How I Drink Wine in the Winter

How many of you have been out in the typical Canadian weather in January and gone skating and thought to yourself. Man am I freezing!

The cold is a part of Canada. As much as we say we don't like it, it makes us who we are as Canadians.

So how do we cope? Well many of us will grab a coffee from Starbucks or Tim's and try and keep warm when we are having fun out in the winter.

But how can you have your favourite wine at the same time?

If you are lucky enough to have a backyard rink or a friend with one, it's easy to just jump inside and warm up with your favourite glass. I have 2 kids and by the time you get all their skating gear on (and take one off and put it back on again because they forgot to pee) you're freezing yourself. After all that, you take a deep breath and want a sip of your favourite Bordeaux while watching the kids skate.

A wine glass outside in the snow is really not a great idea for a number of reasons.

To begin with - SPILLAGE!!!! You have made the effort to enjoy a glass, the last thing you want to do is spill it!

Breakage - Cleaning up a broken wine glass in the snow is never easy or fun. Trust me on this one.

Wine Temperature - This isn't too much of a problem for whites, but a good Amarone looses a lot flavour when it gets too cold. After all you want to enjoy the wine you're drinking don't you?

So I've figured out great way, and maybe you have as well, to enjoy your wine while outside in the cold.

The only downside of this process is you will loose some of the nose as you enjoy your wine.

The coffee traveler. Or in my case the wine traveller.

This is a great way to keep your wine at about the right temperature in both winter and summer. It keeps it at about room temperature in the winter for reds and cold for whites.

This is similar to the one that I use.

For me this is one of the ways that I can enjoy my wine and the winter activities at the same time. I've gotta say that I really enjoy drinking my wine outside during winter activities.

Just a word of caution. This is the safety professional side of me coming out. Please make sure that if you are drinking while having some winter fun, know what your limit is. You do want to have another glass tomorrow don't you?

What are some of the ways that you enjoy your wine while doing winter activities? I would love to hear your ideas!

Enjoy a glass.

Matt