Cost: $12.95
Grape Variety: Viognier 84%, Marsanne 8%, Roussanne 8%
Category: White Wine
Appellation: VINTAGES
Country: Australia
Region: McLaren Vale
Format: 750 mL
Producer: Galvanized Wine Group
Alcohol: 13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Description: Light yellow with medium+ intensity. The nose has a nice bouquet of wild flowers, peach, orange rind & smoked toasted Pine nuts. The taste is dry, good acidity, medium+ length, medium body & balanced. Definitely Viognier on the taste with peach, orange rind, smoked apple, nectarine, some vanilla & toasted Pine nuts. This wine has an addictive quality that you just want to go back & keep drinking. Lucky the alcohol is not above 14%. Drink now on it’s own or pair it with roasted sweet orange pepper & grilled French cut pork chops. Delicious.

Best Buy.

Tasted 27 July 2011.

Score: 9+, Value: 10/10. Total: 19+/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4.5

LCBO#: 186338

Cost: $14.95 (on sale for $10.55)
Grape Variety: Grüner Veltliner
Category: White Wine
Appellation: Vintages
Country: Austria
Region: Lower Austra
Format: 750 mL
Producer:  Weingut Soellner
Alcohol: 12% Alcohol/Vol.

Description: Gold in the colour, with medium+ intensity. The nose shows citric flavours, grapefruit, melon, tangerines, light smokiness and some pepperness. The taste is dry, good acidy, med length, medium minus body and balanced. The taste is expressive, showing the same notes as the nose. This organically grown wine is a good representative of what a Grüner is and at the price it’s a Best Buy. This is a great wine to sip on a patio during the summer or to have with Sushi.

Best Buy wine.

Tasted: 26 June 2011

Score: 9/10, Value: 10/10, Total: 19/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine 4

LCBO#184085

Cost: $10.95
Grape Variety: Chardonnay
Category: White Wine
Appellation: General List
Country: Australia
Region: South Eastern Australi
Format: 750 mL
Producer:  Southcrop Wines
Alcohol: 12.5% Alcohol/Vol.

Description: First off, let me say that The Little Penguin has been one of my Best Buy Chardonnays for quiet sometime and it’s nice that the 2010 doesn’t disappoint. You will find this Chard non offensive to those on the extremes, i.e. those that hate oak and those that love oak in their Chards. This is a medium style Chard, that easy to drink and best of all only 12.5% alcohol, which is basically unheard of in an Australian wine, especially a Chard.

Colour is bright gold, and the nose is medium intensity. It shows both on the nose and palate lemon & lemon tart, light oak and toast, golden delicious apple, banana, pineapple, melon & buttery popcorn that shows this wine has gone through malolactic fermentation (a second fermentation in the spring [Australia’s fall] that changes malic acid to the more pleasant and softer lactic acid. The taste is dry, medium acid, well balanced with a medium+ length. Drink on its own or with lobster and drawn butter.

Best Buy wine.

Tasted: 10 June 2011

Score: 9/10, Value: 10/10, Total: 19/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine 4

LCBO#598904

Cost: $17.95
Grape Variety: Chardonnay
Category: White Wine
Appellation: Vintages
Country: United States
Region: California, Monterey County
Format: 750 mL
Producer:  Delicato Vineyards
Alcohol: 14.5% Alcohol/Vol.

Description: Medium minus gold in colour with medium+ intensity. On the nose there’s medium minus oak and toast, lemon tart, meringue, apricot, apple, peaches & cream corn, wet stone and light nutmeg. The taste is dry, med+ acidity, med to full body, med+ length and balanced. The taste is similar to the nose. The alcohol is well hidden considering it’s 14.5%.  This chard is smooth, with no bitter after taste.  Drink on it’s own or with snow crab with drawn butter.

This is a Best Buy wine.

Tasted: 19 May 2011

Score: 9.5/10, Value: 9.5/10, Total: 19/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine 4.5

LCBO#158568