Whining about wine in Costa Rica (part 3)
Enough already, I know. Why don’t I switch to guaro or something? Mixed with a little juice, wouldn’t that quench my tropical thirst better anyway? Plus, consuming locally produced food, and drink in this case, would mean less fuel burned to transport goods, which means less pollution. The burden of responsibility of the 21st century consumer!
The fact is that wine is becoming a part of Costa Rican culture more and more. I just got back from the Auto Mercado supermarket which hosted a wine tasting event this weekend. Several producers had small stands throughout the aisles. Young servers wearing top hats poured samples and offered fruit, meat and cheese pairings.
There were a lot of the usual Chilean and Argentine wines, and also one from California called Fish Eye. I looked at Fish Eye’s Web site and it seems as though they have their marketing geared toward what could include a Costa Rican beach-going crowd. I haven’t seen a palapa-covered wine bar yet, and who’s to say that’s far-fetched!
I ended up sticking with a Chilean wine, Viu Manent, Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, Valle de Colchagua which cost 5,700 colones, which is about $11. The Fish Eye reds were going for 7,000 colones.
I carried my purchase home in a cloth grocery bag—not yet a popular Costa Rican fashion item. (read previous post) I like to think this at least reduced my carbon footprint a bit. Now, if I take the bus back home for the holidays instead of the plane as planned, maybe this will balance out my impact for the year!
Read Whining about wine in Costa Rica (part 1)
Read Whining about wine in Costa Rica (part 2)
