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Monday, June 8, 2026

June 6, 2026 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Glou Glou

LCBO Wine Picks: June 6, 2026 VINTAGES New Release Collection

Hello Summer! Here's my top wine picks from the June 6, 2026 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection (digital edition here), where "Glou Glou" is the title of the release. In all, there are 104 products offered in this release, with the ongoing theme throughout being wines for summer drinking, which includes over a dozen rosés. All the wines should be readily available for purchase both online and in-store at LCBO outlets across Ontario.

We'll begin with the feature story titled "Glou Glou", which is actually an onomatopoeia (i.e. words that imitate the sound it's meant to describe.) In the wine world, "glou glou" wines are easy-drinking, refreshing, and not overly serious wines. Furthermore, glou glou wines are often meant to describe chillable red wines. Of the 18 chillable reds that are included in the feature story, four are included in my top wine picks and are ideal for summer drinking. Up first is a Frappato from Sicily, followed by a Cinsault from Chile. The other two chillable red wine recommendations are blends, with the Rioja composed of 95% Tempranillo and 5% Viura, while the Portuguese red from Vinho Verde is a blend of 70% Alvarelhão, 15% Pedral, and 15% Verdelho Tinto.

Bisquertt Crazy Rows Cinsault 2024 (88+ pts)

Among my top red wine picks, we'll begin in Tuscany with the return of the Oreno, an iconic Super Tuscan composed of 45% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot, followed by the Chianti Classico that is a blend of 90% Sangiovese, 5% Malvasia Nera, and 5% Colorino. The remaining wines are all mono-varietals, including a Pinot Noir from Niagara, a Carmenère from Chile, and the indigenous Lacrima from Marche. For Cabernet Sauvignon wine lovers, there are wines from Chile and Coonawarra in Australia.

Mazzei Fonterutoli Chianti Classico 2022 (89 pts)

Tarapacá Gran Reserva Carmenère 2023 (90+ pts)

Westcott Estate Pinot Noir 2023 (91 pts)

Monte Schiavo Marzaiola Lacrima di Morro d'Alba 2024 (89 pts)

The only blend among my top white wine recommendations is the wine from Côtes de Gascogne in the Southwest of France, and it is a blend of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Gros Manseng. All the other white wine picks are mono-varietal wines crafted in a dry style, including the Riesling from Australia, the Sauvignon Blanc wines from New Zealand, Niagara, and South Africa, as well as the Vermentino from Tuscany. You can also go off the beaten path and try the Carricante from Etna in Sicily, or the Kydonitsa from Greece.

From a new batch of rosé wines, my top rosé wine picks begin with Pinot Noir taking centre stage. The rosé by Hidden Bench is a blend of 88% Pinot Noir, 6% Chardonnay, and 6% Viognier, while the rosé from Uruguay is composed of 50% Pinot Noir, 30% Merlot, and 20% Marselan. The other rosé wines are mono-varietals, with the Malivoire rosé made with 100% Pinot Noir, the Greek rosé is 100% Xinomavro, and the Spanish rosé is 100% Garnacha (i.e. Grenache).

Hidden Bench Locust Lane Rosé 2025 (91 pts)

My lone sparkling wine recommendation in this release is the 2018 traditional method bubbly by Jackson-Triggs, which was aged on its lees for 5 years and is composed of 53% Pinot Noir, 42% Chardonnay, and 5% Pinot Meunier.

Jackson-Triggs Entourage Grand Reserve Brut Sparkling 2018 (91+ pts)

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

BISQUERTT CRAZY ROWS CINSAULT 2024 - DO Secano Interior, Valle del Itata, Chile (#48197) (XD) - $16.95 88+ pts wine review
MONTE SCHIAVO MARZAIOLA LACRIMA DI MORRO D'ALBA 2024 - DOC, Marche, Italy (#50813) (XD) - $17.95 89 pts wine review
ANSELMO MENDES PARDUSCO VINHO VERDE 2023 - DOC, Portugal (#50869) (XD) - $18.95
ARTUKE 2024 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#49423) (XD) - $19.95
TARAPACÁ GRAN RESERVA CARMENÈRE 2023 - Sustainable, DO Valle del Maipo, Chile (#57513) (XD) - $19.95 90+ pts wine review
GORGHI TONDI DUMÈ FRAPPATO 2025 - DOC Sicilia, Italy (#50571) (XD) - $22.95 review coming soon...
ERRÁZURIZ ACONCAGUA ALTO CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2023 - Sustainable, Valle del Aconcagua, Chile (#203364) (XD) - $23.95
MAZZEI FONTERUTOLI CHIANTI CLASSICO 2022 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#977629) (XD) - $24.95 89 pts wine review
STONEHAVEN RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2021 - Coonawarra, South Australia (#49433) (XD) - $29.95
WESTCOTT ESTATE PINOT NOIR 2023 - Sustainable, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#427500) (XD) - $33.95 91 pts wine review
ORENO 2022 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#735597) (XD) - $99.95 94 pts wine review

White Wine:

