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Chasing Gagliano's grapes

PATRICK WHITE

From Friday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 11:11 AM EST 05/09/08

Boomers are retiring to follow their sun-kissed, wine-soaked dreams only to learn that running a winery isn't always so easy ...Read the full article

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  1. R Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: Gagliano got a $550,000 Federal loan ?

    On the CPC's watch ?

    'Four legs good, two legs better .'
  2. Red Tory from Republic of Newfoundland, Canada writes: How does this man get money from the federal government. He is responsible for millions and millions of dollars being wasted in the sponsorship scandal as well as other stuff when he was minister of public works.

    This is a kick in the nuts to all Canadians.....
  3. lary waldman from Qualicum Beach, Canada writes: Ten or fifteen years ago I started a Vineyard, Winemaking, and Hospitality business on Bowen Island, BC. . Not a bad idea until you open the book and read what happened in Canada then, to an idea that in some jurisdictions is still years away from being properly addressed by government. Without getting into the details, the hardships of not knowing anything about being a farmer. The snake oil salesmen that came along, with their hefty fees, to set us on a stable course, and the Marketing of the wine, which is in and of itself, the biggest load of bullshit you could imagine. Face it, we make one great wine in Canada and surprisingly it's called ice wine, need I say more. Well after years and years of fighting with various level of government, at the same time building andborrowing, we wound up with less then average wine, labellers and bottling equipment from the last century, and a booming hospitality business that could not expand due to a seemingly endless list of rules and regulations, largely fueled by two uncompromising neighbors, and a community that prefers staying in the Dark Ages, fueled by income from the hundreds of people who spend hours each day commuting to Vancouver, burning billions of gallons of non-renewable fossil fuel. In the end I sold the whole place to a Heroin Treatment Center, ironic, the Island got what they deserved, and I got the hell out of dodge. Now Vineyards all over Canada are combinations of all the basic Inducstries I spoke of, and it could be going forward, now that some, but certainly not all of the problems are worked out. I spent a year in Ontario, Toronto, five years ago, and could not find one bottle of British Columbia wine, the same in true here, wines from Ontario are hard to find. So how to make a large fortune in the wine business, start with an even larger fortune.

    Lary Waldman
  4. Action Jackson from Canada writes: 'How does this man get money from the federal government.'

    Lots of rumours about this guy, but no 'guilty' verdict in any court. Enough already. If this guy's a crook, convict him. Otherwise, cut the gossip.
  5. R Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: Red Tory from Republic of Newfoundland, Canada:

    My thoughts, exactly !

    That's our taxdollars and part of the Feds 8.5% stake of your Hibernia project at work there...

    But what are we gonna do about it ?

    Cheers
  6. bill johnson from Quebec, Canada writes: I despised this man for everything he did and represented while he was a cabinet minister. He was an outright disaster and possibly much worse.

    However, he has turned the page, has no criminal convictions, and is as eligible for federal funding as anyone else. Lord knows he certainly received no federal government help in securing this loan. The investment may provide jobs for others, and he has his own money in the pot, so I say go for it Alfonso. If we are going to criticize anything, it should be the very existence of the funding program, not the recipient.
  7. guy tozer from Saskatoon, Canada writes: Just don't buy any of his (Gaglianos) vineyards wines. Bankrupt the crook!!
  8. Michael Crowell from Halifax, Canada writes: This deal was done without anyone in Government knowing anything about what was happening. It was cooked up at the lower level of the food chain. Anybody with half a thought should have alerted his or her high level authorities of the situation. I am sure this loan will be rescinded in a matter of a few weeks. Gagliano should be in prison not growing grapes. Far too much money and charges against individuals still outstanding and left in doubt. The Liberals like to think this is all yesterday's news; I along with many other Canadians will never forget.
  9. Rt. Revd. Malachy Egan from Halifax, Canada writes: Gag-a-Maggot will not have any problems and he will not be doing manual labour.

