November 22, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Gifts + Niagara Sparklers

Here are my top wine picks from the November 22, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection (digital edition here), which has Giftable Wines as the feature story of the release, while Sparkling Wines from Niagara is the mini-thematic, as well as the topic in Local Talent. This is a fairly large release with almost 130 products offered, with about two-thirds of the wines coming in at under $35. Overall, it is a very good release with many delicious examples from across the globe, including Australia, which is notably strong in this release. All the wines should be readily available for purchase online and in-stores across Ontario.

Of the twenty-nine wines included as part of the feature story on Giftable Wines, nine are included among my top wine picks. The lone bubbly is the 2017 Blanc de Blancs that is 100% Chardonnay and aged on its lees for 54 months. Giftable white wines are the Chardonnay from New Zealand, and a Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre in Loire. For big spenders, the most giftable red wine is the Amarone, which consists of 50% Corvina, 20% Rondinella, 20% Corvinone, and 10% other permitted varieties. Also from Italy is the Brunello di Montalcino, which is 100% Sangiovese, while the Saint-Estèphe from Bordeaux is composed of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot. From Spain, the Rioja is a 90/10 blend of Tempranillo and Graciano, while the Ribera del Duero is 100% Tempranillo. On the local front, there is a fine Pinot Noir from the Twenty Mile Bench in Niagara.

From the mini-thematic on Niagara Sparkling Wines, two of the four wines featured are among my recommended buys. First up is the 2020 Sparkling, which is a blend of 50% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Meunier, and 20% Pinot Noir, while the second recommended buy is the 2022 Brut Rosé Sparkling, which is crafted with 100% Pinot Noir.

Red wine recommendations from the main release begin in Italy and the Wine of the Month - the Crognolo Super Tuscan, which is a 95/5 blend of Sangiovese and Merlot. Also from Italy, the Etna Rosso is mainly Nerello Mascalese and a small amount of Nerello Cappuccio, while the Chianti Classico is Sangiovese, and the wine from Abruzzo is crafted with Montepulciano. Australia also shows strongly in this release with a quartet of reds - the single varietal wines are a Shiraz, a Grenache, and a Cabernet Sauvignon, while the blend is a GSM composed of Grenache, Shiraz, and Mourvèdre. There are a couple of blends from France, with the Plan de Dieu composed of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 5% Cinsault, and 5% Mourvèdre, while the Côtes de Gascogne from Southwest France is 50/50 Tannat and Merlot. Other blends include the Carmenère (which has 5% Petit Verdot) from Chile, and the Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot blend from South Africa. Other wines that may not be obvious which varietals they are crafted from are the Naoussa from Greece, which is 100% Xinomavro, and the Blaufränkisch from Austria.

All of my top white wine picks from the main release are mono-varietal wines. We'll begin on the national front with a lovely dry Riesling from British Columbia, followed by a medium-sweet Riesling from Niagara. From Australia, there is an excellent Sémillon from the Barossa Valley, as well as a lovely Viognier from Eden Valley. Other fine wines include the Malagouzia from Greece, and a Grüner Veltliner from Austria. There's also a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, a Chenin Blanc from South Africa, and a Chardonnay from Argentina.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• CAPE PASTORAL ORGANIC CABERNET SAUVIGNON/ MERLOT 2023 - WO Western Cape, South Africa (#36978) (XD) - $13.95  review coming soon...
• UMANI RONCHI PODERE MONTEPULCIANO D'ABRUZZO 2023 - DOC, Italy (#46567) (XD) - $17.95  review coming soon...
• RÉMY FERBRAS PLAN DE DIEU CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES 2023 - AOP, France (#538009) (XD) - $17.95  review coming soon...
• MAISON FONTAN TATTOO T&M ROUGE 2022 - IGP Côtes de Gascogne, Southwest, France (#43894) (D) - $18.95  review coming soon...
• ESTERHÁZY ESTORAS BLAUFRÄNKISCH 2021 - Qualitätswein, DAC Leithaberg, Austria (#45354) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• PÉREZ CRUZ LIMITED EDITION CARMENÈRE 2023 - Sustainable, DO Valle del Maipo Andes, Chile (#670539) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• BOUTARI NAOUSSA RED 2022 - PDO Naoussa, Macedonia, Greece (#23218) (XD) - $19.95  90+ pts  updated review soon

