June 27, 2020 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Summery Food Wines + Italian Whites

The main theme of the June 27, 2020 LCBO VINTAGES Release focuses on Summery Food Wines when Dining Out at Home, while the mini-theme takes a look at crisp white wines from Italy. All of the wines from the themes, as well as the rest of the Release will be on shelves by this Saturday.

We begin with the main theme that focuses on wines to enjoy when Dining Out at Home. It's a big theme with nineteen wines featured and five included among my top wine picks. For lighter meals, try the Morgon from Beaujolais that is made with Gamay, or the always-lovely Chenin Blanc from South Africa, or the Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. For casual sipping, try the Brut Trento Traditional Method Sparkling Wine from Italy that is made with Chardonnay, or the organic dry Rosé from Niagara that is predominantly Pinot Noir.

If you didn't know by now, there's so much more to the world of Italian white wines beyond Pinot Grigio. Featured in this Release as part of the theme are seven wines from seven different grapes - none named Pinot Grigio, and three of these wines are included among my top wine recommendations. First up is a Vernaccia di San Gimignano - a wine made with the Vernaccia grape from the Tuscan town of San Gimignano. There is also a Falanghina from Campania, while the Gavi di Gavi is made with the Cortese grape from Piedmont.

There are plenty of lovely red wines to choose from the rest of the Release. We begin in Spain, with the Rioja consisting of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Graciano, and 10% Mazuelo, while the Portuguese red is a blend of mostly Grand Noir, followed by Trincadeira and Aragonês in support. From France, the Languedoc wine is a blend of 75% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 5% Carignan, while the Côtes du Rhône-Villages is an organic wine made with 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah. From Italy, both the Chianti Classico and Brunello wines are made with pure Sangiovese. Other single varietal wines include a lovely Pinot Noir from New Zealand, as well as an Aglianico from Campania that sold out very quickly when it appeared in VINTAGES last Spring.

Among my white wine picks, all are single varietal wines. The Muscadet is made with Melon de Bourgogne. There is also a lovely Chardonnay and a dry Riesling. For those that prefer sweeter wines, try the off-dry (Old Vines) Gewurztraminer from Alsace, or the very sweet Riesling Kabinett from Mosel.

Enjoy my wine recommendations from this Release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• LES DARONS 2017 - AP Languedoc, France (#448464) (XD) - $16.95
• JOSÉ DE SOUSA 2016 - Vinho Regional Alentejano, Portugal (#494153) (XD) - $17.95
• ROMAIN DUVERNAY VISAN 2017 - AP Côtes du Rhône-Villages, France (#13321) (XD) - $19.95
• NATIV RUE DELL'INCHIOSTRO AGLIANICO 2017 - IGT Campania, Italy (#631606) (D) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• G. MARQUIS THE SILVER LINE PINOT NOIR 2018 - VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#258673) (D) - $19.95
• DOMAINE NATURALISTE DISCOVERY SYRAH 2017 - Margaret River, Western Australia (#632596) (XD) - $24.95
• CHÂTEAU DU CHATELARD CUVÉE LES ROCHES MORGON 2017 - AC, Beaujolais, France (#558528) (XD) - $24.95
• WHITEHAVEN PINOT NOIR 2016 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#532929) (XD) - $26.95  90 pts  wine review
• RIOJA BORDÓN GRAN RESERVA 2009 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#114454) (XD) - $27.95  90+ pts  wine review
• ANTINORI BADIA A PASSIGNANO GRAN SELEZIONE CHIANTI CLASSICO 2016 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#384552) (XD) - $48.95
• CERBAIA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2014 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#652446) (XD) - $66.95

White Wine:

• LA FORTEZZA TABURNO FALANGHINA DEL SANNIO 2018 - DOC, Campania, Italy (#527630) (XD) - $15.95
• LE FILS DES GRAS MOUTONS MUSCADET SÈVRE ET MAINE SUR LIE 2018 - AC, Loire, France (#363150) (XD) - $16.95  87 pts  wine review
• POGGIO ALLORO VERNACCIA DI SAN GIMIGNANO 2018 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#14025) (XD) - $17.95
• KEN FORRESTER OLD VINE RESERVE CHENIN BLANC 2019 - WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#231282) (XD) - $17.95
• HUNAWIHR KUHLMANN-PLATZ VIEILLES VIGNES GEWURZTRAMINER 2018 - AC Alsace, France (#169474) (D) - $19.95
• VON SCHUBERT MAXIMIN GRÜNHAUS MONOPOL RIESLING 2018 - Qualitätswein, Mosel, Germany (#14797) (XD) - $19.95
• FONTANAFREDDA GAVI DI GAVI 2018 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#366948) (D) - $21.95  89 pts  wine review
• INVIVO X, BY SARAH JESSICA PARKER SAUVIGNON BLANC 2019 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#14278) (XD) - $22.95  89 pts  wine review
• KANZEMER ALTENBERG RIESLING KABINETT 2016 - Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany (#15292) (S) - $27.95
• HENRY OF PELHAM SPECK FAMILY RESERVE CHARDONNAY 2018 - VQA Short Hills Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#616466) (XD) - $29.95  90+ pts  wine review

Rosé Wine:

• HUGH HAMILTON THE FLOOZIE SANGIOVESE ROSÉ 2019 - McLaren Vale, South Australia (#558106) (XD) - $18.95
• HIDDEN BENCH LOCUST LANE ROSÉ 2019 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#68833) (XD) - $24.95
• LA CADIÉRENNE CUVÉE GRANDE TRADITION BANDOL ROSÉ 2019 - AC, Provence, France (#119453) (XD) - $24.95  91 pts  wine review

Sparkling Wine:

• ROTARI PLATINUM LABEL BRUT TRENTO 2014 - Traditional method, DOC, Trentino, Italy (#15679) (D) - $19.95
• CHÂTEAU DES CHARMES BLANC DE BLANCS SPARKLING 2015 - Traditional method, VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#423111) (D) - $34.95  90 pts  wine review
• DRAPPIER BRUT NATURE PINOT NOIR CHAMPAGNE - AC, France (#179275) (XD) - $62.95
• DOM PÉRIGNON BRUT ROSÉ VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE 2006 - AC, Champagne, France (#91777) (XD) - $347.95  FE