I was going to suggest a box wine - turns out "cask" is another word
for it. A recent SF Chronicle food page review of box wines made me
think of it:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/12/30/WIGQRAI8FM1.DTL
Excerpt from the review:
"On virtually every practical front -- save for long-term aging -- the
bag-in-box format offers a superior alternative to the bottle. But
unfortunately, boxes inspire the same fear as pink and sweet wines in
insecure American wine drinkers: They used to be a solely mass-market
phenomenon, so they're still perceived as (shudder) low-class.
"Dear, sweet America! You watch "Desperate Housewives" every week, but
you're too sophisticated to drink perfectly good wine that comes
packaged in cardboard?
"Sales of 3-liter premium box wines -- as opposed to the sweeter,
simpler, 5-liter boxes that gave cardboard-packed wine a bad name --
are growing fast: 33 percent annually on a small base, compared to just
2 percent a year for old-fashioned boxes, according to ACNielsen.
"Look for premium casks at independent stores or chains including
Andronico's, Albertsons, Trader Joe's, Safeway, Beverages & More,
Draeger's, Whole Foods Market and Target, which sells its proprietary
Wine Cube.
"I tasted 30 wines and found an impressive 24 to recommend. That's an
excellent ratio for a Bargain column -- when under-$10 wines in a
bottle are tasted, it's common for fewer than half to make the cut. "
(end of quote)
Since you're in Canada, this may not help. Maybe your package stores
don't carry these wines. As of now, I believe the law prevents selling
you wine through the US mail but I may be wrong about that. Maybe you
can drive over the border? Defeats the purpose of saving money, doesn't
it...
Or you could drink the rest of the bottle with your coq au vin meal. Or
give it to a friend.
Leila