One of the hosts of the Food & Drink space, Vin Greco, has a long history of fascination with wine.
SPACES is SooToday’s new social network, where community members can gather online and share information about topics that interest them.
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The Food & Drink space is a lively one, with almost 1,000 members, many of whom comment and post often about the food and drink scene in Sault Ste. Marie.
Vin Greco is enjoying the space. “People have a lot to say . . . I have to say, I am learning a lot about places to have lunch, or people’s favourite item on a menu. It’s a lot of fun!”
One could say Greco has been having a lot of fun throughout his life with his side hustle, an ever-growing knowledge of wine throughout the world.
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It all started, Greco jests, with his Aunt Rose serving a young Vin a bit of wine topped with 7-Up, at family gatherings.
But really, Greco’s interest in wine took off when a friend gifted him the previous year’s edition of Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Guide to Wine, when he was in his early 30s.
“It opened up vista after vista of different wines, regions, producers . . . I was hooked!” he recalled.
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Greco’s day job was as a teacher and eventually principal at Sir James Dunn Collegiate and Vocational School in the Sault, but anytime he wasn’t teaching, he was pursuing his passion of wine and wine knowledge.
“I started going to events, buying different wines, trying them, seeing the differences in them,” recounted Greco.
“I wrote a wine column in the Sault Star for awhile and was on CBC Radio North with a wine show as well. I also do wine tastings for different organizations and venues throughout Sault Ste. Marie whenever I am asked.”
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Greco added that he really enjoys the taste of a good wine, and enjoys helping people discover what makes a good wine, and helping them find good wines for themselves.
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When the folks at SooToday asked Greco if he would like to be a host for Food and Drink spaces, he didn’t hesitate.
“It is an extension of what I do already, so I am happy to help,” he said.
Greco finds SPACES a friendly, positive and helpful place, and has enjoyed many of the spaces other than food and drink, as well.
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“I enjoy the gardening space, I have been learning a lot there recently,” he said.
“And I like to cycle, so that space has been interesting to me as well.”
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Greco’s goal for the Food & Drink space is to offer periodic recommendations from his wine column in SooToday, as well as other wines he has tried. He is excited to see other participants' views on the wines and recommendations and start a dialogue around good wine.
Given the recent trade wars with the United States, Greco was asked what his favourite Canadian wines are.
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“There are all kinds of wonderful Ontario wines,” he responded. “Baco Noir is an underappreciated grape, and Henry of Pelham has three wonderful Baco Noirs.”
He added, “Fogolar Wines, you can buy right from the producer. Their Riesling and Chardonnays are exceptional.”
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Greco noted that it would be wonderful to see the inter-provincial trade barriers taken down.
“British Columbia has so many exceptional wines, although their last two seasons, the grapes were devastated by the wildfires, and then last year they had a really small crop because of a freezing that destroyed vines as well as buds.”
Generally, Greco concluded, Canada’s wines are as good as many of the good wines around the world.
“Our wines are more in the style of a good Burgundy or a Bourdeaux,” he explained. “Ours are not as fruit-forward as the ones from the States generally are.”
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Greco had some recommendations for budget-conscious wine lovers, as well.
“A wine that’s coming from South Africa, Tall Horse, their Shiraz is very good and only $10 a bottle. One Pound Per Acre Australian wine is another one that is inexpensive and very good.”
He looks forward to sharing these recommendations and more, on the Food & Drink space in SPACES.
“It’s nice to have a local, safe, legitimate community space, where people are respectful. I am happy to be hosting.”
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