Nov. 10 Wine Picks: Holidays + Piedmont

It's been a hectic couple of weeks, so I have to keep this short with the release just a couple of days away.

The next Vintages wine release will be in LCBO outlets on across Ontario on Saturday, November 10. The main feature in this release is on wines for the holidays, such as for festive family dinners and gift-giving. The secondary feature is on wines from Piedmont, and while nearly all of them are good-to-great, the one that stands out is the Giacosa because it is outstanding and available at a relatively decent price point.

It's safe to say that this release has been the best in months, with some very good buys across a wide range of price points. Whatever is your pleasure, I am sure you will enjoy something from my wine picks below. Cheers!


Red Wine:

• MONTGRAS QUATRO 2011 - Colchagua Valley, Chile (#050641) (XD) - $14.95
• VALLE LAS ACEQUIAS OAK MALBEC 2007 - Estate Don Angelino, Medrano, Mendoza, Argentina (#138412) (XD) - $15.95
• TILENUS ENVEJECIDO EN ROBLE 2007 - DO Bierzo, Spain (#297143) (XD) - $17.95
• PIERRE AMADIEU LA GRANGELIÈRE VACQUEYRAS 2010 - AC, Rhône, France (#076398) (XD) - $19.95
• TOSALET OLD VINES 2009 - DOCa Priorat, Spain (#292078) (XD) - $19.95
• ALEJANDRO FERNÁNDEZ TINTO PESQUERA CRIANZA 2009 - DO Ribera del Duero, Spain (#341461) (XD) - $26.95
• LE CLOS JORDANNE VILLAGE RESERVE PINOT NOIR 2010 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#033894) (XD) - $30.00
• HARTENBERG SHIRAZ 2007 - WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#906289) (XD) - $34.95
• GIACOSA BASARIN VIGNA GIANMATÉ BARBARESCO 2007 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#291401) (XD) - $38.95
• DOMAINE TERLATO & CHAPOUTIER LIEU DIT MALAKOFF SHIRAZ 2010 - Pyrenees, Victoria, Australia (#290874) (XD) - $51.95
• LE VIEUX DONJON CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2010 - AC, Rhône, France (#700922) (XD) - $53.95
• JONATA TODOS RED 2008 - Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara, California, USA (#218941) (D) - $59.95

White Wine:

• VIEIL ARMAND MÉDAILLE GEWURZTRAMINER 2010 - AC Alsace, France (#260158) (MS) - $17.95
• DOPFF & IRION VORBOURG PINOT GRIS 2009 - AC Alsace Grand Cru, France (#292227) (M) - $17.95
• YALUMBA ORGANIC VIOGNIER 2011 - South Australia (#288217) (D) - $16.95
• CAVE DE LA VIGNE BLANCHE MÂCON-VILLAGES 2010 - AC, Burgundy, France (#284034) (XD) - $15.95
• LE CLOS JORDANNE VILLAGE RESERVE CHARDONNAY 2010 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#033936) (XD) - $30.00

Sparkling Wine:

• CAVE DE LUGNY BRUT ROSÉ CRÉMANT DE BOURGOGNE - AC, Burgundy, France (#297846) (D) - $16.95
• MOËT & CHANDON GRAND VINTAGE BRUT ROSÉ CHAMPAGNE 2002 - AC, France (#069831) (XD) - $87.95

Honey Wine:

• ROSEWOOD MEAD ROYALE HONEY WINE 2008 - Select Barrel Aged, Ontario, Canada (#296178) (M) (500 mL) - $14.95

The rest of the wines from this release can be found here.