Cost: $14.95 (Sale price until March 29, 2026: $12.95) Grape: Baco Noir Category: Red Wine Location: LCBO General List Country: Canada Region: Ontario Format: 750 ml Producer: Pelee Island Winery Alcohol: 12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
A juicy & spicy Baco that’s nicely priced for the quality. Score: 88/100.
Tasting Note: Light ruby in colour with good acidity, medium+ nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Blackcurrants, sour cherry, rhubarb, plum, clove, Allspice & peat moss on the nose.
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: Sustainable & Vegan
Pairings: Drink this now or 3 – 4 years on its own or pair it with BBQ ribs.
Tasting Note: Light garnet in colour with good acidity, medium+ nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Rhubarb, sour cherries, strawberries, cranberries, pickled beets, oyster mushrooms, peat moss & smoked ambers on the nose.
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: Lightly chill to 15C and use a balloon style glassware.
Winemaker’s Note: “Fruit was cold soaked for 3 days, followed by small batch fermentation & 12 months of ageing in French oak barrels & puncheons.”
Pairings: Drink this now or 4 – 6 years on its own or pair it with escargot.
A quality dry, traditional method sparkling wine at a good price. Score: 92/100.
Tasting Note: Light cooper in colour with fine mousse, good acidity, medium intense nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Brioche, MacIntosh apples, white cranberry, blackberry, fennel, roasted almonds & orange zest.
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: Add a blackberry to your glass with the sparkling wine. You hopefully will enjoy how it taste.
Winemaker’s Note: “Gently whole bunch pressed to avoid colour and tannin extraction. Primary fermentation in stainless steel at relatively cool temperatures, and then triaged six months later for second fermentation in bottle. On lees for over 48 months before being disgorged.”
Pairings: Drink this now or in the next 4 – 6 years on its own or pair it with Duck Risotto.
Cost: $43.95 (Sale Price until March 1, 2026: $40.95) Grape: Mostly Grenache with Syrah Category: Red Wine Location: LCBO Vintages Country: France Region: Côte du Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape Format: 750 ml Producer: Famille Perrin Alcohol: 14.5% Alcohol/Vol.
A less expensive Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but you don’t lose the quality found in more expensive ones. Eloquent with a silky finish. Score: 97/100.
Tasting Note: Dark garnet to ruby in colour with good acidity, medium+ intense nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Bing cherries, wild strawberries, plums, brambleberry, cocoa, arugula, wild mushrooms, leather, vanilla & violets with light amber smoked notes on the nose.
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: “Les Sinards is made from young vines (under 20 years old) at Beaucastel and two neighbouring vineyards.”
Winemaker’s Note: “From the month of August onwards we carry out maturity checks and taste the berries regularly to determine the optimum harvest date. Each grape variety is harvested separately. On arrival at the cellar the berries are sorted. Part of the Syrah is vinified in whole clusters and the remainder, plus the Grenache, is destemmed. Vinification is in wooden and stainless-steel vats using the same methods as for the Château de Beaucastel wines. The wines are then tasted to determine the blend, and finally aged in foudres for 2 years.”
Pairings: Drink this now or in the next 8 – 10 years on its own or pair it with Spiced Duck Breast.
Cost: $19.95 (Clearance Price: 16.00) Grape: Chenin Blanc Category: White Wine Location: LCBO Vintages Country: South Africa Region: Stellenbosch Format: 750 ml Producer: Radford Dale Alcohol: 13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
A nice substitute for a subtle oaked Chard, featuring nice, crisp fruit, along with a creamy finish. Score: 91/100.
Tasting Note: Bright gold in colour with good acidity, medium intense nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Lemon zest, pear, white peach, honeydew melon, honeycomb & Jasmine on the nose.
