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V V List Release Saturday Nov. 21, 2009

Greetings Fellow Tipplers!

This week the big shots hit the shelves of Vintages. Name-dropping worthy selections like Dom, Cristal, Ch. Montelena, Caymus, Opus, Ch. Beaucastel, Solaia, to name a few. If you are in the vicinity of insufferable snobs, these names will roll off their tongues when they speak of the dinner they went to the previous evening OR what they will be serving to their guests at their holiday table. Are we jealous? Not at all! In fact, we don’t even taste them when we have the opportunity – where is the joy in a fleeting sip (& spit) knowing that there is no chance of affording any of these iconic labels? The joy comes in the discovery of great-tasting values – pearls amongst diamonds so to speak. We went to the tasting room this week thinking we will be hard pressed to find anything in our price range. We were pleasantly surprised and we hope you are too!

WHITE WINE

82305 Domaine Bellevue Sauvignon Touraine 2008 (Loire) $13.95

Excellent value priced Sauvignon Blanc exuding a nose of fresh mown grass and pea notes with flavours of lime zest, very fresh and crisp. For all you die hard “bling” slaves, this won a gold medal at the Concours Général Agricole 2009 in Paris.

2774 Salterio Albariño 2008 (Rias Baixas, Spain) $16.95

The little star from Rias Baixas pretty notes of white peaches and a tad vegetal, some mineral, citrus and fresh acidity on the palate.

RED WINE

3509 Chakana Yaguareté Collection Malbec 2009 ($12.95)

Can’t get better than this for the price. This little number is packed with tons of dark fruits, blackberry, raspberry and plum, packing a punch of flavour and extremely well balanced. Load up on this one!

Vintages Value List - September 12, 2009

Greetings!

 

It is the traditional time when the LCBO promotes wines from our own backyard.  The Ontario wine industry has been growing in leaps and bounds over the past few decades.  

Gone are the days of Bright’s Unleaded, and today we can enjoy the fruits of some very talented grape growers and winemakers.  Ontario wine has the VQA designation now – informing consumers that the wine is made exclusively from Canadian grapes.  BUT, the vines are relatively young and there is stiff competition from abroad. 

Recently overheard, “Why would I pay $17 for a bottle of so-so red from Prince Edward County, when I can get a decent bottle of red from Chile for $7?”   

Good point, but if you want to support your local economy and try to consume as much local fare as possible and  drink wine, then you must start trying the wines from Ontario!  This is a great time to do so because 2007 was a stellar vintage in Ontario and wines made from those grapes are being released now.

 

Here are our picks:

 

WHITE WINE

129817 Oak Heights Estate Chardonnay 2007 (VQA) Niagara Peninsula $14.95

Distinct creamy buttery notes segue into a slight bitter edge.  Oak is present, but not overwhelming – in fact we rather liked it.  Upon further investigation learned that this wine is only aged in Canadian oak barrels!  Another interesting tidbit about Oak Heights is that the winery is located in Northumberland (close to Peterborough).  They sourced Niagara grapes for this wine.  The boundary just expanded for those of you on the 100-mile diet!

 

RED WINE

143545 Le Clos Jordanne Talon Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir 2007 (VQA) Niagara Peninsula $37.00

Absolutely delicious!  Floral notes, plum and berries abound – but not overly.  This is dry and still a bit tight – so laying it down for a few years will be rewarded.

Vintages Value List Release Sat Aug 15, 2009

Greetings

Chile is the feature in this release producing awesome wines from Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and their shining star, Carmenère. Bordeaux once home to Carmenère where it was a central component in the classic Bordeaux blend was lost to phylloxera in the 1860’s. In Chile Carmenère was thought to be a clone of Merlot and harvested together. It is only recently that growers have distinguished it from Merlot and rediscovered as Carmenère. Carmenère favours a long growing season in moderate to warm climates hence this is why it thrives in Chile. Here are some choices sure to please every palate as we move along with what has finally arrived ‘summer’ and a much awaited BBQ/patio season.

Here are our picks:

WHITE WINE

127506 Leyda Reserva Chardonnay 2008 (Leyda Valley, Chile) $13.95

A nice medium bodied chard featuring flavours of peach, pear, herbal notes and some smoky spice. Very good value!

