Sebastian Pigott first appeared on the radar in the final season of Canadian Idol where he placed in the top ten. He’s since gone on to form a band, the Pigott Brothers, with his brother. Sebastian has also written a screenplay and become a breakout fan favourite on “Being Erica.” I caught up with him at a ramshackle house on the Danforth, where friends and roommates lounged and a little dog named Dice ruled the roost. We opened a bottle of Cesari 2008 Mara Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso and Pigott told me some of his entertaining but less-than-sophisticated wine stories.
Tell me about your experiences with wine growing up.
I grew up in Portugal, so, as you can probably guess there was a lot of port around. We were living in a community of British ex-pats called Happy Valley and they’d have great parties with homemade wine. When I was fourteen, my mom was having a party so my brother and I decided to help out. We stole half empty glasses of wine on the pretext of ‘cleaning up’. We poured it all into one big glass – red, white, it didn’t matter – and snuck down to the basement. I don’t really remember the taste thankfully.
After high school I went to New Zealand, drank loads of cheap wine, recorded an album and worked as a dogcatcher.
What do you think of this Valpolicella?
It’s delicious, really full-bodied, smooth and round. I used to be a beer drinker but now I find I can’t have gluten so I’m more into wine and cider. I’m not very sophisticated yet when it comes to wine.
I do a lot of fishing, I remember catching a 26 lb. salmon at Big Rideau Lake. This wine would have gone great with that meaty salmon, this might be good with trout too. I like to eat a lot of lake fish that I catch myself. That way I know it’s sustainable and caught ethically.
Were you allowed to drink in the Mansion on Idol?
They had a strict policy that no one could drink in the mansion. A few of us had our own wing so we snuck in some wine. The maids kept an eye on us though and they ratted me out. I denied it was mine so I didn’t get kicked off the show.
You went from ‘Canadian Idol’ to playing Kai Booker on ‘Being Erica’, how did that come about?
I auditioned for ‘Being Erica’ but didn’t hear anything for two months, then they flew me out for a second audition and I got it. I was only supposed to be on for one season but the fans really took to the character, so, thanks to the awesome fans, I’m back for all of season four. It’s a great role, I play a time-traveling rock star. My brother Oliver and I got to write a lot of music for the character. Getting to play this character and get my music out there, I’m a lucky boy and I’m thrilled to be doing it.
What are some of your favourite wines right now?
I have a cabin in the Kawartha Lakes where I fish and there’s place up there, up near Bobcaygeon, called Kawartha Fruit Wines
They have their own orchard on the property so they grow all their own fruit.
They had pear wine, apple wine, raspberry, even pumpkin. It was great! I’d never had fruit wine before but I really liked it. My favourites were the Rhubarb Social and the Buckhorn Berry Patch Social. They weren’t terribly sweet like you’d expect from a fruit wine, the Rhubarb Social was really light and refreshing, off-dry. It won silver at the All Canadian Wine Championships.
What projects are on the horizon for you now?
My brother and I are working on our latest Pigott Brothers album with producer Doc McKinney, he launched Esthero and Serena Ryder. I also wrote a screenplay that’s been optioned, it’s a Western called “The Two Deaths of Henry Baker”. I also have a role in a new movie called “High Chicago.”
Check out more of Ivy Knight’s Drinking With series right here.
