What Day is It?

What Day is It?

A Little Tale…

These days, we often experience a sense of the loss of time. This bouleversement of points of reference and daily markers can be unusual, if not somewhat unsettling. It seems that story time (which is almost always) is getting a refresh. Fiction or documentary, fairytale or hard-core journalism. Story upon story. Here’s one I’d like to share. It’s one that can perhaps give you an insider’s knowledge of the workings of a small, independent wine shop called Metrovino, and our place in the big wide world.

Sage Behind the Weeds

Sage Behind the Weeds

2019 Wildman Wines “Astro Bunny”
Pét-Nat - Riverland, Australia $32

2019 Wildman Wines “Piggy Pop”
Pét-Nat - McLaren Vale, Australia $32

“The greatest pleasures of traveling are finding a sage hidden behind weeds or treasures hidden in trash, gold among discarded pottery. Whenever I encountered someone of genius, I wrote about it in order to tell my friends.”

- Matsuo Bashō

Raging Against the Quotidian

Raging Against the Quotidian

It was 8:00 a.m. and I was out in the sun raking the dead grass out of my lawn. Wearing a T-shirt with an image of Baudelaire and the slogan "Get Drunk” emblazoned upon it, and applying myself to the lifelong pursuit of comprehensive ear damage by blasting nauseatingly catchy '60s girl-group pop through my headphones, I dragged my green bin around the yard collecting the little piles of debris. I was even relatively well-rested and amidst this exceptionally domestic and mundane activity, I almost forgot how weird life has become.

In Praise of Alleyways

In Praise of Alleyways

I must confess that I have long enjoyed the odd and often insalubrious appeal of the back alleys of cities. Vancouver, Paris, Madrid, Genoa and Calgary. Yes, Calgary. Nearly 25 years ago, we opened Metrovino in a location described forebodingly and dismissively as “a back alley”. Predictions of our commercial fate were not universally positive…

Nothing to Do but Live

Nothing to Do but Live

The snow falls deep into April, and days that would have been considered pretty in December are now unwelcome, if not oppressive. I stare out the window and think about how atypically unsavory weather can be rendered irrelevant by exciting prospects. I suppose that in its own way, the authoritative instruction to assume that every fellow human that you see is almost certainly a vampire is mildly exciting.

Good Times, Baden Times

Good Times, Baden Times

It was back in the days when people travelled; you know, those bygone times when you could eat in restaurants while travelling... It seems like a million years ago, but it was actually mid-February. I was sitting in a Scandinavian-influenced breakfast place in Portland at 8 am, enjoying a drink and wondering why Calgary's bylaws prohibit the service of alcohol at such a beautiful hour for imbibing.

“Humbled in the age of the Anthrocene” - Nick Cave

“Humbled in the age of the Anthrocene” - Nick Cave

At this very moment, Time must be seized, and in a less tentative, much more lusty way than the solid advice of Carpe Diem. Day after day, the grounds shifts and we must do what humans have proven themselves capable of doing over millennia: adapt to survive. But we are creatures that need nourishment of the mind and spirit as well.

So seize the moment to work from home if you can, walk down the now quiet streets, safely wandering into the previously forbidden lanes of the automobile. Listen to sounds that come out of a quieted city; you may not have ever heard them before.

Voting for the Future

Voting for the Future

“It is Time to get drunk! If you are not to be the martyred slaves of Time, be perpetually drunk! With wine, with poetry, or with virtue, as you please.”
Charles Baudelaire


If this pandemic continues long enough to exhaust useful Baudelaire quotes, we're all in serious trouble. 150 years after they were written, his words resound with wisdom; although as much as we all love poetry, we've noticed that it takes a considerable amount to achieve drunkenness. In idle, isolated times, and while fleeing the tyrannical pursuit of one's thoughts, wine is an indispensable ally.

We're Still Here For You...You Just Can't Come In.

We're Still Here For You...You Just Can't Come In.

We love wine. We care about it deeply - it is more than our livelihood, it is a comforting constant in our daily lives. We also love to share it with you, but in this new world order, we all need to act responsibly and show that we can adapt, survive and work towards a future where we thrive.


Current realities cannot be ignored. We will be moving to a pick-up and delivery operation only with the following new hours:

Monday to Saturday 10am - 6pm and Sunday noon - 5pm*.

Neither Rain nor Snow nor International Pandemics...

Neither Rain nor Snow nor International Pandemics...

Our primary concern is the health and safety of our customers and colleagues, but we also recognize that these bewildering times would be even more daunting without the access to good wine. For the time being, we will remain open for business, abiding our usual hours of operation. We have always maintained high standards of hygiene, but can assure you that in light of the current situation, we have become even more conscious of the essentials therein (we won't bore you with the details). That being said, we understand and respect your potential preference for social distancing, and perhaps the avoidance of retail spaces. If this is the case, we can still serve you.

 
Drink More Better Wine
 
Cart (0)