February 6, 2021 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Italy + Local Heroes

The main theme from the February 6, 2021 LCBO VINTAGES Release focuses on Italian wine & food, while the mini-theme focuses on six Niagara producers who are Local Heroes. All of these wines, plus those from the rest of the release will be on shelves across Ontario by this Saturday.

We begin with the main theme that focuses on Italian wine & food. In this feature, there are twelve wines listed from some of Italy's most popular wine regions and four are included among my top wine picks from Italy. Food pairing suggestions are also included with each wine. The only white wine featured as part of the theme is a Pecorino from Abruzzo. Among the reds, there are a pair of Nebbiolo wines from Piedmont, including a lovely Barolo. Lastly, the Amarone is a blend of Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara.

The mini-theme is titled "Local Heroes" and features six Niagara producers. There is one wine from each producer, thus a grand total of six wines, of which two are included among my top wine recommendations. Both of these wines are on the sweeter side, with the semi-sweet Riesling from Vineland Estates always a favourite of mine. The second wine is a lusciously sweet Vidal Icewine for $23.

Among my red wine picks from the rest of the release, the always lovely Chianti Classico is a blend of mainly Sangiovese, while the Portuguese red is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, and Syrah. The rest are all single varietal wines, including a fine Australian Shiraz, a Cabernet Franc from Niagara, a lovely Malbec from Argentina, and the Beaujolais is made with Gamay.

From my white wine picks, there is a fairly wide array of options to try, all of which single varietal wines. Besides the Chardonnay from Australia, the rest could fall into the category of going off-the-beaten track. From Hunter Valley, there is a fine Semillon, while the Austrian wine is made with Grüner Veltliner. Although NZ Sauvignon Blanc is very common, the version from Waimea is from Nelson, on the northern tip of South Island. There is also a lovely barrel-fermented Chenin Blanc from South Africa. Lastly, the Riesling Kabinett from Mosel is made in an off-dry (i.e. only slightly sweet).

Enjoy my wine recommendations from this release! Cin cin!

Red Wine:

• GLENELLY GLASS COLLECTION SYRAH 2017 - WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#493841) (XD) - $15.95
• LOS HAROLDOS RESERVA MALBEC 2015 - Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina (#646612) (XD) - $16.95  89 pts  wine review
• CAVE SPRING CABERNET FRANC 2018 - VQA Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#523001) (XD) - $17.95
• CHÂTEAU DES GIMARETS MOULIN-À-VENT 2015 - AC, Beaujolais, France (#442632) (XD) - $18.95
• VALE DA MATA RED WINE 2017 - Vinho Regional Lisboa, Portugal (#18296) (XD) - $19.95
• VOYAGER SHIRAZ 2016 - Margaret River, Western Australia (#713115) (XD) - $29.95
• VILLA ANTINORI RISERVA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2016 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#540971) (XD) - $30.95
• FARINA LE PEZZE AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO 2017 - DOCG, Veneto, Italy (#171587) (D) - $36.95
• ENRICO SERAFINO PICOTENER NEBBIOLO 2018 - DOC Langhe, Piedmont, Italy (#12736) (XD) - $41.95
• ROCCA BAROLO 2015 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#395103) (XD) - $43.95  91 pts  wine review

White Wine:

• WAKEFIELD ESTATE CHARDONNAY 2019 - Clare Valley & Padthaway, South Australia (#711556) (XD) - $16.95  88 pts  wine review
• FERZO ABRUZZO PECORINO SUPERIORE 2019 - DOP, Italy (#573683) (XD) - $17.95
• TRITTENHEIMER ALTÄRCHEN RIESLING KABINETT TROCKEN 2018 - Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany (#18222) (D) - $17.95
• DOMÄNE WACHAU TERRASSEN FEDERSPIEL GRÜNER VELTLINER 2019 - Sustainable, vegan, Qualitätswein, Austria (#31534) (XD) - $18.95
• MARGAN FAMILY HUNTER VALLEY SEMILLON 2018 - Estate grown, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia (#493338) (XD) - $18.95  90 pts  wine review
• WAIMEA SAUVIGNON BLANC 2019 - Vegan, Nelson, South Island, New Zealand (#714295) (XD) - $19.95
• VINELAND ESTATES ELEVATION ST. URBAN VINEYARD RIESLING 2018 - St. Urban Vineyard, VQA Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#38117) (M) - $19.95  90 pts  wine review
• STELLENBOSCH MANOR BARREL FERMENTED CHENIN BLANC 2018 - WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#17443) (XD) - $19.95

Sparkling Wine:

• FAMÍLIA OLIVEDA JOVE BRUT CAVA - Traditional method, DO, Spain (#647883) (D) - $15.95  88 pts  wine review
• PIERRE SPARR BRUT RÉSERVE CRÉMANT D'ALSACE - Traditional method, AC, Alsace, France (#388603) (D) - $18.95  88+ pts  wine review
• PONGRÁCZ CAP CLASSIQUE ROSÉ - Traditional method, WO Western Cape, South Africa (#646968) (D) - $18.95

Fortified:

• DOW'S QUINTA DO BOMFIM VINTAGE PORT 2006 - DOC, Portugal (#18285) (S) (375 mL) - $29.95  FE

Dessert Wine:

• LAKEVIEW CELLARS VIDAL ICEWINE 2018 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#522672) (S) (200 mL) - $22.95