VINES BUYER’S GUIDE TO CANADIAN WINE by Walter Sendzik (Whitecap), 198 pages, $18.95 paper. Rating: NN
with blue rodeo’s jim cuddy pen-ning its forward and the inclusion of Barenaked Lady Steven Page on its tasting panel, Vines magazine’s first-ever exclusive guide to Canadian vintages looks, at first glance, to be a refreshing departure from the pretentious wine-speak that makes similar reference works so tedious to newbies. But start plowing through the 300-some reviews and this Canadian Wine For Dummies quickly falls into that same tired, pompous trap.
Wines have “a rich, herbaceous nose” and “provide a lovely, intense mouthful of citrus and fruit salad.” Lose an N for pedestrian graphic design and a laughable cover blurb from “His Excellency” John Ralston Saul.
