The Foundation of Love is Grain, Hops, Wheat and Barley with some Grapes Thrown In
“The Foundation of Love is Grain, Hops, Wheat, and Barley with Some Grapes Thrown in”
Though September is harvest season in the wine industry, August 31 and Sept 1 are special days for us at InSpiirit. It is our anniversaries. We were officially married on August 31 and then had a surprise ceremony for our friends and family on Sept 1. So, in honour of our wedding anniversary we would like to share a personal story about how beer and wine brought us together. Cheers to all of you with September anniversaries as well!
Scott - “I will be the guy with cowboy boots, a southern accent, and probably drinking a porter” was the description I gave Tina to help locate me on our date at Milos' Craft Beer Emporium. I was a long way from where I was living and working in Michigan, and hundreds of miles, uh sorry, kilometers, from my hometown of Atlanta. Being from the south, I love grits (Canadians you do not put sugar in them), BBQ (the noun not the verb), college football (which is usually at the same time of year as your curling tournaments) and beer. I would have never expected that Canadian craft beer would lead to finding the love of my life.
For several years I took many solo road trips to breweries all over Michigan. Once this was accomplished, I thought I should put my passport to use and go “international.” On a trip to Montreal my first stop was London. Known as the “Forest City” I knew it was where Johnny Cash was engaged (we should have seen love coming). I found out it’s home to a MAJOR brewery and luckily, several craft breweries and beer bars.
A few months later Tina and I spoke on the phone she deduced I was American, and politely said, “well I think you are a great guy, but you are quite far away.” Americans can be stubborn and I did not want to let this amazing woman slip away. Luckily, I persisted and said, “I know an amazing beer bar, why don’t we just meet for a beer and duck fat popcorn and see what happens?” To this day, I am still not sure why she said yes, but I do know that her first sip of a true Canadian craft amber set the stage for romance. Now I take her to craft breweries across Canada, the US and we’ve even visited some in Germany and Belgium…
Tina - …Hmm, we’re meeting at a beer bar, I thought to myself? Having grown up in Niagara-on-the-Lake, my beverage of choice is wine. I was quite (Americans think we Canadians say “quite” a lot apparently) ambivalent about stepping away from a curated wine menu and into a beer bar with this American.
OK, this was me being open to trying something new. Having lived in London for almost 20 years, I found myself missing my hometown or the “Napa of the North” as some call it, more and more. I appreciate the acres of vines much more than I used to along with the abundance of perfectly manicured flowers that line the main street in town and sitting on the shores of the Niagara River watching it absorb into Lake Ontario. The pull back to Niagara is something that eventually caused me to leave my prior profession and delve full time into promoting the wineries of Niagara. This “beer” guy had his work cut out for him.
I met Scott and he was exactly as he described himself. A craft beer guy through and through. He had zero interest in wine and I had zero interest in beer. The funny thing is, over time, travels and many a taste test, our palates have changed. While Viognier happens to be my current favourite, it has a certain earthiness about it that enjoy, I also find myself loving stouts and amber ales. Scott has developed a taste for Niagara Rieslings. He can even pick out aromas of pepper and tobacco in reds.
Our marriage has been the perfect combination of love, laughter, beer and wine.
Tina and Scott Roberts of InSpiirit Inc. based in London, ON.