January 10, 2026 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Smart Buys

Happy New Year! Here are my top wine picks from the January 10, 2026 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection (digital edition here). As the first release of the year, this is the annual Smart Buys release, which tends to be smaller and cheaper when compared to the releases we saw over the last 2–3 months. The mini-thematic takes a quick look at Portugal. In all, there are 86 products offered in this release, including a few that are Online & Flagship Exclusives (OFE), with 50 products priced below $20. All the wines should be readily available for purchase across Ontario.

We'll begin with the annual Smart Buys feature, which has twenty-five wines listed and seven of which are included among my top wine picks from this release. Within the Smart Buys feature, the lone white wine recommendation is a medium sweet Riesling from Niagara. Staying on the local front, there's also a Merlot and a $25 Pinot Noir, both from Niagara. Smart Buy blends include the Côtes du Rhône, which is composed of 60% Grenache Noir and 40% Syrah, the Portuguese red from Alentejo that is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Aragonez, Alicante Bouschet, and Syrah, and the Riserva Chianti Classico, which is 90% Sangiovese and the balance other permitted varieties. The last Smart Buy is a Cabernet Sauvignon from Coonawarra, Australia.

My top red wine recommendations from the main release begins in the Southern Rhône Valley with a Châteauneuf-du-Pape that is composed of mainly Grenache with Syrah and Mourvèdre in support, followed closely by the Vacqueyras, which is a blend of 50% Grenache, 25% Syrah, and 25% Mourvèdre. Next up is Italy for a lovely red from Sicily that is a 70/30 blend of Nero d'Avola and Syrah, followed by the wine from Abruzzo that is crafted using Montepulciano. The only other blend is the Rioja from Spain, which is made using a blend of Tempranillo and Garnacha. Other red wines include a lovely Pinot Noir by Tawse, and a Malbec from Argentina.

All my top white wine picks from the main release are mono-varietal wines, with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc wines dominating the list. There are four Sauvignon Blanc wines, with a trio from Marlborough and one from Niagara. Of Chardonnay, there are a pair from Burgundy and one from Prince Edward County. Other white wines include the Torrontés from Argentina, the Grasevina from Croatia, and the Chenin Blanc from the Loire. For sweet wine lovers, look to either the excellent Vidal Icewine or the Riesling Icewine - both of these delectably sweet wines are from Niagara.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• LAVAU CÔTES DU RHÔNE 2024 - AOC, France (#18783) (XD) - $14.95
• RAVASQUEIRA LAGAR RED BLEND 2022 - Vinho Regional Alentejo, Portugal (#45093) (XD) - $14.95  88+ pts  wine review
• PIETRAME EDIZIONE LIMITATA MONTEPULCIANO D'ABRUZZO 2022 - DOP, Italy (#32534) (XD) - $15.95  90 pts  wine review
• HOLLICK THE BARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2021 - Coonawarra, South Australia (#18525) (XD) - $16.95  88+ pts  wine review
• CUSUMANO PRESTI E PEGNI BENUARA SYRAH/ NERO D'AVOLA 2022 - DOC Sicilia, Italy (#597138) (XD) - $17.95  91 pts  wine review
• MARQUÉS DE LA CONCORDIA LAGUNILLA RESERVA 2018 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#44774) (XD) - $18.95  review coming soon...
• FEATHERSTONE RED TAIL MERLOT 2023 - Sustainable, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#131540) (XD) - $19.95  review coming soon...

• EL ESTECO MALBEC 2023 - Valle de Cafayate, Salta, Argentina (#113191) (XD) - $19.95
• THE ORGANIZED CRIME BREAK-IN PINOT NOIR 2022 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#396267) (XD) - $24.95
• CECCHI RISERVA DI FAMIGLIA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2020 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#14200) (XD) - $24.95
• DOMAINE FONT SARADE LES HAUTS DE LA PONCHE VACQUEYRAS 2024 - AOP, Rhône, France (#42394) (XD) - $31.95  OFE
• TAWSE QUARRY ROAD PINOT NOIR 2023 - VQA Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#307686) (XD) - $35.95
• BROTTE LES HAUTS DE BARVILLE CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2022 - AOC, Rhône, France (#35974) (XD) - $49.95

White Wine:

• EL ESTECO BLEND DE EXTREMOS TORRONTÉS 2024 - Valle de Cafayate, Argentina (#46399) (XD) - $18.95
• LE GARENNE CHENIN BLANC 2024 - AOP Saumur, Loire, France (#47327) (XD) - $18.95  review coming soon...
• RAPAURA SPRINGS CLASSIC SAUVIGNON BLANC 2024 - Sustainable, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#465880) (XD) - $19.95
• KUTJEVO GRASEVINA 2024 - Danube-Kutjevo Vineyard, Slavonia, Croatia (#519074) (XD) - $19.95
• MEGALOMANIAC NARCISSIST RIESLING 2024 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#67587) (M) - $19.95
• PROSPER MAUFOUX MÂCON-VILLAGES 2023 - AOC, Burgundy, France (#18709) (XD) - $20.95
• SPY VALLEY E BLOCK SAUVIGNON BLANC 2023 - Vegan, Sustainable, Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#36874) (XD) - $21.95  review coming soon...
• RAVINE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2023 - VQA Four Mile Creek, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#48905) (XD) - $22.95
• VILLA MARIA SOUTHERN CLAYS RESERVE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2024 - Sustainable, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#47831) (XD) - $24.95
• CLOSERIE DES ALISIERS PETIT CHABLIS 2023 - AOC, Burgundy, France (#557769) (XD) - $29.95
• VOLTA AMPHORA RAMIREZ VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2023 - VQA Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada (#48951) (XD) - $29.95

Dessert Wine:

• TAWSE RIESLING ICEWINE 2023 - VQA Creek Shores, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#44186, 200 mL) (S) - $36.95
• INNISKILLIN NIAGARA ESTATE GOLD VIDAL ICEWINE 2023 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#19083, 375 mL) (S) - $99.95  93 pts  wine review