Rhône Wine Tour 2018 - Lirac & Tavel (Day 4)

The final day of our wine tour through the southern Rhône Valley took us through Lirac and Tavel AOCs. This day followed visits to Luberon and Ventoux, Cairanne, and Costières de Nîmes earlier in the week. Tavel is located on the right bank of Rhône River. It achieved AOC status since 1937 and was actually the second to establish Cru status, right after the famous Châteauneuf-du-Pape....

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13th Street Cuvée Rosé Brut (Niagara) - Wine Review

After enjoying the excellent 2013 13th Street Grande Cuvée Blanc de Noir last weekend, tonight's wine review features another delightful sparkling wine from 13th Street Winery that is a VINTAGES Essential at the LCBO and currently on promotion for $3 off at the LCBO and winery. 13th Street Winery was founded in 1998 in St. Catharines, Ontario, and was purchased in 2008 by...

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Yealands Sauvignon Blanc 2019 (New Zealand) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a delightful, vegan-friendly, award-winning Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand that comes to us with a fresh, new label for the 2019 vintage. It is produced by Yealands, a winery that opened its doors on August 8, 2008 (i.e. 08-08-08) with a vision to become one of the world’s most sustainable wine producers and determined to craft beautiful wines in...

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December 7, 2019 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Festive Get-Togethers

The December 7, 2019 VINTAGES Release is the final release of the year and it's a mono-themed release featuring Fine Wines for Festive Get-Togethers, which also includes a fine selection of sparkling wines. All of the wines from this release will be on shelves by this Saturday, with a subset possibly arriving a bit later. We begin with feature on table wines for Festive...

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13th Street Grande Cuvée Blanc de Noir 2013 (Niagara) - Wine Review

For tonight's wine review, I venture into the VINTAGES Classics Collection - a selection of fine wine (and spirits) that are some of the best, most iconic, and most collectible wines from top producers around the world. The VINTAGES Classics program releases new wines on a monthly basis, specifically on the first Thursday of every month. 13th Street Winery produces this lovely...

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Jean-Max Roger Cuvée Marnes et Caillottes Sancerre 2018 (Loire) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a crisp, refreshing, and high quality Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley that will be coming to LCBO VINTAGES on December 7th. It is produced by Jean-Max Roger, one of my favourite Loire producers. The Roger family descends from a long line of winegrowers from the village of Bué, with the name first mentioned in texts in the 17th century. In the...

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Rolly Gassmann Rotleibel de Rorschwihr Auxerrois 2007 (Alsace) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review was inspired after my visit to the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo on Thursday, where I visited the Vins d'Alsace booth and tasted some amazing white wines. This lovely late harvest white wine is made by a producer who has been vine growing since 1611. The Auxerrois grape varietal is grown mostly in Alsace (France), with other sizable plantings grown only...

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