Cost: $22.00 Grape: Pinot Blanc Category: White Wine Location Bought: Winery Country: United States Region: Oregon Format: 750 ml Producer: Gray Monk Winery Alcohol: 12.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Crisp & clean featuring stone fruits. Score: 91/100.
Tasting Note: Straw in colour with good acidity, medium+ intensity on the nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Lemon zest, apricots, peach, pear, green apples & yellow plums.
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: Made from Oregon grapes due to loss of Pinot Blanc grapes in BC due to the wild fires in previous years.
Winemaker’s Note: “The grapes were delicately pressed and fermented in stainless steel to preserve their vibrant character, then thoughtfully blended to create the perfect balance.”
Pairings: Drink this now or 2 – 4 years on its own or pair it with Branzino.
Cost: $24.00 Grape: Syrah & Cabernet Sauvignon Category: Red Wine Location Bought: Winery Country: Canada Region: BC Format: 750 ml Producer: Gray Monk Winery Alcohol: 12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Fruit forward & expressive. Score: 88/100.
Tasting Note: Medium ruby in colour with good acidity, medium+ intensity on the nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Dark cherry, blackberry, blackcurrants, plums, mulberry, spinach leaves & vanilla.
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: Only available to wine club members
Winemaker’s Note:
Pairings: Drink this now or 2 – 4 years on its own or pair it with Korean short ribs.
Cost: $24.95 Grape: 83% Merlot 13% Cabernet Sauvignon 4% Cabernet Franc Category: Red Wine Location Bought: LCBO Vintages Country: France Region: Bordeaux Format: 750 ml Producer: Clarendelle Alcohol: 14.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Haut-Brion styled that is elegant, aromatic, savory with smoky & earth notes. Score: 95/100.
Tasting Note: Dark ruby in colour with good acidity, medium+ intensity on the nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Dark cherry, blackberry, blackcurrants, thyme, sage, cloves, star anise, arugula, cigar, graphite and clay.
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: I like the label
Pairings: Drink this now or 8 – 10 years on its own or pair it with rib-eye steak.
Tasting Note: Dark ruby in colour with good acidity, medium+ intensity on the nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Cherry, raisins, dried cranberries, thyme, dried sage, cloves, arugula, shale and fresh carnations on the nose.
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: I like the label
Pairings: Drink this now or 8 – 10 years on its own or pair it with Korean BBQ ribs.
Tasting Note: Medium garnet to ruby in colour with good acidity, medium+ intensity on the nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Cherry, pomegranate, cranberry, raspberry, rhubarb, oyster mushrooms, cinnamon, clove, thyme, oak spice & violets on the nose.
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: Sustainable
Winemaker’s Note: “Grapes for this wine are picked at optimal ripeness before being transported back to the winery for processing. Once at the winery the fruit is gently destemmed and then lightly crushed using state of the art processing equipment. Batch fermented according to block and clone in small open top fermenters, the must undergoes a cold soak lasting around 7 days before being warmed and inoculated either with selected yeasts or left to undergo a ‘wild’ ferment using indigenous yeasts found naturally on the grapes. Once fermentation is complete the wine undergoes a short period of post-fermentation maturation on skins before being pressed directly to a combination old and new French barriques. These barrels are kept cool in a temperature-controlled cellar over the winter months, before being warmed in spring, allowing the wine to undergo a secondary malolactic fermentation. Barrels are carefully monitored over this period and once the malolactic fermentation is determined to be 100% complete the final blend is carefully put together before being filtered and bottled.”
Pairings: Drink this now or 3 – 5 years on its own or pair it with roasted duck.
Tasting Note: Silver pink in colour with fine mousse, good acidity, medium intensity on the nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Cherry, pomegranate, cranberry, strawberry, McIntosh apple & oyster shell.
Negatives: None
Winemaker’s Note: ““Whole bunch pressing of both varietals ensured that only the quality juice went into fermentation. The two varietals were then fermented separately. The unique silver-pink hue is obtained from an enzymatic reaction during the transport of the Pinot Noir fruit to the cellar. This lends sufficient time for the gentle colour extraction of this Rosé NV. After fermentation, the portions are blended and then lightly fined and bottled for the second fermentation. A long lees time resulted in subtle yeasty characters, with a burst of berry and cherry flavour.”
Pairings: Drink this now or 5 – 7 years on its own or pair it with Charcuterie Board.
Cost: $12.60 (On sale until Aug 16/26: $10.60 Grape: Chenin Blanc Category: White Wine Location Bought: LCBO General List Country: South Africa Region: W.O. West Cape Format: 750 ml Producer: Bruce Jack Wineries Alcohol: 12.0% Alcohol/Vol.
My new favourite inexpensive Chenin Blanc that features tropic fruits with good minerality & acidity. Score: 91/100.
Tasting Note: Straw in colour with good acidity, medium intensity on the nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Pineapple, mango, papaya, kumquat, yellow dragon fruit and limestone.
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: Sustainable Certified
Winemaker’s Note: “Carefully chosen vineyards are designated for this Chenin Blanc, each vineyard block is treated distinctively in the winery to emphasize their unique qualities. Minimal intervention is employed in the cellar, with fermentation occurring in tanks. The wine is then aged on fine lees for several months before being bottled in its youthful state, yielding a fresh, fruit-forward wine with a crisp, clean finish.”
Pairings: Drink this now or 2 – 3 years on its own or pair it with Korean BBQ Cheesy Corn.
Cost: $22.50 Grape: Tempranillo & Cabernet Sauvignon Category: Rosé Wine Location Bought: The Small Wine Makers Collection Country: Spain Region: Costers Del Segre Format: 750 ml Producer: Bodegas Raimat Alcohol: 12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Dry, versatile, pleasant drinking rosé. Score: 88/100.
Tasting Note: Light copper in colour with good acidity, medium nose & a good length on the finish. This wine features: Cherry, strawberries, pink grapefruit,
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: Vegan & Organic
Winemaker’s Note: “Abadía represents the essence of Raimat and is the oldest wine brand in the Costers del Segre Designation of Origin.”
Pairings: Drink this now or 2 – 3 years on its own or pair it with a variety of Tapas.
Smooth, easy to drink, nice citric & tropical notes while not being overtly oaked. Score: 88/100.
Tasting Note: Light gold in colour with good acidity, low to medium nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Lemon, Pitahaya, cantaloupe, Fuji apples, ginger & light oak spice.
Negatives: None
Winemaker’s Note: “Fermented in stainless steel and 50% was aged with French oak.”
Pairings: Drink this now or 3 – 4 years on its own or pair it with chicken breast.
Cost: $19.95 Grape: Chardonnay Category: White Wine Location: LCBO Vintages Country: New Zealand Region: Hawke’s Bay Format: 750 ml Producer: HãHã Alcohol: 13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Easy drinking, smooth, creamy with tropical fruits. Score: 93/100.
Tasting Note: Bright yellow gold in colour with good acidity, medium nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Lemon zest, lemon meringue, peach, pear, kumquat, golden apple, ginger, honeycomb & light oak spice.
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: Don’t over chill it.
Winemaker’s Note: “Following harvest the grapes were gently pressed on arrival to the winery. The juice was cold settled before being inoculated with selected yeast for fermentation. The wine was aged on full lees and French oak and went through 50% malolactic fermentation in spring prior to blending, filtering and bottling.”
Pairings: Drink this now or 3 – 5 years on its own or pair it with creamy seafood pasta dishes.