MULDERBOSCH SAUVIGNON BLANC 2025 - Vegan, Sustainable, WO Western Cape, South Africa (#933424) (XD) - $16.95
FEATHERSTONE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2025 - Vegan, Sustainable, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#89011) (XD) - $17.95
SAN FELICE VERMENTINO 2024 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#222802) (XD) - $18.95
KNAPPSTEIN CLARE VALLEY RIESLING 2024 - Clare Valley, South Australia (#49836) (XD) - $18.95
MAISON FONTAN TATTOO BLANC 2024 - IGP Côtes de Gascogne, Southwest, France (#48562) (XD) - $19.95 review coming soon...
HUIA SAUVIGNON BLANC 2024 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#659979) (XD) - $21.95
TORNATORE ETNA BIANCO 2024 - DOC, Sicily, Italy (#577676) (XD) - $24.95
TSIMBIDI MONEMVASIA KYDONITSA 2024 - PGI Laconia, Greece (#33254) (XD) - $27.95

Rosé Wine:

EL GORU ROSADO GARNACHA TINTA 2025 - Vegan, Sustainable, DO Jumilla, Spain (#49815) (D) - $14.95 review coming soon...
BODEGA GARZÓN ESTATE PINOT ROSÉ DE CORTE 2025 - Garzón, Uruguay (#15265) (XD) - $19.95
KIR-YIANNI XINOMAVRO ROSÉ 2025 - PGI Macedonia, Greece (#39595) (XD) - $19.95 review coming soon...
MALIVOIRE VIVANT ROSÉ 2025 - Sustainable, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#498535) (XD) - $23.95
HIDDEN BENCH LOCUST LANE ROSÉ 2025 - VQA West Niagara, Ontario, Canada (#68833) (XD) - $26.95 91 pts wine review

Sparkling Wine:

JACKSON-TRIGGS ENTOURAGE GRAND RESERVE BRUT SPARKLING 2018 - Traditional Method, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#234161) (XD) - $34.95 91+ pts updated review soon...

May 23, 2026 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Summer-Worthy Wines + Rueda

LCBO Wine Picks: May 23, 2026 VINTAGES New Release Collection

Here are my top wine picks from the May 23, 2026 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection (digital edition here). The thematic of this release focuses on Summer-Worthy Wines, while the mini-thematic of only three wines looks at the wines from Rueda, which also tend to be summer-worthy. In all, there are 111 products included in this release, of which 18 are Online & Flagship Exclusives (OFE), and everything should be readily available for purchase at LCBO outlets across Ontario.

While the theme is titled "Summer-Worthy Wines", it is actually more about trendy wines that needed to feel summer worthy. What you will find among these twenty-four products is that they are mostly off-the-beaten path types of wines and styles. Only two wines (both white) from the thematic made my list of top wine picks, one of which is a wine from Savoie crafted with the Jacquère varietal, while the other is a Catarratto from Sicily.

Jean Perrier & Fils Cuvée Gastronomie Abymes Savoie 2024 (89 pts)

Rhône leads the way with a quartet of wines among my top red wine recommendations. First up is the lone mono-varietal Rhône red - a Crozes-Hermitage that is crafted with 100% Syrah. The Costières de Nîmes is a blend of 55% Mourvèdre, 30% Grenache, and 15% Syrah, while the Coudoulet Côtes du Rhône is composed of 40% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 20% Syrah, and 10% Cinsault, and the Halos de Jupiter Côtes du Rhône is a blend of mainly Grenache with Mourvèdre and Syrah in support. Next up is Tuscany with a trio of wine recommendations - both the Brunello di Montalcino and the Riserva Chianti Classico are crafted with pure Sangiovese, while the Chianti is 95% Sangiovese with the balance Canaiolo & Colorino. The only other blend among my picks is the wine from Portugal, which is a blend of Tinta Roriz and Castelão. The rest of my top red wine picks from other wine regions include a Pinot Noir from Burgundy, and a Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. On the local front from Niagara, there is a fine Syrah and a lovely Gamay Noir.

Domaine Gassier Lou Coucardié Costières de Nîmes Rouge 2019 (91+ pts)

Creekside Iconoclast Syrah 2022 (91+ pts)

Domaine Cluny Bourgogne Côte d'Or Pinot Noir 2022 (91+ pts)

Arboleda Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 (89 pts)

The blends among my top white wine picks from this release include the excellent Côtes du Rhône Blanc that is composed of 30% Bourboulenc, 30% Marsanne, 30% Viognier, and 10% Clairette, while the white wine from Alto Adige is a blend of mainly Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, and Sauvignon Blanc. Among the mono-varietal whites, there are a couple of Chardonnays - one each from Argentina and Burgundy, as well as a couple of Sauvignon Blanc wines from New Zealand and Australia. There is also a Grüner Veltliner from Austria, and finally, a Verdejo that is part of the mini-theme of Rueda.

Wakefield Estate Label Sauvignon Blanc 2024 (89 pts)

Other wines in this release include the latest vintage of a perennially fine rosé from Tavel, which is crafted with 50% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Clairette, 10% Mourvedre, 5% Cinsault, and 5% Bourboulenc, as well as a rosé from Provence that is a blend of 30% Cinsault, 30% Grenache Noir, 30% Syrah, and 10% Rolle. Among the sparkling wines, the Blanquette de Limoux is crafted with 100% Mauzac, while the Brut Rosé Sparkling from Niagara is a blend of mainly Pinot Noir and Riesling, with a splash of Gamay Noir.

Château d'Aqueria Cru des Côtes du Rhône Tavel Rosé 2025 (92 pts)

Antech Cuvée Françoise Brut Blanquette de Limoux 2023 (91 pts)

The Foreign Affair Brut Rosé Sparkling (89 pts)

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!