LCBO Vintages Saturday November 27

THE LOW DOWN: It’s getting close to the Holidays and Vintages is cranking up its offering of high priced glamour wines. You’re bound to be tempted by the beautiful catalog. I tasted all of the $100+ offerings and will not be buying. If you need a sure fire hit for a gift item ““ that’s going to be opened, go with Wolf Blass Black Label Cab/Shiraz (#960468 $95.95).

I’ve included a few semi-expensive picks for Holiday treats, or gifts. And a few wines from the November 13 release. Along with my usual bargains.

Enjoy.

P.S. Keep checking here for lots of Holiday picks at regular LCBOs.

WHITES

wine style: fresh white
SOLIGO 09 Pinot Grigio, Piave, Italy 181560 $13.95
The fresh, fruity and fun character of good PInot Grigio. Ideal Holiday season house white.

wine style: fresh white
FLATROCK 09 Riesling ‘Nadja’s Vineyard, VQA 20 Mile Bench 578625 $19.95 (Nov 13)
One of Ontario’s best dry Rieslings. Very sharp, very pure and very good for aperitif.

wine style: nice & easy white
ZENATO 09 Lugana, Lombardy, Italy 707158 $13.95
Zenato’s Lugana is the Michael Buble of white wine. One of the nicest drinks on the planet. Shades of non-oaked Chard.

wine style: rich white
HIDDEN BENCH 07 Chardonnay, VQA Beamsville Bench 68817 $35.20
Super lush, rich, exotic. Glam local Chardonnay in HD. Fireside sipper.

wine style: rich white
STRATUS 07 White, VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake 660704 $44.20 (Nov 13)
A multi grape blend with amazing flavour concentration. The hit of a big Chardonnay but with a greater variety of flavours. Vibrant and refreshing too. Something special for sure.

wine style: rich white
SANTA RITA 08 Chardonnay ‘Medalla Real’, Limari Valley, Chile 303628 $17.95
Santa Rita is the master of blockbuster wines at Honest Ed prices. Get the rich Chardonnay experience for less than twenty bucks.

SPARKLING

wine style: sparkling Rosé
MUMM NAPA Brut Rosé, California 205641 $29.95
Tart, with a delicious tease of berry flavours. Classic and classy aperitif. Treat yourself and your best friends.

REDS

wine style: rustic red
GEMMA 09 Dolcetto D’Alba ‘Madonna Della Neve’, Piedmont, Italy 185017 $13.95
Tart, vigorous, earthy ““ pure Italian. Lasagna or burgers.
wine style: rustic red
TENUTA di CAPRAIA 06 Chianti Classico Riserva, Tuscany, Italy 23374 $28.95
Hail to the original Chianti. Earthy, rustic and challenging. Next best thing to being at a farm house in Tuscany. Wild boar on the spit? Enjoy with any grilled red meat.

wine style: rich red
MacROSTIE 07 Pinot Noir, Carneros, California 674911 $24.95
Rich, spicy sweet, Californian Pinot. Very seductive, very pretty, very easy. The mood for cuddles.

wine style: rich red
DOMAINE GALEVAN 07 Cotes du Rhone ‘Paroles de Femme’, France 125930 $15.00
The French edition of Shiraz ““ spicy sweet, nourishing and very yummy. Perfect for Holiday entertaining.

wine style: rich red
CLOS DU VAL 08 Zinfandel, Napa Valley, California 590216 $22.95
Zin in a pure, Pinot Noir style. Bright flavours and invigorating personality. Refreshing and charming. My favourite combination in red wine.

wine style: rich red
STRATUS 07 Red, VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake 131037 $44.20
Niagara’s edition of traditional red Bordeaux ““ solid and serious. A bit tight and tuxedo-ish right now, but would be perfect for a formal event in 3-5 years. Start planning! The perfect gift for a wine geek.

wine style: rich red
TORRES 05 Cabernet Sauvignon ‘Mas La Plana’. Penedes, Spain 129676 $44.95 (Nov 13)
Wonderful solid Cabernet expression. But not taking itself too seriously. Enjoy now or could be aged. This is the wine that beat the Bordeaux boys in a famous tasting several years ago.

SWEET WINE, PORT & BOOZE

QUADY 07 Orange Muscat ‘Essensia’, California 299552 375ml/$13.95 (Nov 13)
A huge blast of delicious apricot and orange sweetness. But not sticky. You’ll not find a more crowdpleasing and value priced sweet wine. Great to see Essensia back on the shelf.

DELAFORCE Vintage Port 1994, Portugal 163063 $69.95
Huge flavour concentration and sweetness. Late evening sipper, solo or with aged cheddar. Decant. Great value for the Port lover.

ST. GERMAIN Delice De Sureau, France 180695 $49.95
An elderflower infused eau-de-vie in one of the most beautiful bottles I’ve ever seen. Fruity herbal flavours combine with a mix of freshness and sweetness. Very delicate, very delicious. On the rocks or mix with sparkling wine or mineral water. Something new and different for the Holidays. For cocktail recipes visit www.stgermain.fr

GREEN SPOT, IRISH WHISKEY 699827 $84.95
For those who enjoy a dry, earthy style whiskey. Unique and very nourishing. A very pleasant way to support the struggling Irish economy.