California Cabs + Greek Revival: Feb. 4 LCBO Vintages Wine Picks

The next LCBO Vintages release is on Saturday, February 4th and the major feature in this release is titled "California Cabs". I find most Cabernets Sauvignons from California to be relatively high-priced and don't provide high QPR (quality-price ratio). However, the Sebastiani Cab Sauv did make my list of top wine picks. Secondary feature of this release focuses on popular...

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2007 Concha y Toro Winemaker's Lot 148 Carmenère (Chile) - Review

It's chicken fajita night. To celebrate, I turned to one of my favourite grapes: Carmenère. This little-known varietal is making its trademark in Chile and gaining popularity. Purchased in August, 2009 from the "Chile's Brilliant Showstoppers" release, it needed to be aged to soften the tannins and is now ready for primetime. CONCHA Y TORO WINEMAKER'S LOT 148 CARMENÈRE 2007...

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2012 Niagara Icewine Festival - Review

Wow! What a weekend. By the time we were done mid-Saturday afternoon, I could not believe we were Icewine-d out! Here's why: Our first stop was Château des Charmes for their mini Icewine glazed New York-style cheesecake and mocha cheesecake. Both were delicious and paired extremely well with the Icewine cocktail made with fruit juices. We also took in a tour of the facilities...

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Australia + Taste Treats: Jan. 21 Wine Picks

The second Vintages release of 2012 will be in LCBO stores across Ontario on January 21. Primary feature of this release is on Australia. However, I found the secondary feature titled "Taste Treats" to be much more interesting. Taste Treats is about discovering 6 great grapes - Chenin Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Mencía, Monastrell (a.k.a. Mourvèdre), Montepulciano and Petit...

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2010 Domaine de Rimauresq Rosé (Provence, France) - Wine Review

Who says you can't enjoy a rosé in the middle of Winter when it feels like -22°C outside? This rosé wine was purchased last December from the "Holiday Cheer" release. DOMAINE DE RIMAURESQ ROSÉ Cru Classé 2010 - AC Côtes de Provence, France (#226647) (XD) - $18.95 Tasting Note: Beautiful peach hue. Mineral, orange, lemon, and citrus aromas. Unexpected spicy flavours...

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2009 Chateau des Charmes Generation Seven Red (Ontario) - Wine Review

Wanted to open an Italian wine to pair with vegetable spinach lasagna that's on the menu tonight, but since I didn't have anything ready to open, I decided to go with something else that was stylistically lighter. It happened to be local... CHÂTEAU DES CHARMES GENERATION SEVEN RED 2009 - VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#198036) (D) - $13.95 Tasting Note: Screw-top...

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2011 Two Oceans Sauvignon Blanc (South Africa) - Wine Review

Received this white wine as a gift over the holidays. Typically, Sauvignon Blancs are meant to be opened while still young, and this one is no exception. TWO OCEANS SAUVIGNON BLANC 2011 - WO Western Cape, South Africa (#340380) (D) - $9.95 Tasting Note: Screw-top cap (which doesn't necessarily mean cheap or low quality). Classic gooseberry, grass, nettle aromas, with a...

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Smart Buys: Jan. 7 LCBO Vintages Wine Picks

It's been 1 year since I began this blog and I have enjoyed every moment. A BIG THANK YOU to all of my growing number of supporters and followers - you mean a lot to me! If you're enjoying my posts, send me note. If you think I can do better in some aspect, let me know! I would love to hear from you. Without further ado, here are my wine picks for the first Vintages release...

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