If you haven’t tried the new Chocolate Cheerios you are missing out on one of the great breakfast pleasures. Sure, they taste like Cocoa Pebbles or the delicious crunchy parts of Count Chocula. They must be healthier…and would you believe they work just as well with a nice merlot from Vancouver Island as they do with cold milk.

With one hand clenched full of those little chocolate delights I unscrewed a nice bottle that we picked up at winery near the town of Duncan on Vancouver Island, BC. There are quite a few new wineries up the eastern coast of the island. Averill Creek sits back from the main highway a bit off of a dusty pot-holed road. The winery is a modern structure with an amazing view of the valley floor below and Cowichan Bay in the backdrop. Andy Johnston followed his passions for the grape and built this winery nearly 10 years ago and makes some of the most luscious Pinot Noirs and Merlots on the island. This 2005 Merlot is smooth and round with hints of chocolate…..mmmmm….chocolate Cheerios!! Yes, I have to say that I think the wine worked with the cereal because they kind of taste alike.

– J F Grossen, Chief Executive Oenophile