August 16, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Summer Smart Buys + Greece

Here are my top wine picks from the August 16, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection, with digital edition here. The feature story of the release is titled "Summer Smart Buys", while the mini-feature focuses on the exciting wines from Greece. In all, there are 105 products included in this release, with a whopping 25 - nearly a quarter of the release - as Online & Flagship Exclusives (OFE). Overall, this is a very good release, with a relatively high number of OFE wines as recommended buys, while the number of quality red wines below $20 continues to dwindle. All the wines should already be available for purchase online and in-store.

We'll start with the feature story of the release - Summer Smart Buys - which includes 23 wines, most of which are under $20, and nearly all are under $25. There are five recommended Smart Buys among my top wine picks, and at the top of the list is a wine from McLaren Vale that is composed of 70% Grenache and 30% Mataro (aka Mourvèdre). The other reds are a Ventoux from Rhône that is a blend of 40% Syrah, 40% Grenache, and 20% Carignan, as well as a Merlot from Niagara. Smart white wine buys are the Chenin Blanc from South Africa, and a Chardonnay from Argentina.

The mini-thematic features the exciting wines from Greece. Once again, the mini-theme is small with only four wines included in the topic, but three are among my top recommendations. The lone red is an excellent Single Vineyard Xinomavro, while the whites are a Malagouzia from Evia (Central Greece) and an Assyrtiko from the Peloponnese. Other Greek highlights in the release include a trio of wines from Santorini - a couple of which are world-class Assyrtikos, as well as the Atlantis White, which is a blend of 90% Assyrtiko, 5% Athiri, and 5% Aidani.

Among my top wine picks, the OFEs lead the way once with a trio of fantastic wines. First up is a Super Tuscan that is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, followed by a couple of wines crafted with Gamay - one from Niagara-on-the-Lake, and the other from the Morgon cru in Beaujolais. Other wines from Tuscany include a Brunello di Montalcino that is straight Sangiovese, while the Riserva Chianti Classico is the Wine of the Month and is mainly Sangiovese. From Veneto, the Valpolicella is a blend of 55% Corvina, 25% Corvinone, and 20% Rondinella, while the Roussillon-Villages from France is composed of Grenache, Carignan, and Syrah. And lastly, there is a fine Cabernet Franc from Niagara.

Most of the white wines from the main release are actually OFEs, starting with the Old Vines blend from South Africa that is composed of 68% Chenin Blanc, 14% Clairette Blanche, 6% Sémillon Gris, 6% Grenache Blanc, and 6% Viognier. Other white wine OFEs are the Saint-Joseph Rhône white which is actually Marsanne, the off-dry Pinot Gris from New Zealand, and the dry Gewürztraminer from Alto Adige in Italy. The only other recommended white is from Costières de Nîmes, and it is a blend of 50% Grenache Blanc, 30% Roussanne, and 20% Clairette.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• DOMAINE BRUNELY VENTOUX 2022 - AP, Rhône, France (#43525) (XD) - $15.95
• FEATHERSTONE RED TAIL MERLOT 2022 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#131540) (XD) - $19.95
• CHÂTEAU SAINT-ROCH CHIMÈRES CÔTES DU ROUSSILLON-VILLAGES 2022 - AP, Midi, France (#119354) (XD) - $19.95
• CASTELLANI RISERVA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2019 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#86298) (XD) - $21.95  89 pts  wine review
• BRIGALDARA VALPOLICELLA RIPASSO SUPERIORE 2022 - Sustainable, DOC, Veneto, Italy (#16090) (XD) - $22.95  90 pts  wine review
• HITHER & YON GRENACHE/MATARO 2023 - Sustainable, McLaren Vale, South Australia (#42067) (XD) - $24.95
• LOUIS LATOUR MORGON 2023 - AC, Beaujolais, France (#44210) (XD) - $25.95  OFE
• WENDING HOME ESTATE VINEYARD CABERNET FRANC 2021 - VQA Creek Shores, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#46478) (XD) - $29.95
• BACHELDER BAI XU SINGLE VINEYARD GAMAY NOIR 2021 - VQA Four Mile Creek, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#46460) (XD) - $29.95  OFE
• KIR-YIANNI SINGLE VINEYARD RAMNISTA XINOMAVRO 2020 - PDO Naoussa, Greece (#178020) (XD) - $38.95  review coming soon...
• CAPARZO BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2019 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#579094) (XD) - $59.95
• RENIERI RE DI RENIERI 2021 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#104653) (XD) - $61.95  OFE

White Wine:

• CRIOS CHARDONNAY 2024 - Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#243196) (XD) - $16.95
• BUTINAGES COSTIÈRES DE NÎMES BLANC 2023 - Sustainable, AP, Rhône, France (#20906) (XD) - $17.95
• PETRIESSA MALAGOUZIA 2024 - PGI Evia, Greece (#37059) (XD) - $17.95
• SKOURAS WILD FERMENT ASSYRTIKO 2024 - Vegan, PGI Peloponnese, Greece (#32387) (XD) - $19.95  review coming soon...
• BADENHORST SECATEURS CHENIN BLANC 2024 - WO Swartland, South Africa (#37537) (XD) - $19.95
• ATLANTIS WHITE 2024 - Santorini, Greece (#371658) (XD) - $27.95  review coming soon...
• PETER ZEMMER GEWÜRZTRAMINER 2023 - DOC Alto Adige, Italy (#44241) (XD) - $29.95  OFE
• GREYWACKE MARLBOROUGH PINOT GRIS 2023 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#994939) (D) - $32.95  OFE  92 pts  wine review
• ALLÉNO & CHAPOUTIER CROIX DE CHABOT SAINT-JOSEPH BLANC 2023 - AC, Rhône, France (#43784) (XD) - $39.95  OFE  review coming soon...
• MULLINEUX OLD VINES WHITE 2024 - WO Swartland, South Africa (#556597) (XD) - $39.95  OFE
• ARGYROS CUVEE PALATIA ASSYRTIKO 2023 - PDO Santorini, Greece (#46042) (XD) - $83.95  OFE
• ARGYROS CUVEE MONSIGNORI ASSYRTIKO 2022 - PDO Santorini, Greece (#35718) (XD) - $98.95  OFE

Rosé Wine:

• STRATUS CABERNET FRANC ROSÉ 2024 - Sustainable, Vegan, VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#43598) (XD) - $32.20  OFE