Château Ampélia 2005 (Bordeaux) - Bottle 3 of 3 Wine Review

To ring in the New Year, I decided to open this red wine that turns 10 years old in 2015. This is the last of the 3 bottles I purchased from the VINTAGES Bordeaux Futures program way back in February of 2006. The 2nd bottle of this wine was opened in March 2012. At that point in time, I commented that the tannins could have used more time to soften. Let's see how this red...

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Parés Baltà Brut Cava (Spain) - Wine Review

Opened this organic sparkling wine from Spain tonight to celebrate Christmas with the family. Available by consignment only from Trialto Wine Group. PARÉS BALTÀ BRUT CAVA - DO Catalunya, Spain (#661586) (XD) - $13.95 Tasting Note: Non-vintage, organic sparkling wine made using 58% Parellada, 25% Macabeo and 17% Xarel-lo. Lifted nose featuring leesy, green apple and toast...

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Pillitteri Chardonnay Icewine 2007 (Niagara) - Wine Review

To celebrate Christmas Eve, I opened this Icewine that was first tasted last January during the Icewine Festival. This delicious Icewine is only available at the winery, but can be ordered online via their website. PILLITTERI CHARDONNAY ICEWINE 2007 - VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#) (S) (375 mL) - $60.10 Tasting Note: Hints of honeysuckle aromas from the cork....

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Herdade do Sobroso Sobro Red 2012 (Portugal) - Wine Review

Opened this delicious red wine last night. It was purchased from the July 19 VINTAGES release and tiny quantities are still available at the LCBO. HERDADE DO SOBROSO SOBRO RED 2012 - Vinho Regional Alentejano, Portugal (#306563) (D) - $14.95 Tasting Note: Blend of 30% Aragonez, 30% Alicante Bouschet, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Syrah. Plummy aromas from the cork. In...

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Southbrook Transitions (Niagara) - Wine Reviews

Tonight's wines are from Southbrook Vineyards' and appropriately part of their "Transitions" line as they are all currently undergoing transition to organic certification. All of the grapes for these wines were handpicked. These wines are available to licensees only, via Trialto Wine Group - look for them in restaurants, as they are not available at the LCBO. Tasting...

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Miguel Torres Ibéricos Crianza 2010 (Spain) - Wine Review

Somehow I missed posting this red wine review of a bottle I opened a couple of Fridays ago. The 2011 vintage of this wine was released in VINTAGES in September and is still quite readily available in stores. MIGUEL TORRES IBÉRICOS CRIANZA 2010 - DOC Rioja, Spain (#381046) (XD) - $16.95 Tasting Note: 100% Tempranillo. Woodsy, cedar and currant aromas from the cork. Medium-intensity...

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Parés Baltà Calcari 2013 (Spain) - Wine Review

Tonight's white wine is organic & biodynamic and comes from a family-owned winery with traditions dating back to 1970 (although you wouldn't have guessed it given the very modern look of the label.) It is available by Consignment only via Trialto Wine Group. PARÉS BALTÀ CALCARI 2013 - DO Penedès, Spain (#781286) (XD) - $16.95 Tasting Note: Made using 100% Xarel-lo,...

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Torres Gran Coronas Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2010 (Spain) - Wine Review

With the snowy and relatively cold weather we're having right now, it's always nice to open up a bottle of red wine, preferably from some place warm, such as is this Cab from Spain. I opened this last night at our annual building pot luck holiday party. It is a VINTAGES Essential product and always available in the VINTAGES section at the LCBO. TORRES GRAN CORONAS CABERNET...

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Château Palmer Wine Tasting

On November 12th, I attended a very special tasting of fine wines produced by world-renowned Château Palmer. This tasting was hosted by Eurovintage Wines & Spirits at the The National Club and featured 6 wines from this famous producer. The timing of this tasting coincided with the Château Palmer dinner that was organized by VINTAGES and taking place later that evening. The...

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Torres Sangre de Toro Garnacha 2013 (Spain) - Wine Review

Opened this easy-drinking, red wine Sunday night. The name for this wine is inspired by Baccus, the Roman god of wine, who was known in ancient times as the "Son of the Bull". This red wine is a General List product and readily available at the LCBO. TORRES SANGRE DE TORO GARNACHA 2013 - DO Catalunya, Spain (#006585) (D) - $12.95 Tasting Note: Screw cap. Even though...

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Dec. 6 LCBO Wine Picks: Holiday Get-Togethers + Champagne

New wines for the next, and final LCBO VINTAGES of 2014 will be released this Saturday, December 6th. Once again, the major theme is in-line with the season and titled "Uncork the Festivities - Wines for the Holiday Get-Togthers", while the secondary theme is in preparation for New Year's Celebrations with a slew of Champagne and Sparkling Wines. Including Champagne, many...

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Torres Viña Esmeralda Semi Dry White 2013 (Spain) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine is a white blend featuring two very elegant and aromatic grapes - Moscatel and Gewürztraminer. Both of these grapes hail from a mountainous area of the Upper Penedès. This is an LCBO General List products and readily available. TORRES VIÑA ESMERALDA SEMI DRY WHITE 2013 - DO Catalunya, Spain (#377465) (D) - $13.95 Tasting Note: Screw cap. Blend of 85%...

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Hermanos Lurton Tempranillo 2011 (Spain) - Wine Review

Opened this juicy, red wine last night. It's from the Toro region of Spain, located in the northwestern part of country and is a General List product and readily available at the LCBO. HERMANOS LURTON TEMPRANILLO 2011 - DO Toro, Spain (#372342) (D) - $16.90 Tasting Note: Woodsy and vanilla aromas from the cork. Cherry, bitter chocolate, dark currant and hints of...

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2014 Gourmet Food & Wine Expo

I arrived Thursday evening for the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo VIP Night at the Metro Convention Centre, where it has always been held since as far back as I can remember, checked in at the Trade & Media booth to get my badge and wristband, and then proceeded down the hall to first attend a seminar on Wine Faults. This was a very interesting seminar, as we learned...

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Southbrook Triomphe Chardonnay 2013 (Niagara) - Wine Review

While the 2012 Southbrook Triomphe Chardonnay was classified as VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake, the 2013 edition is VQA Niagara Peninsula. It is certified organic and vegan friendly, with grapes sourced from 5 different vineyards within the Niagara Peninsula: Laundry, Southbrook, Sabourin, Reimer and Saunders vineyards. This delicious white wine was opened over the weekend and will...

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Nov. 22 LCBO Wine Picks: Top Wines for the Holidays

Wines from the next LCBO VINTAGES release will be on shelves this Saturday, November 22 and essentially continues the theme from the last release - fine wines for the holidays. This is another massive release, as you will see from my wine picks below. I have split up the red wine picks into three groups - value-based wines, premium wines, and super premium wines for those...

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