Toast 2007

Aimee and I went to our first wine festival here in the Philippines. TOAST 2007 is the third annual wine festival sponsored by the local wine store chain called WineDepot. It's unfair to compare it with the wine festivals I've attended in Vancouver because obviously Canada has a greater access to international wines but from what I understand the Philippines wine market is increasing every year. The country that's leading the pack in wine sales here is Australia. They entered the market early so every where you go (restaurants, stores...) it's easy to find Australian wines. The festival also had representatives giving samples of wines from New Zealand (not surprising considering their geographical closeness to Australia), France, Italy, Chile, South Africa, and USA. Although there was no Canadian booth at the festival there was one wine available for purchase there. Inniskillin Ice Wine was for sale at 6,400 peos per bottle. That converts to $141.54 CAD. That expensive for both Canada and the Philippines. In Canada you can buy the same bottle for $50 CAD. To get an idea what 6,400 peso buys you in the Philippines think about it this way: You can hire two live-in maids for one month for that price. So I guess it all depends on your priorities; one bottle of delicious Canadian Ice Wine or a month of a clean spotless house, clean clothes, and cooked meals. You choose. :)