Crasto 2018 (Portugal) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a delicious blend of Douro red grape varieties from Portugal. The 2017 vintage of this red wine will be coming to LCBO VINTAGES on April 4th. It is produced by Quinta do Crasto, an estate whose name comes from the Latin castrum meaning "Roman fort", and its history dates far back into ancient times, with the first mention of its wine production dating...

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Scattered Earth Bush Vine Cinsault 2018 (South Africa) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a delicious, wallet-friendly, and intriguing Cinsault from South Africa that will arrive in LCBO VINTAGES on April 4th. Scattered Earth is a relatively new brand of wines - launched within the last couple of years - and created by South Africa's co-operative - KWV. The Scattered Earth brand follows the learnings of The Mentors brand. With Mentors,...

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13th Street June's Vineyard Riesling 2019 (Niagara) - Wine Review

For tonight's wine review, I have this lovely Riesling from Niagara that I was first introduced to when the 2011 13th Street June's Vineyard Riesling showed up in LCBO VINTAGES nearly 6 year ago to the day. I have tasted this wine on a few occasions since that time, and it has always been delicious. 13th Street Winery was founded by 1998 and purchased in 2008 by the current...

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Boasso Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d'Alba 2015 (Piedmont) - Wine Review

Italy has been hit very hard by COVID-19, so for tonight's wine review, I opened this lovely Barolo from Piedmont. It is produced by the Azienda Agricola Boasso Franco, a family-run winery that started producing it's own wines from its family-owned vineyards in the early 1970's. It is located in Gabutti, a first-class sub-zone within the commune of Serralunga d'Alba and managed...

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Lakeview Cellars Malbec 2016 (Niagara) - Wine Review

While I'm practising self-isolation and social distancing, tonight's wine review is a lovely Malbec from Niagara... yes, you read that right! Lakeview Cellars was founded in 1991 by Eddy Gurinskas. Today, Lakeview Cellars is the oldest label that forms the group of brands from Lakeview Wine Co., a division of Niagara's Diamond Estates. Malbec is not commonly grown in Niagara,...

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March 21, 2020 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Classic Euro Regions + Okanagan + Annapolis

In these extraordinary times with COVID-19 at top of mind, this post seems almost irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. However, since the LCBO is still open (with reduced hours as of Thursday, March 19) and I think we would all like to step back and take a breather from all of the Coronavirus pandemic news, the next batch of new wines arriving at the LCBO are from the...

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Lakeview Cellars Fumé Blanc 2017 (Niagara) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a yummy Fumé Blanc (i.e. Sauvignon Blanc) from Niagara. The French term "fumé" translates to "smoke", and is derived from a thick layer of fog that would cover the Loire Valley in France. In the new world, as they do at Lakeview Cellars, a wine brand of Lakeview Wine Co., which itself is a division of Niagara's Diamond Estates, they add some mild oak...

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Lakeview Cellars Morgan Vineyard Kerner 2018 (Niagara) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a nice white wine from Niagara that is crafted from the aromatic Kerner grape varietal. I enjoyed the 2017 Lakeview Cellars Morgan Vineyard Kerner back in 2018 and am delighted to see Lakeview Wine Co. make this wine again due to popular demand. Lakeview Cellars was established in 1991 and built a worldwide reputation as a leading producer of premium...

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March 7, 2020 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: California + Burgundy

I just returned from a lovely vacation in New Zealand where I also visited some wineries in Marlborough, Hawke's Bay, Waiheke Island, and Auckland - stay tuned for more about my visit. In the meantime, wines from the March 7, 2020 LCBO VINTAGES Release arrived on shelves across Ontario last Saturday. This Release features wines from two premium winegrowing regions - California...

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Wines of Argentina Masterclass

In November, I had the pleasure of attending a Tastes of Argentina masterclass to explore the climatic and cultural factors shaping today's wines from Argentina. The event was hosted by The Consulate of Argentina, represented by Maria de los Angeles Arrieta, Deputy Consul General Trade Commissioner from Consulate General of Argentina, and leading the masterclass was Christopher...

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