Five Questions with.... Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd has been a major part of my development as a man, despite the fact that I've never met him! One of my favourite movies growing up was Ghostbusters. I have both the movies on original release VHS and DVD, I have Ghostbusters action figures and I wanted to be a Ghostbuster! Then I watched Blues Brothers and he introduced me to a style of music that I'd never been exposed to before, and finally, in my early teens, his 1983 film Trading Places introduced me to Jamie Lee Curtis. For that, I am eternally grateful.
Dan Aykroyd launched Dan Aykroyd Wines in 2007, producing wines from the West Niagra Peninsula in Ontario, with his Icewine receiving plaudits in recent awards ceremonies. I am thrilled to have had Dan Aykroyd agree to answer five questions...
Who or what got you interested in wine?
My early wine experiences were limited to Manischewitz, over-consumed at my University's Annual Grape Grope and bottles of Mateus Rose born as an offering on dates. In 1979 as we were shooting the LA portion of Blues Brothers, my friend the genius musician, producer, composer and songwriter Steve Cropper generously open his cellar to myself and Mr. Belushi. He ruined our palates for anything but the best Napas, Sonomas and Bordeaux style wines.
Do you have a cellar and if so what is your most prized possession?
Our cellar is a beautiful limestone chamber perfectly held at 56to 58 degrees Fahrenheit. To date the finest white I have tried recently comes from Tom Green our winemaker in Niagara. The Dan Aykroyd Sauvignon Blanc is already an award winning wine which is mind-blowing when consumed with thin maple-glazed pork chops, chicken wings and reeking cheeses.
Aside from your own wines what do you like to drink on a regular basis?
My household drinks whatever remains after all the summer stock is gone. After the Bordeaux, Margaux, St. Julien, St. Estephe, Puligny-Montrachet, Rhones, Sauternes, Sonomas, Napas, Oregon, Washington and Niagaras we drink what is left after the family and guests have been properly treated.
Old World or New World?
New. Sonoma. Specifically the Alexander Valley for reds and the Sonoma Coast for whites.
Name three people real or fictional, living or dead, who would be at an ideal dinner party and what would you drink?
Myrna Loy, Donna Dixon Aykroyd and Gertrude Cayce. We would drink my own Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc with grilled swordfish and pesto appetizer and the Dan Aykroyd Cabernet Merlot with our steak Chateaubriand.