VINTAGES Release February 18: Australia + Ontario + Israel

The upcoming VINTAGES Release on February 18 will be on LCBO shelves across Ontario this Saturday and features diverse wines from Australia as its main theme, while the mini-theme highlights award-winning wines from Ontario. There's also a third feature - a mini-theme on wines from Israel for upcoming Passover celebrations.

Wines from each of the five major wine regions of Australia are represented in the main thematic, with a total of fourteen wines listed, six of which are included among my wine picks. The island of Tasmania is known for their sparkling wines, and the wine featured in this release is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. On to mainland Australia, from Victoria in South Eastern Australia is the Fowles Stone Dwellers Shiraz, and from Coonawarra is a Penfolds Shiraz. Barossa is one of my favourite Australian wine regions, and both wines listed are blends - Yalumba's The Strapper GSM (Grenache/Shiraz/Mataro) and Oscar's Shiraz/Viognier. And lastly, from Clare Valley on the western side of South Eastern Australia is Jim Barry's Lodge Hill Shiraz. You'll find that most wines from Australia these days use a screw cap enclosure, which certainly makes opening a bottle of wine that much easier.

Only four wines were chosen for the award-winning Ontario wines feature, and two are included among my wine picks. The excellent Tawse Sketches of Niagara Riesling is a returnee to VINTAGES, while the other wine is a Marsanne. Yes, I didn't know Ontario made any Marsanne either.

Red wines from the rest of the release include a Bierzo Crianza that is back in VINTAGES and is made with Mencía, while the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a blend of 90% Prugnolo Gentile (Sangiovese clone) and 10% Merlot. Also from Tuscany is the Ghizzano that's a blend of 70% Sangiovese and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. And finally, single varietal wines include the Saint-Joseph from Rhône that is 100% Syrah, and the Lungarotti (which is a Flagship Store Exclusive [FSE]) which is 100% Sagrantino.

In white wines, the Greek wine is a blend of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Assyrtiko, while the Rhône white is a blend of 40% Roussanne, 30% Grenache Blanc, 15% Clairette, 10% Viognier, and 5% Bourboulenc.

From my sparkling wine recommendations, the Champagne is a blend of 60% Pinot Meunier, 30 Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir, while the Limoux is a blend of 90% Mauzac and 10% Chardonnay.

Red Wine:

• ABAD DOM BUENO CRIANZA 2006 - DO Bierzo, Spain (#244699) (XD) - $15.95  reviewed here
• SANTA CAROLINA SPECIALTIES DRY FARMING CARIGNAN 2012 - Cauquenes Valley, Chile (#213520) (XD) - $17.95
• OSCAR’S ESTATE VINEYARD SHIRAZ/VIOGNIER 2013 - Barossa Valley, South Australia (#287961) (XD) - $18.95
• FOWLES STONE DWELLERS SHIRAZ 2013 - Strathbogie Ranges, Victoria, Australia (#265967) (D) - $19.95
• YALUMBA THE STRAPPER GSM 2014 - Barossa Valley, South Australia (#295873) (D) - $19.95
• TENUTA DI GRACCIANO DELLA SETA VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO 2012 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#487074) (XD) - $21.95
• JIM BARRY THE LODGE HILL SHIRAZ 2013 - Clare Valley, South Australia (#998476) (XD) - $24.95
• TENUTA DI GHIZZANO VENEROSO 2012 - DOC Terre di Pisa, Tuscany, Italy (#103218) (XD) - $29.95
• PENFOLDS BIN 128 SHIRAZ 2014 - Coonawarra, South Australia (#509919) (XD) - $34.95
• MAISON NICOLAS PERRIN SAINT-JOSEPH 2013 - AC, Rhône, France (#225052) (XD) - $39.95
• LUNGAROTTI SAGRANTINO DI MONTEFALCO 2010 - DOCG, Umbria, Italy (#315499) (D) - $42.95  FSE  reviewed here
• CIACCI PICCOLOMINI D’ARAGONA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2011 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#001065) (XD) - $71.95

White Wine:

• SENTIERI PECORINO 2015 - DOC, Abruzzo, Italy (#477752) (XD) - $15.95
• TAWSE SKETCHES OF NIAGARA RIESLING 2014 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#089029) (M) - $18.95
• DOMAINE COSTA LAZARIDI AMETHYSTOS WHITE 2015 - PGI Drama, Greece (#984864) (XD) - $19.95  reviewed here
• CHÂTEAU DE NAGES VIEILLES VIGNES COSTIÈRES DE NÎMES 2014 - AC, Rhône, France (#479659) (XD) - $19.95
• KEW MARSANNE 2014 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#485334) (XD) - $19.95
• FIELDING ESTATE BOTTLED RIESLING 2015 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#251439) (M) - $19.95  reviewed here
• CRAGGY RANGE TE MUNA ROAD SINGLE VINEYARD SAUVIGNON BLANC 2015 - Martinborough, North Island, New Zealand (#466011) (XD) - $25.95
• PASCAL BOUCHARD BEAUROY CHABLIS 1ER CRU 2015 - AC, Burgundy, France (#994350) (XD) - $34.95
• PLANETA CHARDONNAY 2014 - DOC Sicilia, Italy (#485102) (XD) - $45.95  FSE

Sparkling Wine:

• DOMAINE J. LAURENS LE MOULIN BRUT BLANQUETTE DE LIMOUX - Traditional method, AC, France (#180323) (XD) - $19.95  reviewed here
• JANSZ PREMIUM CUVÉE SPARKLING WHITE - Tasmania, Australia (#566828) (D) - $26.95
• LAHERTE FRÈRES ULTRADITION BRUT CHAMPAGNE - AC, France (#478644) (XD) - $48.95

Fortified:

• TAYLOR FLADGATE VINTAGE PORT 2003 - DOC Douro, Portugal (#951962) (S) - $139.95  FSE