April 2, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Old vs New World Pairings

The main theme of the upcoming April 2nd, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release is titled "Family Feasts" and looks at Old World vs. New World wine pairings for these feasts. All of the wines from this release should be on shelves across Ontario by this Saturday.

We begin with the theme titled "Family Feasts", but really focuses on food and wine pairings consisting of traditional April long weekend fare paired with Old World and New World wines. Of the twenty wines featured as part of the theme, two are included among my top wine picks. According to the catalogue, the off-dry (i.e. slightly sweet) Riesling from Niagara would be a fine match with a traditional turkey dinner. For an old world pairing with a sweet and savoury baked ham, try the red from Roussillon that is a blend of 70% Syrah and 30% old vines Grenache.

Red wine blends from the rest of the release include a lovely Portuguese red that consists of 50% Alicante Bouschet, 30% Touriga Franca, and 20% Touriga Nacional, as well as a Côtes du Rhône that consists of 50% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 15% Carignan, 10% Cinsault, and 5% Counoise. The last blend is from Mt. Etna in Sicily and it consists of 80% Nerello Mascalese and 20% Nerello Cappuccio. Among the single varietal wines, there are a pair of lovely Argentine Malbec wines, as well as a pair of Australian Shiraz wines. There is also a fine Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley. Returning to the old world, the Bordeaux red wine is crafted with 100% Merlot, while the Barbaresco is made with Nebbiolo.

From my white wine picks, the only blend is from Australia and it consists of 61% Viognier and 39% Marsanne. Among the single varietal wines, the Rioja is made with 100% Viura that was barrel-fermented and aged in oak. All three Chardonnay wines also spent various amounts of time fermenting and ageing in oak, while a small part of the Verdicchio also spent some time in big wooden barrels.

My lone rosé wine pick is from Niagara and the latest edition of this dry rosé is a blend of 88% Pinot Noir and 12% Pinot Gris. For fans of pink bubbly, the sparkling wine from South Africa is a 60/40 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Enjoy my wine recommendations from this release! Bon appetit!

Red Wine:

• VIRGEN NATURAL MALBEC 2019 - Vegan, sustainable, Tupungato, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#21987) (XD) - $17.95  89 pts  wine review
• CHÂTEAU HAUCHAT 2019 - AC Fronsac, Bordeaux, France (#123489) (XD) - $17.95  90+ pts  wine review
• TENUTE NICOSIA VULKÀ ETNA ROSSO 2018 - Sustainable, DOC, Sicily, Italy (#22804) (XD) - $18.95
• CHÂTEAU DE MONTFAUCON CÔTES DU RHÔNE 2017 - AP, France (#13439) (XD) - $18.95
• TRAPICHE MEDALLA MALBEC 2018 - Vegan, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#547869) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• LARRY CHERUBINO WINES FOLKLORE SHIRAZ 2019 - Western Australia (#23330) (XD) - $19.95
• BASTIDE MIRAFLORS SYRAH / VIEILLES VIGNES GRENACHE 2019 - AP Côtes du Roussillon, France (#320499) (XD) - $19.95
• JIM BARRY THE LODGE HILL SHIRAZ 2018 - Clare Valley, South Australia (#998476) (XD) - $22.95
• SÃO MIGUEL ESCOLHA DOS ENOLOGOS 2019 - Vinho Regional Alentejano, Portugal (#445122) (XD) - $24.95  92 pts  wine review
• ENRICO SERAFINO SANAVENTO BARBARESCO 2018 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#157347) (XD) - $29.95  90+ pts  wine review
• DOMAINE DROUHIN OREGON PINOT NOIR 2018 - Sustainable, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, USA (#961284) (XD) - $52.95  93 pts  wine review

White Wine:

• D'ARENBERG THE HERMIT CRAB VIOGNIER/MARSANNE 2021 - McLaren Vale, South Australia (#662775) (XD) - $17.95
• ARBOLEDA CHARDONNAY 2019 - DO Aconcagua Costa, Chile (#606772) (XD) - $18.95  90+ pts  wine review
• NALS MARGREID HILL PINOT GRIGIO 2019 - DOC Südtirol-Alto Adige, Italy (#17365) (XD) - $19.95
• TRIUS DISTINCTION SAUVIGNON BLANC 2020 - VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#19379) (XD) - $19.95
• MALIVOIRE ESTATE GROWN CHARDONNAY 2019 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#573147) (XD) - $19.95
• SOUTHBROOK TRIOMPHE ORGANIC RIESLING 2019 - Vegan, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#25647) (D) - $22.95
• GRANCASALE VERDICCHIO DEI CASTELLI DI JESI CLASSICO SUPERIORE 2018 - DOC, Marche, Italy (#23869) (XD) - $23.95
• VIÑA MURIEL RESERVA 2013 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#25079) (XD) - $31.95
• GRGICH HILLS ESTATE GROWN CHARDONNAY 2018 - Napa Valley, California, USA (#346304) (XD) - $67.95

Rosé Wine:

• MALIVOIRE VIVANT ROSÉ 2021 - Vegan, sustainable, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#498535) (XD) - $19.95

Sparkling Wine:

• PONGRÁCZ CAP CLASSIQUE ROSÉ - Traditional method, WO Western Cape, South Africa (#646968) (D) - $18.95

Dessert Wine:

• HENRY OF PELHAM SPECIAL SELECT LATE HARVEST VIDAL 2019 - Sustainable, VQA Ontario, Canada (#395228) (S) (375 mL) - $19.95