Tonight's red wine review is a lovely Syrah-based blend from Languedoc that newly arrived at the LCBO last weekend in the April 13th LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection. It is included as part of the release's theme on Perfect Pairings for Spring Celebrations and will be a fine match for backyard BBQs. It is produced by Cave de Roquebrun, a co-operative winery located in the Languedoc wine region of France. It was founded in 1967 in Haut-Languedoc Natural Regional Park, approximately 30 km north of Béziers, between Montpellier and Toulouse. More specifically, it is situated in the picturesqu ..read more

Tonight's white wine review is a delicious New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, the newest addition to the General List family at the LCBO, arriving last month and widely available at LCBO outlets across Ontario. It is produced by Squealing Pig, a winery whose tale is about a big who wants more from life than just his pig pen. The founders of Squealing Pig were keen on wine, but not a fan of the bore that you get with it, and set out on an adventure in 2010 to the Squealing Pig Vineyard in Marlborough, New Zealand. They wanted to make a Sauvignon Blanc with personality, while also being eager to expe ..read more

Here's my top wine picks from the April 13, 2024 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection, in which the theme focuses on "Perfect Pairings for Spring Celebrations". It is a good-sized release with 95 products on offer, all of which should be available at LCBO outlets across Ontario by this Saturday. We'll begin with the theme of the release, which is titled "Perfect Pairings for Spring Celebrations" and includes twenty-three wines, nine of which are included among my top wine picks. For brunch, try the Chenin Blanc from South Africa. For garden gatherings, try the Gamay from Beaujolais or the Ca ..read more

Tonight's red wine review is an excellent Hawke's Bay Syrah that arrived at the LCBO last month as an Online & Flagship Exclusive in the March 2nd LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection - with bottles now available at quite a few stores across Ontario. It is produced by Babich Wines, one of New Zealand's most prominent and oldest family-owned wineries. It was founded in 1916 by Josip Babich, an immigrant from Dalmatia (which is now part of modern day Croatia), who immigrated to NZ at 14 years old in 1910 to join his three brothers and sell Kauri gum in New Zealand's far north. In 1911, the ..read more

Tonight's white wine review is another fine Chardonnay from Australia. It is a brand-new arrival at the LCBO that landed on shelves across Ontario last month as part of the March 2nd LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection. It is produced by De Bortoli Wines, one of Australia's leading family-owned wine companies. Their story begins when Italian immigrant Vittorio De Bortoli journeyed from Castelcucco in Treviso to New South Wales and discovered that the flat plains and red earth are very different to his homeland. His fiancée, Giuseppina, arrived in Australia a couple of years later, and in 192 ..read more

Here's my top wine picks from the March 30, 2024 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection, which focuses on Cabernet Sauvignon Around the World as the theme of the release. It also includes a new batch of Online & Flagship Exclusive (FE) wines. In all, there are 101 wines on offer, and all should be available for purchase across Ontario by this Saturday. We'll begin with the theme of Cabernet Sauvignon wines from around the world. There are fourteen wines included as part of the theme (and many more from the main release), and only two are among my top Cabernet Sauvignon wine picks. First up ..read more

Tonight's white wine review is a delicious Eden Valley Chardonnay from Australia that arrived at the LCBO earlier this year as part of the January 6th LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection. It is produced by Mountadam Vineyards, a winery that was established in 1972 by the late David Wynn. David was one of the most significant contributors to the Australian Wine Industry as he was the first to recognize the potential of a cool, elevated site to produce Australian wines of great elegance and structure. Wynn searched across Australia for a vineyard site that met his expectations and eventually s ..read more

Tonight's white wine review is a lovely, cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa. It is a brand-new wine that arrived at the LCBO last weekend as part of the LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection on March 16th. It is produced by Fortes Family Wines, a boutique winery that was established and is led by Neil Fortes. Having known Neil for many years, he is also the owner of Wine Guru Selections Inc., a wine agency and distributor based in Ontario who specializes in representing and merchandising wines in Canada and has over 40 years of experience in the wine trade. The Fortes family origin ..read more

Tonight's white wine review is a lovely Chardonnay from the Eden Valley in South Australia that landed at the LCBO over the weekend as part of the March 16th LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection. It is produced by Elderton Wines, a renowned winery whose story begins in 1894, when early German settlers, the Scholz family, first planted a vineyard on the banks of the North Para River in Nuriootpa. In 1916, it was purchased by Samuel Elderton Tolley, and he named the Estate "Elderton". Samuel built a sprawling homestead on the estate and sold the fruit to his family's winery. The estate was run ..read more

Tonight's red wine review is a lovely Gran Selezione Chianti Classico from Tuscany that arrived at the LCBO yesterday in the March 16 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection. Like the 2019 Castelgreve Riserva Chianti Classico I enjoyed last month, this red wine is produced by Castelli del Grevepesa, a modern co-operative winery that has a history which is deeply intertwined with the rich winemaking heritage of the Chianti Classico wine region of Tuscany, Italy. Castelli del Grevepesa was established in 1965 by visionary Sir Armando Nunzi and an initial group of seventeen winegrowers as one of I ..read more