Sept. 1 LCBO Wine Picks: Fall Fêtes + Champagne

The next Vintages release will be in LCBO outlets across Ontario on September 1. This issue celebrates wines for Fall Fêtes with different styles of wines (from light to the big & bold and everything in between) that would be suitable for your gatherings as we transition from Summer to Fall.

You can open your gathering with an extra dry Tavel Rosé that is made from 40-year-old vines using Grenache, Clairette, Cinsault and Bourboulenc. From there, we move to big & bold wines with a 2010 Rhône that is a Grenache-Syrah blend from Château de Galifay. We also have a big Californian Zinfandel from vines that were planted in 1918!

To end your gathering, go with the sweet Muscat from Greece, or the slightly less sweet Lillet Blanc from Bordeaux that is made with Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon varietals and fortified with brandy.

Also featured in this release, to coordinate with TIFF, are 5 Champagnes that are stars and will undoubtedly delight. Of course, there is the 2003 Dom Perignon (#280461, $219.95) and the 2005 Cristal (#268755, $286.95), but the best "value" of the bunch is the Non-Vintage (N.V.) Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve (#036962, $54.95).

And finally, this wine is not listed below, but if you would like to try something new, the Malvirà Favorita Langhe 2011 from Piedmont (#291336, XD, $19.95) is a white wine made using the Favorita varietal. We don't see this grape very often at all, so it's worth checking out as it does look tasty - think pineapples.

Enjoy my wine picks for this week!


Red Wine:

• CHÂTEAU DE GALIFAY CAIRANNE CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES 2010 - AC, Rhône, France (#290080) (XD) - $17.00
• ROSS ESTATE LIGHTS OUT SHIRAZ 2009 - Barossa, South Australia (#285387) (D) - $19.95
• GÉRARD BERTRAND ST. CHINIAN SYRAH/MOURVÈDRE 2009 - AC, Midi, France (#281832) (XD) - $16.95
• CAROL SHELTON MONGA ZIN OLD VINE ZINFANDEL 2008 - Lopez Vineyard, Cucamonga Valley, California, USA (#282525) (D) - $26.95
• CASCINA BUSSIA DARDI BAROLO 2006 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#268516) (XD) - $39.95
• SAMPIETRANA VIGNA DELLE MONACHE RISERVA SALICE SALENTINO 2006 - DOC, Puglia, Italy (#247908) (XD) - $15.95

White Wine:

• ANDRÉ BLANCK ET SES FILS ROSENBURG PINOT BLANC 2011 - AC Alsace, France (#626606) (D) - $13.95
• SCHLOSS REINHARTSHAUSEN ERBACHER SCHLOSSBERG RIESLING SPÄTLESE 2005 - Prädikatswein, Rheingau, Germany (#129858) (M) - $19.95
• PEDRO ESCUDERO FUENTE ELVIRA VERDEJO 2010 - DO Rueda, Spain (#218313) (XD) - $14.95
• MIKE WEIR RIESLING 2010 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#229286) (D) - $14.95
• SÉGUINOT-BORDET VAILLONS CHABLIS 1ER CRU 2010 - AC, Burgundy, France (#289389) (XD) - $29.95
• ANTICA CHARDONNAY 2010 - Napa Valley, California, USA (#290536) (XD) - $35.95

Rosé Wine:

• CHÂTEAU DE MANISSY TAVEL 2011 - AC, Rhône, France (#276469) (XD) - $15.95

Dessert/Fortified Wine:

• LILLET BLANC - Bordeaux, France (#322297) (MS) - $15.95
• KOURTAKI MUSCAT OF SAMOS - AOQS Samos, Greece (#938407) (S) - $14.95

The rest of the wines from this release can be found here.