The moods created in 17th–century and early 19th–century pictures are quite different, however, as is the treatment of the window. In the earlier pictures, windows are most often shown in an oblique, foreshortened view, and as sources of light, without views. By contrast, in the 19th–century pictures, windows usually run parallel to the picture plane, with views seen through them. Some of the works featured in this section are a painting of Caspar David Friedrich in his austere Dresden studio as portrayed by Georg Friedrich Kersting, his admiring younger colleague, canvases by French artists showing unidentified female artists working in elegant drawings, rooms overlooking picturesque Parisian views, as well as pictures by their male colleagues, who could compete for the prestigious Prix de Rome, which allowed them to spend five years as pensionnaires at the Académie de France in the Villa Medici in Rome.

Alt. View from the Artist’s Studio in the Alservorstadt toward Dornbach. (1836)

The two Caspar David Friedrich sepia drawings of 1805-06 that inaugurated the Romantic motif of the open window are highlighted in the next gallery devoted to works on paper. Unlike the stark balance between the darkened interior and the pale landscape rendered in these views, the artists who followed Friedrich created gentler versions of the motif. Their windows open onto flat plains in Sweden, parks in German spas, or rooftops in Copenhagen, and artist’s studios overlook houses in Dresden or Turin, bucolic Vienna suburbs, or Roman cityscapes saturated with light.

Rooms with a View concludes with a gallery of paintings of open windows and empty rooms. For artists, the enduring attraction of this subject lies in its purely visual appeal: echoing the rectangular or square shape of the canvas, the window view turns into a “picture within a picture.” Even a barren landscape, when framed in a window, can be transformed into an enthralling scene. Some artists recorded actual sites—Copenhagen’s harbor, the river Elbe near Dresden, the Bay of Naples—while others invented, or even largely blocked, the views from their studios or painted them in the chill of moonlight. Highlights of this section include View of Pillnitz Castle (1823) by Johann Christian Dahl (1788–1857) and four paintings by the German Realist Adolph Menzel (1815– 1905). Created between 1845 and 1851, Menzel’s pictures are devoted to the effects of light in mostly empty rooms, such as his bedroom in daylight with a view of expanding Berlin outside the window, his sitting room with closed shutters at twilight, and the building’s staircase at night.

Menzel never exhibited these small works during his lifetime, regarding them as mere experiments, and they were discovered only after his death.

Curatorial Credits

Rooms with a View is organized by Sabine Rewald, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Curator in the Department of Nineteenth-Century, Modern, and Contemporary Art at the Metropolitan Museum.

Catalogue and Related Programs

The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue written by Sabine Rewald and published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Yale University Press. It is on sale in the Museum’s bookshops (softcover, $30). [Editor’s note: YAY!]

The catalogue is made possible by the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation.

An audio tour, part of the Museum’s Audio Guide Program, is available for rental ($7, $6 for Members, $5 for children under 12).

The Audio Guide is sponsored by Bloomberg.

A variety of educational programs accompany the exhibition including gallery talks, Drop-in Drawing sessions, and a Sunday at the Met lecture program followed by a musical presentation on May 22.

The exhibition and its related programs are featured on the Museum’s website at www.metmuseum.org.

Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre and Longo’s presents Free Flicks – Six in the City every Tuesday night on the WestJet Stage.

Enjoy a free movie under the stars, by the water, and appreciate the unique lakefront position of our world-class city. Anything by the harbourfront seems better. Especially in summer.

Here’s the line-up:

July 5th | 9pm – Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
July 12th | 9pm – Annie Hall
July 19th | 8:45pm – Paris je t’aime
July 26th | 9pm – Amal
August 2nd | 9pm – Lost in Translation
August 9th | 9pm – Audience Choice TBD – check back for update

Someone should make an “I heart Toronto” film and screen that under the stars, by the water.

This is why I love my city.

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