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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.

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 Saturday May 2, 2009

Hello There!
We’re back after an extended hiatus. The tasting room was under renovation. That, coupled with demanding work schedules prevented our attendance at release tastings.

We tasted in the new, state-of-the-art tasting room and lucky for us – the focus was Tuscany and California. Most Tuscans (Chianti & Brunello) and iconic Californian wines (Caymus, Duckhorn, Dominus) are not in the Vintages Value budget this time round.  There are a few Chianti(s) priced under $25, but not very palatable relative to other offerings in this price range – there are two exceptions.

For those of you who don’t know, Italy has very strict regulations for their winemakers. There are four different classifications. We will provide these classifications in the tasting notes. DOCG stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita and it is the highest classification of four Italian wine classifications. DOC is the second highest and stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata. IGT stands for Indicazione di Geografica Tipica and represent ubiquitous wines that are grown in specific geographical growing regions. However, there are exceptions - some of Italy's best wines do fall under this category just to avoid more stringent regulations associated with DOC or DOCG – these are often referred as “Super Tuscans”. The last classification is Vino di Tavola = table wine.

There are some fabulous wines in this Saturday’s release at great prices. Here
they are:

VV List Release Sat. February 28, 2009

Hello Everyone!

OR should we say “Bonjour”. This release takes us to Southern France. Oh to be in sunny, S. France right now. Picture fields of lavender, rosemary bushes, rolling hills, rustic villas and pretty country farm houses. That fantasy would cost a bomb in reality – so head to Vintages and pick up a bottle from this region, sit, sip and imagine.

We apologize in advance to the numerous wines on offer this week, but there were so many great, affordable picks:

WHITE WINES

93435 Berton Vineyards The White Viognier 2007 (Australia - $14.95)

This Viognier features pretty aromatics of apricot and orange blossom followed by tropical fruit and citrus flavours. Full bodied and awesome!

396986 Casa Lapostolle Chardonnay 2007 (Chile - $15.95)

Featuring classic flavours of stone fruit, vanilla, apple, spice and citrus, this Chard is sure to please.

RED WINES

93773 Aresti Reserva Carmenère 2006 (Chile - $12.95)

A good buy – big & dry. Look for blackberries and spicy notes.

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!

Hello and welcome to the Vintages Value List in 2009!

We hope you were all able to decant and drink some decent quaffers with family and friends over the holidays. The new year has arrived and some of you may now be on a "cleansing" program to give your liver a break and perhaps shed a few of the shortbread-induced extra pounds. While some of you are "cleansing", we are willing to bet that most of you are paring down your expenditures in the wake of the economic doom & gloom that we face daily in the media and the recent memory of the Boxing Day shopping trip charged to your credit card. Well, Vintages is in tune with your current state and has put together a release for January 10^th with the title: SMART BUYS. The upcoming release brings us a plethora of well-priced wine gems from around the world. Here are our picks:

White

801571 Alamos Chardonnay 2007 (Argentina - $13.95)

Apple and pear aromas/flavours and smoky, toasty notes. Good value in this number!

922203 D'Arenberg The Stump Jump White 2007 (South Australia - $14.95)

Fresh and fruity with floral aromas, following through on the palate with lively citrus, gooseberry and mineral notes. Makes for an awesome sipper.

V V List Release Saturday December 6/2008

Hello Everyone!

We kind of jumped the gun last newsletter – we thought there were no more Vintages releases until January – but we were wrong. The Dec 6^th release focuses on all things "fine" with the emphasis on "fizz" and other iconic wines. Collectors are anticipating this release and if you have 'collectors' on your gift list – head out to a Vintages and seek the advice of a product consultant. Guaranteed they will be enthusiastic over the wines in this release. We have not mentioned many of them here as they are priced well over the "value list" criteria.

This week's value picks are:

FIZZ

616441 Henry of Pelham Cuvee Catharine Brut (VQA) $29.95

A fine, fine sparkling wine from our own backyard. It offers everything you could ask for in a sparkling wine – a dry, clean finish, long lasting bubbles, with citrus and mineral notes on the palate.

WHITE WINES

81621 Valdivieso Reserva Chardonnay 2006 (Chile) $17.95

Subtle aromas of peach, pear, and some lanolin soft and creamy on the palate, makes for easy drinking or matched with a creamy chicken dish.

735241 Balthasar Ress Riesling Kabinett 2007 (Germany) $18.95

Medium Sweet that is big and flavourful with good acidity. Excellent sipper!

81836 Schloss Schönborn Riesling 2001 (Germany) $15.95

Medium sweet, petrol and floral aromas with some citrus notes. This Riesling will reward some cellar life 2-3 years. This is a good example of humble QbA wines from a good house, are capable of cellar life. 10% alcohol content makes this a good party starter or finisher.

RED WINES

83683 Goulart Reserva Malbec 2006 (Argentina) $18.95

This is not your typical Malbec from Argentina. It is quite fruity up front and then settles down to a lovely earthiness on the finish. Cherry & mint flavours predominate.

V V List release Saturday Nov. 22/2008

Well you may or may not have noticed that there was an absent Vintages Value List coming at you two weeks ago. Rose & I started out with the best of intentions. But when we started walking over to the tasting room and the weather was so sunny and warm, we pulled a 180 and went down to the lake and gazed into the sunshine marvelling at the mild clime in NOVEMBER!!! That seems like ancient history because we shovelled our way out to get to work this morning …

Unfortunately we missed out on the Bordeaux release and we just tasted the final release for 2008 – the one before Christmas – where values are sparse as Vintages pulls out the big, pricey guns to fire off the holiday season. Don't despair – there is still plenty of great wine to be had!

We also recommend that you ask the Product Consultants in the Vintages section for recommendations in your price range, varietal or occasion. They are always happy to offer up assistance and are often aware of special releases (Rapid Releases) that come into Vintages outside of the traditional release catalogue.

This week's value picks are:

WHITE WINES

77693 Amayna Sauvignon Blanc 2006 (Chile) $20.95

Here is a big-ass Sauvignon Blanc featuring aromas of citrus, nectarine and herbal notes with a smoky grapefruit citrusy palate rounding off with lime zest on the finish. Quite fresh and crisp.

390203 Montes Alpha Chardonnay 2006 (Casablanca Valley, Chile) $21.95

Peach, pear, citrus and toasty oak in harmony on the palate with good acidity to carry it through, making it a well rounded Chard.

SPARKLING WINES

558825 Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Heredad (Spain) $37.95

Big on aromatics of toasty nuts, peach and mineral, replaying on the palate with a nice creamy mouth feel. Excellent priced sparkler for the holiday season!