Wine Blends + Viva Italia + Sake: September 3 Vintages Release

Judging from the cover of the next LCBO Vintages Release on September 3, this doesn't appear to be a strong release. However, we all know that you should never judge a book (or magazine!) by its cover. The first major feature in this release focuses on blends from around the world. My favourites blends are the classic Bordeaux (Cab Sauv, Merlot & Cab Franc) and southern...

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2008 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet (Australia) - Wine Review

Life outside of wine has been keeping me busy, hence the long time between wine reviews. Tonight's wine is from the general LCBO listing and was recently gifted to us. PENFOLDS KOONUNGA HILL CABERNET/SHIRAZ 2008 - South Australia, Australia (#285544) (D) - $16.55 Tasting Note: Red berries, touch of earth aromas. Gentle ripe fruit, currants and light oak on the palate....

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Southern France + Other Cali Regions + TIFF: August 20 Vintages Release

Mmmm...Southern France. One of my favourite regions for wines of high quality that don't hit your wallet hard. Three from this region made my list, with the Sommelière being my top value pick of the entire release. The secondary feature in the Saturday, August 20 Vintages Release highlights other wine regions of California that are outside of the legendary Napa and Sonoma...

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2008 Heartland Shiraz (Australia) - Wine Review

It's time for another wine review. This one was purchase only a few days ago from the latest Vintages Release. HEARTLAND SHIRAZ 2008 - Langhorne Creek/Limestone Coast, South Australia, Australia (#661934) (D) - $19.95 Tasting Note: Warm aromas of mint, eucalyptus, wet earth. Flavours of sweet red fruits (raspberry and cherry), herbs, pepper. Medium-bodied. Screw-top. Very...

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Magnificent Sparkling in Massachusetts?

Tucked inside the shores of Buzzard’s Bay, 80 acres of chardonnay, pinot noir, riesling, rkatsiteli, and several other varietals surround a first class winery operation on what was once a potato farm. This close to the coast, the warm ocean temperatures moderate the New England winter, bringing less snowfall to damage the vines. In spring, cooler ocean water moderates early...

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2009 Terredora Loggia della Serra Greco di Tufo (Italy) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine was purchased only a couple of weeks ago from the July 23 Vintages Release. Normally, I'm not a fan of white wines from Italy, but this was one I HAD to try. I'm glad I did - it was worth it! I would go even as far to say that this is the best white wine I've ever had from Italy. TERREDORA LOGGIA DELLA SERRA GRECO DI TUFO 2009 - DOCG, Campania, Italy...

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Tastes of Chile + BC Crafters: August 6 Vintages Wine Release

The next Vintages Release on Saturday, August 6 focuses on the tastes of Chile. It's great to see the secondary feature of this release highlighting 5 of our friends from out west (we don't get enough wines from our fellow countrymen & women in British Columbia). However, most of the wines from B.C. in this release are extremely pricey and don't provide great value. Lots...

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2008 Zuccardi Q Tempranillo (Argentina) - Wine Review

Last night's wine was purchased from the June 25 Vintages Release, which had a major focus on wines from Argentina. ZUCCARDI Q TEMPRANILLO 2008 - Santa Rosa Vineyards, Mendoza, Argentina (#973503) - $19.95 Tasting Note: Made with grapes from 40 year-old vines. Aromas of red berries, blackberry join the flavour profile with lots of pepper/spice, and a touch of cola. Letting...

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