February 7, 2026 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Romantic Wines

Here are my top wine picks from the February 7, 2026 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection (digital edition here). Titled "Our Most Romantic Wines", this is the annual Valentine's release and also includes a new batch of Online & Flagship Exclusive (OFE) wines. A good-sized release with just over 90 products offered, all of which should be readily available for purchase by Saturday, if not earlier.

We'll begin with the feature on "Romantic Wines", which specifically restricts the offerings to Europe's most romantic (and wine-producing) regions - Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Austria, and Germany. In all, there are sixteen wines included as part of the feature story, five of which are included among my top wine picks. From Italy, there is a fine Brunello di Montalcino from Tuscany that is crafted with 100% Sangiovese Grosso, while the French red wine is from Châteauneuf-du-Pape and is composed of 70% Grenache Noir, 15% Syrah, and 15% Mourvèdre. The last red wine is from the Douro in Portugal, and it is a blend of equal parts Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional, plus 20% Tinta Roriz. Among the white wines, there is a Grüner Veltliner from Austria, and a medium-sweet Riesling from Mosel, Germany.

Among my top red wine picks from the main release, we'll start in Tuscany with the iconic Cepparello that is made with 100% Sangiovese. Also from Tuscany is the Chianti Classico that is crafted using 96% Sangiovese and 4% Merlot, as well as the Bolgheri that is mainly Cabernet Sauvignon. Both wines from Bordeaux are blends, with the Médoc a blend of mainly Cabernet Sauvignon plus Merlot, while the Bordeaux Supérieur is composed of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. From Rioja, Spain, the Gran Reserva is made with Tempranillo, while the Crianza is a blend of mainly Tempranillo with small amounts of Garnacha and Graciano. The Priorat from Spain is composed of Garnacha and Mazuelo, while the Portuguese red from Alentejano is a blend of Aragonez, Alicante Bouschet, Touriga Nacional, and Syrah. The last blend is from South Africa, and it is composed of 92% Syrah and 8% Grenache.

It was somewhat slim pickings among the white wines from the main release. However, what is recommended is very good. Chardonnay leads the pack, and first up is an excellent Chablis Premier Cru from Burgundy, followed by a pair of lovely premium offerings from Niagara. There's also a Sauvignon Blanc from Chile, as well as a blend of Alvarinho and Loureiro from Vinho Verde in Portugal.

Other wines include a pair of lovely, locally crafted sparkling wines from Niagara. The 2021 Rosé Brut Sparkling is made with 100% Pinot Noir, while the 2019 Brut Sparkling is made with 100% Pinot Meunier. The only rosé table wine in this release is also from Niagara, and it is crafted using 100% Cabernet Franc. And lastly, the Moscatel de Setúbal from Portugal is made with 100% Muscat.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• GLORIA RESERVA 2022 - DOC Douro, Portugal (#146522) (XD) - $14.95  89 pts  wine review
• GUARDA RIOS SIGNATURE RED 2022 - Vinho Regional Alentejano, Portugal (#11151) (XD) - $14.95  90 pts  wine review
• LÓPEZ DE HARO CRIANZA 2021 - Vegan, DOCa Rioja, Spain (#377481) (XD) - $17.95
• CAP ROYAL ROUGE BORDEAUX SUPÉRIEUR 2022 - Vegan, AOC, France (#486761) (XD) - $19.95  review coming soon...
• CASAS DEL TOQUI LIMITED EDITION GRAN RESERVA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2021 - Sustainable, Alto Totihue, DO Valle de Cachapoal, Chile (#37751) (XD) - $19.95  91 pts  wine review

• CHÂTEAU FONTAINE DE L'AUBIER 2019 - Sustainable, AOC Médoc, Bordeaux, France (#35619) (XD) - $25.95
• BON MAS 2020 - DOQ Priorat, Spain (#44773) (XD) - $27.95
• VAN LOGGERENBERG HIGH HOPES SYRAH/GRENACHE 2023 - WO Swartland, South Africa (#48106) (XD) - $31.95  OFE
• ALTANZA GRAN RESERVA 2016 - Vegan, DOCa Rioja, Spain (#453548) (XD) - $32.95  91+ pts  wine review
• BELL'AJA BOLGHERI 2022 - DOC, Tuscany, Italy (#16890) (XD) - $39.95  review coming soon...

• CASTELLO DI AMA AMA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2023 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#515759) (XD) - $45.95
• DAMILANO LECINQUEVIGNE BAROLO 2020 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#454488) (XD) - $56.95
• DOMAINE ALBIN JACUMIN LA BÉGUDE DES PAPES CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2022 - Sustainable, AOC, Rhône, France (#47574) (XD) - $57.95
• COL D'ORCIA OLMAIA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#16668) (XD) - $77.95  OFE  92+ pts  wine review
• CAMIGLIANO BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2020 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#25970) (XD) - $86.95
• ISOLE E OLENA CEPPARELLO 2022 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#28768) (XD) - $199.95

White Wine:

• VICHUQUÉN SINGLE VINEYARD SAUVIGNON BLANC 2024 - DO Valle de Curicó, Chile (#47112) (XD) - $15.95
• MARIA PAPOILA ALVARINHO/ LOUREIRO 2024 - DOC Vinho Verde, Portugal (#408146) (XD) - $18.95
• RABL LANGENLOIS GRÜNER VELTLINER 2023 - Sustainable, DAC Kamptal, Austria (#377457) (XD) - $19.95
• GOLDSCHILD ÜRZIGER WÜRZGARTEN RIESLING KABINETT 2023 - Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany (#45015) (MS) - $21.95
• DOMAINE LE CLOS JORDANNE JORDAN VILLAGE CHARDONNAY 2023 - VQA West Niagara, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#20455) (XD) - $30.00  review coming soon...
• DOMAINE QUEYLUS RÉSERVE DU DOMAINE CHARDONNAY 2022 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#417832) (XD) - $48.70
• DOMAINE YVON & LAURENT VOCORET FOURCHAUME CHABLIS 1ER CRU 2023 - AOC, Burgundy, France (#22776) (XD) - $58.95  review coming soon...

Rosé Wine:

• PENINSULA RIDGE BEAL VINEYARD CABERNET ROSÉ 2024 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#177840) (XD) - $16.95

Sparkling Wine:

• KEW PINOT MEUNIER NATURAL BRUT SPARKLING 2019 - Traditional Method, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#49602) (XD) - $32.95  review coming soon...
• DIVERGENCE HUGHES VINEYARD BRUT ROSÉ SPARKLING 2021 - Traditional Method, VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#49617) (XD) - $39.95  91+ pts  wine review

Fortified Wine:

• BACALHÔA MOSCATEL DE SETÚBAL 2022 - Vegan, DOP, Portugal (#996181) (S) - $18.95

Dessert Wine:

• LAKEVIEW CELLARS CABERNET SAUVIGNON ICEWINE 2017 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#471813, 200 mL) (S) - $29.95  92 pts  wine review