The FIFA World Cup 2022 is in the knock-out round. Already we have the Netherlands and Brasil out of the contest. The teams left to play are Morocco, Portugal, England, France, Argentina, and Croatia. All these countries make wine as well as footballers. So which wine would you drink to celebrate if one of these countries wins? I would suggest drinking wine made by that country. The BC Liquor stores do have wine for sale from each country.
Morocco
There is one wine from Morocco, a Syrah, in BC Liquor stores. ZENATTA SYROCCO – ALAIN GRAILLOT SYROCCO for $32.99. I have only tried one Moroccan wine in the past, also a red, which was of very good quality. I believe that in the past, Moroccan wine was brought into France and used to bolster some French wines, quietly.
Portugal
Portuguese wines are not well known but should be. Their native red and white grapes make tasty wines at a reasonable price point. The same grapes that are used to make fortified port wines are also used to make red table wines. The red grape, Touriga Nacional, is one of the main grapes for making their red table wines. I have not tried this wine but would consider trying it if Portugal wins, DAO TOURIGA NACIONAL – OPTA 2016.
If you are a white wine person, you probably enjoy Vinho Verde wines. You may want to try the VINHO VERDE – ESCOLHA ESTATE – QUINTA DA LIXA ESCOLHA ESTATE.
There are many port wines to consider that you can purchase from BC Liquor stores. I recently reviewed a lineup of Taylor Fladgate and Fonseca ports that you may want to try.
England
BC Liquor stores only carry one wine from England. A sparkling rosé, HENNERS – BRUT ROSE.
France
Go for Champagne! There is such a wide selection of Champagnes at BC Liquor stores. One Champagne with a good, consistent quality in my opinion is TAITTINGER – BRUT RESERVE. Here is the full list of Champagnes that are available at BC Liquor stores sorted by price from low to high.
Argentina
We all think of big red wines, many made with Malbec, the signature red grape of Argentina. Bodega Catena Zapata, Bodega Luigi Bosca, and Familia Zuccardi are three well-known brands with excellent quality red wines. Here are the BC Liquor store listings for each winery:
Bodega Luigi Bosca, and
Familia Zuccardi (at Everything Wine stores)
Croatia
Croatia has been available in BC for a few years, but is not yet widely known. I think their red wines may be a bit better, made with the Plavac Mali grape. Their higher-quality white wines are made with the Malvazija grape. Here is the link to all the Croatian wines available at BC Liquor stores. And a link to an article where I reviewed several Croatian white and red wines.
So whoever wins, you have some choices with a wine to celebrate. Enjoy!
