October 11, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Italy

Here are my top wine picks from the October 11, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection (digital edition here), with "Inimitable Italy" the feature story of the release, while Chile gets the mini-spotlight. Also included in this release is a large selection of Online & Flagship Exclusive (OFE) wines. As we get closer to the holiday and gift-giving season, the releases tend to get larger and more expensive, and this release is no exception, with 137 products offered and the average price per bottle coming in at just under $33. Overall, this is a very good release with many fine wines at various price points, and all the wines should be readily available for purchase.

We'll begin with the feature story that focuses on wines from Italy, and of the twenty wines featured in the theme, five are included among my top wine recommendations. Starting in Tuscany and at the top of the list is the Cepparello Super Tuscan that is crafted with 100% Sangiovese, followed by the Chianti Classico that is also Sangiovese. The last wine from Tuscany is a Bolgheri crafted with 44% Merlot, 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Petit Verdot. From Campania, there is a fine Falanghina, and the last wine is a Prosecco made with Glera.

Staying in Italy for red wine picks from the main release, there is the Brunello di Montalcino that is made with 100% Sangiovese, as well as the wine from Sicily that is a blend of 80% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Merlot. From Portugal, the Douro red is a blend of 55% Touriga Nacional, 40% Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), and 5% Sezão, while the Alentejo red is composed of 42.5% Alicante Bouschet, 27.5% Alfrocheiro, 15% Syrah, and 15% Touriga Nacional. The only other blend is from Bordeaux, and it is composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot. My remaining red wine picks are single varietal wines, including the Rioja that is Tempranillo, and the wine from Bulgaria that is crafted with Gamza (aka Kadarka).

Most of my top white wine recommendations in this release are mono-varietal wines, with the only blends being the McLaren Vale white that is composed of 55% Viognier and 45% Marsanne, and the Marsanne from Niagara that actually includes 2.4% Viognier and 2.4% Pinot Gris. Chardonnay wine lovers will find joy in this release with a quartet of wines — two from South Africa, and singletons from Margaret River (Australia) and Niagara. There's also a fine Melon de Bourgogne from the Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine appellation. And lastly, for Riesling fans, there is the dry Riesling by Cave Spring, and a medium-sweet Riesling by Tawse.

Among my rosé wine picks, the Tavel is a blend of 50% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Clairette, 10% Mourvèdre, 5% Cinsault, and 5% Bourboulenc, while the slightly off-dry rose from Niagara is a blend of 46.7% Gamay, 42.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11.1% Cabernet Franc.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cin cin!

Red Wine:

• LOVICO GAMZA 2021 - AOC Suhindol, Bulgaria (#10877) (XD) - $17.95
• JOURNEY'S END THE BLUEGUM MERLOT 2021 - WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#45381) (XD) - $18.95
• HUGH HAMILTON JIM JIM CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2022 - Vegan, McLaren Vale, South Australia (#45334) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• FAMILLE LAFAGE CUVÉE NICOLAS VIEILLES VIGNES GRENACHE NOIR 2022 - IGP Côtes Catalanes, Roussillon, France (#354191) (XD) - $19.95
• BEST'S BIN NO. 1 GREAT WESTERN SHIRAZ 2022 - Victoria, Australia (#222323) (XD) - $19.95

• LORNANO CHIANTI CLASSICO 2020 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#211599) (XD) - $22.95  90+ pts  wine review
• CHÂTEAU TOUR DU HAUT-MOULIN 2015 - AOC Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France (#26295) (XD) - $27.95  review coming soon...
• HIDDEN BENCH GAMAY 2023 - Sustainable, Unfiltered, VQA West Niagara, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#20422) (XD) - $29.95  90+ pts  wine review
• QUINTA DA FONTE SOUTO RED 2019 - DOC Alentejo - Portalegre, Portugal (#45163) (XD) - $29.95  OFE  91 pts  wine review
• OLABARRI GRAN RESERVA 2015 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#329102) (XD) - $29.95  91 pts  wine review

• SOLICCHIATA SECONDO DI CASTELLO 2012 - IGP Sicily, Italy (#46776) (XD) - $34.95  OFE  review coming soon...
• QUADRUS RESERVA 2017 - DOC Douro, Portugal (#534271) (XD) - $35.95
• LEEU PASSANT CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2022 - WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#24601) (XD) - $49.95  OFE
• LE SERRE NUOVE DELL'ORNELLAIA 2023 - Second Wine of Ornellaia, DOC Bolgheri Rosso, Tuscany, Italy (#606194) (XD) - $84.95
• CASANOVA DI NERI BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2020 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#85498) (XD) - $99.95  OFE
• ISOLE E OLENA CEPPARELLO 2021 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#28768) (XD) - $198.95  96 pts  wine review

White Wine:

• FLEURON DE LA REBOURGÈRE SUR LIE MUSCADET SÈVRE-ET-MAINE 2023 - AOC, Loire, France (#557207) (XD) - $16.95  review coming soon...
• D'ARENBERG THE HERMIT CRAB VIOGNIER/ MARSANNE 2024 - McLaren Vale, South Australia (#662775) (XD) - $17.95
• ZUCCARDI SERIE A TORRONTÉS 2024 - Sustainable, Salta, Argentina (#389262) (XD) - $17.95
• MILES FROM NOWHERE MARGARET RIVER SAUVIGNON BLANC 2023 - Western Australia (#41794) (XD) - $18.95  review coming soon...
• IL POGGIO FALANGHINA DEL SANNIO 2023 - DOP, Campania, Italy (#17695) (XD) - $18.95  90 pts  wine review
• BLAAUWKLIPPEN CHARDONNAY 2023 - WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#45188) (XD) - $19.95

 

• TAWSE LIMESTONE RIDGE-NORTH RIESLING 2021 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#431593) (M) - $21.95
• KEW MARSANNE 2020 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#485334) (XD) - $21.95  91+ pts  wine review
• VASSE FELIX FILIUS CHARDONNAY 2023 - Margaret River, Western Australia (#416511) (XD) - $23.95  OFE
• FEATHERSTONE CANADIAN OAK CHARDONNAY 2023 - Sustainable, Vegan, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#149302) (XD) - $24.95  review coming soon...
• CAVE SPRING CSV CAVE SPRING VINEYARD ESTATE GROWN RIESLING 2022 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#566026) (XD) - $34.95  91+ pts  wine review
• HAMILTON RUSSELL CHARDONNAY 2024 - Vegan, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, South Africa (#931006) (XD) - $65.95

Rosé Wine:

• FEATHERSTONE ROSÉ 2024 - Sustainable, Vegan, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#117861) (D) - $16.95  88+ pts  wine review
• CHÂTEAU D'AQUERIA TAVEL ROSÉ 2024 - AOP, Cru des Côtes du Rhône, France (#319368) (XD) - $26.95  91+ pts  wine review

Sparkling Wine:

• CARPENÈ MALVOLTI 1868 BRUT CONEGLIANO VALDOBBIADENE PROSECCO SUPERIORE - DOCG, Veneto, Italy (#727438) (D) - $19.95  90 pts  wine review
• KEN FORRESTER SPARKLEHORSE CAP CLASSIQUE BRUT SPARKLING CHENIN BLANC 2022 - Traditional Method, WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#32030) (D) - $29.95  review coming soon...