Vintages Value List Release Sat. August 1, 2009

Greetings fellow tipplers,

We trust you are celebrating the end of the garbage strike (those of you who are Torontonians at least) and felt good about drinking during said strike because your empty wine bottles could go back for a refund rather than accumulate with the general detritus laying about the city. For those of you outside of the (416), you remained smug in your clean environs – immune from the apoplectic stink that occasionally wafted past on the streets of TO. Fortunately for Torontonians the weather has been cool and often wet – hampering summer activities but helping the garbage strike stink. The “weather-tellers” predict a relatively dry and warm August – thank goodness – and once again Vintages rises to the occasion with great grilling wines to enhance your BBQ fare and general Epicurean enjoyment.

Here are our picks:

WHITE WINE

113696 Miguel Torres Vina Esmeralda 2008 (Spain) $12.95

A blend of Moscatel & Gewurtztraminer from an unlikely place made us have our doubts on this one. It is off-dry with strong peach & floral notes. 11.5% alcohol makes it a fine aperitif or evening starter.

Vintages Value List - Saturday July 4, 2009 Release

Greetings!

This time round it is all about summer – BBQs, vacation and a wonderful opportunity to taste the world on your stay-cation. Hope you are enjoying the season …

White Wine

683847 Ravenswood Vintners Blend Chardonnay 2007 (California) $16.95

Well rounded Cali Chard big on mango, peach some citrus and toasty oak flavours.

991950 Kim Crawford Unoaked Chardonnay 2007 (New Zealand) $19.95

Here is a pure and clean fruit driven Chardonnay with pretty floral and tropical fruit nose and flavours following through on the finish.

727255 Villa Maria Private Bin Pinot Gris 2007 (New Zealand) $18.95

A Pinot Gris with some hue and flavour! Layers of pear and apple flavours abound, peach pit bitterness, and some mineral envelopes the palate with a slightly oily mouth feel and a lengthy finish.

662882 Sileni Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (New Zealand) $16.95

Bouncing with all the aromas and flavours that is signature to N. Z. Sauvignon Blancs - gooseberry, herb, grass, citrus, clean and crisp acidity and a long finish.

What To Drink On Canada Day

Whether you'll be at the cottage, watching waterfront fireworks or just barbecuing in the backyard, it's time to hit the LCBO to stock up for tomorrow's Canada Day celebrations. 

To help you out with your shopping list, we decided to whip together a list of:

6 Great Canada Day Drinks:

1. Bloody Caesar
   - a truly Canadian drink. Invented in Calgary in 1969 (!) by Walter Chell, and then perpetuated in 2002 by Mott's designing pre-mixed Clamato juice just for this purpose. You can't even get a Caesar (unless it's with grated parm) anywhere but here, though there is something called a "Clam digger" which is similar.  There's currently a petition to make it Canada's Official National Cocktail.
2. Steamwhistle 
   – a refreshing pilsner with a crisp, clean finish from right here in Toronto, Steamwhistle is a nod to Canada and Toronto on this day celebrating us.
3. Malivoire's Chardonnay Musqué
   - made at an eco-friendly winery in Beamsville, this light, sweet, effervescent wine is a big favourite in my house. With hints of fruit - apple, peach, melon - it is great slightly chilled for sipping on a warm afternoon or for before dinner bubbles.
   Now available (yay!) in the LCBO/Vintages unfortunately only in 1/2 bottles
4. Molson Canadian – while drinking Canadian doesn't give the nod to the increasing interest in microbrews and more complex flavours, it does say CANADIAN on the bottle and thus satisfies the most literal interpretation of a drink that says “I am Canadian”.  And besides, who doesn't love the I Am Canadian ads?
5. Canadian Club - with it's "Damn Right Your Dad Drank It" ads, it carries both the nostalgic and literal requirements to be a good Canada Day tipple. Drink it straight, on ice, or with a splash of ginger ale.
6. Canada Dry Gingerale - speaking of ginger ale, why not splash in a bit more Canadiana? Canada Dry has been the ginger ale of choice in my house since we moved from the Maritimes and couldn't get Sussex anymore.

Of course, you can also check out the list of beer Toronto is drinking on our #TObeers poll here

This post was inspired by SueB24 who asked why we didn't have a Can-con equivalent to Slashdot’s All-American Wines to Celebrate July 4.

Vintages Value List - Release Saturday June 20, 2009

Greetings!

We trust you are enjoying our rather chilly summer thus far. Warmer than tepid weather is around the corner and we’re sure the BBQ has been fired up regardless of the prevailing climate. This week’s release brought great elation to us – the feature is Malbec. A fabulous grape honed in Argentina, but originally from France under the name Cot, hailing from the Cahors region.