• FAMILIA TORRES PAGO DEL CIELO CELESTE CRIANZA 2020 - Toronto Skyline Limited Edition, DO Ribera del Duero, Spain (#44753) (XD) - $21.95  89 pts  wine review
• YALUMBA SAMUEL'S COLLECTION BUSH VINE GRENACHE 2023 - Barossa, South Australia (#531228) (XD) - $21.95
• ANGOVE FAMILY CREST GRENACHE SHIRAZ MOURVÈDRE 2022 - McLaren Vale, South Australia (#534750) (XD) - $22.95  89 pts  wine review
• HEIRLOOM COONAWARRA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2022 - Coonawarra, South Australia (#493577) (XD) - $22.95  90+ pts  wine review
• TORNATORE ETNA ROSSO 2022 - DOC, Sicily, Italy (#487090) (XD) - $24.95
• IL MOLINO DI GRACE CHIANTI CLASSICO 2023 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#85209) (XD) - $24.95
• UNDURRAGA TERROIR HUNTER CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2023 - Alto Maipo, Valle del Maipo, Chile (#630350) (XD) - $27.95
• TORBRECK WOODCUTTER'S SHIRAZ 2023 - Barossa Valley, South Australia (#927533) (XD) - $29.95  91+ pts  wine review

• ESCARPMENT NOIR PINOT NOIR 2023 - Martinborough, North Island, New Zealand (#41810) (XD) - $29.95  review coming soon...
• TENUTA SETTE PONTI CROGNOLO 2022 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#727636) (XD) - $34.95  92 pts  updated review soon
• COTO DE IMAZ GRAN RESERVA 2018 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#976811) (XD) - $34.95
• REDSTONE ESTATE SYRAH 2020 - VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#437376) (XD) - $40.95  91 pts  wine review
• TAWSE CHERRY AVENUE PINOT NOIR 2022 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#398347) (XD) - $49.95  92 pts  wine review
• POGGIO LANDI BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2019 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#573980) (XD) - $49.95  93 pts  wine review
• CHÂTEAU BEAU-SITE 2018 - AOC Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux, France (#647933) (XD) - $52.95  93 pts  wine review
• LE RAGOSE RISERVA AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO 2013 - DOCG, Veneto, Italy (#32699) (XD) - $101.95

White Wine:

• FOGOLAR HUGHES VINEYARD RIESLING 2022 - VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#30664) (M) - $19.95
• ZUCCARDI MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS CHARDONNAY 2023 - Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#46400) (XD) - $19.95
• BELLINGHAM THE OLD ORCHARDS CHENIN BLANC 2024 - WO Coastal Region, South Africa (#484055) (XD) - $19.95
• ALPHA ESTATE TURTLES SINGLE VINEYARD MALAGOUZIA 2024 - PGI Florina, Greece (#32161) (XD) - $19.95  review coming soon...
• YALUMBA VIOGNIER 2022 - Vegan, Sustainable, Eden Valley, South Australia (#954644) (XD) - $21.95
• CLOS HENRI ESTATE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2023 - Wairau Valley, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#927186) (XD) - $24.95
• ESTERHÁZY ESTORAS GRÜNER VELTLINER 2024 - DAC Leithaberg, Austria (#40882) (XD) - $24.95  91 pts  wine review
• TORBRECK WOODCUTTER'S SEMILLON 2024 - Barossa Valley, South Australia (#927541) (XD) - $29.95  92 pts  updated review soon
• CULMINA DECORA RIESLING 2021 - BC VQA Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada (#46638) (XD) - $36.95
• HUBERT BROCHARD SANCERRE 2023 - AOC, Loire, France (#42444) (XD) - $39.95
• CLOUDY BAY CHARDONNAY 2023 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#359513) (XD) - $50.95

Sparkling Wine:

• KEW TRADITION SPARKLING 2020 - Traditional Method, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#491092) (XD) - $32.95
• WESTCOTT BRILLIANT ROSÉ SPARKLING 2022 - Traditional Method, VQA Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#38733) (XD) - $40.00
• HENRY OF PELHAM CUVÉE CATHARINE CARTE BLANCHE ESTATE BLANC DE BLANCS 2017 - Sustainable, Traditional Method, VQA Short Hills Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#315200) (XD) - $49.95  93+ pts  wine review

Fortified Wine:

• TORO ALBALÁ POLEY PEDRO XIMÉNEZ DULCE MONTILLA-MORILES 2019 - DO, Spain (#46830, 500 mL) (S) - $29.95

Dessert Wine:

• INNISKILLIN NIAGARA ESTATE RIESLING ICEWINE 2023 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#558288, 375 mL) (S) - $89.95