    Any problems. the goverment of his pals in organized crime will launder a few bucks through his account!
  10. Gogh Forit from Canada writes: Gagliano sure has a knack for getting taxpayers money. I too believe that the taxpayer will not see one cent of repayment on this loan.
  11. Richard Daystrom from Toronto, Canada writes: We call it a loan. He calls it a gift.
  12. Richard Hawrelak from Sarnia, Canada writes: Lary Waldman, great story. My family had similar problems trying to restart the old Fernie Brewery after it finally closed down. At one time, Fernie beer won many awards in Europe, of all places. The secret was the spring water form near Coal Creek. The spring water is still there, homes now occupy the old brewery site. More money in real estate than beer in Fernie, thanks to the ski industry.

    What ever happened to Somme Rouge, a great BC red wine made from local grapes and a 20% blend of California wine? I loved it and bought it regularly. Then, it disappeared off the market.
  13. Better to light a small candle than to sit and curse the darkness from Canada writes: One of them, Alfonso Gagliano, the 66-year-old retired cabinet minister and key player in the federal sponsorship scandal, recently made news for receiving a $550,000 federal loan to buy a winery in Quebec's Eastern Townships.
    ***************************************************
    I am paying my taxes to help people to buy wineries or other
    businesses. That's very unwelcome news.
    CYMRO
  14. Better to light a small candle than to sit and curse the darkness from Canada writes: One of them, Alfonso Gagliano, the 66-year-old retired cabinet minister and key player in the federal sponsorship scandal, recently made news for receiving a $550,000 federal loan to buy a winery in Quebec's Eastern Townships.
    ****************************************************
    Looks like the Libs and the Cons ALWAYS help each other out. WHAT A CON GAME THEY ARE BOTH PLAYING.
    Betcha that if the NDP was the government, Gagliano would have been out of luck. Despicable crook.
    CYMRO
  15. Puntal Puntal from Calgary, Canada writes: Better to light etc etc - what does CYMRO mean? It's been bugging me for weeks.
  16. Alpha Beta from Help, Andorra writes: gagliano can grow grapes in prison. he can spend the profits in the prison commissary.
  17. Harbinger from Out West from Canada writes: Red Tory.. It was a kick in the nuts to 50% of Canada's population. Ha ha ha .
  18. George BrownIII from Christmas Island writes: Dont by his wines to bankrupt him? Not a chance, there are enough unscroupulos blenders in the industry, % of canadian content rules or other scams that will keep chateu gagliano in business. Cheers!
  19. David Hogg from Victoria, Canada writes: I predict a very poor quality wine - extremely sour, with an acid oily taste and lingering ring on the glass. Its bouquet will feature old cigar smoke, vituperative bubbles, bitter angry bruised fruit, and a certain je-ne-sais-quoi which will shortly induce regurgitation.

