March 15, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Sustainable Italian Wines

Here are my top wine picks from the March 15, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection, which features Sustainable Italian Wines as the main theme of the release, while the mini-theme looks at Stellar Stellenbosch. The release as a whole is very good with ninety-four products on offer at various price points, with all but ten coming in at $40 or less. Also included in this...

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Gorghi Tondi Coste a Preola Grillo 2022 (Sicily) - Wine Review

Tonight's white wine review is a lovely, organic Grillo from Sicily that arrived at the LCBO on the weekend in the May 11th LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection. It is also featured in the theme of the release: The Wine Pantheon - Classic Euro Regions, and is widely available across Ontario today.It is produced by Tenuta Gorghi Tondi, a family-owned estate winery located in...

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Orestiadi Ludovico 2008 (Sicily) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is a lovely blend of Nero d'Avola and Cabernet Sauvignon that I purchased nearly a decade ago from the November 8, 2014 LCBO VINTAGES Release. Of course, it is long sold out by now, but you can grab the latest vintage of this wine (link in product code below) as it arrived in LCBO VINTAGES late last year, with some bottles still available for purchase...

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Planeta Frappato 2021 (Sicily) - Wine Review

After enjoying the beautiful 2018 Planeta Frappato Vittoria a couple of years ago, tonight's red wine review is the latest vintage of this terrific (and now organically certified) red wine that arrived at the LCBO last weekend in the July 22 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection.It is produced by Planeta, a well-established and respected wine producer based on the island of...

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Feudo Maccari Saia Nero d'Avola 2018 (Sicily) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is a lovely Nero d'Avola from Sicily that arrived at the LCBO over the weekend as part of the LCBO VINTAGES Release on December 3rd.Feudo Maccari was founded in the late 1990's when Antonio Moretti Cuseri of Tenuta Sette Ponti in Tuscany visited Sicily for a brief time and was enchanted by region's famous Baroque style and the warm waters of the sea....

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July 16, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Mediterranean

The theme of the upcoming July 16, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release is titled "Sun, Sea & Sips" and focuses on wines from the Mediterranean. Also included in the magazine is a list of the next Online Exclusives collection that will be available starting July 28. Wines from this Release will be available at LCBO outlets across Ontario by this Saturday.We begin with the theme...

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Feudo Maccari Noto Neré Nero d'Avola 2018 (Sicily) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is this lovely Nero d'Avola from Sicily that arrived at the LCBO over the weekend as part of the April 16th LCBO VINTAGES Release.Although the story of Feudo Maccari begins only in the late 1990's, the history of the vineyards go back much further in time. Founder Antonio Moretti Cuseri (of Tenuta Sette Ponti that crafted the lovely 2018 Crognolo...

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October 30, 2021 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: California + Sicily

The main theme of the October 30 LCBO VINTAGES Release is titled "California Classics", while the mini-theme takes a look at Signature wines from Sicily. All of these wines, plus those from the main release should be available on shelves across Ontario by Saturday.We begin with the main theme on classic California wines. In total, there are thirteen wines featured as part...

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Great Italian Wines - Understanding Indigenous Grape Varieties - Carricante & Nerello Mascalese

I had the pleasure of attending the fifth and final masterclass on "Great Italian Wines - Understanding Indigenous Grape Varieties" last Thursday evening. In this class, we ventured to the island of Sicily to discover Etna wines made with the indigenous varietals Carricante and Nerello Mascalese.The wines from Mount Etna have garnered much international praise and recognition...

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Planeta Frappato Vittoria 2018 (Sicily) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a lovely red wine made with the rare Frappato varietal from Sicily that arrived at the LCBO recently as part of the April 3, 2021 LCBO VINTAGES Release.With a heritage of seventeen generations, Planeta is one of Sicily's historic wine producers. The family has been involved with the course of agricultural evolution over five centuries in the complex...

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