VINTAGES Release January 7: Smart Buys

Happy New Year and welcome to 2017! After large (and expensive) VINTAGES Releases in the Fall leading up to the holidays, we arrive in 2017 with the annual "Smart Buys" release. The first release of 2017 is a thin release, with most of the wines listed under $20 and quite contrasted compared to what we saw over the past 3 months. The wines from the January 7 LCBO VINTAGES...

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Closson Chase Vineyard Chardonnay 2014 (Ontario) - Wine Review (Bottle 1)

Tonight's wine to ring in the New Year is this wonderful Prince Edward County Chardonnay that I recently ordered through the VINI wine app that's available for iOS and Android. The selection of wines available in the app is rather small, but features high-quality wines that are somewhat hard to find. At the time of this post, I see there is a good list of wines from Ontario...

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Menguante Selección Garnacha 2012 (Spain) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine was a parting gift I received after the Garnacha Day tasting in September. It is produced by Viñedos y Bodegas Pablo, a family-owned winery located in Almonacid de la Sierra, Zaragoza, in northeastern Spain. The winery dates back to the 18th century, but the winemaking traditions of this family go back even further - to 1760. The fascinating story begins with...

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Abbazia di Novacella Müller-Thurgau 2014 (Italy) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine is more suitable for summer time drinking rather than a Christmas dinner in winter. Nevertheless, this is what's in my glass tonight. This white wine was purchased in the summer from the July 9 VINTAGES Release and, surprisingly, a few bottles are still available at the LCBO. Tasting Note: ABBAZIA DI NOVACELLA MÜLLER-THURGAU 2014 - DOC Valle Isarco Alto...

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Niagara Wine Festival Review 2016 - Day 1 of 2

The first day of my 2-day visit to Niagara for the annual Grape & Wine Festival was on September 17. We visited 4 wineries on this day, two in Twenty Valley and two in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Our first stop was at Magnotta Winery to whet our appetite with a fresh Caprese Salad that was paired with 2 wines - 2015 Magnotta Pinot Noir Equus Rosé ($9.95, 87 pts) and the 2014...

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FRESH Wines for the Holidays

Tonight's wine reviews are a pair of wines from the FRESH brand produced by Diamond Estates. The focus on FRESH is about fun, creative wines for wine drinkers who want to explore and try something different. The two wines reviewed below fit into the brand very nicely as the Riesling/Gewürztraminer blend and the Sparkling Wine made with Riesling are both relatively uncommon...

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Lamberti Santepietre Pinot Grigio 2015 (Italy) - Wine Review

Last night I opened up this easy drinking Pinot Grigio from Northern Italy. This wine is produced by Cantina Lamberti, a winery that was established in 1964 and is named after one of the oldest noble families of Verona. The grapes for this wine were harvested from Trentino and Veneto vineyards along the Adige Valley in Northern Italy, and were picked during the last 10 days...

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