In France it is generally usually as a blending varietal. Malbec’s prime characteristics are its deep, dark colour and overwhelming smoothness. Depending on the producer, different flavours prevail – but they are predominately black fruits, spice, mocha and earthiness. Vintages is hailing Malbec as a fabulous BBQ wine and that it is – but we also like it with just about any meat, pasta, pizza or stew.

The varietal has seen growing popularity over the past few years and we all know what that means from a Supply/Demand perspective – prices will go up. Don’t despair, there are some really reasonable, tasty wines on offer this weekend.

Here are our picks:

White Wine

90969 Sandalford Element Classic White 2008 (Australia) $13.95

This is a blend of Verdelho, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Riesling, the nose just hits you with pungency, on the palate it is herbaceous, grassy, some guava and lime citrus acidity that carries through on the finish. Easy drinking makes for a good sipper!

682625 Domaine De La Grange Vieilles Vignes Muscadet Sèvre & Maine 2007 (Loire) $14.95

Green apple nose with some ripeness, mineral notes and lemony flavours.

V V List Release Saturday June 6, 2009

Bonjour!

Vintages is coming at you from Burgundy this release, along with a bunch of Rosés from around the world. Burgundy is generally out of reach for the Vintages Value List as they tend to be pricey. Burgundy is famous for the Pinot Noir varietal and Chardonnay aka Chablis. Burgundy is all about the “terroir” – which is wine-speak for the earth the vines are grown in, the amount of precipitation that falls on the vineyard, the slope of vineyard and the weather. “Terroir” ends up in your glass. If the soil is limestone based – the wine will likely have a minerally note. If there is more rainfall and the slope is gentle – the grapes will not be as expressive as those grown at high altitude with little rainfall during the season.

We found one stellar pinot from Burgundy that barely qualifies for the list this time round AND a great pinot from our own backyard. Buy them both and have a taste-off for fun, checking out the difference in the French terroir from the Niagara terroir.

Sparkling Wine

120949 Barth Extra Dry Sparkling Rosé (Germany) $16.95

We know … this is weird! BUT it is incredibly refreshing – not in a wet your whistle sense – but the taste is surprisingly traditional – a champagne nose, but this is paired with a dry, red fruit note on the palate.

White Wine

25064 D’Arenberg The Last Ditch Viognier (Australia) $19.95

This is a “big” white wine with a finish of marathon proportions. I read an article in the Globe this week stating that “wood is no good” for white wine. This wine was fermented in the barrel and it is an oak-bomb. So if wood is your thing – grab it. Jay Miller of eRobertParker.com fame gave it a 90.

V V List Release Saturday May 23, 2009

Hello There!

We were feeling like a couple of Mother Hubbards when we went to the tasting room this week. More than half the bottles were empty due to a scheduling mix-up that saw all the LCBO Product consultants taste in one group, rather than two. There are probably some great finds that we have missed. Be sure to ask the product consultant in your store for recommendations.

White Wine

377770 Quails’ Gate Chardonnay 2006 (British Columbia - $19.95)

Fresh and crisp like biting into a crisp green apple with notes of grapefruit and melon.

342857 Concha Y Toro Marques De Casa Concha Chardonnay 2007 (Chile - $17.95)

Packed with juicy fruit flavours of apples and pears and a finish to boot!

117028 Cantina Tramin Gewurtztraminer 2007 (Italy - $19.95)

Weird – but allegedly wonderful. This Italian Gewurtztraminer was gone by the time we got to the tasting room. A reliable source said it was great.

V V List Release January 17, 2009

Hello Everyone!

Wine from a very popular region is the feature this weekend – we're going to Argentina – a formidable wine producer on the global stage. Wines from Argentina tend to be big and bold – to be drunk with beef – cattle ranching being another predominate industry of the region. Argentina produces Malbec – a wine that has gained a huge following over the past several years. Vintages is bringing us more than the ubiquitous Malbec this time – check out our picks below:

WHITE WINES

591743 Bodega Lurton Reserva Chardonnay 2008 (Argentina - $14.95)

From the Lurton brothers this Chard packs a punch of mouth filling peach and tropical fruit and smoky oak flavours. Pair with chicken dishes.

55475 J & F Lurton Flor De Torrontés 2007 (Argentina - $13.95)

Hail the brothers Lurton, yet another beauty – Torrontés the little white hero of Argentina offering up floral aromas, refreshing acidity and peach pit flavours. Serve as an aperitif, or just sip!