Islands in the sun

Arawak Indians, originally from South America, settled the Caribbean six hundred years before the arrival of Christopher Columbus. Imagine their surprise when Columbus declared he had discovered these islands. More than likely their reaction was, “Shit, there goes the neighbourhood.”

And they were right. Over the next century, these natives were mostly exterminated through exposure to germs, steel (armour) and forced labor, although there is a significant amount of Arawak DNA remaining in the Dominican Republic and several other island nations.

The treasures of the Spanish Main, the Caribbean islands and the Gulf of Mexico, financed wars and kindled the desire of major European powers to acquire their own little piece of paradise. Over the next two hundred years, the Carribean islands were no more than trading cards, passed back and forth between the Spanish, French, Dutch, Danish, Swedish and English. Sugar became the new gold, and the islands were its source— no matter what the human cost. Caribbean salt pans provided yet another commodity—in reality more precious—since Europeans could live without sugar, but not without salt.

In 1648, the Dutch established a colony called St. Maarten and signed a treaty with France, dividing the island. The agreement exists to this day. On the Dutch side, duty-free shops offer all sort of goods and, more importantly for me, a wider selection of wine. On the French side, wine shops and restaurants offer mostly French wines—and then only wines from more recognizable regions such as Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire and Champagne. I understand these wines have to be transported from the mainland, but as a tourist region, I expected a wider selection. It would be as if the LCBO only sold Ontario wines.

THIS WEEK’S PICK
It is always fun tasting varietals of a similar vintage, or judging the effect of barrel versus stainless steel aging. I did this recently at Keint- He Winery, where I tasted the 2013 Voyageur Chardonnay, the 2013 Portage Chardonnay and the 2012 Fox Croft Chardonnay.

All three wines reflected the strengths of their origin, region and vineyard. But I was drawn to the 2013 Portage, as it represents the better attributes of County wine as vines mature. The influence of the wood on the wine introduced vanilla, mace and toffee notes to the palate. Pronounced citrus prepared the mouth for its full experience, while the natural, underlying County minerality and acidity acted as a palate cleanser.

Keint-He 2013 Portage Chardonnay can be purchased for $25 at the winery at 49 Hubbs Creek Road.