    Bottles should be handled only when wearing gloves which should be discarded afterwards. Toxicity levels will be very high so keep this well away from any sentient being. This automatically excludes all politicians so feel free to offer them very large snifters.
  20. Better to light a small candle than to sit and curse the darkness from Canada writes: Puntal Puntal from Calgary, Canada writes: Better to light etc etc - what does CYMRO mean? It's been bugging me for weeks.
    ****************************************************
    Cymro means Welshman. Cymry is the name of the country and
    Cymraeg is the adjective. The word Wales is derived from a Saxon word meaning foreigner. Since the Celts occupied Britain for at least 10 centuries before the Anglo-Saxons arrived (and probably a lot longer) the use of the word foreigner was probably meant as an insult. Before the Romans Celtic tribes occupied a huge area of Europe from Turkey to Spain and from Poland to Scotland but were rarely able to unite against the Romans. Probably most Europeans have some Celtic genes. That's probably more than you or anybody else ever needed to know.
    CYMRO
  21. Toxic Planet from dead zone USA, Canada writes: Does anyone in the world actually drink Canadian wine? Does gagalino expect to sell his wine to Italy? china? USA? Canada? or nowhere drink it all himself? strange days.
  22. Better to light a small candle than to sit and curse the darkness from Canada writes: George BrownIII from Christmas Island writes: Dont by his wines to bankrupt him? Not a chance, there are enough unscroupulos blenders in the industry, % of canadian content rules or other scams that will keep chateu gagliano in business. Cheers!
    *****************************************************
    Although I really like my adopted country, I usually buy only one Canadian wine, a desert wine from the Okanagan alley. If I wanted wine made from OR BLENDED WITH imported concentrate or juice, I can make it myself as I once did. In Canada there just isn't enough sunshine to produce a decent grape. I must admit that Canadian wine has improved. Almost gone are the days when Canadian wine and sherry was sold mostly in screwtop bottle for the enjoyment of the paperbag brigade. I doubt that Maison Gagliano as a brand
    would ever become a Canadian favourite except among a few of the Ottawa bureaucracy.
    CYMRO
  23. Better to light a small candle than to sit and curse the darkness from Canada writes: Justice John Gomery's initial report on the sponsorship scandal placed much of the blame on Gagliano, making him the highest ranking Liberal to be charged with deliberate dishonesty, rather than negligence.
    Following the initial report, Paul Martin expelled him from the Liberal Party for life.
    Why was Gagliano not charged? Was he ever investigated by the RCMP?
    This is all very, very strange.
    On May 27, 2004, Gagliano filed a more than $4.5-million lawsuit against Prime Minister Paul Martin and the government. The suit accuses them of deliberately attacking Gagliano's reputation and alleges that he was illegally and unjustly fired. He was asking for compensation for wrongful dismissal, damage to his reputation and lost income when he was fired from his job as ambassaor to Denmark.
    Does anybody know whether he was successful or was the lawsuit withdrawn.
    He later moved to the USA. Does he still live there?
    Can a US resident get a federal loan for a venture in Canada?
    Lots of unanswered questions.
    Very strange situation. IN SPITE OF WHAT THE TORIES SAY, HE WAS THE ONLY LIBERAL MEMBER EVER INVLOLVED IN THE SCANDAL. All the others were businessmen or civil servants.
    FYI I usually support the New Democrats.
    CYMRO
  24. David Hogg from Victoria, Canada writes: Hey Toxic - you should try some of the fine wines made in BC and in Ontario. They have won international awards. Stop dumping on your own country in ignorance.

    No longer can one classify them all as varnish removers.
  25. pierre lefebvre from Brossard, Canada writes: Gagliano could always hold a Dion strategic meeting on how to finance an election for LPC. A little wine and here we go again with Gomery Commission findings.
  26. Peter Walker from Canada writes: I think that gagliano knows HOW to go about getting money from the Government, just fill in the paperwork correctly, nobody will check anything, and he is given the money, which he probably has NO CHANCE of paying back, so he has just defrauded canadians again.

    AND

    In respose to previous posters,
    He was indicted by the Gomery inquiry ans being an active participant in the fraud, along with others, and just last week he appealed that decision and lost.

    That in my mind says that he is a criminal, as well as the others who were named - including the former Prime Minister.
  27. dave sadler from halifax, Canada writes: wow!

    If one was interested in how to make or run a winery , best not to mention Gagliano.
  28. Justin Payne from Richmond BC, Canada writes: Hey CYMRO. Thanks for the info on your sign off of all your posts. For the life of me, I could not figure it out.

    CEEYA ; )
  29. glen quagmire from Canada writes: He borrowed the money from a very well run crown corporation. They are not subsidized by the government so there are no tax dollars at waste. If he does not repay the loan than it will be sold. Not many loans go in arrears in the first few years so I am sure he will make a go of it.
  30. Chris Lalonde from Singapore writes: Looks like the Liberanos scum are alive and well.
  31. pierre lefebvre from Brossard, Canada writes: Would you be surprised to learn Gagliano found a new big client? He could sell his entire wine production to Supplies Canada. After all he has internal supporters at the federal level. Liberals never die although they fade away, yet entitlement remains.
  32. Thierry J from Toronto, Canada writes: So here's my conspiracy view...

    The Conservatives agree to loan Mr Gag-me-liano the money to keep him - and by association the Liberal ad-scandal - in the news. They do this just as they (Cons) foist a self-serving election on us.

    The result... we're still talking about the "corrupt" Libs two-years after they got tossed instead of focussing on the ideologues in the Conservative Reform Again Party (CRAP!) The bunch of brilliant bastages!!!

    Sheesh... I have to adjust my aluminum foil hat. :-)
  33. MR. oz from Canada writes: Gagliano will find that it is erasier to find a crooked politician who hands over taxpaers money to him {for some consideration of course} than it is to work for a living!

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