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: Sustainable & Vegan
Winemaker’s Note: “Grapes were picked by hand as well as manually sorted to ensure that we maintain the purity of varietal expression for which this wine has become known. Gentle pressing in a pneumatic bag press, with the extracted juice moved to a combination of 2500L Foudre, 500L, 300L, and 228L barrels for alcoholic fermentation. The barrels used are predominantly 2nd to 5th fill French oak, of Burgundian cooperages. Whilst the Foudre is of tight-grain, Austrian origin. The usage of unintrusive oaking promotes optimal varietal expression.” (A foudre is a large wooden vat, typically holding 20 to 120+ hectoliters (2,000 to 12,000+ liters), used for aging wine with minimal oak influence.)
Pairings: Drink this now or in the next 4 – 6 years on its own or pair it with roasted turkey.
Cost: $14.95 Grape: Chardonnay Category: White Wine Location: LCBO General List Country: Chile Region: Chile Format: 750 ml Producer: Cono Sur Alcohol: 12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
For a relatively inexpensive oaked Chard, which has more neutral oak, this Chard has good zesty fruit. Score: 89/100.
Tasting Note: Light gold in colour with high acidity, medium intense nose & a good length on the finish. This wine features: Lemon zest, pear, golden apple, yellow cranberry, Kumquat, honeydew melon &vanilla.
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: Vegan and Organic
Pairings: Drink this now or in the next 3 – 4 years on its own or pair it with scallop ceviche.
Full body with elegance. So far, the best Canadian vintage Blanc de Blanc I’ve tasted. Score: 98/100.
Tasting Note: Straw in colour with fine mousse, good acidity, medium intense nose & a good length on the finish. This wine features: Brioche, yeast, lemon meringue, green apples, Quince, clementine, toasted almonds, buttered toast, honeycomb & yellow flowers on the nose.
Negatives: None
Winemaker’s Note: “100% chardonnay harvested from the Estate vineyard September 9, 2018. Primary fermentation was conducted at cooler temperatures in stainless steel to preserve delicate fruit flavours. Triage bottling for secondary fermentation on March 14, 2019, then left for on the lees in bottle for over 50 months to create complexity and luxurious character.”
Pairings: Drink this now or in the next 5 – 8 years on its own or pair it with brunch.
Tasting Note: Light straw in colour with good acidity, medium intense nose & an average length on the finish. This wine features: Lemon zest, pear & orange pith.
Negatives: Plain with slight bitterness
Interesting Point: Taste was very plain with a slight bitterness. Only way this wine is palatable is in a mimosa. However, there are a lot better sparkling wines at a better price to do that.
Winemaker’s Note: “The wine was produced using Cuve Closed Method, completing its secondary fermentation in tank, then bottled under pressure to maintain the natural effervescence.”
Pairings: Drink this now or in the next 2 – 3 years and mix it with orange juice or any other juice.
An elegant, juicy Pinot that pairs well with food or on its own. Score: 92/100.
Tasting Note: Light garnet in colour with good acidity, medium intense nose, fine tannin & a good length on the finish. This wine features: Sour cherry, rhubarb, cranberry, strawberry & red currants.
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: Organic & vegan
Winemaker’s Note: “Hand-harvested clusters were destemmed prior to undergoing a wild ferment in open-top oak fermenter. After pressing, the wine was transferred to second-fill and neutral French oak barrels to preserve freshness and then aged eight months before bottling.”
Pairings: Drink this now or in the next 3 – 4 years on its own or pair it with duck breast.
Cost: $24.95 Grape: Pinot Noir Category: Rose Wine Location: Winery Country: Canada Region: St. David’s Bench, Niagara Region, Ontario Format: 750 ml Producer: Queenston Mile Vineyards Alcohol: 11.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Crisp clean rosé with a nice flavour profile. Score: 90/100.
Tasting Note: Bright copper in colour with good acidity, medium intense nose & a good length on the finish. This wine features: Cherry, rhubarb, cranberry, strawberry & red currants.
Negatives: None
Winemaker’s Note: “100% Pinot noir, immediately pressed, left on the grape skins for 3.5 hours, fermented in stainless steel.”
Pairings: Drink this now or in the next 3 – 4 years on its own or pair it with chili.
Twilight Wines 