May 24, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Outdoor Dining

Here are my top wine picks from this weekend's May 24, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection (flip book), where the feature story is titled "Outdoor Dining", while the mini-feature highlights French red wines meant to be served chilled. Also included in this release are a fine selection of Online & Flagship Exclusives. In all, there are 102 products offered, with 27 recommended buys, and possibly a few more added next week. All the wines should be readily available for purchase either in-store or online.

We'll begin with the feature on wines for Outdoor Dining, and of the twenty wines included as part of the thematic, six are among my top wine picks. I would very much recommend browsing through the catalogue (PDF and flipbook are linked above) as this feature highlights wine serving temperatures - a very important aspect to enjoying wine. Of the crisp, refreshing whites, try the 2024 Assyrtiko from Greece, the Pinot Grigio from Niagara, the Sauvignon Blanc from Chile, or the unoaked 2023 Chardonnay from Niagara. The lone rosé wine pick is from Spain, and it is a blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Tempranillo. Easy-going wines to lightly chill are both Gamay - one from Niagara, and the other is Beaujolais-Villages. The last wine is a red from Alentejo that's meant for the grill, and it is a blend of primarily Alicante Bouschet with Trincadeira and Touriga Nacional in support.

My top red wine recommendations begin in Tuscany, with the iconic Cepparello crafted with 100% Sangiovese. Also from Tuscany is the Brunello di Montalcino, which is crafted with 100% Sangiovese Grosso, while the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a blend of 70% Sangiovese (Prugnolo Gentile) and the rest Canaiolo. From the Rhône, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape is composed of 75% Grenache Noir, 12% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, and 3% Vaccarèse / Counoise / Cinsault, while the Côtes du Rhône-Villages is mainly Grenache with Syrah in support. The other two blends are the Purple Angel, which is crafted with 92% Carmenère and 8% Petit Verdot, and the Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia, which is actually a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Malbec.

Among my top white wine picks, only two are blends. The first is a white wine from Croatia that is composed of 70% Pošip, 20% Chardonnay, and 10% Vugava, while the Soave is a blend of 70% Garganega and 30% Trebbiano di Soave. Among the single varietal whites, you are likely familiar with most of the varieties, except for the Timorasso grape from Piedmont. The Santorini Assyrtiko is crafted with some really old vines, while the Riesling from New Zealand is your best bet if you want a wine with a little bit of sweetness.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• LOUIS BERNARD LOUIS CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES 2022 - AP, France (#561290) (XD) - $16.95
• MONSARAZ RESERVA 2022 - DOC Alentejo, Portugal (#20711) (XD) - $16.95
• CHÂTEAU GAILLARD BEAUJOLAIS-VILLAGES 2023 - Sustainable, AP, France (#42228) (XD) - $19.95
• QUINTA DO VALLADO VINHO TINTO 2022 - DOC Douro, Portugal (#41900) (XD) - $19.95
• EVANS & TATE WILD CAPE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2021 - Margaret River, Western Australia (#41352) (XD) - $21.95
• HIDDEN BENCH GAMAY 2022 - Sustainable, Unfiltered, VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#20422) (XD) - $29.95
• CARPINETO RISERVA VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO 2019 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#368910) (XD) - $34.95  91+ pts  wine review
• TAWSE QUARRY ROAD PINOT NOIR 2021 - VQA Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#307686) (XD) - $35.95
• TOMMASI CASISANO BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2019 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#483800) (XD) - $54.95  92 pts  wine review
• BOSQUET DES PAPES CUVÉE TRADITION CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2022 - AC, Rhône, France (#726687) (XD) - $56.95  OFE
• MONTES PURPLE ANGEL 2021 - DO Valle de Colchagua, Chile (#62364) (XD) - $105.95  94+ pts  wine review
• ISOLE E OLENA CEPPARELLO 2021 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#28768) (XD) - $195.95  96 pts  wine review

White Wine:

• BOYA SAUVIGNON BLANC 2024 - Sustainable, Vegan, DO Valle de Leyda, Chile (#389726) (XD) - $15.95  89 pts  wine review
• FEATHERSTONE PINOT GRIGIO 2024 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#20599) (D) - $17.95  89 pts  wine review
• PADDY BORTHWICK RIESLING 2023 - Wairarapa, North Island, New Zealand (#648840) (XD) - $19.95  OFE
• KIR-YIANNI THE NORTH ASSYRTIKO 2024 - Vegan, IGP Florina, Greece (#25707) (XD) - $19.95  91 pts  wine review
• 13TH STREET JUNE'S VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2023 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#236745) (XD) - $21.95  89 pts  wine review
  
• STINA CUVÉE WHITE 2023 - PDO Central and South Dalmatia, Croatia (#32035) (XD) - $21.95

• AUNTSFIELD SINGLE VINEYARD SAUVIGNON BLANC 2024 - Sustainable, Southern Valleys, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#663286) (XD) - $22.95
• JACKSON-TRIGGS GRAND RESERVE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2022 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#25368) (XD) - $24.95
• FONTANAFREDDA DERTHONA COLLI TORTONESI TIMORASSO 2023 - Sustainable, Vegan, DOC, Piedmont, Italy (#36416) (XD) - $28.95  OFE
• EL ENEMIGO CHARDONNAY 2023 - Mendoza, Argentina (#482984) (XD) - $29.95
• PIEROPAN CALVARINO SOAVE CLASSICO 2022 - DOC, Veneto, Italy (#19010) (XD) - $34.95  OFE  92 pts  wine review
• TRIUS SHOWCASE WILD FERMENT WATCHING TREE VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2022 - Sustainable, VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#199273) (XD) - $38.00  OFE  92+ pts  wine review
• ARGYROS SANTORINI ASSYRTIKO 2023 - PDO, Greece (#387365) (XD) - $53.95  OFE

Rosé Wine:

• BORN RAMBLA ROSÉ 2024 - Barcelona, Spain (#37863) (XD) - $16.95  88+ pts  wine review

Sparkling Wine:

• LABOURÉ-GONTARD BRUT CRÉMANT DE BOURGOGNE - Traditional Method, AP, Burgundy, France (#401018) (D) - $22.95