Piazzano Blend 2 2013 (Tuscany) - Wine Review

Opened up this red wine blend last night. It comes from the family-owned and operated estate of Fattoria di Piazzano in Tuscany, Italy and will be available on LCBO VINTAGES shelves on July 9th. This particular wine is the 2nd of two red wine blends made by the family (the first is called "Blend 1"), and is fermented using native yeasts in cement tanks. Malolactic fermentation...

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Top Wines from Savour Australia Wine Tasting - May 2016

This mid-May tasting titled "Savour Australia" featured wines from about 25 wineries and was held in a compact room at George Restaurant on Queen Street East. At times, the room felt very small due to the high number of people in attendance. Overall, there were many high quality wines at various price points. As is the case with most tastings, many of the wines are not available...

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VINTAGES Release June 25: Southern France + Canada Day

The VINTAGES Release on June 25 features wines from southern France as its main theme, while the mini-theme highlights some wines for a Canada Day picnic. All these wines will be on LCBO VINTAGES shelves this coming Saturday. From the main theme on wines from southern France - which in this release encompasses the regions of Southwest, Languedoc, Roussillon, Rhône and Provence...

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Ca' Viola Brichet Barbera d'Alba 2012 (Piedmont) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine is a delicious offering from Azienda Agricola Ca' Viola, from Piedmont, Italy that is part of the LCBO VINTAGES Release on June 25th. The interesting story of Ca' Viola begins begins in the 1980s, when Beppe Caviola borrowed a tractor from his longtime buddy, Maurizio Anselmo, to tend to a vineyard that he was renting in Montelupo. Beppe then began vinifying...

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Southbrook Triomphe Organic Cabernet Franc Rosé 2015 (Niagara) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine is a sneak preview of a dry rosé that will be available at the LCBO as part of the VINTAGES Release on June 25. This wine is 100% Cabernet Franc, from grapes grown organically at the Estate, as well as from the Saunders and Sabourin Vineyards. Tasting Note: SOUTHBROOK TRIOMPHE ORGANIC CABERNET FRANC ROSÉ 2015 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#279117)...

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Domaine de l'Alba l'Ermite 2013 (Midi) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine is a sneak preview of a red wine blend that is new to the LCBO and will be on shelves as part of the VINTAGES Release on June 25th. This wine is produced by Select Vins - a collaboration between Jean Paux-Rosset (owner of Château de la Négly) and his consulting winemaker, Claude Gros. Together, they have assembled some of the best grape growers across the...

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Top Wines at Great New Zealand Wine Tiki Tour - May 2016

At the Great New Zealand Wine Tiki Tour in May, as expected, there were many very nice Sauvignon Blanc wines, including some oaked styles, and Pinot Noir wines. However, there were two wines that stood out - a young Syrah that showed impeccable balance and was very approachable for such a young wine, and an oaked Chardonnay. Here are my top wines from the New Zealand tasting....

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June 11 VINTAGES Release: Sparkling Wine + California Zin + Father's Day

The June 11 VINTAGES Release has 3 themes and will be on LCBO VINTAGES shelves this coming Saturday. The first theme is titled "Fizz Fest" and features sparkling wines for all occasions, while the second theme features California Zinfandel. The third and final theme of this release features a small selection of wines (and spirits) for Father's Day gifts. We'll begin with...

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Top Wines from Port & Douro Tasting - May 2016

May was an extremely busy month for tastings, so I've decided to highlight some of my favourites from each tasting. The first post in this series is the Porto and Douro wine tasting - a small event held at the beginning of May. This annual tasting normally has a very low turnout, but this time attendance was very good. The room at the Hyatt Regency Toronto was also on the...

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